Well this is a surprise. There seems to be some serious cracks in the Democratically-controlled pro-gun control Chicago machine. And a willingness to take responsibility for its perpetuation. As in vote differently. Is the age of miracles not past? Equally, the crowd didn’t seem to have an appetite for a discussion about gun control. Maybe they’ve come to the conclusion that it doesn’t work . . . Click here for Breitbart’s report on the meeting, which somehow didn’t get much play in Chicago’s mainstream press.
I don’t think this means what you think it does. This is a call to move away from a White dominated traditional urban political machine to a Bill De Blasio style sociaist government.
Wonderful.
think Escape from New York . . . they can have major cities. We just wall them off and watch them choke off on their feel good BS.
Chicago has the closest thing to an American politburo I’ve ever seen.You want to make moves in the city, you’d better be a member or know someone in the “Inner Party”,aka the Chicago Democratic Party.
It’s no secret that minority activists with no realisitic understanding of economics chanpion socialism.It’s because they look around, see poverty, and believe the cultural lie that the urban decay and crime is because of Keynes based capitalism.It’s another cultural millstone for black America.
There is now Keynes based capitalism, Keynesian economics is socialist economics.
the whole world is Keynesian economics right now. Gov’t spending, control of interest rates, print print print. In the long run, this will end badly, and we’re all dead.
Its likely already ended. Its why they can’t audit the fed, and its why Ryan signed off on that budget. He finally saw there is no balancing possible. We could probably dump our collected taxes directly into just the debt and unfunded liabilities for the next 100 years and it wouldn’t pay it off. Their picking the carcass of America before we even know its died. The last 4 presidents and congresses did with paperwork what Britain, Spain, Germany, and Russia couldn’t do. They killed the great experiment.
You obviously haven’t read Keynes. Don’t confuse what Keynes said and what modern Keynes do.
If Keynes lived through the 1970s he would have discarded his theories of the 1930s. Just before the Depression he wrote a Treatise on Money which got monetary theory right. In 1919 he wrote a peice called “the Economic Consequences of the Peace” where he predicted an eventual Europeon economic collapse because of reparations scheme forced on Germany. He seems to have forgotten his early work when he wrote the General Theory. Keynes was above all else and empiricist, not a theoritician. If an idea or theory didn’t work he would discard. it.
The other cultural Millstone around black America’s neck is the prominence of the Gangster Culture where the only way the get respect is to get rich by sports, music or being a gangster. If a black person tries to get ahead by getting a good eduction they are put down by accusing them of being “Like whitey”; if they get a good blue collar job, they are accused of being an “Uncle Tom”, and since so few can get rich in sports or music; guess what? You get a lot of gangsters, alot of poor people and alot of people in jail. ( The movie by 50 cent “Get rich or die trying” is a good snap shot of this cultural belief in action.)
Since I didn’t hear much condemnation of this gangster culture in the crowd, simply alot of complaints the politicians weren’t doing enough, which to me sounds like they were complaining they weren’t getting enough ” free stuff”, I don’t see much hope for real change.
When one of their cousin’s sons roughs them up for their wallet after they leave the meeting, they turn around and blame the politicians, society, and the white man. The young criminal is just a victim of circumstances, don’t you know.
That’s the first problem that has to be addressed, but.. I’m sure millions would call me a racist for pointing it out – even if my name is Bill Cosby.
Either you’re slingin’ crack rock or you got a wicked jump shot
There is nothing ‘socialist’ about Keynesian economics. ‘Objectivist’ economics only works in the deluded minds of Fountainhead fans. The reality is that free markets, while efficient and dynamic, need to operate under state supervision, in order to prevent both meltdowns and gross abuses of people. The Canadian conservative Conrad Black has an interesting take on the policies of FDR and others who embraced Keynes’s ideas after the Great Depression:
http://www.amazon.ca/Franklin-Delano-Roosevelt-Champion-Freedom/dp/1586481843
There are no functional economies on the planet that function like one of Ayn Rand’s pure free market wet dreams. An excellent example is Singapore: rich, booming, with heavy state intervention in the economy. The reason the economies of U.S. cities imploded is thanks to globalisation, which moved entire manufacturing sectors to places like China. Low-wage workers in China don’t buy stuff from local businesses in America, nor do they pay property, income, or sales taxes in your country. This means local and state, Federal budget deficits, as governments borrow money to pay for things everyone needs (infrastructure, emergency services, sewage and waste, water). The same pattern has been happening in Europe, as manufacturing jumps to each lower-wage and tax Schengen member. Here, in Alberta, we’ve escaped this problem largely because our resource economy can’t be outsourced. The fact of the matter is that per-GDP U.S. public sector spending was higher during the Eisenhower Administration than today, yet budget deficits were unheard of, thanks to localised, Fordist economies.
The Chicago Machine is a pretty common model in many parts of the world. Take my Province, Alberta, where the forty-something old Progressive Conservative dynasty shakes down school boards and local governments for campaign donations. Singapore’s PAP is a similar government. And remember that the contemporary PRC is more free market Capitalist than Ronadl Reagan’s America: ZERO government medical or social programs, no safety net, and an almost total lack of labour, safety, environmental, or economic (e.g., anti-trust) regulations. Yet the political system isn’t getting less repressive. Obama is no ‘socialist’–if you want proof, read the text of the Wikileaked Trans-Pacific Partnership, which is a Christmas Wish-List for the huge corporate entities that bankrolled your President’s billion dollar campaign. The future of politics isn’t socialism, but largely free-market economies, with shrinking welfare states, and ever more authoritarian, paternalistic governments. In other words, Singapore, Russia…or the place in Terry Gilliam’s film:
Obama is what the Russians call a Red-Brown. He merges Marxism and Fascism into a style of governing. The truth is Marxism/socialism isn’t an independent doctrine. It is a specific form of Fascism. Say what want about Mussolini as a leader, but he was an intellectual of the first order and understood the nature collectivism a lot better than Marx, Engels or Lenin.
even if this is the case, having the different “machines” fight each other is better than letting the machine run. Maybe they’ll all suffer damage.
tdiinva – you may certainly be right, but I suggest that there is an “or” or “unless” in the political flow of those voices. First, calling for jobs and relief from foreclosures is a far cry from the just-give-me-more refrain of those who voted in a Sandinista as the mayor or NYC. Saying they need to vote to change the system – which is the most corrupt and ingrained of any major US city – is a wonderful thing to hear. But there’s a “maybe” in that equation, and I think your thoughts drive from one leg of possible outcomes. I think there are other possible outcomes, though.
People cry out for relief. Anger and resentment builds. No jobs. Too much violence. Too many lives wasted from drugs. Stable families a thing of the past. No hope for the young. No real hope for anyone. People organize to throw the bums out. People succeed. So what happens next?
Here’s where the branching occurs, if the above happens: one option is for the majority to simply pay themselves off (welcome to democratic socialism), one option is for complete anarchy, yet another – and I think fascinating option – is an awareness that each person is responsible for their community, for their neighborhood, for their family and for themselves.
Ii absolutely agree that in the absence of support or external influence, a majority/mob can and will devolve into democratic socialism, however if the right support was interjected, I strongly believe it is at least possible that true freedom can blossom. People are crying out for change. The population is in turmoil. NOW is the time for conservatives to get involved in the same grass-roots activism our opponents perform.
Band people together and fund and issue micro-loans to help people achieve financial independence. Old school civics. True understanding of the racism inherent in the Great Society. Self-defense classes for lawful citizens to arm themselves. Neighborhood groups re-building condemned properties and selling them for a profit, proceeds funding entrepreneurial education locally. There are so many ways to support people moving to sustainable local economies and safe neighborhoods. I think that would be a noble cause, though I admit it has a maybe 1 in 5 chance of truly working.
I am at least glad that some people in Chicago are waking up like oppressed people are doing around the world. People demanding change is a start, and we all know that change can go both ways. I know I am an optimist, but I say let freedom ring.
Merry Christmas, everyone.
So the cup is 20 percent full; for Chicago that may at best represent the percent of people who think like the folks in the video. Is that enough voting power to portend change? We’ll see, but I’m not optimistic that many decades of collective cronyism, corruption and graft will change.
Merry Christmas, and Good Tidings to all.
Aye, but ’tis the season for hope and change. Holy Shit! I can’t believe I typed that… I need to soak my fingers in Clorox.
The systematic change that’s needed is to tear up the late 20th Century globalisation experiment, and return to Fordism. The reason the 1950s were halcyon days is that manufacturing and other jobs stayed at home, and spending and tax revenues with them. But the political elites in the developed world would never disobey their masters, and halt the relentless outsourcing of manufacturing and even service sector industries that strips their citizens of good-paying jobs, removes local spending power from economies, and makes a huge hole in local, state, and Federal tax revenues. And it would mean grassroots efforts to take people’s heads out of their arses: for conservatives to admit that unfettered free markets and trade do not always equal either citizens’ prosperity, or civil rights; for progressives to admit that ‘left’ politicians differ from ‘conservative’ ones only in their greater skill at concealing the fact that they work for powerful business lobbies.
This is what I continue saying, and economists and the media ignore it completely. It’s the elephant in the room. In fact in many ways it’s the ONLY elephant in the room.
NOTHING is going to get better in this country (or frankly the rest of the western world) until we end globalization.
P.S. I left basically the same comment under the video as user “wysoft” – seems many agree with this point.
It’s been like this for a long time.The Democratic Chicago Machine stays in power because they cut deals with scumbags.The gangs do the ground level campaign work in the bad parts of town, and in return the crooked Alderman cover the thugs in City Hall.
I do NOT envy the Chicago PDs position , given that reality.Law Enforcement gets a bad rap on this webpage, but the Chicago patrol officer gets shafted by the citizenry he protects and the politcians he answers to.
Should LE be getting a good rap on this webpage when clear evidence of blatant breaking of the law as well as constant abuse of power and selectively choosing the laws to ignore are well documented? No thanks.
Good job completely ignoring his point and moving right to cop bashing.
Our brothers-in-arms in the CPD:
http://secondcitycop.blogspot.com/
Calls it like it is.
Citizens tired of the “Poverty Pimps” on the 5th floor. Perhaps the light bulb is starting to flicker.
Looks like Sharpton picked the wrong target audience for his anti gun rally, and these ‘grass roots’ people call bull sheet when they see his rhetoric does them no good.
The sheeple found their voices to aire their complaints, which still amount to “what ya’ gonna’ do for me?”
Hmm. This is rather encouraging. I am less enthusiastic about the fact that the audience avoided discussions of gun control and way more enthusiastic about the fact that the audience is waking up to the failure of their local government and historic voting practices.
Call me when they vote down the welfare system that caused these outcomes.
Then I’ll be convinced of a change. Not until.
I agree. This is key.
Yes.
The Proletariat is restless. Good sign. Too bad you wasted a trip, Al. Next time stay in NYC.
They keep talking about “do nothing” politicians. These are my favorite type of politician. If they are doing nothing then they aren’t taking the rights away from my family and fellow man. If they are “doing something” then that is the time to start worrying. Taking it from a freedom perspective… when they are “doing something” – what type of activity is it? Making laws or repealing laws?
America used to be an ocean of freedom. In these days we are part of a high speed river all following the same direction and same path. I don’t want to be walking down a long corral. I want to be free to walk the field.
The Chicago Machine runs a Poverty Ponzi, while Crazy Al and his little minions complain that they’re not getting their fair share of the Poverty Ponzi Profits.
Ya can’t make this sh1t up.
What about “them greek homos” sharpton
A room full of concerned black people, how much you wanna bet they didn’t mention that over 60% of all gun murders and crimes are committed by black males age 13-40 which is a group that only represents about 4% of the total pop? I guess the truth about why we have so much gun violence is ignored at every level by every group.
It’s good to hear some in the crowd talking some sense about how their elected democratic politicians are not helping the issue, but then the “hate whitey” syndrome kicks in and the blame once again goes in the wrong direction. They, the black people, voted in Obama and the entire Chicago government, if they are so frustrated with the results hopefully they will make the change.
But honestly, with zero job growth, income gap widening and the overall condition of our society I see no hope in positive change for anyone let alone those in most need of it.
Until they look to themselves and improve their own culture, inner city black people are, as a group, doomed.
All they want is more free stuff, since Obamacare turned out not to be free.
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