How is it that the USA is in such a negative equity position? Why is our debt so high? Where does the real problem lie?

Is it that we're trying to improve things here at home? Or is it that we're trying to spread Democracy to the rest of the world? Is it that we really want the rest of the world to be free, or is it the need to protect the solvency of Exxon Mobile and Halliburton? Why is it that our nation is so far in debt, and going further every minute? Is it the cost of improving our own infrastructure, or is it the financing of these wars overseas that has brought us to the brink of utter and permanent financial insolvency? Is wanting good roads, police, schools, medical care for our aging, and essential services bringing us to our knees, or is it Dow, J.P. Morgan, General Electric, Exxon Mobil, Royal Dutch Shell, Wal-Mart Stores, AT&T, IBM, Goldman Sachs, Chevron, and on, and on, and on?

Who has been, and is bleeding our country out of its precious bodily fluids? Our teachers, police, auto workers, city workers, hard working Americans? Or has it been the faceless corporations who cannot be held accountable for their actions, and get bailed out by the very politicians who they buy off by the hundreds?

I seems to me that there is some sort of symbiotic relationship that has developed between our government and the mega corporations of this and other countries. The huge corporations benefit from the plundering of the earth's people and resources. The corporations buy off the politicians and use them to help sell their legitimacy and viability. The politicians and the corporations control the media which uses propaganda tactics to anesthetize, distract, and lull the masses into thinking everything is being done in the interest of human life.

Why are so many so blind to this? Why do so many seemingly intelligent people think we have this fantastic, altruistic system? Why do I feel so alone?

Of late, I have been carefully observing this pseudo newspaper/e-zine Newsmax.com. It is quite obviously a right wing publication. After spending some time with it (having to bath thoroughly after each reading) I began to notice that many of the articles seemed to not be just selling ideas, but products as well, or at least selling concepts that lead to the need for a product who's ad was not that far away. It seemed that this “news” was trying to do more than just inform me, more than sway me to a point of view. It seems that this “news” is presenting concept problems that I will need a corporate solution for. The news is being tied to product solutions. Not only that, political solutions.

News is defined as: “information about recent and important events.” What happened to news?

This all really sounds allot like points 9 and 13 of The Fourteen Defining Characteristics Of Fascism:

9. Corporate Power is Protected - The industrial and business aristocracy of a fascist nation often are the ones who put the government leaders into power, creating a mutually beneficial business/government relationship and power elite.
And
13. Rampant Cronyism and Corruption - Fascist regimes almost always are governed by groups of friends and associates who appoint each other to government positions and use governmental power and authority to protect their friends from accountability. It is not uncommon in fascist regimes for national resources and even treasures to be appropriated or even outright stolen by government leaders.

You can read about the Fourteen Defining Characteristics of Fascism by Dr. Lawrence Britt here.

So, where do I go with all of this? Of course it will end right here on Rusty Lime. I'll be criticized at work by those who know who Friendo is and where to find me. They'll tell me how mis-guided I am, and how ridiculous all this sounds. They'll pray for me, and wonder why the Shroud of Turin story doesn't convince me of the existence of god. They'll wonder why I don't like Jack Bauer, and what's wrong with the great prices at Wal Mart. They'll all be waiting for a better life after this one, and the rapture. Me, with any luck, I'll rot on the top of the ground, a few hundred yards off the side of the road.

Does anybody really care what Newt Gingrich thinks or says?