Why are 'they' (SO MANY PEOPLE IN THE US AND INTERNATIONAL 'ELITE' - not Obama naive backers - so desperate to have Obama (or McCain) win-

Okay, I think its complex, but the reason probably includes many of these things below. (Sorry of this diary is still a little rough, try to bear with me)

1.) FEAR OF A SHIFT IN NATIONAL PRIORITIES -by- MANY esp. the Right (ALL of the GOP) and industry and the politicians in the Democratic party do not want ANY new, successful entitlements, NOMATTER HOW MUCH THEY ARE DESPERATELY NEEDED BY SO MANY - some of them 'on principle' (like Bush's opposition to Social Security and SCHIP) because they feel healthcare will end up cutting into future Pentagon budget (which is so HUGE it dwarfs everything else, seriously.). Healthcare is especially important because poor people are often sick people, and sick people are struggling people. In countries with universal healthcare, peoples healthcare is not tied to their job. This makes people more outspoken. It also allows people to start businesses easier. Those upstart new businesses compete with the insiders. They don't like that. Our current system of tying healthcare to jobs maintains the power structure and strengthens the worst kind of hierarchy. Like slavery, it keeps people from leaving or moving away from bad situations.

2.) FINANCIAL - Corruption and International Financial Issues -by- Right in US, banks, corrupt govt and contractor officials - Right is desperate to avoid any AUDITING of Bush  era finances (Iraq! - Thats MANY MILLIONS, perhaps BILLIONS of dollars that have dissappeared under Bush) and massive violations of law in many areas. Also, the Fed and banks are desperate to avoid tougher financial rules under Clinton (which hopefully would prevent a bigger crash in the future)

3.) Healthcare Profits - Domestic -by- Alliance of healthcare-related corporate interests do not want Hillary putting her healthcare plan into place because it will put government in the position of bargaining with them for lower prices, something that they REALLY want to avoid because the government WILL get prices down.

4.) Epidemiology, Environmental legislation -by- Alliance of chemical and industrial interests, as well as real estate, manufacturing, etc. who want to prevent new environmental legislation that reflects the last decade or two of new scientific knowledge on thousands of issues. (Bush has frozen all new environmental safety legislation.) Also, they fear vastly improved epidemiology (discoveries about the CAUSES of diseases like cancer, etc.) that would result from having UNIVERSAL healthcare in which people were not afraid to go to the doctor because they feared becoming uninsurable IF something bad was found. THAT IS THE SITUATION NOW!! They fear being held liable when the freeze ends and laws reflect science and they fear the end of their being subsides in profitmaking by being abe to destroy the health of people with virtually no chance of having to pay for it.

5.) Trade Agreements - by - Alliance of drug companies, etc. who fear universal healthcare and its changes in their ability to hold up the US system as the model. International Trade agreements currently prevent many cost cutting measures such as international purchase of drugs bypassing national licensing and prices. That shows how high a priority maintaining these high profits is (more important than human lives) Drug companies dont want to risk losing that with Hillary. Also, the healthcare domino theory. If the US goes, so will -(country or market x)

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http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/us/AP-Cl inton.html

Clinton Promises to Reform NAFTA

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton told manufacturers and union workers on Monday that her husband made mistakes related to the North American Free Trade Agreement that she plans to fix.

Her comment came in response to a question by a union worker at a summit sponsored by the Alliance for American Manufacturing. The worker said President Clinton had tricked them when he championed NAFTA during his presidency.

''As smart as my husband is, he does make mistakes,'' Clinton said. The Democratic presidential candidate said she would fix problems that have led to job losses, or would tell Canada and Mexico the United States is pulling out of the agreement.

Trade policy is a key issue in Pennsylvania's Democratic primary on April 22. Many workers blame U.S. trade policy for taking away U.S. jobs...

The AP news article also says that Barack Obama has been critical of Hillary Clinton because of the fact that her husband's administration initially promoted NAFTA, but it doesn't mention the questions that have been raised about Obama's own ambiguous position on NAFTA or his 'NAFTAgate' as it was called a few months ago.

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cross posted from RFK Action Front, Daily Kos, and The Agonist.

For a while now, I've been interested in the role of the those who rationalize empire.  While soldiers are often sent in to seize the land -- I'm fascinated by the role of the white collar professionals who follow: the priests (who say it is God's will), the lawyers (who say the soldiers' actions were justified and set up rules to exploit the conquered people), and the economists (who say the exploited people are really better off now anyway).  While the soldiers' actions are often the focus on the peace movement -- in many ways, I think the actions of the bureaucrats are often more insidious. The soldiers can kill you, but the bureaucrats are the ones who erase a people's history, colonize one's mind, and perpetuate injustice long after the soldiers have gone.

With that in mind I give you, "What to Expect When You're Free Trading" published on Wednesday in the NY Times.  The article purports to be a a defense of free trade.  But it's so much creepier than that.  From the piece:

"All economists know that when American jobs are outsourced, Americans as a group are net winners. What we lose through lower wages is more than offset by what we gain through lower prices."

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What's for dinner?

Fruit and Veggies laced with pesticides?
Oysters tainted with Listeria?
Shrimp sautéed with Salmonella?
Spinach with a side of E. coli?
Just plain filthy fish?

Hungry yet? In the last couple months, I know many of us have thought twice while picking our food for our families at the supermarket, and we should. The CDC estimates that 76 million Americans suffer from foodborne illnesses every year, 325,000 are hospitalized, and 5,000 die.

While the mainstream media is happy to tell the public of the great threats to their health and safety, scaring them stiff into watching the evening news, they rarely ask why the flood of dangerous imports is happening and of our leaders, what can be done to stop it.

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Since our candidates are speaking at the AFSCME forum today, I decided to talk just a little about John Edwards and his support for the American worker. As we know, John Edwards grew up in a working household, helped working Americans fight back against big money interests. Nowadays, he has not forgotten his working background, and continues to fight for Working Americans.

From walking the picket lines with union workers, helping raise the minimum wage in six states when Congress would not act, to proposing affordable healthcare for all Americans who work, to supporting a workers right to form unions, the American worker would have no better

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