economics

the federal government is going to bail aig out with 85 billion dollars. recently, they bailed out fannie mae and friends with 200 billion dollars. that's funny, because nobody has given me a cent since my birthday. and by the way, i thought we had a government that was opposed to "handouts," but now we learn (well, we already knew, but you get the point) that only certain handouts are opposed. so, a corporation can be bailed out with billions of dollars, but struggling people have got to tough it out, and are not even entitled to small loans from the very same government. we are told the government has to bail these companies out to "save" the economy, but the government never bails out the thousands of people who lose their jobs when a major corporation ships jobs to another country. the government never bails out the uninsured, the unemployed, the homeless, and the imprisoned. are they not part of the "economy?"

and where is all this money coming from? we are always hearing how strapped our government is for money, but yet, it can turn around and give aig 85 billion dollars. stop and think, just for a second, what could be done with 85 billion dollars; the homes, libraries, hospitals, parks, and cultural centers that could be built or improved. 85 billion dollars is an astounding amount of money. it is the kind of money reserved for corporations, not for people. so yes, there is plenty of money, but it's not meant to be used for people.

of course, the economy will not be saved, just as new deal measures didn't save anything; these bailouts may soften the blow, and they may prolong the inevitable collapse, but the problem is too big to be solved by bailouts.

again, just think about this for a second. there is no money for welfare, no money for subsidized housing, no money for food stamps, but there is money for aig, fannie mae, and general motors. in short, there is money for those who already have money, and there is no money for those who don't have money. and this is done, we are told, to "save" the economy. it is nothing short of insane, but because we function within insane structures, it is reported and discussed in a sane way. it "needed" to be done. this is like saying you need to beat your slave to show him who is boss. well, this may be true, but it's not the point. the problem is the institution of slavery itself. so, whether this company is bailed out or not bailed out, whether this company goes bankrupt or thrives, is besides the point. the problem is the economic order, namely capitalism. and capitalism, along with militarism and racism, are the slaveries of our time, and they need to be battled, not bailed out.
we know the government will continue to bail out capitalism, racism, and militarism, no matter which person or party is in power, so we, the common fuckheads, need to do the battling. no one will give us 85 billion dollars if we fail, but at least we will be able to sleep at night.