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Mike Lofgren: The Sleep of Reason Breeds Monsters – the Failure of American Public Institutions Enabled by the Collapse of American Public Intelligence

The Authoritarian Seduction “The sleep of reason breeds monsters.” -Francisco Goya The Gallup organization has released yet another dog-bites-man opinion poll which found that Americans’ confidence in Congress has fallen to a record low of 10 percent. This result is a continuation of a decades-long trend of declining approval ratings for Congress, and is justifiable …

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Chuck Spinney & Mike Lofgren: Is War Good for the Economy?

In the attached essay, my very good friend Mike Lofgren raises the question of whether defense spending is good for the economy.  This is a current issue because the threat of defense budget reduction is being countered by arguments asserting that these reductions will push the economy into recession.  More generally, the political addiction to …

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Mike Lofgren: America’s Three-Tiered Justice System

America’s Three-Tiered Justice System Wednesday, 20 March 2013 00:00 By Mike Lofgren, Truthout | News Analysis Big shots are above the law, the government now admits, but a three-tiered justice system has Congress churning out new bills to keep the prison industry booming. “Equal Justice under Law,” is the motto inscribed on the frieze of the United States …

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Mike Lofgren: US Politics From Bad Theater to Clear and Present Danger to the Public

A country with bad political theater By Mike Lofgren, Washington Post, March 1, 2013 EXTRACT Politics in Washington has become far worse than the traditional partisan to-and-fro inherent in any democracy. It now presents a danger to orderly day-to-day governance of the country. Politics is no longer the art of the possible; it is bad theater. …

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Chuck Spinney: Mike Lofgren on How Democracies Die (Loss of Integrity)

Below is an outstanding essay by my close friend and colleague Mike Lofgren. How Democracies Die By Mike Lofgren, Truthout | Thursday, 25 October 2012 10:19 “Picture a country at the height of its international power and prestige. It has military forces stationed around the globe. It is an intellectual leader….” It’s not the one …

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Mike Lofgren: The Austerity Trap – Is Past Prologue? – Should Germany Grant Debt Relief as It Was Granted Debt Relief?

The Austerity Trap: Is Past Prologue? Mike Lofgren, Huffington Post, 10/11/2012 9:42 pm A German chancellor touts austerity as the sovereign remedy for the worst global economic crisis in most people’s memory. Why? The great inflation of 1923 is still so seared into the consciousness of the German political class that keeping the stability of …

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