Sometimes it's phrased as same ole' same ole' - it means beating a very
dead horse to death.
On Sun, 3 May 1998, Andrew Wayne Austin wrote:
> Judy,
>
> What is "samo old"? I have never heard that phrase before.
>
> Andy
>
> On Sun, 3 May 1998, Judi Kessler wrote:
>
> > Dennis - nice, informative, thought-provoking response.
> > However it looks like the dialogue is deteriorating into the same old "samo
> > old"
> > I guess we all can fall back on the "delete" key.
> >
> > On Sun, 3 May 1998, Andrew Wayne Austin wrote:
> >
> > > On Sun, 3 May 1998, Dennis R Redmond wrote:
> > >
> > > > On Sun, 3 May 1998, Judi Kessler wrote:
> > > >
> > > > > ...Here comes the "euro" - Now is the opportunity to generate some great
> > > > > 1998, down-to-earth, concrete, political-economy discussion.
> > > >
> > > > Well, for starters, it helps to remember that the euro is just the most
> > > > obvious and leading-edge symptom of the EU's emergence as a global
> > > > superpower (and, conversely, the decline of the US to an ex-hegemon).
> > >
> > > Ex-hegemon in what sense? The sense that we have shifted from imperialism
> > > and neoimperialist domination to hegemonic domination via polyarchy is
> > > really only a change in formal tactic. But there is a deeper implication.
> > > US machinery is the weapon for global capitalism, America coming to play
> > > this role with the Americanization of the world economy, or put otherwise
> > > the globalization of Americanism (major facet of the dialectic of current
> > > world-history). In this sense the US has not declined at all but has
> > > increased its hegemonic power, through the spread of culture-ideology,
> > > particular economic structurings and political model of elite rule. The
> > > sphere of influence of the Americanized global bourgeoisie is being
> > > totalized as capital is becoming deterritorialized. Americanism is an
> > > organic phenomenon. The nation-state is the face on capital, and to the
> > > extent that capital eclipses its own front by transnationalization then
> > > one may speak of the US hegemon declining. But to speak of other such
> > > fronts eclipsing the US hegemon is to miss this central issue. A
> > > restatement of the problem is in order.
> > >
> > > Andy
> > >
> > > > Whether the thing succeeds or fails, one thing should be
> > > > obvious: the EU countries and their satellites comprise
> > > > roughly a quarter of the world economy, and are largely self-financing and
> > > > self-supporting in trade, finance, industry and what have you. The EU is a
> > > > net global creditor, along with Japan; America is the world's biggest
> > > > debtor. But the US dollar is still the world reserve currency; meaning,
> > > > the debtor still has some leeway over the creditor (we could inflate away
> > > > the value of our currency). The euro is all about taking away this
> > > > last of our Imperial privileges, and providing the financial sinews for
> > > > the further development of the Eurostate.
> > > >
> > > > The euro in its present form may well fail, i.e. Spain and Italy may drop
> > > > out of the common currency, leaving instead a mini-euro comprised of the
> > > > Benelux countries, the Netherlands, France, Germany, Austria, Ireland and
> > > > Finland. But the drive towards economic integration and the rise of EU
> > > > multinationals in the face of stiff US competition is going to continue.
> > > > The politics of the EU are the politics of integration, so Left
> > > > alternatives to the current global market mayhem have to deal with this
> > > > seriously. For one thing, who gets to run the European Central Bank? The
> > > > Maastricht treaty says, a coven of bankers, with no oversight from any
> > > > elected body or parliament (even more undemocratic than the US Federal
> > > > Reserve, if such a thing were possible). And if the euro arrives, it'll
> > > > bring a common banking and financial system in its wake. How are countries
> > > > like Italy and Spain going to compete head-on with German firms without
> > > > some serious EU-wide subsidies? Instead of kowtowing to the demolition
> > > > of the national welfare state, why can't the Euroleft call for a truly
> > > > European-wide expansion of the welfare state, plus emergency programs for
> > > > jobs and ecological reconstruction, to be financed by soaking the numerous
> > > > Eurorich?
> > > >
> > > > -- Dennis
> > > >
> > > >
> > >
> > >
> >
> > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> > Judi A. Kessler
> > University of California, Santa Barbara
> > Department of Sociology
> > Santa Barbara, California 93106
> > (805) 893-3751
> > fax (805) 893-3324
> >
> > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> >
> >
>
>
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Judi A. Kessler
University of California, Santa Barbara
Department of Sociology
Santa Barbara, California 93106
(805) 893-3751
fax (805) 893-3324
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~