POVERTY IN THE ADVANCED/DEVELOPED COUNTRIES: THE UNITED STATES AND WESTERN EUROPE

OUR WORLD: GLOBALIZATION AND ITS DISCONTENTS

"Some believe we are part of a secret cabal working against the best interests of the United States, characterizing my family and me as "internationalists" and of conspiring with others around the world to build a more integrated global political and economic structure - one world, if you will. If that's the charge, I stand guilty, and I am proud of it."
 --David Rockefeller in his "Memoirs" (10/28/2003)

In 1980, UK PM Margret Thatcher and US-Pres. Ronald Reagan agreed that the formula for greater economic progress begins with a drastic reduction in the regulatory role of the state. Instead, the government was to take a back seat to corporate executives and money managers. The overall philosophy was that companies must be free to move their operation anywhere in the world to minimize costs and maximize profits/returns to investors.

Free trade, unfettered investments, deregulation, balanced budgets, low inflation, and privatization of public/state-owned enterprises were proclaimed as the six-step plan for national prosperity. All these steps as imperatives for "globalization/globalism" or "neoliberalism." The common people or the public be damned.

Fast forward to the 1990s, the consequent realities of this relaxed flow of finished products and capital led to the 1997 Asian Currency Crisis," of Tiger Economies; the 2008 Financial Crisis," etc. All with the devastating long-term effect of reducing family income and government spending on social health services. Not to mention the increasing frequency of economic crises with their adverse impact on society and the world.

Now, the "globalization" mantra that was trumpeted to supposedly "lift all boats to prosperity" shows that its benefits accrue only to the wealthy in the corporate world and politicians beholden to them. -- BMD 8/24/2023

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Europe's Extreme Poverty Problem | Poor Europe | Real Stories Full-Length Documentary

A journey through Italy, Portugal, and Ireland investigates the causes of poverty while challenging politicians and economic experts on the subject. Can Europe win its fight against poverty? Is there a European master plan for structural change – or have 119 million people simply been left behind? And what is the price Europe will ultimately have to pay for this?

In Europe, 119 million people live in or at risk of poverty and social exclusion, earning under 60% of the average national income in their countries. Among them are poor children, unemployed young adults, and the working poor, spread out across the EU. In 2010 the “European Economic and Social Committee” launched “Europe 2020” – an initiative aiming to lift 20 million people out of poverty by the year 2020. As working conditions in Europe become ever more precarious, and layoffs more frequent, the EU faces a crisis of confidence from those members who feel unrepresented and disadvantaged. Poverty plays a decisive role here – it poses a fundamental threat to the European Project.
CLICK: Europe Extreme Poverty *****

Working But Poor, I ARTE.tv Documentary

Citizens across Europe who used to belong to the lower middle class have fallen into poverty. An in-depth investigation into the precariat, a new social class of financially insecure citizens who, although they are employed, find it very difficult to make ends meet. ARTE.tv Documentary is here to tell you more about what’s going on in the world of culture, news, and current affairs with powerful, refreshing, and entertaining docs subtitled in English for our international fans. CLICK: Working But Poor

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Rich and poor - The growing wealth gap in Germany | DW Documentary

Germany is one of the wealthiest countries in the world – but the gap between rich and poor continues to grow. What’s it like to live in Germany when you hardly have any money left for groceries at the end of the month? And what’s it like when you have so much money that you can barely spend it all? We tell the stories behind the bank statements – and ask why Germany is a rich country with poor people. Elke, for example, lives off welfare. When she cooks, her priority is giving her daughter enough to eat. Elke eats the leftovers. Boris, a high-earning self-employed marketing coach, loves luxury cars and thinks being poor is a decision. And the middle-class Valdivieso family, homeowners with a comfortable income, have been worried about social decline since the energy crisis began – and feel let down by politicians. They’re not the only ones who feel like things in Germany are going downhill. What happens to a society when the rich and poor keep drifting further and further apart? One thing is sure: people are protesting. Under the hashtag “I’m affected by poverty”, resistance is growing on social media; Elke even speaks at a big demonstration in front of the Chancellery in Berlin. And there are some wealthy people who say they’d like to pay more taxes to close the wealth gap. What kind of political decisions is Germany facing?

CLICK: Rich & Poor in Germany

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The Newly Poor in Germany | ARTE.tv Documentary

With the increase in the cost of living, food banks are increasingly in demand in Germany. But the massive influx of people in need poses a major challenge to charities, which sometimes have to refuse new applicants. ARTE.tv Documentary is here to tell you more about what’s going on in the world of culture, news, and current affairs with powerful, refreshing, and entertaining docs subtitled in English for our international fans. CLICK: The Newly Poor in Germany

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The American Middle-Class Crisis | Real Stories, Noam Chomsky  Wealth & Inequality Documentary

Renowned academic and author Noam Chomsky offers a thought-provoking exploration of the 10 principles that underlie the concentration of wealth and power, resulting in unprecedented levels of inequality and the erosion of the American middle class. In this enlightening documentary, Chomsky elucidates the causes and consequences of this profound societal shift. Through his keen insights and intellectual rigor, Chomsky reveals the mechanisms behind wealth concentration and its detrimental effects on society. He delves into the hollowing out of the American middle class, shedding light on the socioeconomic challenges faced by millions. Chomsky's analysis uncovers the interplay between power dynamics and economic disparities, providing a critical examination of the state of inequality in America. CLICK: American Middle-Class Crisis

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Requiem for the American Dream with Noam Chomsky DOCUMENTARY - Politics, Philosophy

REQUIEM FOR THE AMERICAN DREAM is the definitive discourse with Noam Chomsky, widely regarded as the most important intellectual alive, on the defining characteristic of our time - the deliberate concentration of wealth and power in the hands of a select few. Through interviews filmed over four years, Chomsky unpacks the principles that have brought us to the crossroads of historically unprecedented inequality - tracing a half-century of policies designed to favor the most wealthy at the expense of the majority - while also looking back on his own life of activism and political participation. Profoundly personal and thought-provoking, Chomsky provides penetrating insight into what may well be the lasting legacy of our time - the death of the middle class and the swan song of functioning democracy. A potent reminder that power ultimately rests in the hands of the governed, REQUIEM is required viewing for all who maintain hope in a shared stake in the future. CLICK: Requiem for the American Dream

Poverty in the UK: Great Britain's 'Working Poor' | Austerity, Food Banks & Inflation Documentary

It’s the great English paradox. If the country has a historically low unemployment rate of 3.6%, poverty is breaking all records: today, more than 15 million Britons are considered poor… That’s almost a quarter of the population!

Galloping inflation and the explosion of energy costs in recent months forced millions into poverty. But there is also the hyper-flexibility of wages and the growing 'uberisation' of hundreds of thousands of self-employed people… All aggravated by more than 10 years of severe cuts in social assistance initiated under the government of David Cameron and disengagement of the State in the public services… As a result, the United Kingdom, which had only a few dozen food banks in 2010, now has more than 2,000… Life expectancy is stagnating, even declining in the most disadvantaged regions where people die 10 years earlier sooner than elsewhere, a victim of what is known as “shit life syndrome”, literally the shitty life syndrome: a deadly cocktail of multiple pathologies and addictions. So, millions of Britons engage in voluntary work to make up for the shortcomings of the government. This is the advent of the “Big Society”, a society of charities, charities, theorized in 2010 by the then Prime Minister: David Cameron, the architect of the austerity policy! We went to meet England’s working poor all forced to rely on solidarity to survive. From Blackpool, a seaside town in the north-west plagued by poverty, to the green county of Cumbria on the Scottish border, one of the most rural in the country, where public transport and services have become almost non-existent, via Ashton-under-Lyne, a factory town paralyzed by the absence of economic prospects, plunged into a Great Britain.

Click: Britain's Working Poor

"The corporate-dominated economy and the transnational corporate state had consolidated its power over almost every aspect of public and private life, and under a formal globalization movement, the transnational corporations were extending their tentacles all over the planet.

Footsoldiers like Margaret Thatcher, Ronald Reagan, the ever-dutiful Bush family, Helmut Kohl, and a list of Japanese leaders had diligently kept the faith. Working with the timeworn International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank, and ultimately with the new engine of globalization, the World Trade Organization, they ensured that the interests of capital were nowhere endangered by the needs of the world's three billion poor to eat, have shelter, clothing, sanitation, medical care, and education."

-- William F. Pepper in his book "An Act of State: The Execution of Martin Luther King," (10/20/2015)

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LET US NOT KEEP OUR HEADS IN THE SAND