From the Ramparts: Junious Ricardo Stanton — 2010 Predictions
Dec 30th, 2009 by Afiya
From the Ramparts
Junious Ricardo Stanton
2010 Predictions
“For the moment it seems clear that economic performance in general and the labor market in particular will get substantially worse before they get better. As the country looks for any sign of encouraging economic news, it’s important to not set standards too low. As of May 2009, 16 months into the recession, almost 8 million jobs will be needed just to return the country to pre-recession unemployment rates, and this number of required jobs grows every month that the U.S. economy fails to create the 125,000 jobs needed just to keep pace with population growth.” Economic Performance www.epi.org/issues/category/economic_performance/
As we to enter 2010, I wish each and every Scoop USA reader a happy, healthy, sane, empowering and prosperous New Year. In this week’s edition I want to share with you some trends and predictions for 2010 I think you should be aware of. 2008 was an historic year in that Barack Hussein Obama, a man of African ancestry, was “elected” president of the United States following eight years of possibly the worst president in US history; George W. Bu$h. I say possibly because Barack Obama after only one year in office is giving Dubeya a run for his money in terms of disappointment, angst and unpopular policies. Contrary to his populous campaign rhetoric, Obama has repeatedly sided with corporate interests: the Wall Street banksters, the insurance and drug companies and the military industrial complex always get their way at the expense of regular US citizens. This will become even more evident in 2010.
Unfortunately for us, in 2010 this pattern will continue and will result in a major decline in Obama’s popularity and approval ratings. His popularity will drop precipitously during 2010. By the end of the year, I predict his rating will be worse than his predecessor’s. This will be partly due to racism but the fact of the matter is, his unpopularity plunk will be based rightfully on his policy decisions and the direction he takes the country. Obama’s sell out to the corporatist agenda will prove to be disastrous for the US economy and working class folks in particular. With each passing month, more and more people will become enraged at Obama’s expansion of US militarism, reckless remorseless warmongering and his boot licking pandering to corporate interests.
On the foreign front, look for Obama to: expand his war into Pakistan getting the US embroiled deeper into that country’s internal politics, the US will remain mired in Afghanistan with no end in sight as the US military and mercenaries are used to protect corporate interests (the gas and oil pipelines and opium crops). The US will remain in Iraq during all of 2010 as the US military staffs the fourteen permanent bases constructed there under the Bu$h regime. Obama will expand the proxy wars the US is currently waging in Yemen and Somalia under the disingenuous pretext of waging war against religious insurgents and terrorists. The US will also expand military operations in Columbia beyond pipeline protection and use Columbia as a launching pad for confrontations or covert operations against Venezuela and other parts of South America. Obama will attempt to exploit his African ancestry to persuade gullible African “leaders” to allow him to establish a toehold on the continent for AfriCom. The goal is to do in Africa what the US is doing in the aforementioned countries, establish military outposts so they can intimate African nations into going along with an elitist Neo-Liberal, Neo-Colonialist agenda.
On the domestic front, we will see more bank failures in 2010. In 2009 one hundred forty US banks were closed, reorganized or taken over by the FDIC. This trend will continue in 2010 which will cause the FDIC Bank Fund to become even more insolvent. In 2010 unemployment will continue to rise, the needed jobs to demonstrate a real economic recovery will not materialize because the banks will still hoard credit (not lend money) which will extend and deepen the Depression. For working folks who get downsized, furloughed or laid off (depending on terminology) things will get wore because the “Stimulus” money given to states in 2009 to boost their unemployment benefits will run out in 2010. State and local governments will face deepening fiscal troubles. There are thousands of Adjustable Rate Mortgages set to readjust in 2010 which will increase the monthly payments beyond the homeowners’ ability to pay . This will send defaults and foreclosures skyrocketing. Meanwhile the banks and mortgage companies will refuse to restructure the loans. This will result in higher homelessness, displacement and despair. It will be like Katrina without the flood. As housing prices deflate more and more homeowners will find themselves owing more money than their house is worth! The thirty year trend of stagnant worker wages will continue the effects of the Federal Reserve Banks’ monetary inflation policies and the government’s anti-organized labor policies will be felt more keenly in 2010.
As conditions worsen the public will be inconsolable. Obama’s charisma and oratory skills will prove of little use as his tumbling credibility and ratings rival Bu$h’s. Anxiety and uncertainty will give way to visceral demonstrations against the government’s policies. Just like 2009 saw the rise of “Tea Parties” and contentious town hall meetings; in 2010 we will see numerous incidents of civil unrest. In 2010 the Democrats will feel the anger and angst at the polls in the mid-term elections and Obama’s base will shrink significantly. Hopefully Black people will wake up and stop viewing Obama as some kind of messiah and stop giving him an automatic pass. In the coming days, weeks and months we need to unify, coalesce, organize, plan and develop strategies that strengthen our communities and will help us to transcend the Depression.
