The US Labor Force: One Foot in the Third World

http://www.baltimorechronicle.com/060805Roberts.html

And the other on a banana peel, to finish the saying.

I think, and I said so at the time, the unprovoked war on Iraq was a last-gasp, desperate measure by this administration to seize enough oil to be able to run OPEC in cooperation with our "good friends," the Saudis (see photo of Bush holding hands with their leader elsewhere on this page), and to dictate oil prices to the Asians. The U.S. government spends nearly $500 billion (or about half the world's total) per year on its military. It was thought we could "leverage" these assets into global domination even though we have nothing left to sustain the war machine but a "service" economy (and even a lot of the services are being outsourced).

Operation Iraqi Freedom (which was initially slated to be called Operation Iraqi Liberation until someone noticed the acronym it created) has so far driven up the per-barrel price of crude oil on world markets from approximately $28 to about $55. I don't think that was in the plan.

But on the other hand, who benefits from permanently doubled oil prices? Crown Prince Abdullah is the biggest beneficiary. Bush is holding his hand. At that same meeting, they engaged in some discreet smooching as well. I haven't heard if this romantic interlude involved any "freedom kissing." Whatever went on, we can rest assured there was no shortage of lubrication since this involved the world's largest oil exporter and the world's most notorious oil pirate. Eat your heart out, "Slick" Willie. Well, that's not a very nice thing to say about someone who's just had multiple bypass surgery. I retract that.

As long as Abdullah recycles those windfall petrodollars into U.S. Treasury obligations and the New York Stock Exchange, the plan cannot be said to have failed. Still, I think Unca Dick wanted Halliburton to be drilling for new reserves in Iraq by now. And there are still too many 'injuns' with grenade launchers around for the 'cowboys' to feel safe on their rigs.

Bush, or the people actually running things in his name, is bound to know that the lust for slave labor that his party opened up when they got in bed with China more than 30 years ago was going to destroy middle-class America. It was only a matter of time. Now corporate America has added India to the mix, thus destroying the value of a computer science degree as well.

I think the only thing the uberrich Americans Bush calls his "base" are concerned about is how secure their gated communities will actually be as this unfolds. That's why most of them have second, third, fourth, etc., residences in other countries. When TSHTF, they'll be out of here.