Crony capitalists’ America, zombie nation

First published in Blasting News;

Crony capitalism has drained our treasury and enriched oligarch turning America into a zombie nation hell bent on war with Russia

Since the overthrow of the American government in 2000, our country has had the life blood sucked out of it by crony capitalists.  A for-profit healthcare system, a military industrial complex’s profit driven wars, a Wall Street profit driven banking system, a hedge fund profit driven education system, a for-profit energy and infrastructure system, a pay or die big Pharma, and an open borders immigration system, America is a zombie nation.  Our politicians are not regular citizens, but oligarchs that serve themselves in a rigged election system.  As Dr. Paul Craig Roberts’ wrote “The US is a dead nation walking.”

Russia surpasses the US

The PNAC crowd that seized control over our government in 2000 has focused the development of military weapons systems on maximum profits rather than the best state-of-the-art equipment to protect our nation.  For instance the F-35 Joint Strike fighter jet is the most expensive unmitigated disaster in history.  The Pentagon has stuck so much money in it that in 2010 it was determined to be “to big to fail”.  In development for nine years and is still not acceptable for combat the total price tag is expected to surpass $1.5 trillion over its life span.

While DOD has been plowing money into the failed F35 with its $400,000 pilot helmets, Russia has developed a fleet of superior SU 35 fighter jets that are currently in use in Syria.  Along with Russia’s new T14 Armata tank which is far superior to the American M1A2 any fantasies of war with Russia are insane.  But insane is the order of the day since our military is under control of rich insiders and unaccountable elites.

Profits before lifesaving medicine

The PNAC gang that was ushered in with the Bush regime and their ready-at-hand Patriot Act had provisions to protect big Pharma from any litigation.  Before the 911 attacks took place, Bayer was under investigation for withholding adverse health findings regarding their anthrax antibiotic Cipro.  In trials Cipro was shown to interact badly with other drugs and caused potentially life threating infections.  By July the Bush FDA endorsed the use of Bayer’s Cipro in spite of a 1997 Pentagon study showing several other drugs were as effective and less harmful.

The pharmaceutical industry spent $177 million on lobbying in 1999 and 2000, and the night after the 911 attacks, Cheney and White House staff were instructed to take Cipro, well before the anthrax attacks took place.  Since then drugs that people rely on to remain alive have had their patents bought up and prices skyrocketed in a pay up or die business model.

Charter school indoctrination camps

Congress has destroyed the best education system in the world and replaced it with a for-profit madrassa type of charter system that is a hedge fund cash cow.  After accepting lavish gifts and trips, congress has stripped our public schools of funds to endow Turkish terrorist Fathullah Gülen with H1B visas to man his American taxpayer funded charter schools across America.  The purpose of the charters is to produce cannon fodder for endless war.

With sixteen years of profits before people our country has been devastated and resembles a Banana Republic run by oligarchs. America is on the precipice of collapse.  Just one more president funded and controlled by the oligarchs in the two parties and our zombie nation will cease to exist.

By Patricia Baeten