Subject:

American Mantra

Date:

Wed, 03 Jan 2001 10:51:53 -0800

From:

Peter Phillips <peter.phillips@SONOMA.EDU>
Reply-To:

PROJECT-CENSORED-L@SONOMA.EDU

To:

Project-censored-L@SONOMA.EDU

American Mantra: Free Market Capitalism

By Peter Phillips

Free Market Capitalism has become the dominant American ideological truth.
The decline of communism opened the door for unrepentant free marketers to
boldly espouse market competition as the final solution for global
harmony.
According to the American mantra, if given the opportunity to freely
develop the marketplace will solve all evils. We will enjoy economic
expansion, individual freedom, and unlimited bliss by fully deregulating
and privatizing society's socio-economic institutions.

The recent selection of G.W. Bush as the U.S. President has placed into
power the party that is the strongest supporter of this American mantra.
The business/government revolving-door cabinet will be comprised of more
corporate CEO's than any presidency in recent history. The new government
elite will work to see that the American mantra remains safe, globalized,
and unchallenged.

Pesky socialist or nationalist leaning governments will be undermined,
pressured into compliance or even invaded if they dare to resist the
American mantra. The full force of U.S. dominated global institutions
-WTO,
World Bank, IMF, NAFTA-will focus on maximizing free market circumstances
and corporate access to every region of the world. Economic safety nets,
environmental regulations, labor unions, human rights, become second place
to the free flow of capital and investments. Indigenous resisters face
overt repression, disappearance, or imprisonment by governments fully
armed
and supported by the American dominated New World Order.

So what is the underlying rationale for this American mantra? Are its
dogmatic beliefs based on specific socio-economic facts? Are free market
forces clearly the best mechanism for human betterment? Do these
mechanisms
work cross-culturally and are they efficient under all circumstances?
A closer examination of the American mantra reveals that "free market"
essentially means constant international U.S. government intervention on
behalf of American corporations. A public-private partnership that
utilizes
U.S. embassies, the CIA, FBI, NSA, U.S. Military, Department of Commerce,
USAID, and every other U.S government institution to protect, sustain, and
directly support our vital interest-U.S. business.

This public-private partnership means that the government of Guatemala is
pressured to withdraw laws that forbid Gerber foods from marketing their
chubby baby image on infant formula. Peasants see the baby and believe
that
formula will make their infants healthy and chubby as well. Yet breast
feeding is considerable healthier in a country where unsafe water mixed
with formula results in high infant mortality.

The American mantra claims that prices will reach their lowest levels and
consumers will benefit from free market competition. Yet living
essentials,
food, water, housing, health care, all have the international tendency to
increase more rapidly than products that are non-essential. Even in the
U.S
we can get a great deal on a computer, but try buying emergency health
care
on a middle income paycheck. Americans are often amazed to find out that
prescription drugs are significantly cheaper in other countries, a fact
that discredits the benefits of an unregulated market.

American mantra institutions push market deregulation that transforms
foreign economies for the benefit of U.S. businesses. Post-NAFTA Mexicans
are now importing U.S. grown corn for their tortillas, as millions of
formally subsidized peasant farmers leave the land to seek minimum wage
work in the cities of United States. Los Angeles has become the center for
new American sweatshops, as "illegals" compete for poverty jobs, citizens
cannot afford to accept.

Government-assisted foreign market penetration by U.S firms often results
in the buying out of successful indigenous companies and the competitive
overwhelm of others. This situation leaves U.S. multinationals in dominate
positions in foreign domestic markets and creates win-fall profit taking
opportunities.
The free market mantra carries with it shock treatment policies of
lowering
public expectations, forced austerity measures, and dismantled human
services. A privately run water system is deemed superior to a public
system because the profit motive will create maximum efficiency. Yet there
is absolutely no research that systematically compares public verses
private efficiency levels, only the dogmatic assertion that this is so.

The American mantra affects the U.S. population as well. We are still
riding on the betterments from the first three/quarters of the 20th
century, and have not faced the full impacts of the economic bifurcation
that has occurred the past 25 years. Poverty levels are rising, the
working
poor expanding and homelessness one pay check away for many. In the last
quarter century the bottom 60 million Americans have economically
declined,
and most of the next 100 million have barely held their own, while the
dot.com generation elites have socked away fortunes.

It is time to re-examine the American mantra and speak for global
humanity.
We must establish business socio-economic accountability standards and
reacquaint our government with its responsibility for maintaining the
common good.

Peter Phillips is an Associate Professor of Sociology at Sonoma State
University and director of Project Censored a media research group.

Peter Phillips Ph.D.
Sociology Department/Project Censored
Sonoma State University
1801 East Cotati Ave.
Rohnert Park, CA 94928
707-664-2588