America, you are not alone...

The following is from an article titled: The New Opiate of the Masses

The State Duma has passed another law that will deliver a big blow to culture, education and public health. The struggle against those sectors has been going on for years, but it appears that this time the deputies are determined to finish them off for good. The law clearly demonstrates the intention of the state to release itself from any remaining social responsibility that it still has toward the people. Science, culture and education will now have to fend for themselves — or die off completely. According to officials, the law is intended to “optimize budgetary expenses.” What this means in reality is that these expenses could be eliminated altogether. If the law goes into force, most educational and public health institutions will be removed from the federal budget as of Jan. 1, 2011. On the other hand, scientific, scholastic and cultural institutions will be given carte blanche to earn money any way that they can. Thus, we could very well see hospitals renting out rooms to store alcoholic beverages and schools renting out classrooms to warehouse cigarettes. What’s more, the government will soon stop assuming the burden for debts accumulated by schools, hospitals and libraries. As a result, we might begin seeing museums or medical clinics going bankrupt and closing their doors in the near future. The luckiest organizations will be designated as “state establishments,” but it is too early to congratulate those organizations; the law also states that their “surplus assets” will be seized. For now, we can only guess as to who will determine what is surplus, which criteria they will use and how much they will be allowed to take. Siloviki agencies, orphanages, prisons and psychiatric hospitals are slated to become “state establishments.” So, unless you are in uniform, crazy or sitting in prison, don’t count on getting any help from the government. At the same time, the authorities are continuing to work toward their favorite goal — the merging, consolidating and downsizing of hospitals, schools and universities. After all, who needs so many scientific institutes? Why do small villages need schools at all?

The same question could apply to village hospitals: Why do villagers need hospitals in the first place? After all, since they live so close to Russia’s pristine nature, they get lots of fresh, clean air and have no right to get sick. Perhaps they could revive the country’s tradition of mystical healing and other centuries-old rural practices. The authorities understand perfectly well that the growing number of educated young people have nowhere to apply their skills. And neither the government nor the private sector is prepared to create massive numbers of industry jobs. Thus, the millions of young people who will enter the labor market in the next two to three years will find themselves placed in that unfortunate category called “surplus.” But the authorities have their own logic for their actions. If those surplus people are not only unemployed, but also educated, they could pose a serious threat to the ruling authorities. It would be better, they believe, if the people spent hours every day in front of the television watching mindless series and entertainment shows, drinking or taking drugs than reading books. In all of this downsizing and budget cutting in Russia’s core educational and medical infrastructure, nobody is planning to cut funding for prisons and psychiatric hospitals.

Boris Kagarlitsky - Director of the Institute of Globalization and Social Movements in Moscow,

Boris Kagarlitsky is a well-known international commentator on Russian politics and society. Boris was a deputy to the Moscow City Soviet between 1990-93, during which time he was a member of the executive of the Socialist Party of Russia, co-founder of the Party of Labour, and advisor to the Chairperson of the Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Russia. Previously, he was a student of art criticism and was imprisoned for two years for 'anti-Soviet' activities.

So I posted this because at first I thought it was about the US but then realized the man was commenting on the situation in Russia.

This is particular forum is called "US political madness", and I wanted to point this out, since the political situation in the US is not an isolated case.

It has long been my opinion that the Multinational Corporations that truly run the world have no loyalty to any Nation, and as long as we stand divided, whether it be with the people of Russia, Iran, China or elsewhere, we are easy prey for these leeches.

This article is an excellent example of this, and I think we should keep our hearts and minds open to the fact that the people of the US and other nations have more common interests than differences.

The problems we face today are not national ones that need a national solution, they are problems of a global proportion, and it needs a united global resolve from the oppressed and exploited masses of all nations, everywhere, if we want to see a brighter future rather than ever decreasing quality of live for ourselves and future generations.

Divided we Fall.

reply to post by Conspiracy Pianist

Wow, CP, you've done it again. Good looking out.

Sadly, this is a nudge toward the One World Government model, as was pointed out in your comment.

It should be a good thing, but all I can picture is a Soviet-style gray world, with State this and State that.

If only it were people doing it, and not the mysterious and lofty "government."

There is such a disconnect there.

Is all the money needed for defense?
This seems like a paradox to me.

You are legally bound to give taxes to the government, whose job is to administrate this money back to meet the needs of those who live there.

You are expected to allow some of this money to be used for defense.

Now you are not allowed to fund schools or infrastructure with it.

So what's the defense for?! If there is no infrastructure, what is there to protect so much?

One thing that always bothers me, is with all of this coming together.... All of the people in charge have gone about it in such a way that many countries see the US as the next Nazi Germany.

I can understand how they feel, our troops are dropping bombs on their families.. We are seen as rich slobs... They are causing terror and death in the world on our behalf.

Yet we are oppressed, and have no choice in the matter. We the people can see that we have everything in common with every oppressed nation in the world. I do hope there's people in all nations that can see through the hatred that they are told by the media to have, for everyone else.

If only humankind could suddenly refuse to participate in the many horrors and occurrences of genocide, we could build a world of peace ourselves. Without needing those in power to instruct us to kill anyone who opposes them.

I know, I am imagining this dream world, where all people refuse to buy into the lies, and refuse to hate all other people.

I'll stop now, I don't even make sense to me anymore.

Thank you OP, for this thread.

I can't help but feel a sense of love and compassion for all of the citizens of this earth. I wonder if this will be our downfall.

reply to post by Copperflower

Sadly, this is a nudge toward the One World Government model, as was pointed out in your comment. It should be a good thing, but all I can picture is a Soviet-style gray world, with State this and State that.

I agree, and find that frustrating as well. Since the dawn of the internet a greater feeling of brotherhood amongst people from any nation, as humans, is growing.

For example, if they want to demonize Iranian people in order to gain support for war, they'll have a hard time since many people feel solidarity with the Iranian people because of citizen journalism during the riots in Iran last year. Many people now know that a huge portion of Iran has had it with the current regime.

So in essence, Nationalism is weakening globally, and in many ways people are realizing we are all global citizens.

So I'm not anti-globalism, just anti the kind of globalism that is in reality the same old exploitation of the masses under the guise of a "new" hope, or "new" global gorvernment.

reply to post by LostNemesis

Yet we are oppressed, and have no choice in the matter. We the people can see that we have everything in common with every oppressed nation in the world. I do hope there's people in all nations that can see through the hatred that they are told by the media to have, for everyone else.

This is an excellent point; while the outside world is being demonized in the US, the US is being demonized in the outside world. So in essence this thread could be posted in a russian forum, describing the situation in the US, with the same overal message: Russia, you are not alone!!!

I too hope that eventually a critical mass of global citizens will see through the divisive propaganda...

Thanks for posting!

reply to post by LostNemesis

No you don't!

Stopping is the right thing to do in matters of wrong, but Lost, you must not stop doing what you are doing.

Some kid is reading your post, and saying to himself or herself, "See? All adults aren't evil, or ignorant. Some DO care."

In these days and times, there are people who have never known what this is like.
You are giving it to them. IT MATTERS, you matter, and all those like you keep this world from being one big nightmare all around.

Be encouraged. You are not like them, and that matters. Everything has to begin somewhere.

Perhaps this is a necessary step, not exciting or quick, but necessary to produce the counterpart to all this horror and confusion.

I often go on to YouTube and apologize to other people in other countries for what they see as the US and as us. I tell them we are not like that, and that most if not all of us don't want anyone to be hurt or bombed or assaulted or even bothered, really.

We are not our government, and our government is not us. People who support the war rather than just the soldiers must remember this as it applies to other nations as well.

Then the war effort loses a lot of support, which is good, IMO.