The Lid is Off
Hurricane Katrina blew off the façade of American society. It pulled back the curtain to reveal the millions who live in poverty, mostly African American in New Orleans, but in other cities Latino, Native American, and white. The most apparent failure of the state has been in emergency response, but far greater has been the failure to create a stable existence, a decent society for millions.
What we see in New Orleans today we might have see as well if there had been a tsunami in Los Angeles or tornadoes in Chicago. Every American city harbors millions of people with high rates of unemployment, low incomes, poor housing, no health insurance, low levels of education. In the United States 25 percent of our children are raised in poverty. Nearly 50 million people have no health insurance.
When millions live like that: failed state.
Failed at War and Peace
The Bush administration's priorities have been foreign war and globalization, the agenda of U.S. corporations. The war wrong the beginning failed. It brought destruction to Baghdad and other cities of Iraq, killed 100,000 civilians, and so far nearly 2,000 U.S. troops, and has not brought about either the rule of law or democracy.
What the war did do was divert resources from the United States that might have gone into building highways, houses and school; developing alternative energy sources; supporting free public education form K to Ph.D. as many nations have.
We have had a government for the rich. We call that a failed state.
http://www.counterpunch.org/labotz09032005.html
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