Manhattan Reborn 1978

a new day.

new York.

In the dim morning light, the cold wind mixed with small snowflakes covered the steel jungle with a white coat.

Manhattan.

42nd Street, Wildfire Restaurant.

The clock in the restaurant read a quarter past seven.

The energetic Odis Parker and the bleary-eyed Rudy Sidrich looked at the breakfast served by chef Zhang Wenbiao.

Lu Di held a spoon in his hand and took a sip of the rice-flavored fish porridge in a thousand-roll casserole. He felt a fresh and sweet taste in his mouth. He couldn't help but feel a lot more energetic and smiled.

"That boy David, where did he find you?"

Brother Biao, who had been standing nearby with a smile on his face, replied: "We are in Chinatown..."

Mr. Parker skillfully picked up the chopsticks and chose the more refreshing dry-steamed siomai from the crystal shrimp dumplings and dry-steamed siomai. He slowly put it into his mouth and took a bite.

"Hmm... Phew~" Mr. Parker exhaled the hot breath in his mouth and asked Brother Biao.

"The filling in this is...?"

Brother Biao smiled and narrowed his eyes: "The filling is made of hand-beaten beef, mushrooms, shrimps, plus the old soup my junior sister made last night, and some simple seasonings."

Mr. Parker nodded with satisfaction, glanced at Ludy who was eating crystal shrimp dumplings with a spoon, and asked.

"Cui Yingying?"

"Yes~"

"Hahaha~"

Ludy sneered twice and glanced at Mr. Parker: "You will prepare breakfast for three people again... No!"

"For four people, give me one more."

"OK, just a second!"

. . .

10 minute later.

When Brother Biao served Ludy another breakfast, three guests walked in at the door.

Harold Stone nodded to several people with a rosy face as a greeting, and sat down directly next to Ludy very unceremoniously, looking at the breakfast on the table. .

Brother Biao quickly glanced at the three of them and said, "Please wait!".

Ezra Cremo watched Brother Biao disappear around the corner of the hall. He hesitated and sat opposite Mr. Parker. He looked down at the breakfast on the table and said nothing.

Linde Vercello looked at the four people who were already seated at the four-person square table. He paused for a moment, then quickly walked to the side, brought over a chair, and took a set of chairs from the table next to him. Cutlery, squeezed between Harold and Ludy.

Ludy chewed the crystal shrimp dumplings in his mouth, looked at Linde Vercello sideways, and said with a smile.

"Last night... did you sleep well?"

The expression on Linde's face froze, and he smiled bitterly: "Last night... I asked my friends at the headquarters for help and applied for a transfer order."

"From today on, all the actions of my gang of bastards have nothing to do with me!"

"Oh~"

"You want to be a deserter?"

"Hehe~"

"Gentlemen, you won't bring those little toys to breakfast, will you?"

"No!" Linde Wiccello was the first to answer.

Ezra Claymore, shook his head.

Harold Stone stood up, took off his coat and suit jacket, and sat down again wearing only his shirt.

Mr. Parker raised his eyebrows, put down the chopsticks in his hand, and said with a smile, "Are you showing off your figure to us?"

"Haha~ I just like to be more direct."

"it is good!"

Lu Di nodded to him with satisfaction and looked at Linde: "The activities organized by your daughter at school this morning have been cancelled!"

"Tell your wife to repair the brakes first before going to work ~ to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings!"

Linde Vercello stood up suddenly, stared at the smiling Ludy with a livid face, turned around and ran outside~

"Hey~ there's a phone right here!"

"...fxxx!" Linde, who had already run to the gate, turned around and ran to the cashier not far away. He found the phone and dialed it quickly.

. . .

After a few minutes.

Brother Biao, brought three more breakfasts.

Lu Di rubbed his belly, gave him a thumbs up, and said with a smile: "Your breakfast...is it delivery?"

"no problem!"

“Just make a phone call and we’ll deliver it to your home at any time!”

"Yeah~" Lu Di nodded with satisfaction, stood up, glanced at the four people, and smiled.

"Mr. Vercello~ The trouble is still there."

"Escape is not an option!"

"What do you say?"

"Okay~" A trace of unwillingness flashed across Linde Wiccello's face and he nodded.

"Hehe~"

"Parker, I'll go out and wait for you!"

. . .

Ludy, gone.

Otis Parker also stood up and smiled at Ezra Cremo and Linde Vercello: "Although I don't like your stupidity..."

"But I also understand that fools are the majority in this world~"

"I can't ask you to make some wise choices. I can only give you a little warning every time you make a stupid decision."

"Gentlemen, have a nice day!"

"Goodbye~"

. . .

Otis Parker, gone.

Harold Stone finished his breakfast with a big gulp, and waved to Brother Biao who was watching from a distance with great satisfaction.

"Give us the bill~"

"Sir, your table is free of charge..."

Harold Stone raised his eyebrows in surprise and said with a smile: "Wildfire Restaurant?"

"Yes~!"

"Hahaha~"

"Okay! Next time I come, I won't be exempt from the bill!"

Brother Biao narrowed his eyes with a smile, bowed slightly and nodded: "Looking forward to your visit again!"

"Hehe~"

Harold Stone took a deep look at Brother Biao, put on his clothes, patted Ezra Cremo and Linde Vercello, and whispered.

"What are you waiting for?"

"Lunch?"

"..."

Ezra Cremo was stunned for a moment, ate the breakfast in front of him, wiped his mouth, stood up and was the first to walk out of the restaurant.

Linde Vercello stared at the breakfast in front of him, smiled bitterly without any appetite, shook his head, and said to Brother Biao: "Can you pack it for me?"

"Okay! Please wait!"

Harold Stone glanced at Brother Biao who was walking away, and looked at Linde with some confusion.

Linde Vercello took a deep breath and asked Harold: "Do you think... I should leave?"

"Leave.. Do you have a better place to go?"

"..No~"

"Then why are you leaving?!"

"You still haven't understood the situation in New York?"

The expression on Linde's face became even more bitter: "It's not that I don't understand, it's that my subordinates..."

"You...tsk~"

Harold Stone is speechless~

He patted Linde Vercello's shoulder, walked to the gate, and whispered: "The day after tomorrow is my wedding with Herris."

"I'll be there!"

"..."

----

42nd Street, Wildfire Bar.

When Otis Parker strolled to the door of the bar, he happened to meet David coming out of his home.

He smiled and nodded slightly, and said to David: "Good morning, boss!"

"Hehe~"

"I can't fucking be your boss!"

"Hahaha~" Ludy, White Mike, Giovanni, and Black Mike all laughed.

Mr. Parker laughed indifferently and nodded: "You can still talk to me so casually, doesn't it mean that... you have accepted me?"

"Hehe~"

David tilted his head and looked at Odis Parker for a while, then shook his head helplessly: "If you can take your medicine on time..."

"Hahaha~"

Several people who knew more or less about Mr. Parker's neurosis laughed again.

. . .

After laughing.

Mr. Parker suggested: "The air is very good this morning. How about we walk to Stanley?"

David looked up at the narrow sky, took a few breaths of fresh air after the snow, shrugged, and smiled.

"can!"

"Hey~Andres, let's go for a walk~"

One-eyed Andres, standing across the street, smiled and waved at David, nodding.

"Let's go~"

David threw the briefcase in his hand into the car, joked a few words to the three bodyguards and Ludy, and strolled towards Fifth Avenue with Otis Parker.

. . .

on the way.

Unknowingly, David and Mr. Parker were walking side by side, and Ludy deliberately lagged half a step behind, chatting quietly with Mike Bai.

Mr. Parker was waiting at a traffic light at an intersection on Fifth Avenue when he got down to business.

"Lewis Powell, have you heard of him?"

"No~who is he?"

"One of the current justices of the Supreme Court of the United States."

David looked at Mr. Parker doubtfully: "Justice?"

"Hehe~"

"Justice Powell, who is 71 years old this year, was originally a lawyer from Virginia."

"Later, because of his strong professionalism and extensive connections, he was elected chairman of the Virginia State Board of Education and vice president of the American Bar Association. In 65, he was elected president of the National Lawyers Association."

"In October 1971, Lewis F. Powell was nominated to the Supreme Court by President Nixon."

"But in August, two months before his nomination, Powell submitted a memorandum - "An Attack on the American Free Enterprise System" to the head of the Commerce Committee, Eugene Scheideno."

"David, have you heard this memo?"

"No~"

"It was originally a confidential document that could only be accessed by internal and limited personnel."

"But its content has already spread like wildfire, and has made many business people... awaken~"

"Some people call this memo: The Powell Declaration~"

"Its content has three main points: America's free market system has been under terrible attack; to deal with this attack, any simple or piecemeal approach will be ineffective; the business community must take joint action ~ for neoliberals , especially the big capitalists, provide a bold and comprehensive programmatic action plan.”

David frowned and interrupted Mr. Parker with a wave of his hand: "You said Powell proposed that the business community should unite...??"

"Haha~ That's right!"

Mr. Parker smiled playfully and said, "Powell Law Firm is one of the most well-known and largest law firms in the country."

“His client list includes leading companies from all walks of life.”

"For example: General Motors, Ford, Johnson & Johnson, Procter & Gamble, DuPont, Coca-Cola and other companies, as well as major banks such as Citibank, Wells Fargo, Bank of America and so on."

"That's why he pointed it out very sharply in that memo that attracted widespread attention..."

"No thoughtful person will deny that the free enterprise system in the United States is under widespread attack~"

"This kind of attack is not sporadic or isolated... but a widespread and sustained attack."

"These attacks come not only from traditional opportunist supporters generally considered by the American people, but also from highly respected elements in society."

"For example: college campuses, church forums, news media, intellectuals, humanities magazines, arts and sciences, and politicians."

“This kind of attack comes from all aspects of society, with various motivations. To varying degrees, either they have reached a tacit understanding and coordination with the attackers, or they have tacitly allowed these people to make full use of the media to stir up trouble. "

Mr. Parker looked at the green light at the intersection ahead, turned to David and continued.

"He believes that if American companies fail to effectively counterattack this attack, they are actually allowing this kind of destruction to themselves."

"He even asserted that... the business world must learn a lesson!"

"They must learn that political power and business development are inextricably linked."

"This right must be cultivated with all our strength. If necessary, this right must be used actively and firmly without embarrassment or force, because this is exactly the characteristic of American business!"

"Powell provided a huge blueprint and formulated a long-term action plan, allowing the American business community to unite and use the huge advantages of corporate funds and organized business power to fight against those opponents."

"As he said, the advantage of everything lies in organization, careful long-term planning and implementation, and maintaining consistency in actions indefinitely."

"In addition, Powell also emphasized that after winning power, the business community should take off its gloves without hesitation and move forward vigorously in any political arena without any hesitation~"

"At the same time, he also emphasized that there should be no mercy when punishing those political opponents!"

"Therefore, many people believe that Powell's declaration is a mobilization order to defend neoliberalism and defend the United States' penetration of the economic system."

"It is also known as a declaration representing the interests of American companies, especially the interests of large companies~"

"A landmark event that promoted the rapid development of neoliberalism in the United States and achieved astonishing success in a short period of time."

After hearing this past incident that he had never known before, David stopped in surprise, looked at the coffee shop on the roadside, and asked with a smile.

"I'm going to buy a cup of coffee before we continue?"

"Ok!"

. . .

After a few minutes.

David and others all held a cup of hot coffee in their hands and continued walking to Wall Street.

Mr. Parker took a sip of coffee, shook his head and said with a smile: "This cheap coffee tastes worse and worse~"

"Oh? You have been in London for so many years. What do you think about coffee and black tea?"

"When I drink it...it feels the same~"

"Hahaha~"

David smiled and patted Mr. Parker's arm: "Okay~ You haven't finished speaking yet? Shall we continue?"

"Hmm~"

Mr. Parker pondered for a few seconds and said, "I understand, you like data."

"So, I have been doing some statistics during this time... to make you feel more intuitive data~"

"In 1971, the number of corporate offices in Washington was only 175."

"As of this year, the number has exceeded 1700, and it is still growing rapidly!"

“Even the trade alliance of small and medium-sized enterprises, the National Federation of Independent Business, has seen its number of members surge from 70 companies in 300 to nearly 60.”

To unite this vast network of businesses, the Federation of Independent Business employs more than 600 full-time employees at its headquarters in California and more than 20 employees in its Washington, D.C., office.

"Furthermore, the American Manufacturers Association has also moved its national headquarters to Washington and has adjusted its domestic corporate network to this end."

"And in the past few years, the American chambers of commerce in other countries and regions, which have been sleeping, have also woken up~"

“As of this year, the approximate figure I have found is that there are 2000 trade associations in different industries stationed in Washington, with more than 5 employees. They represent almost every possible branch of the U.S. economy. ."

"These trade associations, after receiving full funding from their member companies, have hired a large number of professionals to serve the companies' rights channels."

"According to my rough statistics, there are now 9000 political lobbyists and 8000 public relations experts active in Washington and the District of Columbia."

"These people have gathered around 535 members of Congress and formed a new and huge force. They have extremely powerfully expanded their influence to all areas related to economic policy."

"For example, at many important conferences this year, the power and strong financial advantages of the business community have been fully demonstrated."

"Every economic-related bill passed in these meetings tilts the policy towards the business community and the wealthy class."

"First of all, the most surprising and attention-grabbing one was Ralph Nader's proposal for a consumer advocacy agency."

"Originally, he thought it would be easy to succeed after President Warren White entered the White House~"

"But they were ambushed by the emerging industrial and business lobbying army... In a beautiful blitzkrieg, the vigorous struggle of Ralph Nader and others was drowned in countless protest letters and protest phone calls."

"President White's spokesman, O'Neill, evaluated the blitz as the most powerful operation ever seen before."

"He also said: I've been here 25 years and I've never seen such an extensive lobbying operation."

Mr. Parker looked at the busy street in front of him, stopped and smiled.

"This also led to the attempt to establish a consumer protection agency to turn into a catastrophic failure within the House of Representatives~"

"I estimate that no one will mention this matter in the next few decades~"

David took a sip of coffee, looked at the red light on the opposite side, nodded slightly and said, "Yeah~ Unlucky guy~"

"Any more?"

"Of course!"

"The second target targeted by the industrial and commercial lobbying armies is trade union organizations!"

"Trade unions hope that Congress can pass the joint picketing bill in the labor law reform so that trade unions can support each other and make it easier for trade unions to organize and unite."

"Also, they have been eager to undo the harsh anti-labor union provisions of the Taft-Hartley Act of 1947 and the Landham-Griffin Act of 1959. , but with little success~”

"This time President White takes office..."

"The army of lobbyists from the business community in the House of Representatives has created a lot of trouble for the National Federation of Trade Unions~"

"In the end, the House of Representatives passed the joint picketing bill by 257:163."

"but!"

"The Senate rules make it easier and more conducive for people to use the process... to block the passage of this bill~"

"Furthermore, the Business Roundtable organization, which was jointly formed by more than 100 CEOs of large companies across the country, has also joined this sniper war."

"In the end, the TUC only managed to secure 58 votes in the Senate, which was only two votes short of the 60 votes needed to end the procedural filibuster~"

“The labor law reform proposal was declared dead without ever reaching a vote in the Senate.”

Mr. Parker stopped on the street two blocks away from Wall Street and whispered to David seriously.

"A few days ago, The Economist magazine published an article titled: Another oil crisis sweeping the world is coming!"

David couldn't help but raise his eyebrows and asked: "After I go to London?"

"Yes~"

"The Economist is also a British magazine?"

"Correct!"

"Oh~ It should be...Uncle Whisler, right?"

Mr. Parker showed a smile and a hint of envy in his eyes: "The situations I just told you are just to tell you one thing."

"The current American political arena has completely entered a new era."

"Congressmen who once felt like they were the most powerful people in Washington have now become one of the spokesmen for nearly a hundred lobbyists of all kinds around them."

"If you want to use your skills here, you must also establish a symbiotic system of your own that combines business + politics."

David nodded in agreement and smiled: "I will!"

"Of course, I need your help even more, Otis!"

"Hahaha~"

Mr. Parker laughed heartily a few times, shook his head slightly, and sighed: "I have lost the qualification to enter the venue, so I can only follow you to appreciate the different scenery~"

"Tch~ Do you need to be so sour?"

"Hahaha~"

. . .

After the two talked and laughed.

David looked at Mr. Parker and still had no intention of moving forward, so he asked suspiciously.

"Anything else?"

"Have!"

Mr. Parker hesitated for a few seconds, looked around, and laughed softly: "An economics professor at Yale University submitted a paper to the National Energy Administration."

"The core content is just one sentence: increase the national strategic crude oil reserves!"

David couldn't help but tilted his head and smiled: "Who is it this time?"

"Haha~" Mr. Parker smiled and said nothing.

David raised his neck and drank the coffee in his hand, looked at the constant flow of traffic on the street, shook his head and said.

"I regret it a bit~"

"It's good to get rich slowly and honestly~"

Mr. Parker smiled and said, "I regret it too!"

"If I were younger, not so..."

"Hahaha~"

"You haven't told me much about the embarrassing things you once did!"

"Do you want to hear?"

"Yes!"

"... I'll tell you some other time~"

"it is good!"

PS: According to 2010 data from the U.S. Census Bureau, the annual income of an average male worker, after taking into account inflation, currency depreciation and other factors, is lower than the annual income of male workers in 1978. .

Therefore, this also explains why in 1978, the soaring price index and the spiraling income of workers made both enterprises and workers very dissatisfied with each other.