Two speakers, two war criminals and the DeVos family: Econ Club annual dinner will celebrate members of the Capitalist Class

The Economic Club of Grand Rapids will be hosting their 37th annual dinner on June 2nd at DeVos Place in downtown Grand Rapids.

The annual dinner always features guests speakers who are part of the Capitalist Class, whether they are business people, politicians, academics or celebrities. Those who attend the Econ Club’s annual dinner are also members of the GR Power Structure and those who carry significant class privilege.

On June 2nd, there are two guests speakers, former President Bill Clinton and former President George W. Bush. In addition, the Econ Club will be giving out some awards, which includes the Slykhouse Community Leadership Award that will be given to the DeVos family. The Slykhouse award is named after George J. Slykhouse, the person who founded the Economic Club of Grand Rapids in the 70s.

What is instructive about this event is the narrative that the Econ Club provides regarding Clinton, Bush and the DeVos family, which you can find here. I think it is worth providing a counter-narrative, since the Econ Club treats all of these people as honorable individuals that have made the US a great country.

Bill Clinton – The Econ Club narrative about Bill Clinton focuses on his post-Presidential activities, especially his foundation. Even this aspect of Clinton’s life is a glowing review of his accomplishments.

It is instructive that the narrative created around former President Clinton doesn’t say anything about his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, which was extensive. More importantly, the only thing it says about Clinton’s presidency is that it “led the U.S. to the longest economic expansion in American history, including the creation of more than 22 million jobs.”

The question is always economic expansion for who? According to the Economic Policy Institute 43,600 jobs had been lost or displaced in Michigan – and about 700,000 in the United States – due to the rise in the trade deficit with Mexico alone since NAFTA was enacted in 1994.

During the Clinton Presidency there was a growing movement against globalization that culminated in the WTO protest in Seattle in 1999, along with the growing militant environmental movement. In addition, the prison industrial complex grew during the Clinton years, where Black and Brown people were disproportionately incarcerated, which was complimented by the 1994 Crime Bill (which increased police funding) and the 1996 bill Clinton sign that fundamentally ended welfare.

On the foreign policy front, Clinton continued to provide billions to Israel, maintain the economic blockage against Cuba, began the expansion of NATO, sent the US military to Haiti, bombed Sudan and the former Yugoslavia, attacked Somalia, and bombed Iraq regularly, along with imposing economic sanctions on Iraq, which resulted in the deaths of 500,000 Iraqi children. 60 minutes reporter Lesley Stahl asked, “We have heard that a half a million children have died… That’s more than died in Hiroshima. And… is the price worth it?” Albright responded: “I think this is a very hard choice, but the price—we think the price is worth it”.

George W. Bush – The Econ Club narrative included comments like this – “As Commander in Chief, President Bush worked to expand freedom, opportunity, and security at home and abroad.” This same narrative continued with a sanitized version of history during the Bush years, stating:

Following the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, President Bush responded with a comprehensive strategy to protect the American people and wage a global war on terror. His administration built global coalitions to remove violent regimes in Afghanistan and Iraq that threatened America, liberating more than 50 million people from tyranny. Recognizing that liberty and hope are the best alternative to the extremist ideology of the terrorists, he provided unprecedented American support for young democracies and dissidents in the Middle East, Eastern Europe, Latin America, and elsewhere. President Bush also launched global HIV/AIDS and malaria initiatives that have saved millions of lives, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa.

Wow, this version of history is from an imperialist framework, where the US does no wrong. The truth is that after 9/11, 2001, the Bush Administration used the so-called war on terror to engage in state terrorism, bombing Afghanistan and occupying it for more than two decades, despite the fact that Afghanistan had nothing to do with 9/11, 2001. Then in 2003, under false pretenses, the US invaded Iraq, killed more than 1 million people, including Saddam Hussein, re-wrote Iraq government policy and secured Iraqi oil for the global oil cartels. See the book, War Without End: The Iraq War in Context, by Michael Scwartz.

The Bush Administration has continued to provide billions in military aid to Israel and Saudi Arabia, continued to economic blockade on Cuba, continued to demonize Iran, expanded US military bases in Colombia and promoted economic and political warfare against Venezuela.

On the domestic side the Bush Administration, with Congressional approval, adopted the USA Patriot Act, which gave power to the federal government to increase domestic surveillance, to lock up people of Arab descent or those who identified as Muslims, and criminalized dissent, even non-violent protests. Under the Bush Administration the Department of Homeland Security was created, which also included the creation of Immigration and Custom’s Enforcement (ICE), which was designed to criminalize and terrorize immigrants.

Lastly, the cost of the Bush Administration’s so-called War on Terror meant that domestic spending was cut significantly, thus widening the wealth gap and seeing more and more people subject to poverty. 

DeVos family – The Econ Club continued to sanitize a narrative around the most powerful family in West Michigan. They write:

Together, second generation DeVos family members lead transformative enterprises and ignite community investments across West Michigan. Their leadership spans managing the family’s professional office, RDV; guiding Amway, a global leader in direct selling, with their partners the Van Andel family; and driving growth through OA Private Capital. Through RDV, their individual offices and businesses, and family foundations, second generation DeVos family members support organizations and leaders who believe in the power and potential of people. Their impact spans education, arts and culture, philanthropy, entrepreneurship, health care, civic initiatives, and community development.

Since 1970, the family has devoted more than $2 billion to philanthropic grants, championing public-private partnerships, fostering community engagement, and investing in the places where neighbors live, work, and serve—especially Grand Rapids.

Again, nothing but a glowing review of the DeVos family by the Econ Club of Grand Rapids. This of course is in no way surprising, considering who makes up the membership of the Econ Club. However, if you wanted a more honest assessment of the DeVos family you could check out my 830 page document entitled, We’re Rich and We Do What We Want: A DeVos Family Reader. 

The short version of my response to what the Econ Club has to say about the most powerful family in West MI is this. The DeVos family, which initially made its wealth from the pyramid scheme company called Amway, which blends devotion to Capitalism and Christianity.

The DeVos family has been the largest contributor to the Republican Party in Michigan since 1990 and is increasingly a major contributor to candidates in Grand Rapids and Kent County, candidates who embrace the ideological framework of the DeVos family.

Besides buying politicians the DeVos family controls a great deal of the economy in Grand Rapids, through their extensive list of corporations, assets and investments. The DeVos family has also created or been an integral part of many organizations that have also influenced economic, political, social and cultural realities in Grand Rapids, such as the GR Chamber of Commerce, the Right Place Inc., the West Michigan Policy Forum, the Acton Institute, Grand Action 2.0, local colleges and so much more.

Lastly, the DeVos family uses their foundations to fund conservative political, economic and religious groups/organizations that also seek to impose their will on the general public. The Econ Club claim that the DeVos family is very philanthropic is misleading, since most of their foundation money has gone to the religious right, thinks tanks, universities and anti-Public Education groups, with a much smaller amount going to social service or charity-based groups.

If people want a more detailed analysis of what the DeVos family is involved in then please attend a 2 Part workshop I am doing on May 17 and May 31st at Fountain Street Church. Details at this link.