The agenda for the Democrat and Republican parties is set by corporate Amerika. Corporate Amerika created the parties and controls their purse strings. The major newspapers and other media are owned by these large corporations. Thus, big business is able to set the political tone and make its views heard loud and clear.
When the post-war economic upswing came to an end in 1975, big business prepared its policies to deal with the developing period of economic crisis. To do this it formed the Business Roundtable. Like similar bodies in previous periods of history, this body was made exclusively of the Chief Executive Officers (CEO’s) of the top corporations. No politicians, members of the press, or other individuals could attend these meetings. They laid down clear plans on how they were to deal with this coming crisis. In a word, their plan was to put the pain of the crisis onto the backs of the working class and the middle class.
Every administration since then, starting with President Carter, has followed out the details of this plan. It was to deregulate key industries, to cut federal spending on middle and working class programs, to freeze the minimum wage, to cut government regulation, to cut wages, workrules and benefits at work, to weaken the unions, to cut the taxes on the rich and business, and to build up the US Military.
JIMMY CARTER
In a Dec. 1977 meeting of another influential business group, the Business Council, Pres. Carter promised these leaders that if they encountered government action “that unnecessarily encroaches on your effectiveness, I hope you’ll let either my Cabinet officers or me know, and I’ll do the best I can to correct it…If you let me have those recommendations, I’ll do the best I can to comply with your request” (The structure of Power in America, page 107)
The Democratic administration of Carter began to implement this program during the late 1970’’s. It deregulate trucking and allowed the increase in inflation to erode the value of wages. It also began to cut social programs and increase spending on the military. During the years Carter was in office, prices rose 41% and profits rose 54.6%, while wages only rose 31%. During his term in office an offensive began on union activists, with 15,000 workers being illegally fired for union activity in 1980. The concessionary movement in labor contracts also began at this time. Not one of labor’s priority legislation was passed under Carter.
REAGAN AND BUSH
Under the Reagan and Bush Administration these policies escalated. In a warning shot to all of labor, Reagan fired the air-traffic controllers who went on strike in 1981. This attack was a green light for the employers to mount an offensive on the working class and the poor. Demands for concessions escalated, social programs were cut, and the minimum wage was frozen. There were large increases in military spending and new expeditions of US military force abroad. On a whole number of different fronts, a savage assault was launched on the living standards of working people. As a part of this, taxes were cut on the rich and increased on working people. At the same time services were cut back all levels of government.
More to come...
When the post-war economic upswing came to an end in 1975, big business prepared its policies to deal with the developing period of economic crisis. To do this it formed the Business Roundtable. Like similar bodies in previous periods of history, this body was made exclusively of the Chief Executive Officers (CEO’s) of the top corporations. No politicians, members of the press, or other individuals could attend these meetings. They laid down clear plans on how they were to deal with this coming crisis. In a word, their plan was to put the pain of the crisis onto the backs of the working class and the middle class.
Every administration since then, starting with President Carter, has followed out the details of this plan. It was to deregulate key industries, to cut federal spending on middle and working class programs, to freeze the minimum wage, to cut government regulation, to cut wages, workrules and benefits at work, to weaken the unions, to cut the taxes on the rich and business, and to build up the US Military.
JIMMY CARTER
In a Dec. 1977 meeting of another influential business group, the Business Council, Pres. Carter promised these leaders that if they encountered government action “that unnecessarily encroaches on your effectiveness, I hope you’ll let either my Cabinet officers or me know, and I’ll do the best I can to correct it…If you let me have those recommendations, I’ll do the best I can to comply with your request” (The structure of Power in America, page 107)
The Democratic administration of Carter began to implement this program during the late 1970’’s. It deregulate trucking and allowed the increase in inflation to erode the value of wages. It also began to cut social programs and increase spending on the military. During the years Carter was in office, prices rose 41% and profits rose 54.6%, while wages only rose 31%. During his term in office an offensive began on union activists, with 15,000 workers being illegally fired for union activity in 1980. The concessionary movement in labor contracts also began at this time. Not one of labor’s priority legislation was passed under Carter.
REAGAN AND BUSH
Under the Reagan and Bush Administration these policies escalated. In a warning shot to all of labor, Reagan fired the air-traffic controllers who went on strike in 1981. This attack was a green light for the employers to mount an offensive on the working class and the poor. Demands for concessions escalated, social programs were cut, and the minimum wage was frozen. There were large increases in military spending and new expeditions of US military force abroad. On a whole number of different fronts, a savage assault was launched on the living standards of working people. As a part of this, taxes were cut on the rich and increased on working people. At the same time services were cut back all levels of government.
More to come...
