What's emerged full-blown is the military-industrial complex famously predicted and feared by President Eisenhower fifty years ago. It's no longer possible to tell where the corporate world ends and government begins.

The poster boy for this new elite is Richard Cheney. As the head of Halliburton, he made a fortune from the influence and access gained through his earlier service in government. Then Halliburton corporation gets favored and confidential treatment soon after Mr. Cheney becomes George Bush's vice president. This week the big construction company Bechtel receives a contract that could pay three quarters of a billion dollars for work in post-war Iraq. Bechtel gives lots of money to politicians, mostly to Republicans. On its board is George Schultz, who ran Bechtel before he became President Reagan's Secretary of state. One of Bechtel's senior vice presidents is a former general who serves on the Defense Policy Board along with other hawks like Richard Perle and James Woolsey who wanted war with Iraq and got it. They advise the Pentagon and then turn around and make money out of their defense contacts.

These fellows are all honorable men, I am sure - but they call for war with all the ferocity of non-combatants and then turn around and feed on the corpse of war. Illegal? Not in our system. Unsavory? No matter how you slice it. But the main point is this: America's corporate and political elites now form a regime of their own, and they are privatizing democracy. All the benefits - the tax cuts, policies, and rewards - flow in one direction - up. And the people Jeff Madrick talked about - whose faith in the fairness of the American way of life is the bulwark of our country - are left outside, looking in.

"Regime change begins at home."

Phish_ON

You hit the nail on the head.

I'd rather vote for republicans that support American business than democrats who support Chinese government.

you called it Jacob

Since this is a fishing chat room I think I'll talk about the price of rice in China. Please keep the topics to fishing not politics. If we don't the post will eventually be about everything but fishing. The Duck

Jaconb and Mojo:

Are you aware that both the Bush boys and Clinton favored NAFTA and the this Bush recently pushed hard for granting China most favored nation trading status? I actually favor NASFTA, but don't blame it or China trade on the Dempocrats. Botrh parties push hard for trade with China.

its good to know that national socialism isn't quite dead yet. I wonder how many of the board members work for defense related industries or construction outfits that will have a hand in rebuilding the wartorn nation of iraq. perhaps we should all just trade in the futures markets in order to get ahead in this world. just a thought.

both pres. voted for fair trade for china but only one was paid too.
I believe that thru trade and the culture influnce of are nation the chinas people will one day force their goverment to allow a totally free enterprise system to take over in china. if we can make other parts of the world as good as the u.s. the people of the world will not have to risk their lives to come here and we as a nation will not have to watch the poor of the world drain are system in to non-existance Tom

But only the democrats gave nuclear technology/secrets to China in exchange for campaign donations.