Where's Saudi Arabia?

@WilyRickWiles [google.com]

It's not exactly a movement toward socialism. Either way, we have global neoliberalism, where the public sector is privatized, the private sector is consolidated, and democracy is captured by elite businesspeople, financiers, foundations, and oligarchs. The difference is whether we get to ease our budgets while the rest of the world does so, or whether we need to have austerity, continuing to shrink our schools, hospitals, and other public goods, and enabling elites to extract our wealth.

@WilyRickWiles Wily I am a Trump voter. So as an uneducated white male, that does not sound so good.

@Lexpd1145 In other words, here are our options:

1. Global neoliberalism with austerity at home and easing aboard
2. Global neoliberalism with easing at home and abroad
3. Global democracy with easing at home and abroad
4. Isolationism with austerity at home and easing abroad

You may think that you've chosen #4, but you're actually getting #1, at least as long as there is divided government (and still, establishment Democrats tend to be budget hawks and Republicans only use nativism to disempower the working class). Capital knows no borders.

#2 is having "The Great Reset" abroad AND at home.

#3 is democratic socialism.

@Lexpd1145 Likewise, I would prefer #3 but my best hope is probably #2, and still that's only if the Democrats manage to take the Senate, push through some democracy reform, and get enough pressure from progressives to follow through.

@WilyRickWiles So what is your definition of Global neoliberalism, what does that look like. My take away is this, in a perfect world a global government would probably be great. This is not a perfect world, there are greedy people, there are people that pursue power, there are people that for some reason feel they know what is best for everyone else and seek to exert their will over others.
I just don't like the one size fits all solution. There are cultural, religious, geographic differences around the world. How does this account for those factors? How will this change things for everyday people? Is anyone asking for this?
I do want 4. We take care of our own first and then help others that want our help as we can. I would like to see 3, but I would not assume to know what the rest of the world wants or needs.

@Lexpd1145 Like I said before, my definition of global neoliberalism is a global system of governance where the public sector is privatized, the private sector is consolidated, and democracy is captured by elite businesspeople, financiers, foundations, and oligarchs. Neither of us like it, but it's what we have today. The choice is between austerity and easing, and Americans are biased toward the former because it creates a false scarcity that can turn them into mini-lords if they're lucky. Beyond that, you can dream of isolationism and I can dream of democracy.

@WilyRickWiles Fair enough sir, maybe it works out for someone.

@WilyRickWiles Pardon my dimness but what, in your view, would consolidation of the private sector look like and just how does the transition of the public sector to privatization come about?

@Geofrank It's a process that has been happening for decades through mergers, acquisitions, and private equity takeovers. Look at the market power of Amazon, the hospitals, real estate, and soon-to-be restaurants and entertainment venues owned by private equity, the charter schools, private prisons, charity instead of welfare, sale or long-term leases of infrastructure and natural resources, defense and aerospace contractors, health care, etc. And look at how all of that is capitalized by the federal government and then captured by its recipients.

@Geofrank Oh and how could I forget disinvestment from public universities, hospitals, and social services.