November 08, 2009 “Information Clearing House” — The United States is moving backwards…fast.  State budget cuts are decimating essential health and social services; public education is being destroyed; the social safety net is in tatters. To make matters worse, all of this is occurring when the loss of jobs stands at a twenty-six year high with no end in sight.     

But this is only phase one.  The federal government intends to balance its books too, at the expense of society’s neediest. Instead of governors presiding over painful cuts, the President will be doing the gutting.  And although his proposed budget isn’t due until February, the President’s spokespeople are priming the media to play a major propaganda role in what will be a colossal blow against working and poor people. 

Obama’s Treasury Secretary, Timothy Geithner, has been particularly busy promoting the future cutbacks, repeating that “the country must live within its mean;” “deficits must be brought down dramatically” — something that will “require very hard choices.”  

What are these hard choices?  One possible option is no longer available.  The biggest annual deficit producer is the U.S. military, which Obama will not radically reduce.  Instead, he will increase it;  Taxpayers will pay $660 billion (!) in 2010 toward the military.  And maybe more — military commanders see more fighting in the future, not less; consequently, they want more money.   The New York Times reports:

“…Admiral. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, did not say how much additional money would be needed, but one figure in circulation within the Pentagon and among outside defense budget analysts is $50 billion.”  (November 4, 2009).

Senate Democrat John Murtha thinks only $40 billion extra will do the trick, making the military budget an even $700 billion for 2010.

A different “hard choice” that could fix the deficit is to drastically raise taxes on the very wealthy.  To this end, Obama has made the wholly-inadequate pledge to “roll back the Bush tax cuts.”  Taxing the super-rich an extra 4 percent isn’t going to do the trick; not even close.  At bare minimum, their taxes should be raised an additional 35 percent, to the pre-Regan level.   But Obama would never propose such an idea. 

The solutions Obama has proposed are the ones that Geithner is actually referring to when he says “very hard choices.”   Last January, Obama told the conservative Washington Post that, to lower deficits, he would “reform entitlement programs” — social security, Medicare, etc.  Reform in this case means to eliminate, or drastically reduce.   The Washington Post reports:

“President-elect Barack Obama pledged yesterday to shape a new Social Security and Medicare “bargain” with the American people, saying that the nation’s long-term economic recovery cannot be attained unless the government finally gets control over its most costly entitlement programs.”

When will this happen? The Post answers: “[the] administration will begin confronting the issues of entitlement reform and long-term budget deficits soon after it jump-starts job growth and the stock market.”  (January 16, 2009).  The upward swing in the stock market gave Geithner the green light to begin his anti-entitlement public relations campaign. 

By choosing not to drastically reduce military spending and not to greatly increase taxes for the super rich and corporations, Obama will have few other options: the federal deficit is too high, especially after the Bush/Obama bank bailouts.

These bailouts, combined with decades of reduced taxes for the very wealthy, created the conditions that led to our “deficit crisis.”  The solution that Obama is proposing will further devastate millions already suffering from unemployment, unlivable wages, and little hope for the future.

It can be further presumed that, while Obama is getting the U.S. “financial house in order,” the Federal Reserve will assist by increasing interest rates — something demanded by U.S. foreign creditors — thereby significantly risking cutting into Wall Street’s most recent profits and opening up the possibility of transforming our Great Recession into another full-blown depression.

This is not a matter of “if,” but “when.”  The imbalances in the U.S. economy are too massive; a giant “restructuring” must take place.  The bank bailouts merely intensified the already enormous economic contradictions.  Who pays for this restructuring will shape the future for years to come.  As Obama implements his anti-worker plan, he will encounter tremendous resistance.  The once-loved President will leave office more hated than Bush. 

Once the Obama illusion is completely shattered, workers can begin to act independently.  We must demand that the corporate elite pay for the crisis they created.  Their efforts to push this crisis onto us must be fought at every step.  This can be done by clearly articulating our solutions to the crisis — taxing the super-rich and the corporations, a massive public works campaign, and ending foreign wars (for starters) — and promoting these ideas through local and national coalitions of labor unions, community groups, students, the unemployed, etc.  If we are united and fighting for a clear vision of the future, we will win. If we rely on the Democrats to solve this problem our fate is sealed.

Shamus Cooke is a social service worker, trade unionist, and writer for Workers Action (www.workerscompass.org).  He can be reached at shamuscook@yahoo.com”  ———NOW LOOK AT WHAT ELIJAH MUHAMMAD SAID;—————————-pgs.132-137 OF THE BOOK(“THE FALL OF AMERICA”)

 “We see this in the working of the fall of America today. I say fall, for most surely this is the divine fall of America, as it was of ancient Babylon for its evils done to the Jews.9 Even to this late date, America does not want to repent of her evil done to her Black slaves. I have given her a right chance, but she does not want to do justice by her free slaves to get an extension of time from Allah. She should free the slaves indeed. The ignorant ones who want to stay with her just because they are too lazy to accept their own responsibilities, or too much in love with the unalike white people who have attracted them to such an extent that they have become a charm — want to remain with this white master even if they are just given food and shelter — this type of people is not wanted by any nation. No nation wants slaves on the basis of taking the responsibility to care for them when they can care for themselves.

10 The American Black once slave for four hundred years had now become a free proud slave, and a lover of the children of the once slave-masters.

11 The refusal of white America to do something about justice for her so-called free slaves is bringing her into the same type of judgment that God brought upon ancient Babylon.

12 Jeremiah (51:45) mentions a warning to the people of God to flee out of Babylon. Could this be referring to the captive Jews in ancient Babylon? If God called the ancient Jews His people, it was for a sign of a future people that He would choose to call His people (The American so-called Negro).

13 The Black people of America today are called His chosen people by God Himself, chosen by Him to build a new government based upon truth, freedom, justice and equality. This type of government is to live forever and never to be removed from the people, according to Daniel’s prophecy of a kingdom of God set up in the last days — the government of which will not be left to the people. God Himself will be the head and the ruler.

14 In ancient Babylon’s history, the enslaved Jews were ordered to flee out of her midst and be delivered, every man his soul from the fierce anger of the Lord, Jeremiah (51:45.)

15 The last book of the Bible, the Revelations of John (18:4) makes this a little clearer. Both prophecies are similar but the one in Revelations is warning a people to flee out of Babylon so that they…”Be not partakers of her sins,” of Babylon and receive not of her plagues.”

16 This showed that God was going to plague Babylon; and that His people should not suffer the divine plagues sent upon Babylon. They are ordered to flee out of her. (Jeremiah 51:45.) This is a future prophecy of a future Babylon similar to the ancient Babylon under the rule of Nebuchadnezzar. The history of these two kings of ancient Babylon teaches us that they held slaves who were trying to serve the right God.

17 The coming of Allah in the Person of Master Fard Muhammad, to Whom praises are due forever, was for the deliverance of the lost-and-found people (Black) from a four-hundred year-old enemy who has never shown them anything but evil, murder and death. Being very angry, as it was written of Him and as I know it to be the truth, He desires nothing more than freedom, justice, and equality for us, the once lost and now found Black members of our nation, the original Black nation of the earth.

18 America now is at war with God through God’s people (the so-called Negro.) The confusion and the plagues of the country with disasters, one after another, is divine retaliation against white America’s evil doings and intentions, against her once-slaves and her false friendship, which has her opening her homes to integrate the people of God with them who by nature are different or foreign. The white man has poisoned our people’s minds so thoroughly that they fight against their own God and salvation to gain the favor of their own enemies.

19 The call of Islam, the true religion of God to us, the once-slaves of America, is the same call telling us to flee out of the American way of life so that our lives may be saved from the divine destruction of a non-repentant enemy (Jeremiah 51:45.)

20 Divine plagues and foreign wars are now destroying the American standards of life and money. Her deceitful, filthy temptations, now being displayed before her once-slaves in the world, are designed to make the once-slave an enemy of his God and of his own salvation; and are designed to make them take part with them against the aim and purpose of Allah, which is to set the so-called Negro in heaven while he lives.

21 A prophecy relating to America is mentioned in Isaiah (47:1) as a “virgin daughter” of ancient Babylon’s history. As we all know, America is the last, the greatest and the richest remaining power of the white nations. But now she is falling and the prophet Isaiah says, “Come and sit down in the dust,” humble yourself, for you are no more called delicate.

22 The filthy display by white American Christians, walking around half nude, sitting before their pastors in their churches with dresses halfway up their thighs for the pastors to stare at their nude forms goes on. The pastor should actually be standing at the door telling such disgracefully dressed people that he preaches the word of God and that God warns us to be clean, both internally and externally, and that we should not tempt the nation to do evil and filth. But he opens his church doors and is happy to have them in rows sitting before his eyes, knowing that this is against the teaching of God; turning his house of God into the worship of filth and evil.

23 Can the church survive? Can Christianity survive these days of divine judgment against America?

24 The Revelation reads, in a prophecy relating to America, that she had in her a “hole for every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird” (Revelation 18:2.) All hateful people have a haven to America. Though the scientists and scholars of the religion of Christianity know these words to be true, they desire yet to see the already-made blind, deaf and dumb so-called Negro go to his doom with them; and since they are by nature evil, they tempt them. The Holy Qur’an teaches that they only lead you to filth and evil. This is perfectly manifested today in America among its people ruled by the white man. The very conscience of an individual knows that these evils we see today are not accepted by God.

25 The desire to marry and integrate among people whom God has made to be His and our enemies is beyond one’s imagination.

26 Jeremiah (51:46) prophesies violence in the midst of Babylon (a future Babylon) and “ruler against ruler.” Is not this true of the American government and people today? “Her whole land (people) shall be confounded” (Jeremiah 51:47.) Is not this true of the American government and people today? They are fast becoming confounded. “And all her slain shall fall in the midst of her” (Jeremiah 51:47.) Every hour in the day and night people are being murdered and killed in America throughout her cities and highways. Murdering and killing is the order of the day in America.

27 The Bible mentions that God used a destroying wind (Jeremiah 51:1) against those who opposed His purpose and aims. Is it not true that day and night somewhere in America there are destructive tornadoes and storms destroying the property and lives of Americans?

28 Go to sleep to the reality of the judgment of America, a repetition of ancient Babylon’s judgment, if you like to be caught in the snare. As God has said, He laid a snare for ancient Babylon (Jeremiah 50:24) and ancient Babylon was taken in that snare.

29 So it is in America. Long before America ever thought that she should repent of her evil done to her slaves or reject repentance, God hath set the snare to catch her. America is now in the same snare that God set for ancient Babylon. Will America repent that she should be healed or will she ignore it?”