On Globalism and our Oil-based Economy

For many years now, the buzzword of large-scale economics has been globalism. A natural extension of the "bigger is better" business philosophy, globalism has been touted as the key to everything from more affordable products for consumers and reversing our foreign trade deficit to improved environmental conditions here in the US and enhancing the job market.

On another front (despite assertions to the contrary by our government), our ongoing dependence on foreign oil is clearly the primary reason we're in this mess in the middle east to begin with, and has been the reason for our meddling in their affairs since the end of WW2.

Large corporations defend globalism vociferously, offering all manner of charts, stats and other mind-numbing assaults on our senses designed to reinforce support for the idea that the world should be one huge marketplace. But somehow I doubt all this globalism is all that healthy for the US.NAFTA and the resultant wholesale outsourcing of American jobs is clearly destroying the middle class, despite the protestations and reassurances of board rooms from coast to coast. To even the most casual observer, our country is rapidly losing its manufacturing base, which once provided good-paying jobs for millions of hard-working Americans. To make matters worse, in the name of globalism we are also exporting our most vital resource -- technological innovation.

Now with regards our insatiable demand for oil and the "national interest" in the middle east this dependency forces upon us -- the money we spend at the pump (not to mention the troops we station throughout the middle east to "protect" the flow of oil to us) has in fact created the monster which now hunts for ways to kill us.

If not for oil, what possible "vital national interest" is served by our continuing intervention in the middle east? In my opinion -- none. Israel is armed to the teeth and can clearly take care of itself when it comes to their ongoing feud with the Arabs without the physical presence of the United States. Remove the oil factor, and there's simply no compelling reason for the US to involve itself with anything having to do with the middle east.

And why do we continue policies which clearly lead to the US being vilified throughout much of the world, as well as the target of terrorism? I would suggest that the root of the problem lies with the glorification and enshinement of the corporation (and the necessary demoting of the individual) as the preeminent entity to be served by our policies. Nothing matters for the corporate mentality except making more and more money for the benefit of investors, no matter the social costs, and with the elevation in Washington DC of corporate influence above that of society as a whole, we no longer elect representatives of the people -- we elect representatives of big business paying mere lip service to "the good of the American people".

Corporations have embraced all this globalism hype, touting it as a wonderful thing for America. Well, for the CEOs and upper management and the investors, life may be good. So "business as usual" is their mantra. But for middle America (the individuals who must bear the cost of board room decisions), globalism is dealing a death blow every day to our way of life, and the American Dream is becoming just that -- a mere dream for us to indulge as we struggle on in a now virtually futile attempt to achieve the sort of successes our forefathers were able to enjoy.

And globalism is not serving the third world all that well, either. They may be getting our jobs, but they are also receiving slave-labor wages, little or no environmental responsibility and no health care to manage the damage done to their bodies by working under conditions the US outlawed decades ago. Corporate America has no intention of improving the situation, because being able to abandon such things as good wages, good environment and health care is the very reason they embrace globalism in the first place.

The "corporatism" which has seized control of nearly all aspects of modern life cannot abide drastic and sudden change that requires capital investment and a dip in stock value, so it perpetuates the oil-based energy policy that is now 30 years obsolete and in need of replacement, squelches the technologies which could move us away from oil, and makes our meddling in the middle east both necessary and inevitable.

Many perceptive Americans these days are observing that we need to reverse our dependancy on foreign oil, diminish or eliminate our influence in all these middle east countries, and leave them to their own devices WITHOUT our billions of dollars to in turn spend on terrorizing our way of life.

But our entrenched energy companies are holding us captive to the middle east oil tit, intent on wringing every dollar to be had out of the old energy paradigm. And our spineless government will not step up to the plate, buck corporation lobbyists (their drinking buddies in off-hours at the golf course), and lead us out of the desert, as it were.

Corporate America mutters the word isolationism as if it had but four letters. Well, I think a little isolationism might in fact be the best path for our country to take. Dependence on globalism to fuel our standard of living means we are at the mercy of every country in the world for something or other. If America were more self-sufficient and kept our dollars, technology, innovation and jobs here at home, the upswing in our fortunes might surprise us. And it might also surprise us at how much the US (as a global benefactor) would be able to improve the conditions of other deserving countries if we could more fully seize the reigns of our own destiny and get away from these conflicting and complicated political relationships with certain less-than-savory governments.

We should be aggressively pursuing new technologies which make us energy-independent, with the national goal of achieving success by 2010. Once we get energy self-sufficiency firmly in place, we should pull our troops back home, deploy them securing our borders, then sweep the country for illegal aliens and trouble-makers and deport them. We need to show the world not only that we can take care of our own needs (and thus have no need to intrude into their affairs), but show them how to achieve self-sufficiency and independence for themselves. Now that's democracy in action.

And as for the middle east -- well, they could leave their bloody oil where the sun don't shine, for all we would care. We could remove ourselves from their miserable existence, and let them know in no uncertain terms that we'll reduce them to dust if they pull any more of these cowardly "terrorist" stunts. The only reason we haven't already done so is our ongoing dependence on their oil, and the complex ass-kissing political maneuvering this dependency requires of us.

In short -- screw the middle east. How sweet that would be!!

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