More N Klein-ed 1

What happened in the period of mass disorientation after the [9/11] attacks was, in retrospect, a domestic form of economic shock therapy. The Bush team, Friedmanite to the core, quickly moved to exploit the shock that gripped the nation to push through its radical vision of a hollow government in which everything from war fighting to disaster response was a for-profit venture.

It was a bold evolution of shock therapy. Rather than the nineties approach of selling off existing public companies, the Bush team created a whole new framework for its actions -- the War on Terror -- built to be private from the start.
~ from The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism by Naomi Klein ~

I have been sharing these little snippets, not because I think we simply should learn about recent history in isolation, but because what is going on in this nation right now is a direct byproduct. The current Tea Party assault to destroy government by starving it of public funds is an outgrowth of the shock doctrine.

On Wednesday, when the president addresses the nation about our "deficit problem," I expect his theme will be torn from the pages of the Chicago School of Economics. He may well out bush, Bush.