Royal blood in America, red and blue

mains a Third World country.

Glaring features of Third World countries include poverty, lack of democratic institutions, controlling oligarchies and the unequal distribution of income and wealth. The few enjoy a rich lifestyle while the many suffer poverty.

I wrote previously about Carlos Slim, mega-rich Mexican who controls seven percent of the wealth of Mexico.

Paul Krugman and many other economists have pointed out that US income disparity has become obscenely large and is increasing.

Another characteristic of Third World countries is that a major portion of their fiscal expenditures is allocated to the military.

In many Third World countries, the military is controlled by an elite cadre of wealthy profiteers.

The USA, however, with rampant war profiteering, is now responsible for 48 percent of the world’s total military spending, distantly followed by the UK, France, Japan and China with a mere four to five percent each.

In November, Bush won a $471 billion Pentagon budget, a nine-percent increase. This does not include “emergency supplementals” for the Bush War.

For his war Bush borrows hundreds of billions more. This assures that we keep moving toward Third World status, unable even to provide for the healthcare of our children or women with breast cancer. We do provide profits for pharmaceutical companies, however.

Finally, in many Third World countries one finds that leadership is passed from one generation to the next, often via a close relative. Remember Juan Peron, president of Argentina, who was succeeded by his wife, Eva?

And just three months ago Cristina Fernandez was elected president of Argentina to succeed her husband, Nestor, who became First Gentleman of Argentina. Will Bill Clinton follow suit?

But of course, we have already had Daddy Bush and Baby Bush fulfilling this feature of Third World-ism. It is called nepotism. I did not vote for Baby Bush and I cannot vote for Hillary.

“No” to blue blood royalty and “no” to red blood royalty in America. No kings and no emperors. And no queens, either.

Joe Howard Crews