[lbo-talk] Is United States Government a Paper Tiger?

[michael perelman]

In a 1956 interview with Anna Louise Strong, Mao described American
imperialism as a paper tiger.  Of course, the military strength of the
United States is unparalleled, especially because this country
accounts for about half of worldwide military spending.  Even so, the
last three significant wars have shown that the country has been
unable to defeat weak, relatively impoverished countries.  Yes, the US
government can bully small countries to make concessions in order to
avoid having their government overthrown or experiencing a bout of
humanitarian bombing.In another sense, however, the government is a
paper tiger, which has been domesticated by big-money.  We're coming
down to the world of one lobbyist, one vote.  Even if the government
wanted to aggressively corral business, the global economy allows
sufficient escape routes to make business feel secure.  For example,
tax havens make it virtually impossible to collect significant revenue
from major corporations.Rather than seeing the government as a source
of power, more and more, is becoming an agent of redistribution, in
which the taxes that it does collect are efficiently given back to
powerful interest groups.  This phenomenon becomes especially
pronounced with the elimination or privatization of virtually every
public service expected of a healthy government.
Domestically, the government can project power by regulating
individual behavior, well on its way to create a virtual panopticon.
A young person downloading music or a sick person seeking relief from
marijuana, or even a woman fearing that her pregnancy could threaten
her health will may all feel the power of the government.  Police in
battle gear can bully people seeking redress from their government.
In contrast, a major corporation spewing toxins that do great harm to
generations of people has nothing to fear.At the same time,
financialization, deindustrialization, the destruction of education,
the decline in healthcare for the masses, and many other symptoms of
toxic neoliberalism threaten to eventually undermine the grotesque
military power of this country, eventually making the US into Mao's
version of a paper tiger.  Or, to be less extreme, a second rate
power, comparable to previous imperial powers, such as Holland or
England.

-- 
Michael Perelman
Economics Department
California State University
Chico, CA
95929

530 898 5321
fax 530 898 5901
http://michaelperelman.wordpress.com