Some say one reason we are seeing so little commentary on the end of the decade is that nobody knows what to call it. Is it the Aughties, the Noughties, or maybe just the Naughties? Some (the crowd over at Marginal Revolution) argues that much went well in places like China and India, where living standards for millions clearly rose. Cannot disagree. However, most think things not so hot (or maybe too hot) here in the US. Yesterday, Juan Cole at http://www.juancole.com gave a list of the Ten Worst Things for the US in the Bush Decade, which I repeat here without further comment, although he provides more.
10) stagnating worker wages and emergence of new monied aristocracy
9) greater health and food insecurity for Americans
8) environment more polluted
7) imperial presidency ensconced
6) Katrina destruction of African-American neighborhoods in New Orleans
5) mishandling of Afghanistan
4) Iraq war
3) $12 trillion Bank Robbery associated with deregulation
2) 9/11 attack, with Bush laughing at CIA warning on 8/6/01
1) stolen 2000 presidential election.
Happy holidays everybody!
It occurs to me that all these labels might be considered to be haughty, if not simply downright old fashioned.
ReplyDeleteI like "Noughties" as a euphemism for the benefits of the Bush/Republican/tax-cutter economic policies !
ReplyDelete"Katrina destruction of African-American neighborhoods in New Orleans"
ReplyDeleteYes that racist Katrina swerved through New Orleans only hitting the houses of African American's.
Jay,
ReplyDeleteThere are two replies to your silly remark. One is that the Af-Am neighborhoods were the parts of the city below sea level, and hence were the parts hit hardest when the levees broke. Also, of course, there has been the pathetic policy followup: those neighborhoods have not been fixed up as was promised. In short, policy played a role in this on both the front and the back ends, just in case you are merely ignorant here rather than something else. (sorry to be so unpleasant on Christmas Day, but)
One remembers that son-of-a-Bush put Karl Rove "in charge" of New Orleans recovery. Rove, of course, has only political objectives.
ReplyDeleteAnd now, years later, we can see Rove's objectives accomplished -- a Democratic and majority-black working city has been replaced by a Republican theme park.
As to the top ten atrocities of the noughties, I'd put first the offical adoption by the United States government of torture as a means of interrogation.
Just barely in second place: the destruction of citizens' Constitutional rights: the mass wiretaps without warrants; the arbitrary, secret and unchallengable no-fly list; the assertion that the President or his assigness can unchallengeably designate a person as an "enemy comabatant" who may be detained indefinitely without charges, and the consequent loss of the ancient right of habeus corpus; "free speech zones"; the innumerable assertions of petty authority (you can't take pictures of public buildings, son), the broad assertions of executive privilege secrecy in the name of "national security".
In short, with the eager help of President George W. Bush, his Administration, and the Republican Party in general, the terrorists won.
Joel H.,
ReplyDeleteIn his discussion, Cole clearly placed your second item as part of the "imperial presidency ensconced," its main outcome.