Economic Shock Therapy-California Style

Yesterday I was reading the LA Times about the budget crisis in California and it just makes me sick. The particular article that I was reading discussed the fact that the governator readily admits that he is basically looking forward to cleaning house and "reforming the system" (i.e., cutting social services, education funding, cal grants for higher education, etc.). It's sickening and disgusting to me. 

This whole situation reminds me of Naomi Klein's book The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism. If you haven't read the book already, then you definitely should read it sometime soon. Klein summarizes the ways in which governments and corporations use fear, panic and disasters to push through free market theories and/or dismantle liberal economic policies. Klein calls this process "economic shock therapy", similar to the disorientation and disequilibrium caused by shock therapy given to mentally ill and tortured prisoners. 

This is exactly what is going on in California. "They" are going use this opportunity to cut the social services that they have always hated. It's also another reason for them to beat up immigrants, people of color and people who live in poverty.  

Check out this excellent video by Al Jazeera,  "Fault Lines-California Failed State":

Part One 

Part Two

Those jackasses Jon and Ken over at am640 can kiss my ass. I'd bet that the majority of people are receiving social services are citizens. Every brown person is not an "illegal alien", assholes. Over 80% of students who are identified as language minority students in the public school system were born here. 

P.S. Yeah, so is the government going to bail us out too? They sure bailed out all the men who caused half of all this shit storm.