The Truth, For the Last Time, from Bob Herbert
Well, having lost Frank Rich, the New York Times sinks another huge step into editorial irrelevance by letting Bob Herbert slip through their fingers too. Soon, they will reach their apparent goal, by having no one on their opinion page but the likes of right wing liar Ross Douthat, or maybe they can come up with another Bill Safire, to spend his life making right wing cant somehow seem acceptable.
Here are some excerpts from Herbert's final column, to give you an idea of what we are losing:
The U.S. has not just misplaced its priorities. When the most powerful country ever to inhabit the earth finds it so easy to plunge into the horror of warfare but almost impossible to find adequate work for its people or to properly educate its young, it has lost its way entirely.
There is plenty of economic activity in the U.S., and plenty of wealth. But like greedy children, the folks at the top are seizing virtually all the marbles. Income and wealth inequality in the U.S. have reached stages that would make the third world blush. As the Economic Policy Institute has reported, the richest 10 percent of Americans received an unconscionable 100 percent of the average income growth in the years 2000 to 2007, the most recent extended period of economic expansion.
In 2009, the richest 5 percent claimed 63.5 percent of the nation’s wealth. The overwhelming majority, the bottom 80 percent, collectively held just 12.8 percent.
Americans behave as if this is somehow normal or acceptable."
What I didn't steal for this post is as good as what I did. Read it and weep.
Here are some excerpts from Herbert's final column, to give you an idea of what we are losing:
"Arthur Miller, echoing the poet Archibald MacLeish, liked to say that the essence of America was its promises. That was a long time ago. Limitless greed, unrestrained corporate power and a ferocious addiction to foreign oil have led us to an era of perpetual war and economic decline.
The U.S. has not just misplaced its priorities. When the most powerful country ever to inhabit the earth finds it so easy to plunge into the horror of warfare but almost impossible to find adequate work for its people or to properly educate its young, it has lost its way entirely.
There is plenty of economic activity in the U.S., and plenty of wealth. But like greedy children, the folks at the top are seizing virtually all the marbles. Income and wealth inequality in the U.S. have reached stages that would make the third world blush. As the Economic Policy Institute has reported, the richest 10 percent of Americans received an unconscionable 100 percent of the average income growth in the years 2000 to 2007, the most recent extended period of economic expansion.
In 2009, the richest 5 percent claimed 63.5 percent of the nation’s wealth. The overwhelming majority, the bottom 80 percent, collectively held just 12.8 percent.
Americans behave as if this is somehow normal or acceptable."
What I didn't steal for this post is as good as what I did. Read it and weep.
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