A garbage dump described as twice the size of the USA is floating in the Pacific Ocean, a creation of global capitalist production. Given the major role we play in the manufacture of rubbish, it�s no wonder an analogy would be made to the U.S.

But there is far more deadly waste that we can claim as our own, its origin not shared with other manufacturers. With invading armies, occupying forces and military bases all over the globe, we continue to squander more money on warfare than all other nations combined. We call it defense spending, but it defends America the way that condoms defend virginity.

Our Ponzi scheme economy, floating on an ocean of debt speculation more colossal than the plastic dump in the Pacific, shows signs of returning to its source: the imagination. But its material horrors threaten to make more people unemployed, homeless, and eventually affect many who think they are safely inoculated against the national epidemic of market excess.

The drug and medical industry astronomically raises costs, creating windfall profits for the vampires of insurance who suck the blood our Sweeney Todd health care merchants produce for them.

And yet, things are much worse for people in other nations subjected to the ravages of our rapidly eroding system.

If you live in Iraq, Afghanistan or Palestine, no study of the political economy is necessary to reveal why you are suffering and see things getting worse before they can get better. These and other victims of imperial wrath need no graduate school investigation to tell them what is wrong. They understand their enemy, and are taking political and military steps to overcome the hardships imposed by the empire of economic and racial supremacy. However drastic their conditions may be in the present, the future would seem to be on their side, while the long range picture doesn't look as good for us. Can we reasonably anticipate a better and more just tomorrow for ourselves?

A regime in Washington that would be imprisoned if we had a real democracy will soon be replaced, but only because its term expires. A shamelessly inept opposition, controlled by corporate capital and a foreign lobby and derelict in any responsibility to the people, will continue the deceitfully vicious war against terror and slavish support for Israel. With minor changes in rhetoric and rationale, if it bumbles into power it will change overt abuse to a more covert style. It will extol democracy and humanitarian values in theory, and continue perverting them in practice.

We are told that the hundreds of millions shamelessly spent on the American Idol show called Presidential Primaries will assure that everything will soon change. But the only candidates confronting reality and suggesting transformation are financially blacked out, while supporters of the status quo continue blathering platitudes to satisfy the media presentation that passes for democracy. Despite being treated with a disrespect bordering on contempt, the people show a much greater understanding than their mind managers assume. By staggering majorities they find the president a failure, and by larger majorities the congress even worse. They were told that something called Super Tuesday would be the most exciting primary day in history, and in the nation�s most populous state, more than 65 percent of the electorate didn't even bother to participate. The Super Bowl, always belittled by the minority that is able to identify corporate power in sports but remains blind to its control of politics, attracted vastly more people and caused much greater excitement than the farce that posed as democracy.

People understand the irrelevance of much that is going on, despite attempts at consciousness control through pundit predictions which change almost daily and poll projections that only assure less confidence in polling. They saw a candidate spend fifty million dollars to purchase one delegate, while another laid out more than a million for each of his supporters until he finally conceded. They know that one of those who'll ultimately spend two or three times as much will become corporate America�s top employee, at which time the corporados and the Israel lobby will get what they�ve paid for.

No matter who the applicants are, the hired help will do what the job entails: preserve the status quo, with minor adjustments to placate those who think they will actually get change in material substance rather than simply in rhetorical style.

Identity politics may finally triumph, at least for its true believers, but whether the Democrats choose a white woman or a black man as their candidate, they�ll need all the help they can get from the Republican job applicant. He may be our first mentally disturbed nominee, having established his conservative credentials by calling for a revival of the 100 years war. Yet he�s considered a liberal by some whose primitively developed capacity to reason would embarrass our Neanderthal ancestors.

But despite the wretched condition of war and a crippled economy that this regime has made much worse, Democrats are always capable of turning sure victory into certain defeat. Although they tried to blame their failure on everything from stolen votes to stupid voters, this is a party that was twice defeated by the most incompetent and criminal president in the nation�s history. Don�t bet the farm on these political geniuses who have the potential to make the guys from Dumb and Dumber look like Smart and Smarter.

Can we change the substance of our national dilemma with the next election? Cars change lanes all the time, but they are still compelled to run on gasoline. Keep those seat belts on, citizens, and be sure the air bags are working. This ride will continue to be a very rough one, and it will go on well past November.

Copyright � 2008 Frank Scott. All rights reserved.