South Africa: Shortcomings of the Ruling Elites

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Book Title: Elite Transition
Author: Patrick Bond
Publisher: Pluto Press London

Elite Transition is a study of the new South African government economic policy choices since the dawn of democracy in 1994. It was among the first academic books to offer a detailed analysis of the post apartheid economic policy choices. It shows how the ruling party, the African National Congress's (ANC) key leaders took a turn to the right to embrace neo-liberalism. The political view, arising in the 1960s, neo-liberalism emphasizes the importance of economic growth and asserts that social justice is best maintained by minimal government economic activity and free market forces.

The book is based on analysis of extensive documentation, anecdotal information and theoretical insights. It assesses the extent to which the post apartheid government can fulfil the dream of economic freedom. It presents arguments about the reasons for continued poverty despite political freedom. It dissects a range of socioeconomic continuities from old apartheid state policies to the new post apartheid government. It draws on colonial and apartheid policy failures to illuminate the deep connections between economic stagnation and social strife.

The central argument of the book: post apartheid economic policy making is steeped in the fundamentals of the outdated apartheid form of capitalism. This, the author argues is responsible for jobless economic growth. This in turn has a multiple effect in the new state's capacity to tackle socio-economic challenges posed by years of uneven development, housing backlogs and rising levels of poverty. He seems to suggest that neo-liberalism has taken roots within the upper echelons of liberation movement, the ANC.

Author, Patrick Bond locates this fundamental shift by looking at the emergence of the second post apartheid economic policy that became widely known as Growth, Employment and Redistribution Strategy (GEAR). The first new government economic policy was the Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP). RDP's main policy thrust was to link growth, development, reconstruction, redistribution and reconciliation into a "unified programme". Whereas the new plan, Gear sought to promote growth before redistribution. To tighten fiscal policy and loosen exchange controls while promoting foreign led investment. It was indeed a fundamental shift from the much hailed 1994 economic blueprint, the RDP.

When the new plan (Gear) was unveiled, the then President Nelson Mandela and his Finance Minister Trevor Manuel presented it as a fait accompli. Its presentation caused a rupture within the ruling ANC Alliance comprised of the labour federation COSATU and the South African Communist Party (SACP). Despite their (COSATU and SACP) vociferous objection to the policy, it was implemented with gusto.

However, Elite Transition shows starkly that the two economic policy blueprints were incompatible, and the latter destined to fail.

Bond opened a can of worms on his account about the true origins of Gear. He revealed that it was written by a committee dominated by the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) economists and policy gurus. The exposure of Gear's true authors added fuel to the fire causing the anti-Gear lobby to insinuate that it was a self-imposed structural adjustment programme.

The book clearly shows that neo-liberalism has become a key juncture between production and social reproduction in the current era of chronic unemployment and capital-led globalisation. In other words, as the ANC moved from people-centred economic development to capital led growth planning - the socio economic conditions of the poor majority will continue to worsen.

Elite Transition shows a causal a link on how first colonialism, then apartheid economic planning and the post apartheid policy maker's dithering have failed to change the fundamentals of economic planning. This failure, the author suggests will lead to further social strife.

Today, South Africa is engulfed in rolling service delivery protests. At least 40% of the country's 283 local governments had been affected by service delivery protests with 111 major incidents recorded in the year. At the same time, the employment figures put the figure of the unemployed at above 25 percent. Since Gear was launched, South Africa has lurched from one economic plan to the other - from the Accelerated and Shared Growth Initiative for South Africa (AsgiSA), the National Industrial Policy Framework, and recently (2011) the New Growth Path for South Africa (NGP).

Bond's book is an important text in the continued evolution of economic planning in South Africa even if it only shows the shortcomings of the ruling elites.

Bhekisisa Mncube is a qualified journalist and member of the Book Review Panel at the New Agenda academic journal in South Africa. Mncube is the former senior reporter (politics) at the Witness newspaper. He is also a columnist (Witness/Echo), his column 'On the High Road' appears on Thursdays.

Feeling Dumber By The Minute - A Review of "Dumbing Us Down"

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The book that is the subject of this review is John Taylor Gatto's Dumbing Us Down: The Hidden Curriculum of Compulsory Schooling. It is a collection of several essays and speeches written by the author, who is an advocate of reforming the American educational system.

Gatto's basic premise is that our schools do exactly what they were designed to do, and they do it brilliantly. Unfortunately, though, schools have not been designed to educate anyone; on the contrary, they are designed to churn out mass production citizens, much like an assembly line can mass produce cars that are nearly identical in their finished products. This process does not call for the education of students -- it simply calls for their imprisonment in the school system for hours a day, along with a continuance of school in the form of homework and television. In fact, Gatto also includes modern television programming as contributing to the false education that masquerades as "schooling."

Instead of receiving an actual education, students of schools follow a different kind of lesson plan. Some of the lessons they learn include confusion, class position, indifference, emotional dependency, intellectual dependency, provisional self-esteem, and the fact that students can not hide. This education results in graduates who have never been given the time to develop an individual personality, can not self-reflect, and whose self-esteem and self-confidence are completely based on external factors, such as grades, gold stars, or a positive performance review by a superior. The constantly ringing bells of school to signal a period change also result in students being taught that nothing in life is worth finishing, so nothing is worth starting. It is simply better to accept one's place, even though no one can quite understand why the place has been given to them, or what they are supposed to do with it if no one tells them what to do.

The author also argues that the modern school system creates psychological problems in students, who end up with a life full of dependency and aimlessness. The products of school, according to Gatto, are indifferent to the adult world and refuse to grow up, have very little curiosity, a poor sense of the future, a poor sense of the past, a mean streak directed at other students, teachers, and others, uneasy with any situation requiring intimacy, materialistic, and unable to handle new challenges. Of course, these problems make students the perfect product needed in an economy founded on mass production and cheap labor.

In terms of solutions, Gatto recommends homeschooling with a focus on family and community involvement. Schools, social clubs, and professional organizations, because they are merely networks, will not be able to replace a child's community and family life. No matter how many networks a person has, these will not meet a person's emotional needs. Gatto gives the example of asking the reader how quickly they began forgetting the names of classmates, teammates, or fellow club members, and comparing that with the number of aunts and uncles the reader has forgotten. This is designed to reinforce the idea that ties of family and community are more important to an individual's individuality than loose bonds associated with most networks.

Gatto's conclusion is that there is no right way to educate people as a whole. They need to educate themselves, find their own interests, and develop their own internal processes. Mass schooling will only result in more mass people, who are controlled by mass media and work in an economy that requires mass obedience to menial jobs. Dumbing Us Down: The Hidden Curriculum of Compulsory Schooling details the problems and solutions to the widespread psychological problems of numerous members of society, and pins the blame squarely on the insight that mass production students, who have weak family and community ties and are always competing for a "good grade" from a superior, who are lonely, desperate, and unhappy, lacking the experiences of educating themselves and indifferent to almost everything except their present environment, are the perfect finished product of schooling. As Gatto emphasizes, "education and schooling are, as we all have experienced, mutually exclusive terms."

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Kochies Guide To Keeping It Real

Kochie's guide to keeping it real - (My cradle to the grave approach to family and finance)
Pier 9 Publishing (Published 2006)
Written By David Koch
Australia
Review 4 Stars - Excellent Review

How the blurb describes the book:
David Koch, charismatic co-host of the Seven Network's Sunrise, started out in finance journalism over 20 years ago. He is one of the most recognised people on Australian television - a recent survey by Reader's Digest found he is one of the 25 most trusted Australians.

His list of achievements illustrates the breadth of his expertise, from being a small business owner; finance editor; silver Logie nominee 2004, 2005 and 2006; and commentator on over 50 radio stations. He is the author of Your Money and Your Life and co-author of I'm Not Made of Money and The Teenagers' Guide to Part Time Jobs and Leaving Home. Renowned for his love of a joke, Kochie's humour and charm are also at home on the Seven Network's Where Are They Now, which he co-hosts with his much-loved television partner, Melissa Doyle.

Kochie has been married to Libby for almost 30 years and they have four children - Samantha, (married to Toby), Brianna, Alexander, and Georgina.

Kochie's guide to keeping it real is a manual for life: an accessible, relevant, and entertaining guide to financial planning, relationships, and raising a family. Not afraid to express his opinion, Kochie draws on over twenty years' experience as a respected finance journalist, as well as his role as co-host on Channel Seven's Sunrise, to offer down-to-earth practical advice for Australian families.

Kochie's guide to keeping it real takes a commonsense approach to planning and managing finances, relationships and raising a family. Kochie draws on his own life experience, his financial acumen, and feedback from his Sunrise audience in this cradle to grave guide for modern families.

Enjoy Kochie's useful and often witty observations on just about everything - from saving for a house deposit, devising a pre-baby budget and bringing up kids, to building wealth, running your own business, planning for retirement and dealing with tax, divorce and even death!

Mr Home Budget's Review:
This is just one of a few books David Koch has written. But I came into this book only really knowing about him from the Sunrise TV show. This book smacks of Sunrise, it's almost as if he could just be rewriting a script word for word from the show. It's light, funny, and fresh. But if you like Sunrise the show, you will love this book.

However if you are just looking for a plain budgeting book this is not for you. He includes subjects which are totally off the topic of budgets. He manages to tie them into money and your finances.

David is extremely and perhaps surprisingly, open about his successes and failures. And he has included stories about himself, his wife, and kids. Tales about his greatest moments, not just in journalism, but in business. David talks about how he went from being an accountant to hosting Sunrise. Or as he calls it, "sheer arse". Plus he gives away his single biggest piece of advice, "Always have enough confidence in yourself to give anything a go. But also have enough confidence that if it doesn't work out, go and do something else." He also shows the flip side of the coin where his businesses have underperformed or just plain failed. Also non-money related moments like the Beaconsfield mine disaster, which he calls a highlight of his whole career... a very big call.

However, before you start thinking this book is just his memoirs, it's definitely not. There are reams and reams of useful information on home budgeting. The kind of information that if you followed it, it would be near impossible not to increase the size of your bank balance. The book's blurb says this is "a cradle to the grave approach to family and finance" and it means it! It even gives advice on 2 to 4 year olds. He gives advice about everything from babies to parents in retirement villages and everything in between.

There is also great information which relates to a home budget which you don't typically put in a home budgeting book. For example, how to ask for a pay rise, how to deal with a divorce, and what should be in a will. It forces you to think about things you would rather not think about.

Some of the great quotes which I must share with you:

"Never, ever abrogate responsibility for the family finances entirely to the other spouse. Like marriage itself, family finance is a team effort, which both partners must be intimately involved with."

"I know money can't buy you happiness, but a life without financial stress is a whole lot easier and happier."

To sum up, this book is a great read. It talks about the small starting steps you can implement every day to increase your security in life. Grab yourself a coffee, a quiet place and start reading.

Pros: Gives an insight into all things, David Koch; media, family, money, stories and it's even emotional (holds very little back).

Very funny and light, don't expect boring numbers or long maths equations.

Gives you an insight into the next stage of your life; financially and emotionally.

Cons: If you are looking for a purely black and white budgeting book, this is not for you.

If starting your own business is not on your to do list, some parts may not interest you.

My name is Adam Goulding and my story is quite simple. Four years ago my bank balance was so low paying rent was a big problem. March 15th 2005 was the day rock-bottom was hit emotionally and financially for me. The term completely broke and debt-ridden sums it up nicely. This was the result of a "she will be right" attitude. Then like a flash of lightning, a thought so extremely simple, yet a powerful realisation hit me. Whatever happened in my life with money up to March 15th 2005 wasn't working! Most decisions about my money to then were wrong. This one true realisation changed my life... who could show me a way out of financial danger? Not changing was not an option, as things would only get worse as time went by.

Then my girlfriend, Renee (now my wife) let me in on her system for growing money. Knowing Renee was much better at handling money than me, she could help. She told me secret number one of keeping more money in my bank account. This was the KISS principle, KISS simply stands for "Keep It Simple Stupid".

My new book is called "How to cut your debt to zero in 5 simple steps the keep it simple stupid home budget"

Now I have written a book on getting out of debt and a free monthly newsletter. Myself and my wife have turned our household budget around. Saving money in all sorts of ways. Plus getting rid of our credit cards and loans. Find it at http://www.mrhomebudget.com.au/ My nick name is now Mr Home Budget.

Thought Provoking Book - Makes You Go "Hmm"

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Ok, a couple of disclaimers right up front: 1) SuperFreakonomics is a follow-up book to the authors' first book - Freakonomics. I didn't read Freakonomics, and as it turns out, you don't have to read the first one to get the second one - these aren't vampire novels; 2) More than likely, I would not have read Super Freakonomics if I hadn't been sent a copy to review. Why? The word "freakonomics" is way to close to the word "economics" which, for a creative person like me, is a topic much like a bottle of wine - puts me right out. But I will tell you this - freakonomics is MUCH more interesting than plain, old economics. Here's why:

In spite of the overly witty full title - Super Freakonomics Global Cooling, Patriotic Prostitutes and Why Suicide Bombers Should Buy Life Insurance - the book is actually a fascinating tale of how economics plays into even the most bizarre areas of modern life. I guess that is what authors Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner wanted to convey with that extravagant title - they should have just let the content speak for itself, but I know, its all about getting people to OPEN the book, I get it, really.

So anyway, back to Super Freakonomics. I really enjoyed this book! I did snooze a bit through Chapter 3, but for the most part, here are two guys with nothing to gain except royalties. They don't seem to have an overt political bend. They don't seem to want to convince me that there is only one right way to do things. They're not selling me anything I don't already own. But what they are doing is taking incongruent subjects, like Al Gore and Mount Pinatubo (ok, not TOTALLY incongruent), prostitutes and Santa Claus, real estate agents and pimps, and telling me that they do actually have something in common and here's how it effects my life.

You see, we tend not to draw the comparisons Steven and Stephen have drawn in Super Freakonomics. Most of us don't want to see these connections or can't because we only really look at the surface of things. The Steves have penetrated that surface and dove down deep. They've brought to light some things that make you go, "hmm." Such as the hand-washing rate of doctors - YES YOU HEARD ME. You'll have to read that chapter for yourself as its quite disturbing.

All in all, its a thought-provoking book that I highly recommend you read. If for nothing else than to give you a little perspective on the world around you, how we got here and where we can hope the future brings us. There's a lot of what I believe is truth, in this book. The chapter on Global Warming is really a good one. But so is the Monkey chapter.

Levitt and Dubner have clearly done a ton of research and another ton of analysis. Typical economists... But untypically, they've written this book in such a way to make it all relevant to what's happening in our world today. Thumbs up.

P.S.: I may just read Freakonomics now...

Joyce Dierschke is a professional writer living in Nashville, TN. She writes on a variety of subjects including spirituality, religion, wellness, pets and more. If you're looking for high-quality, custom content suitable for websites, magazine, e-zines, newspapers, newsletters or blogs, please contact Joyce. For more information or to contact Joyce, visit: http://www.joycedierschkecopywriting.com/

U.S.A Import Data - Intelligent Business

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United States of America has proved itself as the largest and finest importer in whole world. USA import data is very handy tool for the traders around the globe. It has made its position in top traders of his world and can be called as intelligent business. US Import data is based on Bill lading, a shipping document filed at US Customs before entering the US ports. It is available on any Product exported by sea way to all US Ports. Data includes US Importer name address and Overseas Suppliers. Some of the important data fields have to be taken into consideration to receive imports from US:

• US Consignee Name, Address, Tel, Fax.
• US Notify party, Address, Tel, Fax.
• US Bankers Name, Address, Tel, Fax.
• Suppliers Name, Address, Tel, Fax.
• Date of Arrival.
• Actual Product Description as entered in Bill of Lading, Marks and Nos.
• Quantity and Unit of Quantity, Measurement.
• Overseas Country.
• Overseas Port.
• US Port.
• Bill Of lading No, Container No, Seal No, Voyage No, Vessel No. and Many more data fields.

USA Customs Import Trade Data Intelligence make a report on the importers in USA to find active, genuine US Importers, This report is based on authentic, actual import transactions filed at US Customs. These reports are compiled from Bill of Lading, Shipping Manifests filed with US Customs at US Ports.

Commonly, USA imports import goods like marble, cartons, handicrafts, glass art ware, woolen fabrics, yard woolen fabrics, Iron, wood seap, stone, Indian drass, copper, glitter plastic, ball pens, woven blouse, automotive components, storage bags, dolls clothing, ornaments, pictures, furniture, kitchen wares, books, clothes, compact discs, tables, storage devices etc. US update its goods regularly and give notification to traders for any new coming goods in the market.

The various advantages of USA import data are:

• Excellent directory to look for active USA importers and buyers.
• Consistency.
• Best quality products
• Pocket sized price.
• Latest market trends.
• Discover new market.
• 24*7 availability.

According to US census Bureau of import export "The import statistics consist of goods valued at more than $2,000 per commodity shipped by individuals and organizations (including importers and customs brokers) into the U.S. from other countries.

The above statistics of USA import data and the subsequent export data itself divulges the prospect for the importers in USA. Importers must remember some basic requirements of USA-

• Custom clearance, it includes- entry, inspection, appraisement, classification and liquidation.
• Declaration of dutiable value of goods.

There are certain things need to know before starting import business from USA like some technicalities, detailed requirements etc until and unless the pros and cons of USA business doesn't occur, it may create some problem in getting the desired result. There are many online directories available offering the complete information of importers in USA, USA import data and their current trends.

Reading Corner - Dreaming Green Book Review

"Going Green" is one of the latest trends. These days nobody wants to get caught carrying a plastic bag or throwing a water bottle in the trash. However, for some people, "going green" is much more than a fad- it's a lifestyle. Dreaming Green was coauthored by husband and wife duo, Paul Gleicher (LEED accredited architect and founder and president of the prestigious Gleicher Design Group) and Lisa Sharkey (senior vice president and director of creative development at HarperCollins), who committed to living green before renovating their Upper West Side Manhattan brownstone. For the Sharkey-Gleicher family, which also includes the couple's three young children, this meant that practically everything in their home would be "sustainable or recycled, super-energy efficient, and chemical free."

Dreaming-green, unlike other "coffee table" design books, Dreaming Green isn't only about beautiful photographs and design plans. For each of the seventeen eco-friendly homes featured in this book, there are up to five pages of detailed explanation about what types of materials went into transforming that home and how they were obtained, as well insight into the design process. Dreaming Green features a variety of homes from an "eco-farmhouse" in upstate New York to an "eco-manor" in Atlanta, Georgia.

For those who are considering making environmentally conscious changes in their own homes, there are over ten pages of resources in the back of the book, providing readers with access to many of the materials utilized in the featured homes. The "Resources" section includes everything from eco-friendly paints to kitchen cabinetry to flooring to geothermal heating, and much more. This section alone makes Dreaming Green an invaluable resource for people who are seriously planning to renovate their own homes.

Gleicher, Paul, and Lisa Sharkey. Dreaming Green. 1st ed. New York: Clarkson Potter, 2008.

Caitlin Costello is a copywriter for Yodle Local, a business directory and online advertising company. Find more going green tips and info at http://local.yodle.com/articles

Zubi Diamond Introduces the Kingmakers to the Conspirators

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I am still waiting for our economy to recover and am wondering if present stimulus package and other recovery efforts are really going to work. And I begin to wonder if recovery is possible if our leaders don't really understand what caused our economy to crash in the first place.

Then I come across some information online about a new book by Zubi Diamond entitled "Wizards of Wall Street & Washington Lap dogs; The Scam That Elected Barak Obama." Diamond writes that President Obama is not aware that the crash was caused by financial advisors who have close access to the White House.

As I read a few more pages I learn that the author believes a group of highly-placed and influential hedge-fund conspirators convinced the SEC to eliminate safeguards that were in place since 1938 to prevent the stock market from crashing. One the SEC safeguards were gone, the conspirators engineered the near-collapse of our economic system. Diamond identifies George Soros as the mastermind of this effort.

This excerpt from the book is a good summary of what Diamond things of short-sellers: "Hedge Fund short sellers do not want price appreciation or increase in value, they only want and have an expectation of a future price decline and decrease in value leading to the destruction of the companies. Hedge Fund short sellers are not investors; they are masquerading as investors, they are the proverbial wolves in sheep's clothing; they are the financial market looters, selling what they never owned and stealing what they never owned, because that is what short selling allows them to do."

The author says our congressional committees and representative leaders have surrendered the responsibility to write policy and regulate banks and the stock market to hedge-fund short-sellers whose greed for power and money led them to subvert capitalism and our free economy.

Before recovery really is possible, says the author, the administration and congress must reinstate the uptick rule, circuit breakers and the trading curb, remove mark-to-market accounting and replace it with cost accounting, dismantle and quit trading all ETFs, regulate hedge funds in the same manner as mutual funds and pension funds, and regulate speculation on crude oil futures.

After reading the first chapter I was thinking that this is just another conspiracy theory book and was about to lay it down. But after reading the next three chapters I came to realize that Zubi Diamond had done a lot of research, had personal experience in the market, and seemed to know what he was talking about. This is a book that Republicans and Democrats alike should read. Come to think of it, maybe President Obama and Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner also should read Zubi Diamond's new book

-- Emory Daniels

Emory Daniels, book reviewer, freelance writer, web content specialist