Where Are You In The Food Chain?

The retreat to the time of winner take all capitalism in America means just that, winner take all. The purists on the right, and the more anti business elements on the far left, have formed something of an alliance, although only by conviction, not by their respect for each other. The purists on the right say, "No bailouts, businesses either sink or swim, but if you swim, you deserve to shoot for domination," although they can't or won't tell people what that really means.* The "sink" part is clear, if the auto industry is on the verge of failure like a few years ago, "The hell with 'em. Business decisions have consequences, and we all have to tough it out. If you're an investor who will lose your investment, oh well; if you're a worker who will lose your job, oh well; if you run a business that will fail because of dependence on the auto industry, oh well. If unemployment goes up by hundreds of thousands or even millions, oh well, and we aren't too crazy about giving you unemployment benefits either, you bunch of lazy losers, so if we have our way, benefits will be severely limited, or eliminated. And don't tell us how unemployment benefits stimulate the economy, because we don't believe in stimulating the economy, even though people say our conservative god, Ronald Reagan, stimulated the economy with tax cuts, military spending and huge budget deficits, that's all just a big lie, and don't try showing us the numbers either, they've just been cooked up by the liberal media. You can't have freedom if you bail out the companies, and you may not realize it, but if you lose your job or your business, that's freedom, worship it, and don't look for the taxpayer cavalry to come riding to the rescue. If other nations come to dominate the auto industry, that's the price you pay for a free society and free markets, even if those other nations do provide government assistance to business; we pity them for such a practice." 

What is the ultimate effect of "winner take all?" Well let's put it this way, we're all pretty much on the menu, because the economic food chain will have the better off devouring those less well off, but those at the top will have one hell of a feast, because they will dominate EVERYTHING, a position they are not far from achieving, so if this absolute economic nonsense continues, you might as well decide if you want to be served with an apple in your mouth, or maybe with just a little parsley, when you are presented on a platter for the winner take all philosophy and the consequent idea that there's really no American nation, but only a bunch of individuals who deserve to be dominated by the successful. Of course, if outside enemies threaten the success of those magnificent successes, YOU will then be expected to defend the nation "of the wealthy, by the wealthy, and for the wealthy," or you will be dubbed "unpatriotic."

* Opponents of bailouts on the left just feel it is wrong to give money to business, while they too seem to be oblivious to the economic consequences, although some on the far left hope that such calamity will radicalize the American middle class.