Like Michael Jackson, Americans losing the battle

By RON BROCHU

We’re a sorry society. In the height of a major recession, as America inches closer to ruin each day and people lose their homes and savings, our shining achievement is to glorify a celebrity who died from an overdose of prescription dope.
Yeah – dope. Michael Jackson apparently died from legal medicine that’s no different than the prescription amphetamines (“White Cross”) or sedatives (“Reds”) that killed thousands of indescript teens in the ‘60s and 70s. He was a junkie whose doctors are no more innocent than street pushers.

Let’s concede up front that Jackson was tremendously talented. No argument that he excelled at his craft. His music and choregraphy inspired millions. Yet he was a mixed bag. Jackson said openly that sleeping with young boys was admirable adult behavior. How would any of us react if we learned our children were sleeping in the same bed with an adult hockey coach, cleric or Scout leader?

Jackson isn’t the first celeb to get away with behavior that would send the rest of us behind bars. The American justice system, despite claims to the contrary, favors the rich – those who can afford top lawyers. An average screw head from Central Hillside or North End will end up with an assembly line public defender that gets paid the same stipend win or lose and has little incentive to carry any case beyond bargaining with an overworked prosecutor.

The double standard, however, matters little to star-struck Americans, who by the millions begged to attend Jackson’s memorial service. Those same individuals don’t cross the street to demand government accountability or attend a military funeral. If life were fair, they’d be judged by their priorities. Instead, they’re judged by their collection of CDs, ATVs, snowmobiles and other meaningless junk.



Doomed generation
There’s enough blame to go around, but the tail-end baby boomers – those of us who graduated from high school in the late 60s and early 70s – fueled Jackson’s career and sired today’s self-indulgent young adults. As teens, we preached high ethics and demanded change, but soon became Rolex revolutionaries, forsaking our ideals to chase the easy money – just like our materialistic parents.

All said, we created a sad state of affairs for America, including the Twin Ports:

• On the financial front, our strongest institutions are for sale to the highest bidders – often ones from China, Europe or India – because we’ve lost our financial sensibilities. Profits that should have been reinvested into new rail lines, factories and technology have instead been handed to institutional investors whose only allegiance is to the almighty dollar – not the United States. As they redirect our lifeblood into tax-free foreign safe havens, it’s possible America could be overtaken in a bloodless coup as overseas investors gradually purchase our banks, manufacturers, even our government debt. The evidence is just up Highway 53, where foreign corporations are taking over Iron Range mines and funding future developments. Does anyone believe these absentee owners will care about our area in any responsive or charitable way?

• Big government reeks like an armpit rag and exhibits no signs of meaningful life. Congress reflects the whims and wishes of corporate, government, union and religious lobbyists. All who enter soon become millionaires brainwashed by the Beltway mentality. Meanwhile state governments – witness Wisconsin and Minnesota – are little more than partisan bickering halls where Republicans and Democrats take turns forcing failed economic strategies on weary taxpayers.

• Cities like Duluth have fallen hard. Our decades-long dependence on state and federal money made us complacent when mayors like Gary Doty played tough with inquisitive reporters while giving free reign to union reps and mediocre managers. Now, we’re paying for our apathy, driving down broken streets, dumping overflow sewage into our drinking water and paying outlandish taxes.


Where's the beef?

Mayor Don Ness, Gov. Tim Pawlenty and President Barack Obama are among a select group of politicians who are making tough decisions, yet they need help. But from where?

There was a time when strong leaders emerged from the business community. Where are they today – on the city, state or national level? For instance, who is the most civic-minded, active business leader in Duluth? In Minnesota? Nationwide? Why are you drawing a blank?

Locally, organized labor clearly has more standouts than business. Alan Netland, Craig Olson and Ken Loeffler-Kemp are far more recognizable than anyone in the business sector. And their activism has paid off for union members – whether taxpayers can afford their victories or not.

Such is the outcome when citizens ignore civic responsibilities, focusing more on garish entertainers than real world problems. The same can be said for the news media, which spends more time investigating which drug offed Jackson than which banks are getting lavish taxpayer handouts, more time promoting hockey rinks than investigating Doty’s municipally paid health insurance.

It’s almost inconceivable. Fifty years ago, nobody could have predicted the popularity attainable by a celebrity who institutionalized the on-stage genital grope. Nor would they have seen General Motors die for lack of innovation, or Chrysler for producing crappy engines.

Have we been sold out, sold ourselves out or both?

It really doesn’t matter; nobody seems to care – not so long as the unemployment checks continue. Unfortunately, however, the stimulus package is likely to fail. Economic and moral recovery can’t be purchased like some kind of Stairway to Heaven. Times have changed. They’ve changed for the worse.

This story was originally published in the July 15 Reader Weekly.