The Reagan Supply-side Revolution Hydra, with field general Alan Greenspan at its side, is finally seeing the tempest-like tentacles of the economic serpent spin out of control. This hydra of design was an intentional and willful decision on behalf of the riches Americans who felt that they were not rich enough, and the Republicans were not all powerful enough, therefore they executed a plan to take working America down to the wage bottom. It would take decades, but had to be done. The Reagan Economic Revolution of laissez-faire, neo-liberalism has frenzied the Rightwing into a full-fledged panic morphing their followers into becoming the new KKK, or the Kooktard Kook d’e-tat revolution.
This new, or neo-KKK, appears to be comprised of average Americans freaked out over a newly proposed, and now abandoned, government program designed to protect many of those very same people, or those close to them, from further erosion of their disappearing wages, savings, or livelihoods, which would take the form of a public option health care plan. This is the health care industry’s favorite choice now called Health Care Co-ops, which would diminish Americans from bargaining for the best prices for drugs or premiums.
What is unfortunate is that they have taken their marching orders from the Rightwing elites made up of the wealthiest corporatists, and Republican Party jihadis wanting to maintain their death grip stranglehold upon the political system they so intentionally damaged.
It appears their current plan is to try and disrupt the political dialogue among citizens by force, through the orchestration of aggressive tactics at local town hall meetings by their zombie neo-KKK foot soldiers who recite the fabricated and propagandistic talking points fed them by their neo-fascist masters in the Rightwing media, and inside government. The neo-KKK members are injected with IV formulas of lies and distortions of fact they extract from within the text of the proposed, and now likely defunct, health care bill, such as “death panel”, or ‘the intrusion of medical battalions entering one’s home to tell them how to raise their at-risk kids.’
We have people like former Lt. Governor Betsy McCaughey who put up a Youtube video trailered with clips and photos of Nazis and members of the Third Reich. Her video pretended that the public option bill had Hitler’s fascism as it’s underpinning, when in reality she had portrayed herself as a neo-Nazi-type of propagandist. This projection of others being fascists for considering the public option health care bill, which is a far cry from a government takeover of health care, although it should be, in my opinion, appear to harbor fascist beliefs that they carry inside themselves, which manifests through their irrational behaviors and actions brought forth into the “marketplace of ideas” that had been fathered through the birth of democracy a few hundred years earlier!
Sarah Palin, Senator Grassley, Congresswoman Michelle Bachmann, Tom Delay, Dick Armey, Senator Kent Conrad, House Republi-CON leader John-the boner-Boehner, and others are currently the facilitators of the neo-KKK movement: Kooktard Kook d’e-tat. “Master operators” funding the Kook d’e-tat, no doubt, have hired Palin on. These same Rightwing corporate elites appear to be the drivers behind her resignation as Alaskan governor. She hides the real reason why she resigned. A huge increase in cash payments. She is the perfect pawn, carnival barker huckster to go around the country selling their neo-fascist, Rightwing propagandistic snake-oil in her good ‘ole folksy Alaska-speak style. “You Betcha!” The purpose appears to be to put her, and others, out front to start “Liar’s Fires” forcing the Left, Democrats, and moderates to run out with their fire extinguisher-in-arm representatives to attempt to put them out.
These puppet master neo-fascist corporate elites have a leash around their Congressional lapdogs, who they feed buckets of campaign contribution slop to make sure they bark out the message of ‘the rich MUST remain rich at all costs!’ Therefore, the neo-fascist puppet masters feed even more of this “slop” to their media master’s of ceremonies, such as Glen Beck, Shawn Hannity, Rush Limbaugh, and Bill O’Reilly. It now appears that many such puppet masters find Beck too blatantly offensive. Their slop comes in the form of big salaries, perks, bonuses, and more.
Bush and Cheney set the stage with the Iraq War, torture, the terrorist boogiemen, the need to subvert the U.S. Constitution, and erode our respect in the world in order to bring about the new Rightwing neo-fascism to satisfy the multi-national corporate Hydra, which includes the insurance, Pharma, real estate and financial corporate elites. Their pledge amongst one another appears to be committed to making sure workers earn as little as possible, so they squawk minimally about cheap foreign-made goods made by low paid foreigners. Turn Americans into drone worker bees. But, in order to keep their diminishing cash flow from drying up, they entice them to borrow as much as they can to keep afloat, while enriching the elites with the interest they pay on their mounting debt burden. Ah. The rich stay fat and happy.
But their plan has exploded apart. The elites are now afraid, more than ever, of losing more of their wealth, control, and power that they have spent over the decades nurturing, massaging, and funding while they watch the economy slip further into decline. A decline rivaling only the Great Depression.
So, they ramp up the neo-KKK tactics, and encourage bold and aggressive behavior, such as carrying in guns and semi-automatic assault weapons to town hall rallies, as well as scream, yell, tantrum, and insight chaotic behavior in and around such venues. They have been intimidating congresspersons into rejecting the health care bill plan. Be afraid of possibly obtaining health care for your family at very affordable rates. We cannot anger the insurance company elites. Now, can we? The purpose of this neo-fascist movement is to create a tipping point in order to gain control. That tipping point is the fear of violence or actual violence itself.
To usher in Rightwing fascism and to regain the power lost by the Rightwing is to insight violence. There may be no turning back from that abyss if such bold actions begin to take hold.
Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke has been listening and following his marching orders from the FIRE/Pharma puppet masters (Finance, Insurance, Real Estate) fearful of a mudslide that will likely collapse their profit making hydra-like machine. These “Corporate Royalists”, America’s puppet masters, whose political affiliations are more embedded within the Republican neo-KKK Party, are putting the squeeze on Bada Bing Bernanke to do whatever it takes to fire up a virtually broken drivetrain credit engine, which is losing its oil, ie. consumer spending resulting from excessive consumer borrowing, by the tanker load.
Bada Bing has poured $800B into the lending master’s crankcase with little results. The engine is backfiring a hazy bluish white smoke because the it is nearly fried after 30 plus years of running hard with little concern for long term reliability and care. Bernanke has stuffed over a trillion dollars into the pockets of the investment banking money lenders who have hoarded the load knowing that they have major liabilities that could leave them stranded and towed into bankruptcy court.
Toxic mortgage debt frothing at the mouth sitting off their balance sheets are ready to bite them in the face. Then there is the bloated, and about to drown, commercial real estate bubble ready to topple the major Humpty Dumpty investment banks that will see their investments explode into a securitized nuclear winter scenario. Or, how about their non-performing loans (a loan that is in default or close to it)? I guess it is called non-performing for a reason!
Bernanke has jumped to attention when these corporate financial crime syndicate thieves demanded that he call in the engravers to monetize the bogus debt he had collected as collateral, in addition to what he had already manufactured by selling Treasuries to the tune of nearly $13 trillion!
Has anyone told Bernanke or his “crime syndicate bosses” inside the world’s largest financial Pyramid Scheme, as well as the Republican orchestrated field marshals waving the neo-KKK baton, that the American worker has lost their retirement nest-egg and needs to save his/her money again, as they watch their wages turn stagnant or fall, and their standard-of-living erode, while their home equity evaporates, and their mortgage goes underwater?
And, for many, foreclosures have reached 1.9M, $14T in household wealth has vanished, home equity has dropped to 41%, under-unemployment has reached close to 20%, (reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics) that there is no job growth in any sector of the economy, and the U.S. private sector economy has failed to add any significant number of jobs within the last 10 years, except when the government has stepped in to hire on jobs off the private sector. So, where is the public outrage by the neo-KKK zombies booing and heckling at town hall meetings discussing the public option? Absent! “By 2006, the richest paid only 17.2 percent of their income in taxes. Today, the top taxpayers pay the same percentage of their incomes in taxes as those making $50,000 to $75,000, although they doubled their share of total U.S. income,” as reported by Don Monkerud in the Capital Times of Madison Wisconsin, 7-16-09. Shouldn’t the neo-KKK zombies want this to change first leveling the income tax playing field? I guess they don’t care. It is no socialized health care for them.
So who should the neo-KKK zombies be angry at? How about Bernanke for allowing the Republican corporate elite financiers, who are paying off nearly all the Republican, and many Democratic (Max Baucus, for one) greedy money junkies in Congress, as well as those within the executive branch over the last 30 years, but, especially, within the last 10 years! But NO; they choose the new guy on the block—President Barack Obama because he was pressing for a public option health care bill, while many of them might need it in the coming years. But no, it’s a Birther Revolution!
Were the neo-KKK Birthers, Tea Baggers, and Palineers calling for an uprising when BushBoy and McCain rushed to the halls of Congress hootin’ and hollering for a bailout of the investment bankstas resulting from Bernanke and (former Bush Treasury Secretary Hank) Paulson’s threatening bugle call sounding the warning that if it were not given to them ASAP the nation would experience an economic Armageddon? NO! Or, how about over the two wars, and a rising Pentagon and military budget? Or, the growing wealth disparity? Or, greedy corporate elites? NO!
Therefore, one can only conclude that this current Republican generated neo-fascist uprising is being orchestrated by those fearful of losing their financial and political wealth and control over government and the nation. This is how fascism is borne out of a damaged democracy. Be aware of what can happen next! Violence! A domestic military presence in the streets! And more.
The enforcement of the Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terror Act of 2007 -HR 1955 passed under BushBoy and a Republican controlled Congress might actually become part of that tipping point I mentioned above. Read it! It is scary!
But, what is being heard is the announcement by the Chinese and their threat to dump U.S. Treasuries if Bernanke and Geithner continue to listen to the financial crime syndicate puppet masters wanting so desperately to dress up in their Brown Shirts and reignite the credit markets through more monetization of our increasing debt levels.
What we are witnessing today really is frightening. Democracy rests on a dangerous precipice, which has been pushed closer and closer to the edge of survival by the neo-fascist corporate greedy power brokers pounding hard against the Republican Party and their media commandos, the Blue Dog Cowardly Democrats, and others to not give into the “other side”, otherwise they may lose what they dearly cherish: greed and power. They are willing to sacrifice our democracy so that it may live on for another lifetime.
These corporate financial thieves that have drained the nation’s economic reservoir over the last 30 plus years, and especially, under BushBoy, used working Americans to create their wealth by keeping wages stagnant, and forcing them to borrow for the purpose of keeping consuming and spending alive and flowing, yet knowing that someday the gig will be up. Now the ride is about over. The U.S. consumer will no longer be the world’s junk and toy collectors. Their basement shelves are full and now they are heading for the local flea markets to see what they can get rid of, since they need that cash to eat, pay rent, utilities, as well as their exorbitant insurance premiums, if they have any at all. And, don’t forget gas for the family jalopies. Now that the working class consumer is no longer in the bargain hunting game, the U.S. marketplace will become less attractive to China and Asia. The end result of this Domino Effect could be the U.S. dollar will no longer be used as the world’s reserve currency. Therefore, the U.S. falls from its Ivory Tower joining the others on the struggling world stage.
The neo-KKK Republican zombies don’t want a government health care plan, but might accept what the health insurance industry gleefully would wish for and that is health care co-ops, which would not help people at all. They roiled themselves into a lather just because a section of the public option bill would permit health care professionals to assist families with their child development struggles they have at home. Now, we can’t have that! Can we? We cannot allow government to help us with the problems that young developing children have in school and/or at home.
Let us put aside that private insurance plans currently allows for this service in their own policies, such intervention is critical during a time when more and more young people are failing basic educational standards before they even set foot in their neighborhood public school. One of the most significant differences, found in one study, between poor families and affluent families is that affluent families speak around 20,000,000 more words to their developing children before the age of three. Without such knowledge, developing children are likely to fail. They will show deficiencies in language development, word acquisition, simple math puzzles, as well as emotional self-controls and patience.
“Professional parents directed an average of 487 "utterances" per hour toward their children, as compared to 301 for working class parents and only 176 for welfare parents. The quality of those utterances was also very different: Among professional parents, the ratio of encouraging to discouraging utterances was six to one; for working-class parents, the ratio slipped to two to one; and welfare parents made two discouraging utterances for every encouraging one. The consequences were predictable: By the time the children in the study were around three years old, the ones from professional families had average vocabularies of 1,116 words; the working-class ones averaged 749; the welfare kids, 525.” (Sited from this document ).
This is what was meant by family intervention by a team of medical professionals in the now defunct public option bill. But the neo-KKK zombie aggressors who are afraid of considering that just maybe they might benefit from some professional consultations with health care professionals and child development specialists, as well as others when it comes to helping their kids become more successful in school and at home. We can’t have that in Amerika. Now, can we? These foot soldiers for the corporate elite prefer to see this nation filled with more unintelligent people, who are compromised when it comes to raising intelligent and competent children.
In a program called The Harlem Children’s Zone, founded by Geoffrey Canada, 3rd graders in his program scored equal to or out achieved New York Public School peers when tested following instruction given through Mr. Canada’s program.
Our society is devolving as a result of the neo-KKK assault upon democracy. Ignorance is their background. Aggression is their tactic. It goes deep inside the heart of the country, and founded its roots with the Reagan Supply-side Economic Revolution brainwashing working Americans to buy into their program of using working Americans to make the corporate elite very, very rich without having to give very much in return.
Thanks for reading, jerry
Harlem Children's Zone, Baby College, and more:
Click on “full episode” and listen to act one’s 30 minute piece.
Links to check out:
http://www.minneapolisfed.org/publications_papers/studies/earlychild/index.cfm
http://jenni.uchicago.edu/papers/earlychildhood.html
http://www.smartstartga.org/educator-links.aspx
35 comments:
And therein rests the problem. Democrats are sure Republicans and Right Wingers are to blame, and Republicans are sure the Democrats, and Lefties in particular are to blame. Which I might add is exactly where both sides want you and the masses. Namely fighting with each other while they steal the last nickel from the American Treasury.
Jerry, we have a Democratic President, a Democratic House and a super majority in the Senate. Democrats can pass damn near anything they like. The problem, for both Partys, is that it's like herding cats with your caucus members, and more importantly, both groups are both bought and paid for.
Why do you think I call them Crime Syndicates?
"When You Come to a Fork in the Road, Take It!"
by Yogi Berra
I believe we have come to the fork in the road and that indeed we should take it. Not left or right, but blazing a new trail right down the damn center with common sense Americans coming together to demand change that neither side wants, but which history demands if we are to remain a democratic Republic. If each side continues to point fingers at one another, I'm afraid we are rather doomed because our fiscal situation is rather dire and demands consensus
building on some tough choices on many fronts. Let me leave you with my favorite quote:
"A man can have anything he wants, but not everything he wants."
For a very long time spanning many decades, we came to actually believe that we really could have everything, and so we did. Now the bill is do, and we are broke.
Hello SPECTRE,
I agree that each party is pointing fingers at the other. But, what is certain for me is that for decades Republicans have been funded by corporations to make sure that liberal or progressive ideas don’t get passed. That has not always worked, but that has been their agenda.
I have been an activist for all of my adult life in one form or another, and I cannot recall any Democrat or Progressive group or organization that has faked or lied about their intent or agenda.
The Republicans hide behind “fake grassroots organizations”, such as Dick Armey’s Freedom Works, which is only a front organization to further the agenda of Armey’s corporate clientele and his for profit lobbying business. It is the big lie over and over again. Just look at the man who had been yelling and screaming at a town hall meeting and had a heart attack. He was protesting against the public option, yet this idiot, who had gotten his zombie marching orders from some neo-fascist Right wing group with an agenda to disrupt and shut down the town hall meeting, had no health care whatsoever. And now, his friends and family are raising money to pay his bills. Now, go figure that one out.
Also, your latest comment is very profound! You wrote, “I believe we have come to the fork in the road and that indeed we should take it. Not left or right, but blazing a new trail right down the damn center with common sense Americans coming together to demand change that neither side wants, but which history demands if we are to remain a democratic Republic.”
Your remark that all common sense Americans need to band together to demand the change that will reinforce the foundation of our democratic republic. Otherwise, it will be lost. Yes!
What I see is needed is to end neo-fascist foundations from taking hold, end corporate greed and power hoarding, as well as even out the wealth disparities in this country. Next, end the close relationships with lobbyists forever. Keep them out of government’s way.
jerry
Jerry, I believe both sides are equally to blame. It takes two to tango. We don't have $60+ Trillion in unfunded liabilities because of the Republicans or Conservatives. Both sides lied their asses off to their respective side. There is no other logical conclusion that can be made. At each step in this very long debacle, accommodation was made by both sides so long as their palms were greased along the way.
Let me give you a perfect example ripped right out of today's headlines. We bailed out Chrysler with AMERICAN TAX PAYER MONEY, yet the new Opal 500 will be built in Mexico. How in God's name do we allow this? This isn't Republicanism or a Right Wing plot. The Democrats control the WH and CONgress. Where in the Hell did the UAW Leadership go?
Jerry, the truth is that both sides have sold us down the river. We can cling to our old beliefs while the Titanic sinks, but sink it will none the less. If we allow these thieves from both sides to continue to steal while throwing smoke bombs to the sheeple, we are doomed. I don't know how we break the chains that they have managed to wrap around our necks, but I do know that this is the place they want us. Fighting amongst ourselves while they steal the last nickel from the American Treasury.
Remember Ross Perot trying to tell us how bad NAFTA would be for American workers, while Governor Clinton and Senator Gore said it would create jobs? Remember their debate on Larry King? In 1995 the FED changed Reserve Requirements for banks, and in the late 1990s we did away with Glass Steagall and bestowed Most Favored Nation status to China and gave our blessing to their joining the WTO.
These things happened under a Democratic President who held VETO Power on each deal. We, the American People, were signed, sealed and delivered like sheep to a slaughter by all involved.
Hello SPECTRE,
You are right in saying that both parties are culpable in the swindle that they delivered to the nation. They both have taken the lobbyist's free cash in exchange for serving their legislative wishes.
Only a few in Congress appear to have principles and want to do the work of the people.
Your example to build US autos elsewhere during our need to employ our own workers is a reason why our legislative branch as failed and needs revision. Term limits would help. Ending the influence of lobbyists is another. Public financing of campaigns could be another, which would let the average person with little money to challenge the seats of the wrongdoers sitting in Congress.
Clinton set the stage with the shutting down of Glass-Steagal and signing into law the Commodity Futures Modernization Act on his way out of the White House. Perot called it then and what he predicted has come true.
I, too, am not clear how to gather the sensible Americans onto a path where we can agree that saving democracy and the well-being of the nation
is the place we make our stand for all of government to see.
thanks, jerry
Jerry, As I have mentioned, we are broke as a nation:
Social Security crunch coming fast
Here's a frightening prediction: The public pension system's trust fund could go into the red in the next year, far sooner than expected. Will it get the next huge bailout?
By Bill Fleckenstein
MSN Money
The debate over health care has captured everyone's attention, but it appears the next big government program that needs to be addressed will be Social Security. That's the focus of the July 30 article "The next great bailout: Social Security" by Allan Sloan, Fortune's senior editor at large.
History of Social Security
Those who've been paying attention have long known there is no money in the Social Security Trust Fund -- it's all been spent. Thus, former Vice President Al Gore's famous assessment that Social Security receipts should be placed in a "lockbox" was actually correct.
Given that so few people really understand the Ponzi nature of the current Social Security financing scheme -- created in 1983 by a commission chaired by none other than the world's greatest serial blower of bubbles, Alan Greenspan -- I decided to reprise Sloan's article. (The Social Security problem is especially important because it likely will put additional pressure on the dollar and on bonds, and exacerbate the funding crisis down the road.)
The story begins: "In Washington these days, the only topics of discussion seem to be how many trillions to throw at health care and the recession, and whom on Wall Street to pillory next. But watch out. Lurking just below the surface is a bailout candidate that may soon emerge like the great white shark in 'Jaws': Social Security.
"Perhaps as early as this year, Social Security, at $680 billion the nation's biggest social program, will be transformed from an operation that's helped finance the rest of the government for 25 years into a cash drain that will need money from the Treasury. In other words, a bailout."
Hi there SPECTRE,
I have to say that the only Social Security crisis is with Congress. If all wage earners at all economic levels contributed into Social Security without a cap then it would be solvent. Those of us contribute in SS based upon our entire salary. Those who make more than the cap can invest the balance of their salary without having to contribute into SS. The wage cap is $106,800. If one makes more, then that person is able to invest any or all of it as they wish.
The SS lock box was raided by Reagan to pay down his huge deficit without it being taken out of the budget. If Congress paid back all the IOUs, SS would look much better.
jerry
Jerry, no cap on SS is coming because it must, but with unemployment continuing to climb, folks losing their homes, losing their ability to tap credit via HELOC or CC, the continuing contraction in the credit markets and with govt. receipts from individuals and corps. off the cliff, will it really matter?
I believe the can has been kicked much further down the road than most folks are willing to admit.
"It's hard to get a man to understand something when his job depends on him not undertanding it."
Jerry, and so it goes. A curfew in order to protect the citizens. Haven't we seen this before? Isn't loitering open to interpretation when no law is being broken? We will be seeing more of this I'm afraid and all in the name of protecting us of course. History sure do rhyme, and God Bless Amerika!
New Jersey City Considers Adult Curfew
August 19th, 2009
Via: AP:
Curfews might not be just for kids anymore in one city in northern New Jersey.
Officials in Paterson are considering one for people of all ages in a bid to curb violence after a spate of deadly shootings.
Several experts say they believe it would be the nation’s first curfew of its type to include adults. The state ACLU says it would open Paterson to legal action.
The curfew would last for two months and would bar people from loitering outside from midnight to 7 a.m. Violators would face up to a $2,000 fine and 90 days in jail.
Officials are still working to make sure the plan can withstand legal challenges.
If the City Council passes it Sept. 1, a second vote and a public hearing are needed for it to take effect.
Jerry, as I said yesterday, the economic picture grows more dire by the day:
•The consumer price index is down 2.1% year over year.
•The Federal Government current receipts are down negative 10+%; the rate of fall has not been this great in almost 60 years.
•Federal tax receipts on corporate income is down 40+% year over year; not since 1930 has the collapse been this great.
•State and local government sales tax receipts are negative for the first time since the beginning of World War II.
•Corporate profits after tax have experienced the most severe collapse in history.
•Net corporate dividends again have an historic collapse.
•Compensation of employees wages and salaries accruals - go back to 1949 to find the same level!
•Personal income is negative 2.5%, as is disposable personal income year over year.
•Personal consumption expenditures continue to dive off the cliff, as does personal consumption for durable goods.
•Total personal consumption expenditures is negative for the first time in modern history!
•Final sales to domestic purchasers, negative for the first time in modern history!
•Final sales of domestic products is, you guessed it, negative for the first time in modern history.
•Personal savings rate continues to skyrocket, now approaching $600 billion, as the general populace continues to deleverage at a feverish pace.
Jerry, Gerald Celente shares my view on both groups of thieves, but does a better job of expressing it:
"Do you think either political party could have made a difference?"
"No, it is like watching the World Wrestling Federation. They pretend to be arch-enemies on the stage. After the cameras go off, they do their deals together. There is very little difference between the two parties."
They really are crime syndicates Jerry!
Hi SPECTRE,
I think you bring up a good question, which is if the Republicans had been the minority party over the last 30 years, and if the Democrats has controlling votes would things be any different.
I believe things would be different. For one, the Commodity Futures Modernization Act would not have been even brought up for a vote. Secondly, I don't believe there would have been the abolishing of the Glass-Steagall Act.
Greenspan would have continued his destructive agenda, as well. But who knows, maybe Paul Volcker would have remained as Fed Chairman and Greenspan would never have seen the light of day.
But, to counter my own point, I tend to think that the financial lobby would have been stuffing trillions into the pockets of the cowardly Democrats influencing votes. So, you very well could be right, SPECTRE. You very well could be correct in saying there is really no difference between these parties. I guess that is why they call it a party.
Thanks for list of bad news. As I read in an article by Mike Whitney, if the recovery were actually happening, the Fed would not be keeping the Fed rate at zero. The collapse is continuing.
jerry
Jerry,
Great post, to be honest I am glad I don't live in America. I think it's time the so-far silent majority that voted for Mr. Obama took to the streets.
A silent and peaceful march on Washington by enough real ordinary, decent Americans might do something to discourage these cowardly brownshirts.
Rory
SPECTRE, Hi --I just want to add the differences between Democrats and Republicans. Democrats brought us workplace safety rules (OSHA), the Clean Water Act, the Clean Air Act, minimum wages, FDIC, workplace rules, such as length of a work day before getting overtime pay, public school education, Medicare and Medicaid allowing working Americans health care when on fixed incomes and the disabled medical care, highway safety laws, and more. The Republicans had opposed all those protections which had been established for all citizens and not just the few elite class citizens.
Rory, thanks for your complimentary comment. Thanks! I appreciate your belief that if progressives and liberals want to voice their outrages they should peacefully march in the streets. We have done that without success. We marched against the Iraq war several times without success. Just last month we gathered in DC to support a public option, as well as single payer option but only a few hundred Americans showed up.
Rory, Americans just don't care that much about a whole heck of a lot. They believe that others will do it for them, since they have excuses a mile high for explaining away their apathy.
thanks, jerry
Gerry,
I was at a large, well organized anti-Iraq war march in Dublin in 2003, there were several, not that they did any good.
While Ireland is supposed to be a neutral country, thousands upon thousands of US service personnel passed through our Shannon Airport on their way to and from Iraq, as well as an unknown but large number of C.I.A. 'Special Rendition' flights.
God, our government sucks. I'm getting depressed, think I'll tune in to 'America's Got Talent' and drop out altogether. Let the f*****s ruin everything, if they have not done so already.
Rory
Rory, I agree that our governments are corrupt. They are dirty, and sleazy. They really lack justice, honor, and integrity.
jerry
Jerry, where is the compassion, and better yet, where is the truth? The truth is that a liberal from the 1960s wouldn't have a clue concerning what passes for a liberal today. You pick the subject, and I will prove what I'm talking about.
How in God's name do seniors get no COLA adjustment and in fact may have their current benifit cut while the bankers, who are protected by both groups of thieves, get mult-million dollar bonuses which amount to more than a lifetime's work for average joe.
You can tell me all about past episodes of Democratic history, but I want the here and now. I will mention that it was the Republicans who pushed the voting rights act to give blacks equal protection under the law. I don't care what they did in the past. A drowning man doesn't want to talk about all the good old times while he goes under for the third time.
Millions face shrinking Social Security payments
Millions of older people face shrinking Social Security checks next year, the first time in a generation that payments would not rise. The trustees who oversee Social Security are projecting there won't be a cost of living adjustment (COLA) for the next two years. That hasn't happened since automatic increases were adopted in 1975. By law, Social Security benefits cannot go down. Nevertheless, monthly payments would drop for millions of people in the Medicare prescription drug program because the premiums, which often are deducted from Social Security payments, are scheduled to go up slightly.
"I will promise you, they count on that COLA," said Barbara Kennelly, a former Democratic congresswoman from Connecticut who now heads the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare. "To some people, it might not be a big deal. But to seniors, especially with their health care costs, it is a big deal." Cost of living adjustments are pegged to inflation, which has been negative this year, largely because energy prices are below 2008 levels. Advocates say older people still face higher prices because they spend a disproportionate amount of their income on health care, where costs rise faster than inflation. Many also have suffered from declining home values and shrinking stock portfolios just as they are relying on those assets for income.
"For many elderly, they don't feel that inflation is low because their expenses are still going up," said David Certner, legislative policy director for AARP. "Anyone who has savings and investments has seen some serious losses." About 50 million retired and disabled Americans receive Social Security benefits. The average monthly benefit for retirees is $1,153 this year. All beneficiaries received a 5.8 percent increase in January, the largest since 1982. More than 32 million people are in the Medicare prescription drug program. Average monthly premiums are set to go from $28 this year to $30 next year, though they vary by plan. About 6 million people in the program have premiums deducted from their monthly Social Security payments, according to the Social Security Administration.
(SNIP)
One other item. I told you recently about the bond market manipulation going into auctions. Look no further than the last week to see what I mean. In broad daylight and in plain sight, yet nobody says jack sit. nice! Push price down and yield up going into the auction, and then reverse everything and collect your winnings. God bless Amerika and our very brave leaders.
Jerry, I want to thank you for allowing me to vent on your blog. You are a gentleman of the highest order. After visiting both liberal and conservative sites, it is now rather plain that both sides are so polarized that my rants have very little impact on anyone's thinking. I lay out the facts, as I see them, of what is happening, and everyone is upset with the system, but they always go back to what brung em' if ya know what I mean. Like water, it's always easiest to go with the path of least resistance. If the world were full self thinkers, maybe it would be different, but we aren't wired, nor are we taught, to think for ourselves in this brave new world. Instead we look to our leaders for some divine way to feed the multitudes with 5 fishes.
Call me perplexed by the entire situation. Have the sheeple not heard, "fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me"? You can't spin gold from straw regardless of who tells you they can.
Today I'm a very sad American.
While we will hear plenty of happy talk by the liars in charge, here America is the ugly truth from yesterday's headlines:
Collapse
Coming Soon: Banking Crisis of Historic Proportions
Rep. Bachus: "Social Security Could Face Default Within Two Years"
Commentary: Getting ready for the dollar’s fall
Prime Mortgages Are Also Going Sour
Hidden Backlog of Foreclosures
Big banks still hold FDIC captive
FDIC May Add Special Fees on Banks as Mounting Failures Drain Deposit Fund
Manhattan Commercial Real Estate Office Sales Plunge 91%
Pensions' Private-Equity Cash Reduced 59% as Profits Shrink
U.S. Initial Jobless Claims Unexpectedly Rise as Companies Seek Cost Cuts
U.S. postal service could run out of money next month (from Rice Farmer)
Last Week's Insiders Transactions: 10 Buys For $60 Million, 136 Sells For Over $1.15 Billion (from Sebastian Ronin)
Swiss to reveal UBS accounts to settle U.S. tax fight Full Article
UBS to disclose details of 4,450 accounts in US tax evasion case
Swiss Banks Turn to Emerging Markets, Shun Americans as UBS Erodes Secrecy
Guard Troops May Be Needed in Troubled Alabama County (Aug. 4)
Unlike AmEx, Capital One's Defaults Worsening
Bank Lending Standards Tighter, Fed Says
Banks' Problem Loans Keep Growing
Credit Card Defaults Down, But Not All Reasons Are Positive
Crunch victims use anti-stalking laws to challenge 'greedy' banks
One city, 15,000 homeless veterans
Putpockets Give Extra Cash
One way to beef up the tourism industry.
China Launches Defense Website in Transparency Bid
PetroChina in Huge Australia Deal
Japan Youth Fuel Pension Bomb by Shunning Politics Aimed at Old
US troops and drones to deploy to Colombia (from Rice Farmer)
Nigeria Threatens Largest Debtors
Buffett Gets Busy
Buffett says unchecked U.S. debt threatens economy: report
The Greenback Effect, by Warren Buffett
Buffett's Latest: Inflation Forecast
Buffett on the Dollar's Destiny
Buffett: Debt Mountain Could Turn America into a Banana Republic
Lest anyone think I'm full of it, let me tell you a tale. When John Kerry was running for President, Senator Kennedy had the law changed to require a special election rather than allowing Governor Romney to select a replacement which had been the case prior. Fast forward to today, and Sen. Kennedy wants the Governor to select his replacement rather than a special election as required by law which he helped create. Everyone understand how the game is played now? It's all about winning, and the Republic be damned! How any of you trust either side is beyond me, but good luck with your trust. These people have NO character, are serial liars, and will do anything to win. BOTH SIDES! They play the sheeple like a damn fiddle. I'm sure you will all get what you deserve from both groups.
Jerry, as I keep repeating, we are BROKE! Start with local govt. and move right up the line.
R.I. to shut down state government for 12 days
PROVIDENCE (AP) — Rhode Island will shut down its state government for 12 days and trim millions of dollars in funding for local governments under a plan Gov. Don Carcieri proposed Monday to balance a budget hammered by surging unemployment and plummeting tax revenue.
"There are going to be inconveniences for the public, and there are going to be sacrifices, as I said, for state employees," Carcieri said at a Statehouse news conference. "These steps right now are unavoidable if the state is to live within its budget, live within its means."
[link to www.usatoday.com]
Jerry, back in the 60s and early
70s the rallying cry from liberals was "freedom of speech" and "the freedom to assemble peacably to demand redress from our govt".
What we have today makes a mockery of those ideals. Today we demand diversity, so long as you don't do or say anything that might offend someone and which would now fall under the Hate Law.
Call me old fashioned, but I much prefer the radicals of the 60s who at least understood what those ideals meant.
Also, don't think for a moment that all these organizations that promote for both sides aren't well heeled. Hell, they are corporations masquerading as non profits. You have to go down to the local shelter to see real passion regarding a fellow human being.
Anyway, a good cigar which I just enjoyed outdoors sure does get a person thinking.
Where is Andrew Jackson when we need him . . .
Andrew Jackson: "Gentlemen, I have had men watching you for a long time and I am convinced that you have used the funds of the bank to speculate in the breadstuffs of the country. When you won, you divided the profits amongst you, and when you lost, you charged it to the bank. You tell me that if I take the deposits from the bank and annul its charter, I shall ruin ten thousand families. That may be true, gentlemen, but that is your sin! Should I let you go on, you will ruin fifty thousand families, and that would be my sin! You are a den of vipers and thieves."
Spectre,
Where indeed is Andrew Jackson? (or any politician with integrity).
Rory
Rory, from Larry Flynt of all people. He nails what's wrong with America. It's not left vs. right but rather the rich vs. everybody else. The whole thing is worth a read:
Common Sense 2009
The American government -- which we once called our government -- has been taken over by Wall Street, the mega-corporations and the super-rich. They are the ones who decide our fate. It is this group of powerful elites, the people President Franklin D. Roosevelt called "economic royalists," who choose our elected officials -- indeed, our very form of government. Both Democrats and Republicans dance to the tune of their corporate masters. In America, corporations do not control the government. In America, corporations are the government.
This was never more obvious than with the Wall Street bailout, whereby the very corporations that caused the collapse of our economy were rewarded with taxpayer dollars. So arrogant, so smug were they that, without a moment's hesitation, they took our money -- yours and mine -- to pay their executives multimillion-dollar bonuses, something they continue doing to this very day. They have no shame. They don't care what you and I think about them. Henry Kissinger refers to us as "useless eaters."
But, you say, we have elected a candidate of change. To which I respond: Do these words of President Obama sound like change?
"A culture of irresponsibility took root, from Wall Street to Washington to Main Street."
There it is. Right there. We are Main Street. We must, according to our president, share the blame. He went on to say: "And a regulatory regime basically crafted in the wake of a 20th-century economic crisis -- the Great Depression -- was overwhelmed by the speed, scope and sophistication of a 21st-century global economy."
This is nonsense.
The reason Wall Street was able to game the system the way it did -- knowing that they would become rich at the expense of the American people (oh, yes, they most certainly knew that) -- was because the financial elite had bribed our legislators to roll back the protections enacted after the Stock Market Crash of 1929.
Congress gutted the Glass-Steagall Act, which separated commercial lending banks from investment banks, and passed the Commodity Futures Modernization Act, which allowed for self-regulation with no oversight. The Securities and Exchange Commission subsequently revised its rules to allow for even less oversight -- and we've all seen how well that worked out. To date, no serious legislation has been offered by the Obama administration to correct these problems.
(SNIP)
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/larry-flynt/common-sense-2009_b_264706.html
Spectre,
Interesting article, I never had Larry down for a class warrior.
Rory
Gentleman, I think Larry Flynt has been reading my postings over the last couple of years. I have been writing exactly what he wrote since 2007--when the collapse began to roll over the average American, as well as those workers around the globe like a steamroller. Go back and read my posting titled The World's Biggest Ponzi Scheme.
jerry
Jerry, yes indeed. You saw it as well as anyone else who could think on their feet which unfortunately for us was way too few to stop the debacle. I just thought it was strange that a pornographer can see this but nobody in govt. can. If we exchange 535 porn stars for the clowns in office, I don't think we do any worse than the ship of fools running things. That's the story.
Spectre,
Gosh! The thought of 535 porn stars running a country makes me laugh. I don't think you are far off the mark though. The US govt is bought and paid for.
I know I am speaking as a foreigner, but our own Irish govt is no better. They are about to spend over a whole years tax returns bailing out a bunch of totally irresponsible bankers and property developers. It's criminal. They are stealing the wealth of a whole generation.
Rory
Now I know why the 500 will be built in Mexico. The rank and file must be thrilled with such brave leadership from the AFL-CIO. As Darth said, "the circle is complete". A snip from the WSJ:
BY JON HILSENRATH
The Federal Reserve chose a labor leader to succeed a former Goldman Sachs executive as the chairman of the Federal Reserve Board of New York's private-sector board of directors.
Denis Hughes, president of the New York state branch of the AFL-CIO, had been serving as acting chairman of the New York Fed board since May, when Stephen Friedman stepped down from the position.
SPECTRE, you are right about your point about the irony of a porn business magnet seeing through the masquerade set up by mostly men in suits pretending to be upstanding pillars of the community by serving as G-Men. No doubt, having workers of porn pictures serve instead of the Grand Pretenders might be a better choice, since the current G-Men are actually whores of a different, more evil kind.
Rory, it sure sounds like your home country's G-Men went to the same school of thievery that our dirty assortment attended.
jerry
While everyone mourns the death of Ted Kennedy, let me be the first to say that my heart goes out to the Kopechnes, not sure if the parents are even alive today, but if so, they must feel like a weight has been lifted from their lives. To watch him parade around like a strutting COCK all these years while she became worm food is still sickening to me, and shows that aristocracy was and is alive and well in this country.
My heart also goes out to his family for the loss of someone they loved. I just didn't want to forget the life of a young woman who never got to do the things we all dream of as young people. She was an American Citizen that was treated like a non person upon her death by the very people sworn to protect and defend the innocent.
SPECTRE,
You are so correct that those with money, power, status, and more are able to buy their declared innocence, while the masses are typically found guilty.
BoyBush goes AWOL, and ends up quietly transferred into a minimal duty position, and later, magically finds his records missing.
jerry
Jerry, I agree 1000% on boybush. Pure bullshit from another dynasty. I just found this, and it shows we are so screwed unless something changing rather quickly:
Wall Street has taken over the Government
Consider what multibillionaire banker David Rockefeller wrote in his 2002 memoirs:
"Some even believe we are part of a secret cabal working against the best interests of the United States, characterizing my family and me as 'internationalists' and of conspiring with others around the world to build a more integrated global political and economic structure -- one world, if you will. If that's the charge, I stand guilty, and I am proud of it."
Read Rockefeller's words again. He actually admits to working against the "best interests of the United States.
Need more? Here's what Rockefeller said in 1994 at a U.N. dinner: "We are on the verge of a global transformation. All we need is the right major crisis, and the nations will accept the New World Order." They're gaming us. Our country has been stolen from us.
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