Is the American Dream Dead? Yes, the Republicans murdered It.

Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will. ~ Frederick Douglass

That's too glib. It's not that the Republicans murdered the American Dream, it's just that their version of the American Dream is one in which the US is a Corporate Controlled State, where a small cadre of Politicos, Industrialists, and Business Behemoths absorb the vast wealth of this nation with the US Government existing solely to defend and protect the Wealthy Plutocrats and Oppress or Kill off the Middle and Working Classes.

And they've succeeded. The Working and Middle Classes have been murdered. America is a Corporate State now, run by and for They, the Plutocrats. The Corporate State "murdered" the Middle Class. But, it's not much of a murder mystery, Business hired the Republican Party as Hitman and the Democratic Party, in an effort to appear business friendly, stood by and watched the hit.

The Rise of the Corporate State and the murder of America is tied to that ghastly time which killed so many others, World War One. As Smedley Butler noted, "At least 21,000 new millionaires and billionaires were made in the United States during the World War."

Following the War those Moneyed Persons were afraid of the previous Era of Progressives. Huge gains had been made for the worker, Unions had won major battles. This could not stand if the Corporate State was to Rise.

The first move was to shift the debate. Socialism must be made toxic. And thus the 100 years war of the Right on Humanity began. By demonizing Socialism the entire debate shifted rightwards so much that a Moderate Fiscal Conservative Milk-Water Liberal Barack Obama can be painted as the godchild of Mao and the most radical leftist ever elected.

Of course, this shift could not have succeeded if the Democrats and Liberals had not been wooed and enticed by that well worn aphrodisiac Money. By surrendering their principles of a Just Government for a quick buck, Liberals aided and abetted the Rise of the Corporate State and Capitalist Hegemony,

Disaster Capitalism is Triumphant now and as I pointed out in an earlier post, it has absorbed many attributes of a religion. Miracles are ascribed to it, Utopia will be achieved on Earth once we surrender ourselves to its' embrace. Capitalism has done little for most people on Earth other than Presage an early death.

But, it's not enough for the Plutocracy. Hedge fund manager Clifford S. Asness and Republican Paul Ryan may enjoy a romantic $700 wine date, but every last vestige of the New Deal and the Progressive gains of Unions and Socialists must be destroyed as well. Plutocrats, like Hedge Fund Manager Stanley Druckenmiller, are willing to lose thousands of dollars in far away dividends if it means they can destroy Social Security right now.

One of the world's most successful money managers, the lanky, sandy-haired Mr. Druckenmiller is so concerned about the government's ability to pay for its future obligations that he's willing to accept a temporary delay in the interest payments he's owed on his U.S. Treasury bonds—if the result is a Washington deal to restrain runaway entitlement costs.

Republicans have brought forth bills to defund the EPA, continuing the 30 year War of Deregulation, to roll back the Clean Water Act, to steal Social Security funds and to end Medicare and Medicaid as they seek to let Corporations steal as much as possible.

But, Republicans believe the entire brunt of Government spending needs to be borne by the Working Classes. And Government Spending is actually just a giant shell game by the Republicans.

Republican Mike Lee of Utah resoundingly won in 2010 on a platform of forcing children to work in Utah's Salt Mines. Lee is demanding that a constitutional amendment be passed making it only possible to raise taxes when approved by 2/3rds of both the House and Senate and if it's not approved "in his framework" he'll bring down the Government. Basically, Lee wants to ensure that Taxes are never again raised on his Moneyed Masters.

The only Government Spending Republicans support is Corporate Welfare. It's called Defense Contracts or Tax subsides. And these monumental amounts of money go to those who have the most. Taxbreaks for owning a Private Jet. Tax payer funding for Multi-National Oil Conglomerates. Billions in No Bid contracts to Boeing, Northrup Grumman, Halliburton, BP, Blackwater (Xe) and other companies who criminally overcharge the government for their shoddy work, turn round and give campaign donations to the very same people who turn round and give them bribes the Defense Contracts.

U.S. Military spending accounts for more than half of our discretionary spending. If you really want to know where our current budget woes come from look over yonder at Iraq and Afghanistan, for our Deficit was born and raised in the desert.

And this doesn't even address the likes of petty Grifters and Scumbags like Republican Michele Bachmann and her family, who happily accept Medicare payouts and Federal Government Farm welfare while voting to end all Federal help to downtrodden Americans.

It's time to realize the Corporate State will not give back any of this power they have stolen with the direct help of the Republicans and the cowardly indifference or craven acquiescence of the Democrats.