Comments for David Brooks: Bard of the 1 Percent at http://www.cepr.net , comment 1 to 20 out of 20 comments http://www.cepr.net Thu, 23 May 2013 02:58:45 +0100 FeedCreator 1.7.3 http://www.cepr.net/index.php/blogs/beat-the-press/david-brooks-bard-of-the-1-percent#comment-12183 The summary was pure genius. I laughed so hard, I cried! - SB Mon, 17 Oct 2011 19:16:42 +0100 http://www.cepr.net/index.php/blogs/beat-the-press/david-brooks-bard-of-the-1-percent#comment-12117 Michael Parenti's "The Face of Imperialism" is an excellent concise summary of what our world faces (and our citizens face) from America today. How we got here, see David Harvey's "A Brief History of Neoliberalism", and David Brock's classic, "The Republican Noise Machine". It is a tactic to first starve people by hidden and unaccountable means, and then to "rescue" them with high-interest loans and IMF-imposed "adjustments" => enforce NeoConservatism/NeoLiberalism upon us against our will. Yes, the Elites absolutely know what they are doing to the rest of us: doing their best to prevent us ever from impeaching them from corrupt control of the world. Making vast sums of money in the process is just the icing on that cake. - Eric Dynamic Fri, 14 Oct 2011 14:29:57 +0100 http://www.cepr.net/index.php/blogs/beat-the-press/david-brooks-bard-of-the-1-percent#comment-12072 [quote]This could have been due to astounding incompetence or it might have something to do with the fact that people in the 1 Percent with names like Angelo Mozilo, Richard Fuld, and Robert Rubin, were making money hand over fist off the mortgages that financed the housing bubble.[/quote] In fact, those in the 1 percent may have been fully aware, were making tons of money, and perhaps even drooled over the prospect of being able to pick so many assets at fire sale prices when the economy collapsed. They knew they would be in a position to do so, whereas so many others were not. A clear example of this is the bull stock market that existed after the crash. I am sure that was a lot of other asset transference to the top one percent as well. [b]This is what Marx warned us about[/b], that the boom/bust (especially the bust) cycles would inevitably lead to a concentration of wealth into fewer and few hands. - Bill Turner Wed, 12 Oct 2011 08:59:41 +0100 http://www.cepr.net/index.php/blogs/beat-the-press/david-brooks-bard-of-the-1-percent#comment-12057 Telling Iraqis the same thing: "What they needed to see was American boys and girls going house to house, from Basra to Baghdad, and basically saying, 'Which part of this sentence don't you understand? You don't think, you know we care about our open society, you think this bubble fantasy, we're just gonna let it grow? Well, Suck. On. This.' "That, Charlie is what this war is about. We could have hit Saudi Arabia, it was part of that bubble. Could have hit Pakistan. We hit Iraq because we could." - Aunt Bee Wed, 12 Oct 2011 03:15:04 +0100 http://www.cepr.net/index.php/blogs/beat-the-press/david-brooks-bard-of-the-1-percent#comment-12054 I'd like to see Mr. Brooks do his bloviating from a bread line.... suck it up buddy! - John Crampton Wed, 12 Oct 2011 02:02:21 +0100 http://www.cepr.net/index.php/blogs/beat-the-press/david-brooks-bard-of-the-1-percent#comment-12051 Brooks is perpetuating the myth that the 99r;s over consumed causing the debt problem. Ok hyperbole on my part. He should watch this lecture by Elizabeth Warren about 6 years ago at Berkeley predicting the implosion of the middle class. [url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akVL7QY0S8A&feature=youtu.be[/url] Its a great watch. Over 30 years the typical mum dad two kid family went from a one job to two job family yet spent less on food, appliances, toys etc. But greatly more on mortgages healthcare, education and childcare. And greatly increased the possibility of disaster if one of the breadwinners lost a job or had a medical emergency. Brooks should real y watch and absorb and maybe he would gain more sympathy for the 99r;s. Too much to hope for. - David Tue, 11 Oct 2011 19:52:12 +0100 http://www.cepr.net/index.php/blogs/beat-the-press/david-brooks-bard-of-the-1-percent#comment-12049 The thing is, you know that Brooks absolutely does not give a crap whether he's spouting complete nonsense or not. His one and only goal is to write something that sounds different from typical Republican talking points while reinforcing them indirectly. That way he keeps his gig as the "conservative columnist" who isn't as crazy as the rest of them. The editors don't care, either, as long as he fits that slot for them. - urban legend Tue, 11 Oct 2011 16:48:31 +0100 http://www.cepr.net/index.php/blogs/beat-the-press/david-brooks-bard-of-the-1-percent#comment-12048 If you'd like to see more of deconstruction/neutering of Brooks, may I suggest Doghouse Riley at bats left throws right. Look him up, you won't be disappointed. - nanute Tue, 11 Oct 2011 14:30:14 +0100 http://www.cepr.net/index.php/blogs/beat-the-press/david-brooks-bard-of-the-1-percent#comment-12045 There has to be some way to be sure that Matt Taibbi at Rolling Stone sees this article. Not many people hate Brooks the way he does and for all the reasons in the article and the comment. Labeling Brooks 'Mr. One-Percent' is brilliant. The kind of thing the right-wing has been so good at. - SteveK9 Tue, 11 Oct 2011 10:08:53 +0100 http://www.cepr.net/index.php/blogs/beat-the-press/david-brooks-bard-of-the-1-percent#comment-12044 The way I see it, Brooks should be kissing the ground the occupiers walk on. After all, if everyone were to capitulate to our plutocratic overclass he would have to find some other way to make a living. You think they would be paying him if they didn't have to? - Kat Tue, 11 Oct 2011 09:21:33 +0100 http://www.cepr.net/index.php/blogs/beat-the-press/david-brooks-bard-of-the-1-percent#comment-12043 It's really a disgrace that the NY Times continues to employ Brooks and give him a platform for his misunderstandings. Shame on the Times. - Chris Tue, 11 Oct 2011 09:00:04 +0100 http://www.cepr.net/index.php/blogs/beat-the-press/david-brooks-bard-of-the-1-percent#comment-12040 Nothing get Brooks more in a tizzy than hippies on parade. The thing is a lot of the protesters are very young so Brooks has to insult them with: "A third believe the U.S. is no better than Al Qaeda, according to a New York magazine survey, but since the left no longer believes in the nationalization of industry, these “radicals” really have no systemic reforms to fall back on." What's nice about the slogan "we are the 99%" is that it's saying "we are America, we are the majority." The truth as Henwood points out is more like 80% with much of 20% propagandists and servants like Brooks. Maybe the respoondents were confused about the survey question. - Peter K. Tue, 11 Oct 2011 08:20:41 +0100 http://www.cepr.net/index.php/blogs/beat-the-press/david-brooks-bard-of-the-1-percent#comment-12039 Why aren't your editorial opinions featured in more newspapers. I consistantly see the "Swill from Sewell" in my paper. What a funded joke he is and 1%'r outlook. - jumpinjezebel Tue, 11 Oct 2011 07:46:39 +0100 http://www.cepr.net/index.php/blogs/beat-the-press/david-brooks-bard-of-the-1-percent#comment-12038 It is gratifying to read a rebuttal to just about anything written by David Brooks. While one can have sympathy for Andrew Rosenthal, the editorial page editor of the NYT, who is obliged to publish conservative commentary at a time when many Republicans in the Congress are determined to obstruct (and thus destroy) the democratic process, Brooks is a sloppy, dishonest writer and clearly not up to the task. William Kristol, who served a memorable stint as a Times columnist, always seemed a brick or two short of a full load, but at least he could write. - Roger Bloyce Tue, 11 Oct 2011 07:23:53 +0100 http://www.cepr.net/index.php/blogs/beat-the-press/david-brooks-bard-of-the-1-percent#comment-12037 Please stand as we sing a tribute to David Brooks, capitalism and the trickle down of wealth from the 1% to the 99%: 'Wealth in Bottles is a Zero Sum Game' Ninety nine bottles of wealth on the wall Ninety nine bottles of wealth Take one down, pass it around Ninety eight bottles of wealth on the wall Ninety eight bottles of wealth on the wall Ninely eight bottles ... Stupid liberals. - izzatzo Tue, 11 Oct 2011 07:07:47 +0100 http://www.cepr.net/index.php/blogs/beat-the-press/david-brooks-bard-of-the-1-percent#comment-12036 Dean, I appreciate the repetition in the posts. It helps people remember the important issues. In a perfect world, Brooks would lose his job and gain insight. But in all likelihood, he would regain his economic comfort and forget all that he learned from standing in another's shoes. The Times needs to stop publishing opinions like this without publishing a counter perspective at the same time. - Jay Tue, 11 Oct 2011 06:16:19 +0100 http://www.cepr.net/index.php/blogs/beat-the-press/david-brooks-bard-of-the-1-percent#comment-12034 Thanks, Dean. You are right that the worst thing for education is poverty; even the testing touted by billionaire ed reformers shows this, though the billionaires tend to ignore the obvious. In fact, America's relatively poor test scores can be explained by our country's high levels of economic inequality. Reading scores are actually excellent in American schools with low poverty levels (levels similar to those in countries that do well in international reading tests). My favorite example: the 2009 PISA reading scores for low-poverty American schools (less than 10% free and reduced lunch) are actually BETTER than the scores for super-high-scoring Finland (the poster child country for great education, and not coincidentally a country with a 3% poverty rate). If you're interested, see the table on p. 15 of this report: http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2011004 - eric Tue, 11 Oct 2011 05:23:36 +0100 http://www.cepr.net/index.php/blogs/beat-the-press/david-brooks-bard-of-the-1-percent#comment-12030 I am disappointed in Mr. Brooks today. Not one study from the behavioral sciences to prove that there's nothing that you can really do about wealth inequality, it won't make you happy anyway, and hey, the rich really are pretty great! - Kat Tue, 11 Oct 2011 04:06:13 +0100 http://www.cepr.net/index.php/blogs/beat-the-press/david-brooks-bard-of-the-1-percent#comment-12029 [quote]The reason is that people like David Brooks and rest of the 1 Percent don't give a damn about you.[/quote] Please [i]please [b]PLEASE[/b][/i] more plain, blunt language like this. There has been a culture war going on for decades. It's time to start calling out the people who are waging it. - Drew Kime Tue, 11 Oct 2011 03:22:25 +0100 http://www.cepr.net/index.php/blogs/beat-the-press/david-brooks-bard-of-the-1-percent#comment-12028 I have heard the idea that the Fed could target higher inflation many times. I am wondering whether you can get higher inflation merely through monetary policy rather than through increases in demand, or at least, high enough to be of help. - Tom Tue, 11 Oct 2011 02:28:43 +0100