Glenn Beck Manipulation #32

I've encountered yet another subtle but illustrative example of how Glenn Beck manipulates listeners. He was ranting about how Obama was normalizing relations with Cuba. He then pointed out that Cuba's workforce is almost entirely government-employed (socialized), and made statements implying that's the reason for improving relationships.

We should be friendly with non-hostile nations regardless of how they employee their citizens (as long as they are not slaves). The two are generally unrelated. However, Beck forces a connection in the minds of viewers between getting along, and socialistic employment. He doesn't outright state such, but he makes so many of these kinds of subtle associations that it becomes a reflex.

The ATM Lie

The plutocratic lobby recently glommed onto a statement that Obama made about ATM machines causing loss of bank teller jobs. In the short term automation can indeed reduce jobs. It's an ebb and flow. Things change in a capitalistic economy and the churn causes short-term disruptions. Nobody ever claimed capitalism was smooth (except maybe T-baggers). Obama did NOT suggest getting rid of ATM's. His statement was twisted and turned like a turkey in Palin's grinder.

Democracy Held Hostage

So the rich are sitting on their Bush tax-cuts and refuse to spend it on hiring until they get another president that kisses up to them? There's another name for this activity....EXTORTION

Intel Ex-CEO Says Rethink Trade

Andy Grove, ex-CEO of the largest computer chip maker, Intel, encourages politicians to re-consider lopsided trade and not fear trade-wars. You only lose trade wars if you don't have experience fighting them, he suggests. This is a man with vast business and technology manufacturing experience.

As I have pointed out before, we have the advantage in any trade-war with problem nations because they have far more to lose than us. In the 1930's we had a trade surplus before we picked trade fights. You don't pick fights with a surplus; that's stupid.

The Right's "Business Uncertainty" Horsecrap

Recently a new slogan has entered in the conservative consciousness, pumped in by the plutocratic BS public-relations machines. Businesses are allegedly not hiring due to uncertainty over healthcare and/or taxes.

However, uncertainty was at an all-time high in the months after 9/11. Shoe-bombers, bra-bombers, anthrax in the mail, antibiotics shortages, etc., all contributed to high anxiety. Yet the economy avoided a recession (or at least avoided going deeper into the existing one).

Further, most businesses hire based on actual sales, not some tax fear or what-not. Our "big iron" manufacturing has largely gone overseas such that we have mostly cubicle services, not big heavy factories with slow ramp-up times. If there was demand, they'd start by hiring temporary workers if they had medium- and longer-term fears. However, this is not happening.

Plus, a businesses' competitors face the same tax and healthcare changes such that the playing field stays roughly even between companies. If both teams start out with 12 players, and the big bad wolf government came and took one player off each team such that both sides only had 11, the competitive ability of each team would remain generally the same (assuming the removed players were roughly of the same skill).

In short, it's just right-wing exaggeration and clap-trap.

GOP Health-Care

GOP: Only the Rich Can Save You

The GOP has been strongly suggesting that jobs mostly come from the rich, and they need yet more tax-cuts before they can hand out your jobs. So middle class entrepreneurs and garage tinkerers are worthless, eh? That'll play well in the 2012 election. "Only the rich can save you". You go with it as your campaign slogan, GOP.

Kissing up to your donor base will indeed get you more campaign cash. Whether it will also get you elected, we'll see. Plutocracy Versus Democracy.