Thursday, September 25, 2008

Sesame Street's Pepe The Prawn

crisis Cheers!

ticket Very good, in my opinion, Denis Sieffert today on the website of Politis.

I do not believe that the current crisis will end by:
  • the fall and beyond capitalism,
  • questioning of neoliberal policies.
I offer some reflections, some bulk. These are generally issues, but the reader has the right to think that, for me, they are purely rhetorical.


1. Hence out (s) billion (s) of a billion dollars that the U.S. administration will use to pay off the debts of the rotten great players of the scholarship? It meets frequently and is already shocking: pockets of taxpayers.

According to the usual Americans, this will not be raising additional taxes that will be immediate, but the use of budget deficit. This money will be ... borrowed. And

borrowed from whom? If I do not lie: borrowed from the market. The market does not lend more money to the market will pay for administration. And, thanks to interest rates, to pay these bills treasure.


2. banks that issued loans will therefore see their rotten slate cleared. But, as I know, these loans are still at the side of individuals who have undertaken these loans. Individuals who have "bought" a house with one of the many credits whose rates have soared, and who can not pay, will they also have their slate wiped, or will they end up on the street, all their seized property?


3. While we experienced a period of market euphoria, the pressure on the colonial and neo-country producers of raw materials was phenomenal. Silly question: with the general crisis of Western economies, this pressure will she fall, or will it increase?


4. If the pressure colonial and neocolonial increases, will there be more or less need for an alibi (im-) moral of the "clash of civilizations" to support the economy of predation?


5. neoliberal pressure on our own societies Will it increase, or fall because of its economic failure and the obvious lie that she represents? For now, it seems that the countries most directly affected take the opportunity to impose additional measures to deregulate the labor market.


6. Despite the stock market euphoria, the tools of social control, on the grounds of "struggle against terrorism" have developed in democratic countries to an alarming degree (see Hedwig in France for example). Faced with an economic crisis that will befall the "real economy", these tools be directly returned against companies (trade unions, social movements, advocacy groups ..;)?


7. If we have a conjunction between the imposition of neoliberal policies accelerated (due to "fight against the crisis), use of tools of control against the companies and the intensification of colonial tool what" Clash of Civilizations ", there is a risk of tipping (violent or through the electoral process) to one or more large" liberal democracies "to authoritarian systems? Is it like too many "ifs" for that we should worry?


8. What about the pressure on the environment? Kyoto, Alaska drilling, exploitation of polar areas, alternatives to nonrenewable fuels and all ... Crisis Will it help reduce the environmental impact of our systems (for example, reductions in consumption), or otherwise to complete an excuse to sack the world ("It is not the right time ")?


9. thousand billion dollars is, said Denis Sieffert, 8 years of war in Iraq. I guess we do here account the cost to Americans and not the total destruction of a country's infrastructure.

But other figures can be cited.

The total debt of third world in 2005 was 2.6 trillion dollars .
In 1980, the amount of this debt was 540 billion. Between 1980 and 2004, these countries have paid 5.3 trillion. As synthesized CADTM, "countries in the developing world have paid almost 10 times what they were in 1980, but debt has increased by almost 5". It would be impossible to cancel all or part of this debt without collapsing the global economy. Debt Player award, it will be mopped in a few months, cost estimates ranging from 1000 to 2000 billion dollars.

development assistance amounts to just over $ 100 billion per year. Already pathetic figure in absolute terms (eg money transfers performed by immigrants to their countries of origin represent them, 200 billion), compared with 1000 billion raised today.