It is encouraging to encounter fellow Americans like David DeGraw who are "connecting the dots" on the way the system of capitalism works, and the way it doesn't work for the vast majority. And he is also learning from painful personal experience that opposing the system doesn't pay well. However he hasn't yet quite got to the point of blaming the system itself--he points the finger at the "economic elite". He keeps referring to the mythical "Founding Fathers" and thinks that everything they did was wonderful and that this current economic elite is the problem. He writes:
The Economic Elite have engineered a financial coup and have brought war to our doorstep. . . and make no mistake, they have launched a war to eliminate the US middle class. [A part of American mythology is that everyone who is not rich is in the "middle class".]This is where I part company from him. The system of capitalism which our "Founding Fathers" established in this country was always an exploitative system, even worse then than now for most people--slaves, indentured workers, landless farmers, and other laborers (Native Americans were regarded as "savages" and sitting on land that the elites were planning to steal). The Founding Fathers were the economic elite of their time. There were no working people represented at the founding of the US Constitution. (Read the classic study by Charles A. Beard.)
The system has always been good at exploiting people and the environment to profit the few, and over the centuries a lot of this wealth has trickled down to the many. But along with the growing standard of living has come numerous and devastating wars caused by rival capitalists to gain control of markets and resources.
Beginning in the 1970's what has been changing for ordinary Americans is that they no longer occupy a privileged position by being located in the most powerful capitalist country. Technology has enabled capitalists to go global. Thus US capitalists no longer need or want American workers except to fight their wars. A career in the military (if it doesn't kill you) is now the best way for an average American to obtain a good living, free medical services, early retirement, and a good pension.
However, the article provides excellent material for raising the anemic American political consciousness to action:
...it’s time for YOU to lead. It’s time for YOU to get involved. Build your own army. Once you start paying attention and put in some time to do the research, you will clearly see for yourself that both parties are working against your interests. You will also see how critical the situation is and realize that you can no longer be passive and expect to keep living a healthy and secure lifestyle. We are going to be tested in ways we have never been tested before. We cannot get away with being apolitical anymore. It’s time for us to pay attention, to become directly involved in the decision-making processes that guide our life. I know this is something that most people don’t enjoy and don’t want to do, but the consequences of our inaction will be much worse than anything we have ever experienced.
