BUD BREWER
One Man's Opinion
The New “King of Pop”
June 26, 2009: Michael Jackson’s death this last week brought about the most over covered event by media in my memory. You couldn’t turn on the TV without seeing repetitive reporting and re-reporting of everything the highly talented entertainer has ever done down to the candlelight memorial ceremony at his Hollywood Blvd “sidewalk Star”. Even CNBC, the business channel, gave more than a small amount of their schedule to coverage and commentary on the super star of show business. I am sure that many fans were shocked to learn of Jackson’s death and felt sympathy for his family and loved ones. But there has always been a strange if not weird aura around the fan’s response to the music and behavior of Mr. Jackson. Wherever he entertains, thousands of young people stand like robots shoulder to shoulder waving their arms over their heads while becoming emotionally drugged with loving adoration. In response to the release of the news of his apparent death, huge numbers of followers came out on the streets of Westwood, California where he was taken by the Paramedics, and just stood there in front of the hospital in sort of semi-consciousness, weeping in despair that their “Musical God” will no longer be with us.
As full disclosure, I must declare that I never have understood the power of music over the masses. Oh I enjoy music but I was taught and experienced a different form based on a foundation of classical and instrumental harmony, etc. The ubiquitous electric guitar accompanied by percussion noises amplified to an ear breaking level degree pretty much separated me along with many of my generation from the modern pop culture. So it is with some level of insensitivity, I guess, that I watch this display by Media as they lionize Michael Jackson, a highly talented musical entertainer, into a major figure in history thus assuring the continuation of a permanent Jacksonian cult like group idolizing the man who some commentators described as the most popular person in the world. Little did he know the real economic and social political power he had. He could have been King of the World. But not to worry, we have a successor!
Those same cult like forces are presently being manifest by the supporters of our new President, Barack Obama. The Michael Jackson fan like voters of our society who had been listening to this Chicago South side organizer’s speeches over the past two years have succumbed to his music like oratory. Few if any politicians in recent history have been able to voice such a sense of all knowing power so that those hearing his words needn’t question the substance of what he says or does, only embrace and support him as a Jacksonian like God who can do no wrong.
What drives the behavior of people to become the slaves of smooth political speech? Whether on the far right of conservatism or the far left of Liberalism, there have always been so called zealots who claim their opinions to be dogma. But now it appears that in America, the land of opportunity and freedom of thought, the majority of citizens are standing in front of this President waving their arms over their head while becoming drugged with an expectation that all and any economic or social pain or discomfort they feel or have felt is going to be removed by the power of government edict or legislation. In the meantime acting with jet like speed, this new administration is acting to get their agenda passed by a lap dog like Congress that never saw a spending bill it didn’t like and is passing legislation just short of the speed of sound. The narcissism of this President is even greater than that attributable to all previous chief executives of this country. He is exploiting the institutional and individual investor’s despair and concern for the resiliance of the markets, the ambivalence of some, the insomnia of others and the cult like support of those who see him as their savior. He and his band of revolutionaries are leading this country into a new economic and social way of life. One in which the role of government is paramount to the solution of individual wants and needs. One where the positive forces of capitalism, free markets, and individual responsibility, although occasionally punitive to some, will be dismantled or seriously changed. He wants to ,make America a more egalitarian like society with government institutions managing most of the economic and social needs of its citizens. We will see the adoption of single payer public health care, government funded and regulated access to educational institutions, Government controlled banking and financial regulations that limit risk but reduce opportunity. We will have an energy program that subsidizes uneconomic but available alternative energy yet avoids funding new nuclear power capacity. We will see a shift in tax policy in which less than half of the population pays income taxes and the rest receive some form of tax credits. This is called leveling the playing field.
This President is the first President to apologize to our enemies for our historical behavior in the pursuit of supporting individual freedom around the world. Our President sees a moral equivalency in all cultures. He sees America, as an imperialist nation that has been an arrogant rather than a great and noble nation that has at times made errors.
The President, as “America’s New King of Pop”, is exhibiting similar faulty financial disciplines as his musical predecessor. Michael Jackson lacked the discipline necessary to manage his wealth efficiently. He loved to spend money and at the time of his death owed over $500 Million to creditors. Not to worry, when he periodically came close to dissipating the wealth he had earned, all he had to do was schedule a concert tour and the cash register would start ringing from the millions his fans threw at his feet. Some say that following his death, his estate will increase in value 100 times over.
President Obama is practicing the same strategy, but he mistakenly believes that the powerful economic engine of America will continue to fund his spend and tax policies even though increases in corporate and personal income tax rates will most certainly fail to cause tax revenue to grow enough to fund such largesse. Few Americans really appreciate the size of debt this government is burdening future generations with. But there will come a day when the voters are awakened to the reality of it and look back and say “How could we have been so ambivalent about the destructive nature of this “Pop Star’s” self serving policies?”. Nevertheless, until reality begins to be recognized by the arm waving constituency and the narcotic power of this President is constrained, we will continue to dig our country’s
It is such a great loss that a man with great talent like Michael Jackson dies. RIP King of POP.
Interesting writeup Pop, see you soon!
Michael Jackson is my favorite pop artist ever since i was a child. He is truly the King of Pop and i am saddened by this news.
This is absolutely spot on. This cult like force that is sweeping over Obama is quite frightening. I can accept that the masses are easily brainwashed and swept away by strong oratory skills and charm…it’s happened time and again with the likes of Hitler, Jim Jones, Reverend Moon, and on and on. But what’s different about Obama’s power is how is is using it on the media and other politicians, who we’ve always hoped would maintain some level of subjective view and we have trusted to investigate appropriately before publishing a story or voting on legislation. It boggles my mind that the previous spending bills were passed with very few legistators having even read them. I fear that the Cap & Trade as well as the Health Care Reform bills will be passed in the same manor and we will be left with all the earmarks that the dems slip into these bills and the rediculous new regulations like the one in Cap and Trade where all homeowners selling their home will have to do major “green” retrofitting which could cost thousands of dollars. In an already down housing market, what are they thinking???
i idolize Michael Jackson because of his great achievement in the Pop Music. farewell King of Pop.