Corporative fascism: theory and practice

I often speak of fascism here on these pages and how Amerika today fits the profile of a fascist state. What do I mean by that?

The current economic/political regime in the United States today is not based on an ideology of conservativism (gee whiz, ya think?), liberalism, socialism, libertarianism (certainly not), democratism, or anything else of a 'conventional' stripe. The prevailing ideology is referred to publicly by some as neoconservativism, but is more properly called corporative fascism.

In all instances fascism is corporative in nature, but I emphasize the 'corporative' in Amerikan style fascism as the fascism which is currently practiced in the USA, and supported by its elites, is more concerned with economic "management" (more like mismanagement) and preservation of prosperity (at least for the elites) than anything else.

The core tenets of corporative fascism are as follows:

• Unquestioned support for the State and for its continued expansion
  
• Privatization of profit, and socialization of losses (see Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac)
• Extreme regimentation in thought and activity
• An emphasis on order (see War on [insert undesirable item here])
• Glorification of the military and the police (see current major TV network primetime lineups)
• State "management" of the economy and currency system (see Federal Reserve System)
• Preservation of the established racial and socioeconomic pecking order
• An interventionist approach to foreign policy and a reliance on military and economic force when dealing with other countries (as opposed to diplomacy) in order to secure the 'national interest'
• Government control of the social "safety net" (see Social Security, Medicare, et al.)

There are other elements but there are the basic beliefs.

The system is underpinned by a universal consensus of thought which extends across the entire breadth of what may be broadly termed "the elite" - Beltway politicians, corporate interests, government contractors, major bases of capital and wealth (real estate, stock, cash), the mainstream media, powerful interest groups (read political donors) - anyone in these groups with a national reputation and who plays on a national stage. Virtually all of these people can be tied to federal largesse and State favor in some way.

At the pinnacle of the system lies the Leader. While nominally an elected executive, the Leader has untold power over life and death, favor and disfavor, to an extent greater than any other executive in all of history. The Leader has aggrandized unto himself over time much of the power and decision making ability formerly vested in the national legislature, whether due to direct delegation or established (but unconstitutional) custom. While legislators are periodically answerable to the whims of the electorate, once in power the Leader is only subject to one such "accountability moment" within an eight year span, and thus in a very real way answers to no one. Technically the legislature has the constitutional means (and even a moral mandate) to block or blunt his unchecked whims, but because legislators themselves are very much invested in the system as it is currently constituted, rarely does this ever actually occur in practice.

Corporative fascism, similar to actual corporations, favors 'top down' hierarchial structures which place the bulk of the decision making power in the chief executive. This permits a relatively speedy implementation of public policies and an almost instantaneous ability to expand State power in an instant if the Nation is deemed to be threatened by malevolent forces (or whatever the State considers malevolent and a threat to its rule).

That is not to say, however, that it is only the Leader's own thoughts and beliefs which matter in the decision making process, for there are an army of "assistants" ready and willing to advise him on every action. They function as a sort of court aristocracy, and like their ancient predecessors can amass great power in their own right and carve a substantial sphere of influence for themselves (see Rove, Karl) by controlling access to the Leader and mastering his trust. Like the royal courts of old, access and relative closeness to the Leader has its privileges...

If the Leader can be likened to the "head" of the system, and his executive staff and advisors the "brains", the federal bureaucracy functions as the "arms" of the complex, enforcing the Leader's many edicts and proclamations, supplemented by legislative law and fiat. (Legislation, by the way, is often in keeping with the Leader's political program.) It is this massive bureaucracy that is responsible for the myriad functions of an imperal corporative State, from economic "management" to prosecuting the Government's various "wars", both real and figurative. Their combined claim on the national wealth (via income and other taxes) is tremendous and serves to 'crowd out' a substantial amount of private investment. What cannot be funded from direct depredations on private income is borrowed either through issuing bonds (usually purchased by foreign governments in countries to where our industry fled thanx to those same taxes), or more insidiously, printing new money which serves to devalue the currency, thus causing inflation.

Where does all this federal spending go? Well, after considering the salaries and benefits of millions of well paid and fed bureaucrats, there is substantial spending which is directed toward the purchases of goods and services. Most obvious is defense spending which benefits many large and influential corporations that provide armaments and weapons for the government - aka the military-industrial complex. There are other parallel procurement schemes for many other industries. Other benefits to private enterprise include subsidies, both direct and indirect (mortgage tax exemption which stimulates real estate, agricultural subsidies, etc.) and 'entitlement' payments which stimulate incomes of various low-income groups and contribute to consumer spending, which underpins the entire economy today. Then there is "capture spending" in the form of federal grants to nominally independent lower levels of government, of which the rules attached to such funds ensure that the local authorities will function (against their will in some cases) as emissaries of policies formulated at the highest level.

All of course funded by taxpayers, borrowing against future generations, and currency debasement.

As you can see, the private sector is very much invested in the current system and would not appreciate its dismantlement. Private gain, public loss.

The 'conventional wisdom' (as it is called) of this system is thus broadly supported by all its beneficiaries, and is transmitted through the major media to the public and is taught to budding citizens through indoctrination via the government school system. In this way everyone is fed the conventional wisdom, constantly being reinforced in it by media figures, and made to at least implicitly support the entire scheme despite its obvious net negatives to the average person, as an alternative means of social order (i.e. freedom) can not even be conceived or conceptualized, much less considered viable, by anyone 'rational'. (This is why the power players could laugh Ron Paul out of consideration, with the sheeple concurring every step of the way.) To think outside the set confines of the elite-established parameters is 'delusional thinking.' In the worst cases, offenders against the conventional wisdom may be imprisoned, either in an actual jail or a padded neo-prison called a 'mental health treatment facility'.

Propaganda does not have to be open, or as obvious as a Goebbels or a Leni Riefenstahl made it out to be. The elites have learned from their past mistakes, and it is not in their interests to repeat themselves too carefully lest they be exposed for what they are - primitive purveyors of sloth, the beneficiaries of unearned benefit and the fruits of someone else's wealth.

From ancient times a group of people have called themselves the 'leadership class' and lived the dream of the parasite - to survive by force from looted wealth. It is a feature of every place, culture, and age. The jig continues until the surplus wealth is consumed, then society collapses. The ruins of the ancients provide a mute testament to this seemingly eternal process.

We must call them out for what they are, and nip their parasitism in the bud, or we will ourselves only live in memory among the ruins of once great, now dead civilizations.