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Posted by: Jon Awbrey
When It Reigns It Poors
Corporate owned financial institutions pull off the most massive corporate engineered theft of the Common Wealth in American history and the corporate owned media wring their invisible hands about the “economic downturnâ€. We are told that it's time for “austerity measures†and “shared sacrifice†while we stare a tidal wave of slush funds in the face that corporate lords have been stashing away for a reigny day, the day they finally bust us down to the estate of serfs and guildless peons once again.
Posted by: Jon Awbrey
The Nero State
The fig branch in the maelstrom you're looking for here is “disaster capitalismâ€, capitalizing on disaster, natural or artificial. It's time to stop falling for the corporate brainwiking — of thinking that the engineered destruction of the public sector is something like a hurricane or even an “accidental†oil spill. The dynamics are perfectly under the control of those who control them.
Posted by: Herschelkrustofsky
It is no coincidence that friends of mine have taken to referring to the POTUS as "Nerobama." You may depend upon the 'garchs to attempt to exploit upcoming disasters, both natural and man-made (i.e. financial), to launch their customary serfin' safari.
Posted by: Jon Awbrey
It is no coincidence that friends of mine have taken to referring to the POTUS as “Nerobamaâ€. You may depend upon the 'garchs to attempt to exploit upcoming disasters, both natural and man-made (i.e. financial), to launch their customary serfin' safari.
Binary Choice Question : Obama Nation or Abomination?
Remember when “no-brainer†meant obvious to anyone?
Jon
Posted by: EricBarbour
Obama did one (minor) thing: he restarted federal civil-rights enforcement.
You can apparently thank the Bush admin for the http://www.newstatesman.com/north-america/2011/04/orleans-city-jail-police.
Posted by: Jon Awbrey
Obama did one (minor) thing: he restarted federal civil-rights enforcement.
You can apparently thank the Bush admin for the http://www.newstatesman.com/north-america/2011/04/orleans-city-jail-police.
Or … You Could Just http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/04/20/968521/-Americas-new-Black-Gold:-Exploitation-of-African-Americans-for-Corporate-Profits
Jon
Posted by: Herschelkrustofsky
Obama also spearheaded unprecedented attacks on members of the Black Caucus in order to neutralize a potential point of resistance to the austerity policies which are required to facilitate the greatest transfer of wealth from the poor to the rich in US history. But I wouldn't waste time comparing and contrasting him with Dubya -- I think it is more useful to think of it as one continuous, shameful administration for the past decade.
Posted by: Jon Awbrey
Obama also spearheaded unprecedented attacks on members of the Black Caucus in order to neutralize a potential point of resistance to the austerity policies which are required to facilitate the greatest transfer of wealth from the poor to the rich in US history. But I wouldn't waste time comparing and contrasting him with Dubya — I think it is more useful to think of it as one continuous, shameful administration for the past decade.
Only the young and very naive think that replacing the block at the top will do much to lighten the pyramid on the people's backs. There is no Atlas to do our shrugging for us, we'll have to shuck it ourselves.
Talking about Obama vs. Trumplestiltskin is kind of pointless right now, so I'm not going to entertain a lot of time wastage on that — we have Wikipedia and all the other corporate owned media for ample diversion on that score. Rational adults will be forced to vote for the infinitesimally less evil option, and that's the only kind of choice we have had for a long time in America when it comes right down to the voting booth.
In the meantime, politics is local. In my locality we are facing the Last Days of the Final Corporate Takeover of the Public Sector, and that means everything from Government to Education to Corrections to Natural Resources, Parks, and Recreation.
Jon
Posted by: RMHED
In the meantime, politics is local. In my locality we are facing the Last Days of the Final Corporate Takeover of the Public Sector, and that means everything from Government to Education to Corrections to Natural Resources, Parks, and Recreation.
Jon
Huzzah! You should be saying. The sooner the corporations control all things the sooner the revolution will come about.
The USA has got about 20-30 years before it disintegrates into at least three seperate nations.
Posted by: Jon Awbrey
In the meantime, politics is local. In my locality we are facing the Last Days of the Final Corporate Takeover of the Public Sector, and that means everything from Government to Education to Corrections to Natural Resources, Parks, and Recreation.
Jon
Huzzah! You should be saying. The sooner the corporations control all things the sooner the revolution will come about.
The USA has got about 20-30 years before it disintegrates into at least three seperate nations.
You really are the starry-eyed optimist, aren't you?
Jon
Posted by: Jon Awbrey
Limited Government vs. Government, Ltd.
We all believe in low taxes and limited government power. We all believe in low prices and limited corporate power. But we want the things we want and everything costs something, so the question is, “What is a fair price for the things we want?â€
In a complex and populous society there will be people remote from us who have big impacts on our lives. When it comes to organizations that impact our lives this way, there is a big difference between corporate power and government power, at least, since 1776 when our Founders fought for a strongly representative form of government — a republic.
The difference worth fighting for is this — in a republic the people are boss. This means that we, the people, have a real impact on the lives of those remote agents who impact our own lives. In modern terms, it closes the feedback loop, in a very powerful way, far more powerful than the impact any consumers have on the agents of a corporation.
Jon Awbrey
(Facebook Version < 1000 characters)
Posted by: Herschelkrustofsky
I hope that you won't find this post insufficiently meta-esque -- if so, feel free to thrust it down into the politics forum.
There is reason for optimism at this moment, because Marcy Kaptur, a dependably sane congresswoman from Ohio, has introduced HR 1489, which re-introduces the Glass-Steagall Act. The short description of that act is that it restores the prohibition on gambling by commercial banks, ending in turn any obligation by the government to bail out gambling debts incurred by any bank. The more meta-esque description is that it makes banks once again responsible members of the communities they serve, rather than out-of-control behemoth parasites.
Rep. Kaptur has written this "dear colleague" letter to all other members of congress:
Reinstate Glass-Steagall
Cosponsor H.R. 1489,
“The Return to Prudent Banking Actâ€
Dear Colleague:
I am writing to request your support for H.R. 1489, “The Return to Prudent Banking Act.†I recently reintroduced this legislation to strengthen our financial system by reinstating Glass-Steagall.
In response to the failure of thousands of banks across the country, Congress enacted the Banking Act of 1933, commonly known as Glass-Steagall, during the height of the Great Depression. This statute safeguarded the American economy for decades by legally separating commercial and investment banking. Such a common sense system provided greater security to banking deposits in commercial banks. Additionally, investment banks were only able to leverage their own funds, limiting the systemic risks of the American citizenry. For decades, Glass-Steagall was a cornerstone of the U.S. financial system, until the Gramm Leach Bliley Act unwisely completely ended this important financial regulation in 1999.
With the repeal of the Glass-Steagall Act over a decade ago, the U.S. economy was exposed to an intolerable level of risk, and the recent financial crisis was certainly exacerbated by the removal of these safeguards. I believe that we must limit the potential for future economic collapses by returning to a more prudent banking system in which banks must once again choose between investment activities or commercial lending. If you would like more information or would like to become a co-sponsor of H.R. 1489, please contact John Brodtke in my office at john.brodtke@mail.house.gov.
Sincerely,
/s
MARCY KAPTUR
Member of Congress
Don't give your congressman a moment's rest until he or she signs on as a co-sponsor.
Posted by: Jon Awbrey
I hope that you won't find this post insufficiently meta-esque — if so, feel free to thrust it down into the politics forum.
There is reason for optimism at this moment, because Marcy Kaptur, a dependably sane congresswoman from Ohio, has introduced HR 1489, which re-introduces the Glass-Steagall Act. The short description of that act is that it restores the prohibition on gambling by commercial banks, ending in turn any obligation by the government to bail out gambling debts incurred by any bank. The more meta-esque description is that it makes banks once again responsible members of the communities they serve, rather than out-of-control behemoth parasites.
Rep. Kaptur has written this "dear colleague" letter to all other members of congress:
Reinstate Glass-Steagall
Cosponsor H.R. 1489,
“The Return to Prudent Banking Actâ€
Dear Colleague:
I am writing to request your support for H.R. 1489, “The Return to Prudent Banking Act.†I recently reintroduced this legislation to strengthen our financial system by reinstating Glass-Steagall.
In response to the failure of thousands of banks across the country, Congress enacted the Banking Act of 1933, commonly known as Glass-Steagall, during the height of the Great Depression. This statute safeguarded the American economy for decades by legally separating commercial and investment banking. Such a common sense system provided greater security to banking deposits in commercial banks. Additionally, investment banks were only able to leverage their own funds, limiting the systemic risks of the American citizenry. For decades, Glass-Steagall was a cornerstone of the U.S. financial system, until the Gramm Leach Bliley Act unwisely completely ended this important financial regulation in 1999.
With the repeal of the Glass-Steagall Act over a decade ago, the U.S. economy was exposed to an intolerable level of risk, and the recent financial crisis was certainly exacerbated by the removal of these safeguards. I believe that we must limit the potential for future economic collapses by returning to a more prudent banking system in which banks must once again choose between investment activities or commercial lending. If you would like more information or would like to become a co-sponsor of H.R. 1489, please contact John Brodtke in my office at john.brodtke@mail.house.gov.
Sincerely,
/s
MARCY KAPTUR
Member of Congress
Don't give your congressman a moment's rest until he or she signs on as a co-sponsor.
http://www.govtrack.us/ • http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h112-1489
Thanks, I'll get on it — I've written my US and State Reps more this month than I've written in my entire life before this.
Jon
Posted by: Jon Awbrey
DUNCE SCOTUS
The Supreme Court Of The United States exists to interpret the Laws that are passed by the Legislative Branch. When that interpretation becomes subject to peddlers of influence who warp the Will of the People, then the Laws must be sharpened and sharpened again until the Supreme Court gets the point of the People's Will though the folds of its thickly-walletted skulls.
There are of course influences that warp the Will of the People in the process of writing the laws themselves — and we begin to recognize more and more these days that the lyin's share of these distortions emanate from the very same sources.
Posted by: Jon Awbrey
Busted Flat & Battered By Rogues
Anyone with eyes to see is aware of the obscene reservoir of cash out there, the lion's share of it stolen from the Common Wealth, in a series of raids going back to the Great Savings & Loan Robbery if not further, and that this Bank Roll is now put to work stealing what's left of the Common Health and Wealth, not to mention the People's Power, Water, and Light.
Posted by: Herschelkrustofsky
http://www.govtrack.us/ • http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h112-1489
Thanks, I'll get on it — I've written my US and State Reps more this month than I've written in my entire life before this.
Jon
Note that both John Conyers and Jesse Jackson Jr. are now co-sponsors.
Posted by: Jon Awbrey
http://www.govtrack.us/ • http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h112-1489
Thanks, I'll get on it — I've written my US and State Reps more this month than I've written in my entire life before this.
Jon
Note that both John Conyers and Jesse Jackson Jr. are now co-sponsors.
We are gearing up in Michigan to recall the http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Governerd and 9 State Reps —
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/05/06/973623/-Viva-Michigan!-Michigan-Now-Attempting-To-Recall-Governor-Snyder-+-9-Republicans
In Michigan, they aren't targeting the recall ire at Senators. Instead, the organization working on the recalls has strategically targeted eight Republican Representatives it sees as vulnerable due to close election wins. The only exception is a ninth Republican Representative, Al Pscholka, who is considered the "father" of the law that expands the powers of Emergency Financial Managers. He also represents the controversial Benton Harbor, which I discuss at length below. Pscholka lives in a strong Conservative district, so the success of this recall is up in the air.
Jon
Posted by: radek
We all believe in low prices for what we're buying. We also all believe in high prices for what we're selling. Problem is we're all buying and selling different things.
This is just my way of signaling that I actually read these posts.
Posted by: Herschelkrustofsky
http://www.govtrack.us/ • http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h112-1489
Thanks, I'll get on it — I've written my US and State Reps more this month than I've written in my entire life before this.
Jon
Note that both John Conyers and Jesse Jackson Jr. are now co-sponsors.
We're up to 10 now. They are:
Rep Conyers, John, Jr. [MI-14] - 5/2/2011
Rep Fudge, Marcia L. [OH-11] - 5/25/2011
Rep Jackson, Jesse L., Jr. [IL-2] - 5/4/2011
Rep Jones, Walter B., Jr. [NC-3] - 4/12/2011
Rep McDermott, Jim [WA-7] - 5/11/2011
Rep Moran, James P. [VA-8] - 4/12/2011
Rep Slaughter, Louise McIntosh [NY-28] - 5/23/2011
Rep Towns, Edolphus [NY-10] - 5/23/2011
Rep Waters, Maxine [CA-35] - 5/25/2011
Rep Woolsey, Lynn C. [CA-6] - 5/11/2011
Posted by: Milton Roe
The USA has got about 20-30 years before it disintegrates into at least three seperate nations.
No, more complex. History repeats three times, as tragedy, then farce, then finally Disney-fication. I'm seeing signs of breakup into theme-park areas:
Rust Beltovia
Metrolib Smugsville
Cornufructosia
Mormonation
SalsaRama
Desert RevivalLand
Airport Hell
Methburbs (Weedlot)
Highway to Nowhere
Yachtsville (Bahia Mar)
Flood-Tornado Adventure Alley
PrisonWorld
If you've ever seen Bahia Mar you can well believe that 1% of the people own 50% of the stuff in this country. If you've driven through nearby Hialeah you can well believe that it is the city with the highest population density without featuring a skyscraper. Because what else would all those newly immigrated Cubans and displaced South Americans be doing that would require the direct and nearby services of anybody who can afford to own space in a skyscraper?
