A Culture of Delusion Paul Craig Roberts Infowars .

com Sept 27, 2012 A writers greatest disappointments are readers who have knee-jerk responses. Not all readers, of course. Some read ers are thoughtful and supportive. Others express thanks for opening their eyes. But the majority are happy when a writer tells them what they want to hear and are unhappy when he writes what they dont want to hear. For the leftwing, Ronald Reagan is the great bogeyman. Those on the left dont understand supply-side econo mics as a macroeconomic innovation that cured stagflation by utilizing the impac t of fiscal policy on aggregate supply. Instead, they see trickle-down economics a nd tax cuts for the rich. Leftists dont understand that the Reagan administration intervened in Grenada and Nicaragua in order to signal to the Soviets that ther e would be no more Soviet expansion or client states and that it was time to neg otiate the end of the cold war. Instead, leftists see in Reagan the origin of ru le by the one percent and the neoconservatives wars for US hegemony. In 1981 curt ailing inflation meant collapsing nominal GNP and tax revenues. The result would be budget deficitsanathema to Republicans during the period of readjustment. Endi ng the cold war meant curtailing the military/security complex and raised the sp ecter in conservative circles of the anti-Christ Gorbachev deceiving Reagan and ta king over the world. In pursuing his two main goals, Reagan was up against his o wn constituency and relied on rhetoric to keep his constituency on board with hi s agenda. The left wing heard the rhetoric but failed to comprehend the agenda. When I explain these facts, easily and abundantly documented, some of leftish pe rsuasion send in condescending and insulting emails telling me that they look fo rward to the day that I stop lying about Reagan and tell the truth about Reagan like I do about everything else. Knee-jerk liberal is a favorite term of conservat ives. But conservatives can be just as knee-jerk. When I object to Washingtons wa rs, the mistreatment of detainees and the suspension of civil liberties, some on the right tell me that if I hate America so much I should move to Cuba. Many Re publicans cannot get their minds around the fact that if civil liberties are sub ject to the governments arbitrary discretion, then civil liberties do not exist. The flag-waving element of the population is prone to confuse loyalty to the cou ntry with loyalty to the government, unless, of course,

theres a Democrat in the White House. Rationally, it makes no sense for readers t o think that a writer who would lie to them about one thing would tell them the truth about another. But as long as they hear what they want to hear, it is the truth. If they dont want to hear it, it is a lie. Both left and right also confus e explanations with justifications. When a writer writes about the perils that w e as a society face and the implications, it is very discouraging for the writer to know that many readers will not listen unless it is what they want to hear. This discouragement is precisely what every truth-teller faces, which is why the re are so few of them. This is one reason I stopped writing a couple of years ag o. I found that solid facts and sound analysis could not penetrate brainwashed a nd closed minds seeking vindication to keep the mind locked tightly against unse ttling truths. Americans want to have their beliefs vindicated more than they wa nt the truth. The success of print and TV pundits is based on allying with a pro minent point of view or interest group and serving it. Those served make the wri ter or talking head successful. I never thought much of that kind of success. Bu t success as a whore is about the only kind of success that can occur in Washing ton or in the media these days. Those who refuse to prostitute themselves arouse pity and denunciation, not admiration. A couple of years ago an acquaintance fr om a university in the northeast called me to say he had recently had lunch with some of my former associates in Washington. When he inquired about me, he said the response was, Poor Craig, if he hadnt turned critic, he would be worth tens of millions of dollars like us. I replied that my former associates were undoubtedl y correct. My acquaintance said that he hadnt realized that he was having lunch w ith a bunch of prostitutes. The incentive to speak the truth and the reward for doing so are very weak. And not just for a writer, but also for academics and ex perts who can make far more money by lying than by telling the truth. How else w ould we have got GMOs, jobs offshoring, the unitary executive, and a deregulated f inancial system? It is a very lucrative career to testify as an expert in civil lawsuits. It is part of Americas romance with the lie that experts purchased by t he opposing sides in a lawsuit battle it out as gladiators seeking the jurys thum bs-up. And look at Congress. The two members of the House who stood up for the C onstitution and truth in government will soon be gone. Ron Paul is stepping down , and Dennis Kucinich was redistricted out of his seat. As for the Senate, these thoughtful personages recently voted 90-1 to declare war on Iran, as the sole d issenter, Rand

Paul, pointed out. The Senate is very much aware, although only a few will publi cly admit it, that the US has been totally frustrated and held to a standoff, if not a defeat, in Afghanistan and is unable to subdue the Taliban. Despite this, the Senate wants a war with Iran, a war which could easily turn out to be even less successful. Obviously, the Senate not only lies to the public but also to i tself. Last week the Pentagon chief, Panetta, told China that the new US naval, air, and troop bases surrounding China are not directed at China. What else coul d be the purpose of the new bases? Washington is so accustomed to lying and to b eing believed that Panetta actually thinks China will believe his completely tra nsparent lie. Panetta has confused China with the American people: tell them wha t they want to hear, and they will believe it. Americans live in a matrix of lie s. They seldom encounter a truthful statement.There is no evidence that American s can any longer tell the difference between the truth and a lie. Americans fell for all of these lies and more: Saddam Hussein has weapons of mass destruction and al Qaeda connections. Saddam Husseins troops seized Kuwaiti babies from incub ators and threw them on the floor. Gaddafi fed his troops Viagra to help them ra pe Libyan women. Iran has a nuclear weapons program. Change yes we can! The US is the indispensable country. America is broke because of food stamps and Social Sec urity, not because of wars, bankster bailouts, and a failing economy. Russia is Americas number one enemy. China is Americas number one enemy. Iran is a terrorist state. Jobs offshoring is free trade and good for the US economy. Israel is Ame ricas most loyal ally. The US missile shield surrounding Russia is not directed a t Russia. The South China sea is an area of US national interest. Financial mark ets are self-regulating. The list is endless. Lies dominate every policy discuss ion, every political decision. The most successful people in America are liars. The endless lies have created a culture of delusion. And this is why America is lost. The beliefs of many Americans, perhaps a majority, are comprised of lies. These beliefs have become emotional crutches, and Americans will fight to defend the lies that they believe. The inability of Americans to accept facts that are contrary to their beliefs is the reason the country is leaderless and will rema in so. Unless scales fall from Americans eyes, Americans are doomed. Paul Craig Roberts: America, The Next Banana Republic Infowars .com Sept 27, 2012 Alex welcomes American economist and Infowars contri buting writer Paul Craig Roberts to discuss the impact of Eurpoean austerity mea sures on world markets amidst ongoing riots. Paul Craig Roberts: America, The Ne xt Banana Republic http://www.youtube.com/watch? feature=player_embedded&v=cGCsc OJDVKg http://www.infowars.com/