Taking Back Our Economy-Part 10: Small Government and Economic Stability

What do they Really Mean?
Our defining of "Corporate Agenda" terms continues.

Corporate Agenda Term #2: Small Government

What they say:

"Get government off our backs! What we need is small government."

What they mean:

• We don't want to deal with government regulation and rules; we should be able to do what we want, when we want.
• We don't want to worry about resources for anyone that becomes disabled or can't work, the poor, their children, the elderly, or anyone without health care - they should have to fend for themselves.
• Rules tie the hands of corporations. We should just trust them to do the right things.
• In the words of Grover Norquist, we need to cut government "to the size where we can drown it in the bathtub." (Norquist is a right-wing extremist who advocated for abolishing government departments such as the FDA and the Department of Education.)

Corporate Agenda Term #3: Economic Stability

What they say:

"We need to focus on keeping inflation down."
(Note: Inflation has to do with rising prices of wages and goods)

What they mean:

• It's better if more people (at least 5%) are unemployed so companies don't have to raise wages to attract workers.
• We need to keep flooding our market with cheap goods from foreign producers so there's never a shortage for people to buy - and us to make money on!
• Everything - high unemployment, strong and rapid economic growth, etc. - should take a back seat to policies that prevent inflation.
• We don't want to deal with unions that want higher wages to keep up with rising costs.

Source: USW Rapid Response