Journalist Chris Hedges has written a scathing critique of the American elite establishment:

Our oligarchic class is incompetent at governing, managing the economy, coping with natural disasters, educating our young, handling foreign affairs, providing basic services like health care and safeguarding individual rights. That it is still in power, and will remain in power after this election, is a testament to our inability to separate illusion from reality. We still believe in “the experts.” They still believe in themselves. They are clustered like flies swarming around John McCain and Barack Obama. It is only when these elites are exposed as incompetent parasites and dethroned that we will have any hope of restoring social, economic and political order.

Read the rest here.  While I absolutely agree with the basic thrust of his argument, I have to differ slightly over Hedges’ contention that the ruling class is simply incompetent.  Certainly there is plenty incompetence to go around, as he shows.  But I think it’s more accurate to say issues like governing effectively, managing the economy, education and the like are merely not very high priorities in elite circles.  Painting it as incompetence somewhat assumes these people are trying to do the right thing for the social good, yet are unable to.

That aside, I recommend this article and any others by Hedges.  Thanks to Left I on the News for the link.

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