The Overclass Exposed

The overclass has produced far less than it has taken and has destroyed far more than it has created.

The overclass is the cohort in both government and ostensibly private enterprise who derive their sustenance directly or indirectly from government in exchange for goods or services. It consists of the relatively small group who rule, and the much larger group, numbering in the millions, whose defining characteristic is that government is the source of their compensation. For analytic clarity, this group does not include people who receive money from government (e.g. Social Security, AFDC) that is not salaries.

The overclass includes the massive administrative state, the military, intelligence, government contractors, much of public and private academia, many nongovernmental organizations and foundations, parts of the mainstream media, much of the scientific and medical establishments, and state and local governments. A substantial chunk of the $11 plus trillion that all levels of government will spend this year, an estimated 38.12 percent of the GDP, will flow into these pockets (figures from usdebtclock.org).

The underclass consists of that group who work in non-government-related private enterprise. Their output must satisfy a market test—someone has to be willing to pay more for it than the cost of the inputs used to generate it. This is a crucial distinction between the underclass and overclass, who are not subject to this market test.

While some members receive high incomes and are wealthy, the underclass is the underclass because legally it is subjugated to the overclass; its production supports the overclass. Statistically, underclass average compensation and benefits are now less than those of the overclass (it used to be the opposite).

The overclass produces less than it consumes and has grown relative to the underclass. The mounting national debt confirms both assertions. Ironically, that debt provides handsome incomes to the overclass sector that markets and trades it.

While billionaire oligarchs, prominent politicians, celebrities, journalists, academics, and woke warrior leaders arouse the most ire and dismay among their opposition, it is the overclass layer just below that top strata that has a vice grip on American governance and is the biggest obstacle to any meaningful change. They will never let go because they must hold on; current arrangements provide their livelihoods, prestige, and power. What makes this group so invidious is that its role is rarely acknowledged or even recognized.

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/overclass-exposed

Internal crisis shakes Balkan media network run by UK intel, leaked emails show

A prominent propaganda outlet in the Balkans, which is directly overseen by a British government agency that Reuters once labeled “an influential soft-power extension of UK foreign policy,” appears to be on the brink of collapse after a major schism between staff members and leadership.

Leaked emails reviewed by The Grayzone reveal a “deep crisis” has engulfed the Western-created and funded Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (BIRN), which threatens to tear the organization apart. A flagship propaganda platform in the arsenal of multiple Western governments and foundations, it has sought to reshape the restive region in favor of European and US interests, publishing many “products” in service of this goal. Now, the entire information warfare empire seems to be on shaky ground.

The emails, which were leaked in April, reveal that an internal “crisis” has erupted at BIRN. This disaster has largely been pinned on its Regional Director, Milka Domanovic, who oversees the organization’s “portfolio of regional projects.” In the emails, multiple nameless employees accuse her of a wide variety of grave failings, including “neglect of duties” and “inappropriate conduct.” Her alleged incompetence and “mismanagement” purportedly led the EU to demand a grant of 300,000 euros be returned. The authenticity of the emails has been confirmed by BIRN staffers.

A joint email sent by the complainants to the highest echelons of BIRN on April 17 accused Domanovic of encouraging “covert discussions” about staff performances, “pitting them against each other, often using such techniques as shaming them for problems in their absence.” What’s more, they claimed that “sensitive information” which was confidentially shared with higher-ups was “carelessly handled, leading to breaches.” In the document, the organization’s Regional Director stands accused of a “combative and threatening communication style,” and encouraging a workplace environment “rife with gossip”:

“A culture of silence pervades… leaving many of us cowering from the repercussions of voicing genuine concerns or dissent,” the staffers wrote.

https://thegrayzone.com/2024/08/13/crisis-balkan-network-uk-intel/

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