Janine Jackson of FAIR deconstructs the media’s analysis of our ‘booming’ economy (by ‘booming’ do they mean that as a reference to the fact that so much of it hinges on the military-industrial component of it?)

Again and again, the majority of Americans’ understanding of their own economic situation was presented as somehow disconnected from reality, ascribed to “pessimism,” ignorance or irrationality. The Wall Street Journal (12/6/05), among others, suggested poll respondents’ negative assessments might be “spillover from concerns about the Iraq War,” as if the war rendered people incapable of noting whether or not they can pay their bills.

Even the inclusion of significant countervailing data, like sluggish wage growth or escalating healthcare costs, data that demonstrate that Bush’s vision of an economic horizon “as bright as itís been in a long time” (UPI, 12/2/05) is simply not the reality for most people, was insufficient to shift the story from one of essentially “good news.” The most outlets could manage was to say that such factors suggest “that recent gains in the economy do not apply across the board” (L.A. Times, 12/6/05), that many workers are not “fully participating in the economy’s gains” (Wall Street Journal, 12/6/05), or that “many economic benefits are not making their way to ordinary workers” (Washington Post, 12/6/05). But why these ordinary workers, representing the majority of households, should not be considered the arbiters of whether or not “the economy” is good is never explained.

I guess people are just too ignorant to understand how those massive corporate profits and huge bonuses for CEOs are actually benefiting them. Trickle down is right. With emphasis on ‘trick’. And ‘down’.

Read The Full Article Here