Michael Parenti 1 of 7

Michael Parenti speaking at California State University, Fullerton Monday April 14, 2008.
Topic: "Democracy, Labor and the Prosperity Myth"

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• Democracy
• Labor and the Prosperity Myth

[bootleg42]

We need more Parenti and Chomsky videos on you tube. It sucks that you tube is full of hard right-wingers but videos like these bring some sanity to you tube.

[westphalianprinz]

Conservatives are like Ron Paul. Reactionaries want to roll it all back and take it for themselves. BTW, I don't support Ron Paul.

[dontchastop]

@bootleg42 You have to work harder to find the good stuff.

[MultiSmartass1]

@jazzbo66zz You have an interesting perspective working in a soup kitchen (which is an anachronistic but still relevant term). I don't know if half the US population is living in poverty-statistically that would mean 150 million out of 300 million are either homeless or destitute.

Is there a mathematical limit to dsitribution of resources? Perhaps but not much of one.

It is not a matterof resources but of the economic system.

There NEEDS to be a permanent class of poor in this nation.

[jazzbo66zz]

@MultiSmartass1

It seems to me that the defense of Capitalism couched in the language of the 18th century has been absorbed into the media complex of the entertainment industry. I work at a soup kitchen and what I have seen is mind numbing. Half the population of the US is living in poverty or on the verge of bankruptcy. There is a mathematical limit to the upward redistribution of resources and we are fast approaching that point. Then what...a military dictatorship or maybe just more Limbaugh?

[MultiSmartass1]

Parenti is right here.

More for workers means less for owners and conversely.

That's why American corporations need the third world-so they can pay less and make more.

American workers had a chance at a livable wage, home ownership, sending kids to college.

Not anymore.

The economy shifted after the 70's.

Wages stagnated, you had stagflation, you had tougher overseas competition.

The American advantage evaporated.

We're all in it together? If you mean working class people, yes.

Rich, no

[MultiSmartass1]

@jazzbo66zz I don't know if Smith was intellectually and emotionally immature but a free market is simply not sustainable-for businessmen, companies and corporations.

There is a reason why Rockefeller said "Competition is a sin."

Monopolies work for the monopolists.

You make more money with less competition.

Thus the need is for the governent and private industry to game the economic system and rig the market in favor of powerful corporate classes.

Thererfore, we don't have a free market.

[MultiSmartass1]

@robertlcrocker You can't have wealth without poverty. One cannot exist without the other.

What Parenti should say is that wealth maintains poverty and poverty is sustained by wealth.

That's is a lot more accurate.

[robertlcrocker]

Poverty creates wealth and wealth creates poverty?? This guys been drinking too much proggie KoolAid.

Time for him to board the good ship Rachel Corrie and sail off into Palestinian never never land.

[dontblockmedk]

The money/property system is the ROOT of all problems. Luckily it is all fake and it won't requre everyone to get it. Here are some question everyone should answer.

1. Is the minimum requirement of whichever 'system' to make sure EVERY person has the basic necessities of life provided?

2. Do we have the resources and technology to acheive #1 worldwide?

3. Which system is best? And how do we get there?

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[lakeofillomen]

Please allow my response, please watch it. It is a mash-up of the important points Parenti makes in this video with music and images.