AMERICAN FASCISM

The American Heritage Dictionary defines fascism as  "a system of government that exercises a dictatorship of the extreme right, typically through the merging of state and  business leadership, together with belligerent nationalism." Fascism is synonymous with corporatism.
 
Corporatism is government run by and for corporations in the belief that it is the most "efficient" model of national management. It is the model that has been used by ultra-conservative totalitarian regimes in the past century. It is also the model by which corporations run themselves. The government enables the supremacy of a few over the majority of it's citizens.
 
A version of corporatism or economic fascism was adopted in the United States in the 1930s and survives to this day. In the United States these policies were not called "fascist" but "planned capitalism." The word fascism may no longer be politically acceptable, but its synonym "industrial policy" is as popular as ever. Economic fascism intensifies "national spirit" and is the antithesis of democracy. Fascism combats the whole complex system of democratic ideology, and repudiates it in its theoretical premises or in its practical application. Fascism conceives of the State as an absolute, in comparison with which all individuals or groups are relative, only to be conceived of in their relation to the State.
 
Corporatism views human rights of little value and a hindrance to realizing the objectives of the ruling elite. Through clever use of propaganda, the population is brought to accept these human rights abuses by marginalizing, even demonizing, those being targeted. The tactic is to use secrecy, denial and disinformation.
 
Corporatism was present in the Unites States since it's inception in a less obvious appearance through lobbyists and corporate political contributions. Certain administrations tried to enact it with different degree of aggressivity. The most remarkable were the Reagan and Bush administrations.

The philosophy is simple: shift national wealth to the right leaving few resources available for social programs. They both started their administrations by giving tax breaks to the wealthy and corporations and squandering the US Treasury. Then fat political contributions by the wealthy towards the ruling party financed their re-election campaigns. They both appointed lobbyists or former corporate CEOs in key cabinet positions or advisory bodies. The Bush administration came into power with full control of the congress enabling it to be more aggressive in implementing "the plan":

- Discouraged competition by deregulating all industries to enable corporate takeovers and monopolize all wealth and power in the country. Relaxed environmental regulations to increase profits for the corporations. Disguised every measure with patriotic and political slogans like "patriot act", "clean air or clean water act", "save our forest act".

- Ridiculed labor organizations, by marginalizing their impact on society, or outright vilifying them or their actions. It is destroying the working class by subsidizing the outsourcing of jobs, to help big business fill their pockets with profits.

- Started a war to distract attention from domestic shortcomings. Demonizes and vilifies a country, a social group, religion or political party to excite the misinformed masses and intensify national spirit. Crushes opposition or criticism of governing policy by acquiring all media corporations that will report only the good news from the war. Employs hordes of war cheerleaders to intimidate and silence dissent.

- Privatized the war by hiring mercenaries ("private contractors"). Working feverishly to privatize social security, medicare, the public school system, and the prison system. Uses terrorism as reason for all misdeeds; reason to invade a foreign country, high gasoline prices, shortage of jobs etc. Disguises the invasion as "liberation". Uses the war to excite nationalism. Uses nationalism to build consensus. The effect is to render the citizenry more dependent on government, and to empty the cash-box in case a reformist administration comes to power.

- Allies itself with the religious right to legitimize it's actions. The religious right recruits and profits more from citizens pushed into poverty than a prosperous middle class.

- Transforms the country into a corporate welfare system by allowing them to rape and pillage all the wealth or national resources. Those in business circles and close to the power elite use their position to enrich themselves. The power elite receives financial gifts and property from the economic elite, obtains vast wealth from other sources as well: for example, by stealing national resources.

This is the antithesis of capitalism and democracy.