[GHung]

pstarr said; "So it seems you approve of pure monopoly capitalism, which by any other name is Facism (see the original definition as proposed by Mussolini et al.) "

Sure P, I would like to see that, or any coherent description of 'Facism'. IIRC, the word basically means "political groupism", but there are so many interpretations of that, it can mean a lot of things. Extreme anti-liberalism? Nationalist-syndicalism cum hyper-nationalism? A word people throw out when they aren't sure WTF they are talking about?

Most definitions seem to be a bit circular, as in; "Fascism: (initial capital letter) a political movement that employs the principles and methods of fascism, especially the one established by Mussolini in Italy 1922–43. "

[onlooker]

For me it helps to think of Corporations and other pecuniary interests exerting control and power as a Plutocracy as defined as such:
government by the wealthy.
a country or society governed by the wealthy.
plural noun: plutocracies
an elite or ruling class of people whose power derives from their wealth.

[onlooker]

Thanks for that graph P. Yes I too believe we have seen the steady increment and consolidation of the rule of money since Ronald Regan. The thing is that the rule of money is totally inconsistent with a democracy or what we believe a democracy should be. People are basically powerless. We have a totally corrupt political system in which the illusion of options is given. President Eisenhower warned of the military-industrial complex. Even all the way back to Thomas Jefferson warning of the power and usurpation of power by Banks. It does not really matter if in some dark room somewhere the highest of the mighty meet to discuss plots and plans, effectively the ever larger concentration of money and thus power within a very few hands has led us to this impasse. An impasse in which it seems those wielding power are not interested in the welfare of the masses but in their exploitation along of course with the exploitation of the planet. If someone were to write a novel about all that has happened let us say in the last 30 years in the US and around the world in would be enthralling. But as you said P, in a previous post it is NOT a game, peoples lives have been and are being affected adversely and even worse as we all know only too well, things are now set up to totally unravel. Good in that we will probably get rid of this caste of elites who are parasites. But of course at the high price of the whole fabric of civilization being undone with the withering of the foundations of civilization.

[GHung]

Control the food production, control the population.

"In 1870, 70-80 percent of the US population was employed in agriculture.[16] As of 2008, less than 2 percent of the population is directly employed in agriculture."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agricultu ... Employment

Considering the fundamental importance of food, this (about) 1.5% of the population should be a quite powerful group of people, eh? I got this email a few minutes ago:

A Special 2016 Ag Day Message from: Bob Etheridge, State Executive Director, North Carolina Farm Service Agency

National Agriculture Day Honors Stewards of a Healthy Planet

March 15 is National Agriculture Day – a day designated each year by the Agriculture Council of America to celebrate the accomplishments of agriculture. North Carolina FSA joins the council in recognizing farmers and ranchers for their contributions to the nation’s outstanding quality of life. This year’s theme is Agriculture: Stewards of a Healthy Planet.

Agricultural producers are the original stewards of the land. They understand the fragility of the land and are well aware that there are increasingly fewer producers and fewer acres for production. They want to sustain it and protect what they have.

According to the 2012 Agriculture Census, there are 3.2 million farmers and ranchers in the United States. These American farmers and ranchers constantly seek new and sustainable ways to operate. Through these efforts, they preserve wildlife, protect water sources and reduce soil erosion. They also use precision production practices to greatly reduce their footprint on the environment.

Last year, 912 million acres produced food and fiber. Not only are American farmers and ranchers, who represent one percent of the U.S. population, devoted to taking care of the land, but they’re committed to feeding the nation and producing imports that help the country balance its trade.”

Every year, farmers and ranchers face challenges such as natural disasters, downturns in markets and plant disease, which can financially cripple their operations, but they persevere. During such times, FSA provides financial relief through various conservation, disaster assistance, commodity safety-net programs and low interest-rate credit outlined in the 2014 Farm Bill.

The programs provide North Carolina's 50,218 agricultural operations with the ability to lead the nation in tobacco and poultry and rank among the top states in Christmas trees; hogs and pigs. Commodities having a market value of $12 billion.

I am honored to administer programs that enable our producers to manage their risks when the agriculture industry faces hardship. On behalf of the North Carolina Farm Service Agency, I would like to thank American farmers and ranchers for continuing to feed our nation and the world during every circumstance.

Bob Etheridge
State Executive Director

Food production is one of the most heavily indebted, and heavily subsidised, employment sectors in the US. Anyone see anything f&cked up about that? For about 99% of our time on this planet, obtaining food was THE top priority for humans. Now, perhaps 99% of us, in the developed world anyway, simply take food for granted; another cheap energy source being heavily subsidised by government, primarily benefiting corporations. If that isn't control, what is?

[onlooker]

Good post GHung, but that further emphasizes the point that money has allowed the few to have pretty much all the power. That money derived from surplus energy. Once that energy dwindles no longer will money play such a large role and furthermore, the whole complexity and top down approach of civilization will give way to a more localized self sustaining manner of living, a return to the past if you will. So the ability of elite to rule large areas and large populations will consequently disappear. Of course, I am not saying this will be paradise, far from it considering the path to travel to get there and considering that for all its drawbacks modern civilization has provided some benefits to humans.