View Full Version : The Clinton Economy
John Scott
08-23-2008, 02:38 AM
According to (Pollin 2003), neoliberalism under the U.S. Bill Clinton administration – steered by Alan Greenspan and Robert Rubin – was the temporary and unstable policy inducement of economic growth via government-supported financial and housing market speculation, featuring low unemployment, but also low inflation. This unusual coincidence was made possible by the disorganization and dispossession of the American working class. Santa Cruz history of consciousness professor Angela Davis has argued and Princeton sociologist Bruce Western has claimed that the high rate of incarceration in the U.S. (compared to Europe) (1 out of every 37 American adults is in the prison system), heavily promoted by the Clinton administration, is the neoliberal U.S. policy tool for keeping unemployment statistics low, and stimulating economic growth through maintaining a contemporary slave population within the U.S. and promoting prison construction and "militarized policing."[36] The Clinton Administration also embraced neoliberalism by pursuing international trade agreements that would benefit the corporate sector globally (normalization of trade with China for example). Domestically, Clinton fostered such neoliberal reforms as the corporate takeover of health care in the form of the HMO, the reduction of welfare handoutss, and the implementation of "Workfare."[37]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neoliberalism
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neoliberalism
Neoliberalism can mean whatever you want it to mean.
John Scott
08-23-2008, 08:34 PM
Neoliberalism can mean whatever you want it to mean.
Indeed. I was just intrigued by the stated source of Clinton's economic boom - incarcerating the unemployed class and building prisons.
Somewhat similar to Bush's plan to reduce unemployment - Homeland Security hiring thousands off the welfare lines.
Indeed. I was just intrigued by the stated source of Clinton's economic boom - incarcerating the unemployed class and building prisons.
Somewhat similar to Bush's plan to reduce unemployment - Homeland Security hiring thousands off the welfare lines.
I thought Homeland Security obtained people from the merging of other similar government organizations. I can't imagine we saw much of an increase in personnel.
Federal government hiring practices couldn't have made that much of a dent in the unemployment rates. The economy doesn't work that way.
John Scott
08-23-2008, 08:48 PM
I thought Homeland Security obtained people from the merging of other similar government organizations. I can't imagine we saw much of an increase in personnel.
I saw an article years ago - maybe in the Seattle PI or the Seattle Times, that showed that Homeland Security was hiring people off out of welfare offices. They called it "Bush's Jobs Program".
I believe it, too. Every time I was at the airport those goons were horrible. They even broke the locks off a brand new, $700 suitcase.
Every time I was at the airport those goons were horrible. They even broke the locks off a brand new, $700 suitcase.
My condolences. Hope it was a Tumi. ;)