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from:msnbc.comAs financial firms navigate a life more closely connected to government aid and oversight than ever before, they increasingly turn to Washington, D.C.
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Keep that fleecing of America going folks ;) Pretty soon you're going to run out of other peoples' money to spend too.
Most of the Millionaires and Billionaires, have made there money with hard work. In fact, without that group, you would have NO ONE buying anything and NO ONE to offer you a job other than the government.
Obviously there are crooks, but there are crooks in every facet of this world ESPECIALLY the GOVERNMENT of the USA.
If you think you can just hang out and expect a handout, you have a rude awakening cumming to you. NOT EVEN OBAMA will do that!!!!!
NO, I am not a Millionare or a Billionaire BUT do KNOW people who are and have very reputable business's that you more than likely use.
Observer, I don't know what world you live in, but most people with money today were born with money. Yes there are the exceptions that get lucky and od quite well for themselves, but very few of them were born in inner city ghettoes or in Appalachia. Get real and see the world as it truly is. Very few independent people have the resources to compete with a corporation. The people at the top control over 20% of the wealth and will do everything they can to keep it.
Oh no, another one that thinks the greedy rich have done it all by themselves with "Hard Work". Such a falsehood. They made it by being members of the "good ole boys club", structuring laws in their favor, busting the unions and stagnating wages to the middle class for 30 years, buying off politicians, and generally cheating and stacking the deck.
American capitalism counts on one thing for keeping the peace. A fair balance of income. The pendulum has swung to the wealthy side for 30 years and had become so severe that a majority of Americans became sick of it. That is why Obama won. Now our president is trying to swing that pendulum back to a middle and balanced position. With all of the arguing, deception and partisan wrangling, it is still important that that pendulum start to swing back lest we end up like Mexico with no middle class. Mexico has a rich and powerful upperclass and a lower class, with nothing other than a token and tiny middle class in between. Many of the wealthy would have no problem living behind their guarded walls while the rest of the country descends into drug wars, bribes and political assassinations. I am not.
It's time people started realizing that America is like a big boat. If you stack all of your cargo on one side, the boat will capsize.
If you like living in a relatively safe and beautiful America that balance has to come back to the center. Otherwise start building moats and walls around your castle because this is going to get rough.
Dan
"The industry is bending over backward to give policymakers at Treasury and elsewhere a heads-up on . . . any big thing that's going on."
Lets see how all this insider information is used, possibly to enrich our politicians like Chris Dodd like when he converted his portfolio to cash after his meeting with the FED with information about the banking failures coming, or could it possibly be used to get in on the ground floor of the next scheme coming for personal enrichment.
I just don't see this sort of unholy alliance of Washington and Wall Street as benfiting anyone other than the players from only those two teams.
Regulation is needed but this revolving door has to be closed and locked.
Not entirely true. You're assuming the mega rich are like Bill Gates and that's just nonesense. Many of the mega rich are robber barons who tore up the corporate world and sold it off in the 70's and 80's. Many of them practice extortion by buying up debt in 3rd world countries and jacking up interest rates on the poor. http://www.democracynow.org/2007/2/15/vulture_fund_company_seeks_40_million
Also the mega rich are heavily subsidized by the taxpayer. http://www.freelunchthebook.com/
The ASSumption that the mega rich give us well paying jobs in return for illegal businesses practices is a pipe dream. The truth is they incorporate themselves into companies , dilute their personal assets from the IRS, and make the taxpayer foot the bill for them to stay in business.
Mircrosoft Sucks,
I agree. It's not just one or two, the greed and corruption is at the level of corporate, with a bevy of lawyers spliting hairs. It's capitalism, alright. More than that, it's an illegal trade, its boils down to monopolies!
What I see is 32 czars on the government side and Wall Street going to Washington. No taxation with representation, people that is very close to communism. We've already seen how that works now, haven't we.
Last year, we watched capitalism run rampant come to a head and explode in our faces about a year ago now. Many would have you believe that Socialism and or Communism is the opposite of Capitalism, IT IS NOT! But first...
I'm no "FEAR MONGER". I'm not preaching fear, I'm looking at it as it is: Health Care has been in trouble for a long time but then Health Care went to Wall Steet, right along with Social Security and Medicade. Our mortgages followed. Oh, yes they did... the very minute they told us we were going to base the worth of our money on Stocks and Bonds.
Talking strictly mortgages for a minute, what gets me is the fact that average Americans signed a contract, in good faith, to purchase their houses on time with a mortgage company and it was the banks who blew the contract, not the average Joe or Joddie but we pay because they flagrantly used our own government's protection for the average person and Greenspan let them do it, knowing full well the consequences!
~ Most Americans, didn't have to do anything bad to get foreclosed or lose their jobs. And I find it odd so many lost their homes before they lost their jobs. They busted Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (OUR PROTECTION!) whoogh doggies, that's upside down, but that says allot government wise and FEDERAL RESERVE wise, in fact it screams government takeover! It was a great fleecing and it continued with the bail outs. And it still continues every day by spending money we DO NOT HAVE; By the fact, and this is fact, that OUR GOVERNMENT IS BROKE but blabbering about health care reform when our jobs are going down the toilet!!! Let us create JOBS and the rest will fall into place with the American people at the helm, not 32 czars and the corporate congomerate. Let our government concentrate on what it is supposed to do, govern. That's not fear mongering.
Health care is in great need of change but I don't want my government in business, any business! Yet, now we have 32 business czars!!! Come on! We didn't vote these people in, I don't care who they are! I don't care if their s*&@ smells like roses, I don't want a bunch of thugs, and that's what they will turn into, running this country!
Capitalism cannot stand on it's own but Socialism doesn't control it... Socialism has been proven to be the greatest robber of the masses with the greatest difference between the haves and havenots. Marx said after Capitalism takes over, Socialism/Communism must take it's place. WHAT!!!!!? Karl Marx was just a man who studied society and this was his theory, HIS THEORY, a theory he put into action he made it true, he created it!!! It doesn't automatically follow, he made it follow. DUGH! Because he believed the study of Society should be based on one of action, so he changed society.
A democratic Republic can quell the beast, if they remember what money actually is and use it as a tool, not to rule.
We should allow the insurance companies to compete across state lines but one of the greatest problems we have are MONOPOLIES!!!!!!!!! We must bust the monopolies! Monopolies must not be allowed. And we must have Tort Reform. This is too much money, too much control and too much power in the hands of coroprates, which, in turn leads to World Government. And that, people would be disasterous! But tell me how we, as "Consumers" under rampant capitalism without our Democratic Republic protecting us (they are bankrupt) can boycott an International monopoly?
That is unless, and I don't know if this would be possible, all workers united in the cause to bust these bankers, coroprate monopolies and social engineers. Something along the lines of World Wide Labor Force United or, for short, the WWW-FU ! Like that's going to happen.
We are going to have to stand up and concentrate on the USA. Fact is, we have a growing Federal Government and we don't have any jobs being created. It's almost as if we are being forsed to accept whatever change comes along under the old beggars can't be choosers rule of thumb and I don't like the smell of that, something really sinks in D.C. I don't know if Obama knows he's being used or not. Frankly, at this point, I don't care any more. Get these czars out and get Wall Street out of Washington! They have got to go! And for cripes sakes, we aren't at war any more! NO MORE! Get that power away and out of the hands of the President!
sygh...
The citizens don't want any of what you are talking, about , not really.
It is really unfortunate, but if you go back on the internet blogs at different times during the last twenty years, and to the newspaper letters to the editors before that, you find what the average citizen actually wanted and still wants.
Clear back to Truman, people were warned that Social Security would not survive under the current set-up past 2015. People publicly expressed their disbelief. Every administration since has also warned the same thing, and also expressed concern that the health care industry was going to increase to an unsustainable point. Again, people continue to say everything is fine.
When Reagan removed regulations from the financial sector, people were in favor of this move, thinking they would make more money and have a better life. When experts warned about the developing global economy, people were delighted about the opportunity to purchase foreign-made goods at cheaper prices and abandoned the companies making American goods as too expensive. American companies lobbied to also have the opportunity to move out of the country so they could stay competitive. People voted their approval for this with their wallets.
No one wanted laws for anything. They knew they were overspending, overeating, and over-speculating in their investments, but life was too much fun to be concerned. Everything that smacked of regulation was reviled by the American people as too much government intrusion into people's private lives.
When Paulson stood there and told everyone the world as they knew it would end if we did not bail out the financial sector, people flooded their elected representatives to not let that happen. But they objected t any regulations, so today, the financial sector is right back where it was, salaries, bonuses, profits and all. And even though most people aren't, they still are opposing ANY regulations to prevent the same thing from happening again.
When people were told that the auto industry would fail, and after all, the auto industry had begun in America and needed to remain in America, people again voiced their approval on all the blogs. But then when the "clunkers" program gave them a chance to support their "Buy American" rhetoric, the research now shows they bought foreign-made cars.
They decry the presence of illegals, but support the very American industries that hire them because their goods are cheaper, even when these businesses are putting their competitors, who are operating legally, out of business.
They shake their heads and offer a "Tsk, tsk" when they hear people are suffering or dying because health insurance companies can do as they please with their customers, but they absolutely will not tolerate even a regulation on the pre-existing condition clauses.
And they complain about the lack of jobs, even now, when there is billions of dollars available for just that, and yet they will not do the local work required to get the money into their communities. On this last point, I can personally attest to the fact that many individuals in many communities have quietly done just that. Mine is one, just a small unknown inner city community. We are creating those new green small businesses no one wants. We are taking empty lots donated by the city and building green energy houses, to increase our affordable housing. We are doing the same with abandoned and foreclosed houses. We have set up programs to help people avoid foreclosure, and retrofitted the homes of senior citizens and others on fixed incomes so their meters run backwards or at least run very slowly, so they can afford their utilities.
We are reinventing our schools so they actually teach something besides a test, and in doing so, tried an experiment which reduced the drop-out rate in one school from 42% to 6% in one year. We have not had any teacher layoffs, and in fact will need to hire more. We are kicking people off their welfare butts and into the many new jobs we are creating. We are using our adult education programs to retrain our unemployed for these jobs. There is much more, and yes, it is stimulus money we are grabbing for and getting.
In short, we decided to take back our tax dollars (and anyone else's who doesn't go after it) to build the 21st century community we all want to live in. We did this by putting aside our differences, political, racial, religious, etc. and deciding to be a united community, set on our own survival. We are now going after more stimulus money to finish installing EMR systems throughout our county, because we have already proven how it decreases all our medical costs, and improves our quality of care.
Everything we are doing creates jobs. But most of all it creates hope.
So while the rest of the country continues to think of worse names to call each other and who to blame, and where to protest, and looking for everybody and anybody to include, even those with Nazi signs, "birthers", "deathers", people who advocate shooting their neighbors or another terrorist attack, but all of them people who are waiting for the government to take care of their problems, we are solving our own. Most of us are also raising families and some are still working fulltime jobs. But our empty store fronts are coming to life again, and we are increasing our tax base one project at a time.
The government gave everyone an opportunity, but only a few are interested in really working for that. It is easier to sit on one's butt, yell at meetings, or march in the street and complain that the government is not doing enough. We could change the entire make-up of elected officials, but if the citizens do not want to do anything to help themselves, nothing will change. This country was built on personal responsibility, ingenuity, hard work, and problem-solving. We are one of the few places that still believes in "one nation, under God, indivisible", and we are the ones really taking our country back. We think our founding fathers would be proud of us.
keep the lobbiest out of washington, and put america back to work pretty soon the paper money won't be worth the ink its printed on !!! banks buying each other up , and the housing market is going to be in worse shape than ever before , people with no jobs no insurance no money in the bank nothing to do , but rob banks and other people i have seen and heard people ask will this keep my acct open ,or is there enough to cash a small check and so many people young and old crying at the loan officer at the bank about cars loans, house loans credit card problems , unpaid bills that they took a 50 dollar fee for no funds , most of these people work most all their lives and seen all the 401 ks disappear, saving accts , and some of these people had good money in the bank an it went down an down to pennies in the bank the cash for clunckers was a big rip off of the money from the tax payers , loan market was another all that money so they can give bonuses and have vacations , trips every where and the taxpayers are flipping the bill and nothing was done , now our children have to pay for it I SAY THE NEXT MONEY GIVEN OUT SHOULD BE TO THE TAX PAYERS LIKE 40 THOUSAND DOLLARS EACH . we would buy the cars and houses pay off the cards , loans create jobs build new busineses, feed the people , insurance too . problem solved . besides if you loaned the money to the banks an wall street like we did look what happend more money spent an problem still here !!!!!!! its going to happend again no more money for banks or mortaged companies let them go under . i may be right or wrong ????
Howard
You may be right, had you just given the Trillions of dollars to the people they would have that money to pay thier bills and buy cars etc. and the money would have ended up at the banks anyway, resulting in non governmental involvemnt in actually running the financial industry. It is said our economy runs on people spending and consuming, this would have accomplished that and everyone would have benefited, banks, consumers and the various government entities in the form of sales tax collected etc.
ONe other thing to consider...with the banking industry now playing directly in Washington...watch the amount of funds given to either congress or their respective parties go up to ensure that that the banking industry controls washington even more with most likely fewer control and regulations passed to hamper them in their quest for profits.
True. They'll try and control as many as the healthcare industry now controls. Funny that the healthcare industry is all about profits, in part because of the pressure to perform well on the stock market. Our economic system is buggered.
Not only that, but has anyone stopped to think that while the "government", controls wallstreet. Who holds practically all the notes on Washington and this country now? China! They have been pumping money into this country for quite awhile now and we have a massive debt to that country as a result of loans made to us by them. What happens when they decide to collect. If we refuse, they go to the World Trade Organization and file charges in the world court. Who do you think they will decide in favor of? The rest of the world views americans as arrogant and they would like nothing more than to see us go under and seize our country. The fox is in our hen house and he has got a big appetite. While we are fighting amoung ourselves the rest of the world is patiently waiting and licking their lips in anticipation of our demise.
P.R.
I think it's worse than that; I think there is an absolute plan for a New World Order, a One World Government. Look into what Alan Greenspan was referring to when he said, we have to go through with our plans and then later saying, we can't stop now. It started with NAFTA in the early 90's, signed into existance in 1994. The Federal Reserve was pushing it all through that decade. Our jobs went out of country. I remember reading that first reference by Greenspan about going through with the plans back in 2000 and then hearing him speak about this again back in 2005.
It's not just that but one only has to look back to the 70's when , home buyers were paying about 3.5 times the price of their earnings for a home, that's because the Federal Reserve put a cap on the amount of money a person was qualified to receive as a loan. Greenspan didn't put any caps on appraisals or loans and he pushed ARMS; thus, there no regulations or laws put in place meant to protect Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac from a massive implosion and subsequent Reserve takeover.
Nor, was it to drive any specific election because all of this started back in 1993. It has been made to LOOk like it was, it has served that purpose as well but that hasn't been the driving force.
So, basically this confirms that Wall Street has (successfully) ignored Washington (regulation) for years.
Now that there is some slim possibility that there might actually be some minimal regulation, they start courting DC. Lobbyists and payola. So, things are likely to actually get worse! Wonderful news!
Anyone who thinks that these Wall Street types are moral or ethical just because they wear suits and talk nice is delusional. But, that is what we continue to get - "self-regulating markets".
I worked on Wall Street. They are not moral or ethical. Doesn't even come up in their minds. They are self-aggrandising capitalist bags of greed that not too long ago liked being called "masters of the universe". Sheisters of the universe is more like it. They ran our nation into the ditch, laughing all the way. You have to wonder what they are teaching these idiots at places like Wharton and Harvard Business School.
Well, Mark, if you think that Wall Street has the corner on the 'greed' market, you obviously have been ignoring Congress.
Capitalism is freedom and opportunity. Socialism is the first step toward Communism.
capitalism is freedom only to those who can afford it.
Patriot,
You hit the nail on the head with the word "regulation". I just don't think it was ignored. It got to the point where there wasn't hardly any thanks to big business, their lobbyists and greedy politicians.
I imagine you think that your cute little quip is clever, but you obviously, to your own detriment, have no grasp of economics.
In a capitalist society, each successive crisis can only be overcome "by paving the way for more extensive and more destructive crisis". The problem is rooted in the nature of capitalism itself. Karl Marx
CGR,
Show me a moral Capitalist and I'll show you one of two things... a poor man or a dead man.
Capitalism is neither freedom or opportunity, it is the means by which we trade our goods! It isn't even a form of Government. It is a bartering system! It should never even be referred to as an ISM; it should NEVER BE ALLOWED TO GAIN SUCH A FOOTHOLD WITHIN A GOVERNMENT! That's what everyone forgets!
We are a Democratic Republic! We get our freedoms from the Constitution we agreed to run our country under. That is where you get what you refer to as freedom. You better look to see what freedoms you are losing right now though. In this, I agree with you. 32 Czars and Wall Street in Washington. Who needs lobbyists?
Do your history homework and see how much we were influenced by what was happening in France. That movement is where Socialism and Communisim was born as well. We don't have to take this route. It's all theory put into motion.
And bodo,
Karl Marx was a social crisis theorist, in fact, he created the crisis theory. Marx believed that all change in society was based on crisis. He came up with his own solutions, based on what he saw as a crisis between the haves and the havenots of his time. He implemented his manifesto,it didn't just happen. And Communisim didn't just follow, it was implemented. It is flawed as most are and always will be because humans are flawed.
The study of Societies is supposed look at the way things REALLY are, not how they are supposed to be. Many sociologists think they are responsible for writing the way it should be, based on what they find; Karl Marx was one of them.
THIS SHOULD HORRIFY EVERY SINGLE AMERICAN!
WALL STREET REPRESENTS CAPITALISM AND LIBERTY! THE VERY THING THAT MADE THIS COUNTRY GREAT!
NOW WALL STREET IS CRAWLING TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT!!!
PRAY FOR AMERICA! LET'S GET OUR COUNTRY BACK!!!
there is no liberty for anyone if wallstreet controls the gov't.
cgr,
Capitalism isn't what made us great. Once again, it was our form of government! I agree with you that the above you have put into quotation is not good at all but I'm not going to be scared because I see for what it is, it is Socialism, actually jumping almost straight into Communism. Money is a tool used to wield an economy, not a form of greatness and freedom. We must separate the two in order to understand what's happening here. The bigger picture is one of creating a One World Order.
That has been the plan since the fall of the Wall, actually before that. We've been following modern day social engineers, specifically the NWO types as well as the semi-modern modes of ruling a people, that being: Fascism, democracy, democratic republics, Socialism, Communism, Despotism, Oligarchies, etc... Karl Marx said that after Capitalism comes Socialism and then Communism. Oh, really? Why? Just because he said it? He, in fact made it come true. Hummm. Personally, I can't think of one good reason to follow Marxism. I think his theory was flawed; while it was supposed to represent the people, and combat capitalism, it did the total opposite. It enslaved the people and created an even bigger gap between the haves and havenots, not to mention the people had no real say because the few had taken over and monopolized most every commodity needed to exist in civilized society. It's easy enough to control the masses when they are afraid of starving or freezing under any sort of government, I believe we have fared very well under our constitution, further, I also believe a Democratic Republic is the only current form of government that can stop Capitalists gone wild. But our government isn't doing that, they are supporting them so...
What's the real deal? What's the big plan?
Sorry I didn't correct my flawed writing. I hope you don't condemn me for it but rather take my meaning. However, I'll take the gig, I deserve it.
Sorry, but capitalism is an economic system, not a system of government. Our system of government is that of a Democratic Republic. Due to the electoral college, it cannot even be called a true democracy in which people choosetheir leaders through a direct vote. As an economic system, capitalism has been corrupted by the corporation and their entanglement in government. Corporations have no moral conscience and blame is easily deflected by those who are responsible for a corporations crimes. When our nation was formed we had the so called robber barons. When they did wrong at least everyone knew who was at fault. The same cannot be said of the corporations.
Good "JOBS", have AlWAYS BEEN THE KEY TO America's growth and success, and as the first gentleman said on this BLOG, (Colli), with OUT them, America indeed has a very gloomy future. I think our new President recognises this, but "HE" is hamstrung by the Washington bureaucrats, lobbyists, congress, financial and the industrialists, plus all the issues that cloud the future with people present expectations.....health care, credit and the insecurity of their present JOBS. Nobody it seems now, can predict their futures, for themselves or families.
More cheaper services or products from around then world, can not alleviate the present inviorement of NO MORE HOME GROWN JOBS, or "HOW" to create them. BIG Business is so firmly entrenched in their way of doing things by only considering their BOTTOM line, it's up to the little guys to swim or sink America's future. The dream is over, and unless reality sinks in, so is everybodys aspects of things ever getting any better.
Birds of a feather flock together. Just another reason we need a complete blood transfusion in Washington. I wish there was some type of legally binding OATH elected officials have to take stating that ANY collaboration or "pay-offs" by lobbyists and special interest groups warrants immediate dismissal.
Our government is just as corrupt and un-representative as any eveil empire I can think of. Here we are trying to tell other countries about human rights and the advantages of free-enterprise and THIS is what we have as an example? Crooks, thieves, liars, cheats. What's it gonna take people? Something like yesterday's 1-2 million people marching on Washington and re-enacting the Storming of the Bastille?
The Beev: Washington police estimated tens of thousands of protestors NOT 1-2 million. My questions to you is: WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO STOP DISTORTING THE TRUTH ON NEWSVINE TO MEET YOUR AGENDA AND COMMENT ON FACTS INSTEAD OF FICTION!!!!!
My Momma always said, "Decent people don't go into politics."
that explains why dumbama is in the roach (white) house .
Hey Bernie,
Fiction? Yeah ok...you're right!? The facts as you and those like you see them:
- the deficit isn't exploding and being added to everyday
- the size of the government is not exploding
- the bailout is working; that approaching 10% unemployement rate (in reality more like 13-14%) is an illusion and the unopposed levels of immigration do not contribute to it and all the billions were for reasonable projects
- Apologizing globally for being evil and to blame for all ills (in reality the greatest and most generous country in the world) makes perfect sense and is sure to lead to a world without violence and full of love, peace, and understanding
- the Omnibus Bill didn't include millions in pork
- the addition of 30+ Czars is perfectly acceptable; paid by whom? and for what (drive their ideology?) elected/vetted by whom? approved by Congress? and in violation of the Constitution is not occurring
- Cash for Clunkers was a boon and it wasn't a one time, short term spike. It did make a significant impact on the environment and helped US automakers.
- the bailouts never occurred
- ACORN is a perfectly fine, upstanding organization that does not endorse any political party (name one Independent/Republican they support?); that has not lied/cheated/violated the law to further their very leftist agenda and they've not received millions in our tax dollars. Have your ever even researched their history?
- this administration does not lean way left of mainstream America and they don't have a history of associations with far left radical individuals and organizations
- this administration does not govern (bailouts, budget, etc) with a focus on/on behalf of minority segments in our country - unions, radical left organizations (Move-on's etc.), atheists, environuts (of course, the opposing views regarding climate change are invalid and must be ignored despite the fact that there are as many opposing views as there are supporters of the theory) whose statistics used by supporters of the climate change theory have not been manufactured/skewed/misrepresented , and there aren't self serving supporters of the theory who are poised to make millions/billions (Gore, Pelosi, GE/NBC included) - that's ok though cuz they're not "capitalists"
- the government has not taken Social Security - billions/trillions? - of dollars (money that has been contributed for 50+ years by hard-working, legal Americans) and squandered it (taking from Peter to pay Paul to pay for billions of dollars worth of "social" programs) to the point of bankruptcy putting at risk the futures of millions of people who contributed to it and our children and our children's children (oh well, they'll be paying for the bailouts, potential healthcare bills, "pork", etc forever any way)
- and finally, sure there are no intentional omissions from the proposed healthcare bill and the CBO's (that's the Congressional Budget Office) estimates are all wrong and this is a bill that can be paid for by cutting waste and fraud in Medicare (let me understand this - they're aware their is millions in waste and fraud in Medicare but have done nothing to this point to eliminate it? Why? Why tie it to a bill, any bill? to this point why not correct it regardless?) And two amendments to require verification of citizenship have not been defeated by the Democrats. And this President has not said that his objective is a state run healthcare system (despite the tapes showing otherwise) since the government has done so well with Medicare, Cash for Clunkers, and Social Security, etc. And the estimates that it will actually only help a small percentage of the unisured is all wrong. And the arguments that instead of 46 million uninsured (including illegal aliens, those who choose to be uninsured, etc) there are closer to 12-15 million who truly need help is all wet. And so you're right it makes perfect sense to destroy an entire system (with which 80% of Americans are satisfied/pleased with) rather than to put in place a system to help that small percentage that truly needs help.
One last word about this proposed healthcare plan - just because it's not in there doesn't mean it's not there! "Death Panels" vs "End of Life Counselling" ---- semantics.
This is all about control over ever-increasing parts of our lives. The government wants its' citizenry to be totally dependent on them for there is the power. Democrats and now more so the liberal democrats have always believed (and have succeded in their own communities) in creating an atmosphere of entitlement, making the people reliant on the government - a environment that in today's society encourages more and more hangers-on from this country and others.
Bernie, above are the facts as you and those like you wish to see them. You and those like you best get your heads out of the sand before it's too late. Of course, you may be one of those hangers-on that want the government to take care of you from cradle to grave on everyone elses' dollars.
artc
I am glad you put it into context for certain of the population to see and maybe, just maybe, they will wake up and see our government for what it is, a bunch of egominiacal criminals that think they are above the law.
I will not vote for one incumbent come election time and though I know some possibly good ones may have to go, I believe a loud and sincere message needs to be sent to Washington that they are there to represent the people not themselves.
This article, if true, makes me want to cry and lament for our nation, the United States of America.
The army of Corporate Criminal Traitors are making their final assault on Washington.
They are presenting themselves as the unabashed, blatant and well armed (unlimited cash) brigades of conquerers who will buy whomever we elect.
It does not matter which party holds sway.
It does not matter which party holds office.
It does not matter whom we elect to carry out our wishes.
It does not matter what the founding principles, laws, tenets, precepts or mores of the nation's citizens are.
The corner offices will be filled with cash-wielding criminals who are expressly there to steal our country.
Our morality lacking, ethically bereft, weak-kneed politicians WILL succumb.
America will need decades of TAPS to reflect this moment.
So true, unfortunately. But I did notice a few hundred thousand people who feel the same as you protesting. Let us keep up the awarness and protests, vote them ALL out, and bring real change. This is how the revolution started in the mid 1700's. It looks like people are starting to feel the same way about our current government.
Now don't get me wrong, I'm not a revolutionary or a radical. I support change via the vote, and if we all vote them out, we can bring change. If not, vote them out again, and again and again, until we get it right. It's our country, NOT THEIRS alone.
All the Bankers and thieves will set up their political whorehouses in Washington so they can funnel bailout money back to Congress.
American's have been conditioned to believe Socialism is evil and Capitalism is good. I grew up cringing at the word "socialism". However, when I began thinking for myself, I realized I had been conditioned by our government, run by big business and the wealthy upper class, to hate any aspect of socialism for their benefit. Capitalism is based on the "Golden Rule". He who has the money makes the rules.Â
There are good and bad aspects of both philosophies when carried to extremes. Although we are conditioned to hate all aspects of socialism, our country with it's capitalist leaders and citizens had no probem with instituting income tax, social security and medicare which are all socialist concepts. Why did the capitalists allow the socialist ideas. Because as much as they would like to be self sufficient as a class, they cannot exist without the middle class and lower class to perform the everyday maintenence of society. No society can exist without practices that can be defined as socialist.
The objective of many capitalists at the top is to control government and big business for the preservation of wealth and power by their elite group. Most of these people do not work for a paycheck, they just shuffle money, investments and power  thereby controlling the lives of all other Americans. They don't want the average american getting involved in their processes because they consider us the "ignorant masses". Based on some of the comments I have read, it is easy to see why they hold that opinion.
When we allow ourselves to be indoctrinated to believe that only one form of goverment is good, only one political party is good, only one nation is good, only one race is good or only one religion is good... we have been manipulated. We have allowed ourselves to become a part of the "ignorant masses" to be controlled by the will of the benefactors of that doctrine. That is not freedom.
Since we all know we cannot totally trust what comes out of a politician's mouth when he or she seeks election, we have to use something other than their words in determining which political philosophy is currently needed in the Whitehouse. It may not always be the same.Â
 If you believe as I do that "ye shall know them by their works", it behooves every American to look back over the last 50 or 60 years and see how our lives and our economy was affected by the policies of the different administrations.
There are Universities throughout our country who have performed studies of how the different philosophies of our two major parties affected the growth, wealth and debt of our nation. These studies are easily available on the internet. Check out several.
Armed with this information, we can make our OWN decision about which party is needed to lead. We should cast our vote, based not on prejudices but, on the facts that control our lives. We will become a little less "the ignorant masses".
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which political party will be best for our economy
Capitalism and Socialism are capable of producing both good and evil.Â
mazie,
I understand what you are saying but Capitalism is a bartering system, a banking system, if you will, while Socialism is a form of government and neither are philosophies. You are comparing apples to something completely different, more along the lines of apples and gorillas, not a good analogy but... neither is your train of thought. However, you are trying to understand, just like we all are. As far as creating a Socialist government is concerned, or creating a government health plan is concerned, I couldn't disagree with you more. We don't need to change our form of government, we need to rein in capitalism, the absolute opposite of what we are doing right now.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with our Constitution other than we should add the rights of Nature into our Civil Rights because this is what we have found we are going to have to consentrate on for many years to come. Why are we focusing on changing our form of government when that's not the problem?
And yes, in civilization, we do need to work on projects which take cooperation and combined finances, that's what keeps our civilization together. But no form of leadership should take away the right of the individual, none because history has taught us, one individual can actually change the world. To ignore the individual is to ignore life itself. Individuals see on a micro scale what society, as a whole, be it our corporate or government levels often neglect. If you want to refer to the individual as the canary in the coal mine, though that would work. But one of the greatest assests an individual has is the the capacity to go from the micro to the macro in thought.
In our contemporary American society, it is not possible for Mr Smith to become President any more, even if he is the most qualified ~because of money. In a Democratic Republic or a Socialist or Communist or any form of government, when capitalism (the monetary system we use to create both civil and private projects) gets out of hand and the tail starts wagging the dog, we've got trouble! It stems from bad policy and corruption within the system, along with the terriffic lag time between the deed and the affect it has on the population. it doesn't mean the system is bad, it means it has been corrupted through and by some power behind money.
Money is nothing. Nothing! It gains it's value by the product or, what or who can be bought and sold with it. It can be used to make life saving widgets or deadly weapons. It can be held back as well, to force unnecessary or unwanted changes on a blind society. The fact that our society has expanded and we are dealing with global corporations makes doing anything about it very hard, in one way but very simple in another.
We don't mistake one thing for another. Our government was created for purposes of civility. Our government wasn't created to go into business. Money is what we use to buy and sell. The stock market is a gambling casino, not a savings and loan. We don't gamble with our homes and we don't allow our government to gamble with our homes or our lands. They have and they are doing more of it. We are not a capitalist society but capitalists have told us we are, in fact they have rammed it down our throats! Lobbyists have over-run DC and DC, in turn has supported their corporate monopolistic efforts.
Why? What's the big picture? Is it stupidity? Are we supposed to believe Greenspan when he tells us, he didn't take greed into consideration when every policy was set up to blow Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac out of the water? Ya know, what's happening in Washington today has very little to do with the changes we need, what I see is a three ring circus.
We should be busy changing the world with an Energy Revolution, we have the technology...why are we being purposely held back? We certainly aren't lacking in man power. WHY? Why aren't we doing what we need to be doing? Why are we focusing on changing our government? WHY? WHY? WHY?
Whether it is Congress or the President there is nothing being done.
WILD. there is somethings they do like plan their vacations, raises and what can they do to get more money and tax's.
Why not go to Washington? There's a sucker born every minute, and they eventually find their way into Congress.
Of course they're coming to DC. It's a lot easier to be handed money than reform their businesses and earn it. KACHING! This administration and this Congress are their ATM, and we the taxpayers pay the bills. What a sweet deal they got. No wonder they invested so much to Obama's campaign. Now it's payback time.
I believed so much in Obama as a representative of change. I cannot believe how wrong I was, and how blatently he lied to us. This bailout, stimulus and health care reform isn't change, it more of the same taken to the nth degree worse. I wish I could have gone to the protest yesterday, I'm very unhappy with the way our government is performing, and I cannot wait until 2010/2012 so I can help vote them out. Until then, I am a good American, and will hope and pray that things get better, and will not disrespect my President, but I don't have to agree with him. PS: Calling someone who lies a liar, is not disrespectful, it's speaking the truth.
Wall Street crawling to the Feds to navigate ? LOL - Geithner , Bernanke these guys are the clowns of the universe. A very pathetic day in the United States when this country began this descent into this black hole. If this is true we are now embracing socialism and trashing capitalism. We need quickly to get back to our roots of what made this country great ,personal libertys and freedom. Not big government running our lives
BOHICA! Anybody with any common sense would know this would happen after the first bailouts.
How can ANYONE in their right mind trust or believe ANYTHING coming out of the mouths of these forked-tongue snakes? Reps AND Dems alike. They have ZERO credibility, zero ethics and scruples. 95% of them have one thing in common...they are one level above the lowly cockroach....LAWYERS. It's gotten to the point seeing and hearing any politician makes me want to puke in disgust. Pathetic excuses for mankind, to think that since mankind set foot on this planet that THIS is what we've evolved too? Talk about a great experiment gone terribly wrong.
I assume you mean power puke:)
Government does not create wealth it just redistributes it. Government should not be the one creating jobs-it should be the private sector since that is where wealth is created. Government should make the rules of the game not play in the game. The smaller the government the less money it needs and the more money left in private sector for wealth creation. When government demands capital it takes it away from private sector-less to build wealth and less for goods to be bought by the common man. So sad we are going in the opposite direction. Health, energy, you name it all going into larger government. Just the health care bill alone will create 53 brand new Federal agencies-Come on folks wake up it is a bad idea to have this big of a government.
That's a frightening statement. The wolf is not only watching the hen house, but now it's living in the hen house. Anyone who does not see a problem with this is probably naive enough to actually trust this government.
It looks to me as though some of those who caused the wreck are now in the driver's seat again. They are moving into the District of Columbia, not to be closer regulated, but to run the show and pick the pockets of the taxpayers once again. Government, contrary to the doctrine that is being spread, does not control business, it is the other way around. As long as this is allowed, the pocket picking will continue. Only when we get some people who refuse to pander to the "financial wizards" and enforce the rules instead, will things even think about turning around. The current term "jobless recovery" is an oxymoron; there can be no recovery until people are working again and at jobs that pay a decent wage. Those who even suggest such a thing, should be paying us, not the other way around. Those who say such a thing should be struggling to survive like the millions of unemployed and underemployed. My guess is that those who are paid to set monetary policy in this country would see things differently if they were on the outside looking in. So now, the "financial wizards" are moving into Washington to get more money from the taxpayers. They are not there to obey the rules, but to change the rules so that they can fleece the taxpayers even more. Enough said!!
What do you expect when elections require that in order to run for public office you have to have mega-wealth to run a campaign? No way can Joe-Blow, who just wants to make this country better, do his time as a public servant, bide by the constitution and vote his conscience not his pocket-book, ..no way can someone with good intentions even consider running for public office. So you got a bunch of stuffy, arrogant, greedy, power-mongers to choose from. Something is rotten people and it's not in Denmark.
We need a campaign to vote them all out. Every single one of them. Then we will get change.
Beev
I recently read an article in my local community about a candidate running for mayor who had an interview request forwarded to him by the local paper, he declined saying the paper had to first go through his campaign manager to screen the questions, the reason, so he could stay on message and speak inadvertantly ( the last is my addition)
So it seems, even in local politics nobody says what they truly believe, just what they think will get them elected. Speaks volumes for the quality of people that want to RULE the masses doesn't it?
The thieves are sucking up to the authorities! I'm sure there are some fat campaign contributions accompanying them to DC.
Without strict regulation, Wall Street will just screw up the economy again and again until there is nothing left. You can't trust the investment community so they must be kept on a short leash.
Please, let me be clear regarding my opinion, the deep despair that I feel toward this nation's government. I love the principles and the methods utilized by our founding fathers to create a great nation.
Their vision, especially of the House of Representatives was to nurture and promote a nation governed by its own people. The House was to be a representative body of "common" men, the Senate a house of learned patricians.
The Administration was to be exactly what the word implies, the administrator of the country's affairs, fiscal, military and humanitarian.
The Courts were to be the interpretors and enforcers of the nation's laws.
They were to share and collectively provide government.
The BIG culprit here is NOT Mr. Obama or his staff, NOT any individual in the House or Senate nor any member of the Judicial.
In my opinion, the criminals, pirates, thieves, usurpers, traitors, liars, enlavers, facists here are CORPORATIONS! They sour and disease everything they touch because their leaders and directors are UTTERLY without morals, ethics or positive human principles of any kind.
Rousting Mr. Obama will NOT accomplish ANYTHING! Supporting him could accomplish a lot. The propoganda and mind-bending/mindnumbing/brainwashing techniques being employed by the corporations and their minions are classic in the annals of open psychological warfare...and YOU are falling for it hook, line and sinker!
My lament is directed EXCLUSIVELY at the ridiculous forebearance and blind eyes that Americans and their elected officials have cast to the insidious evil that CORPORATIONS bring to bear against the necessarily ivory tower form of government that we all crave.
These companies, in their greed and power-hunger are indirectly and directly ATTACKING the United States from within! I have concluded that they are TRAITORS of the worst sort because they are comprised of American citizens. Their essential difference is that their PRIMARY ALLEGIANCES are to the monsters they serve, not their own country.
Each time one of our elected officials is obliged to spend time considering their points of view, whether it be in an office, a party or surreptitiosly in a darkened parking garage, it may be assumed that cash will be trading hands in some way and some where. THIS NEEDS TO STOP NOT EXPAND!!!!
As far as I am concerned, get off the bandwagon attacking those whom we lawfully elect and start COUNTER-ATTACKING the real enemy(s)!
REPEAL ANY LAW(S) REFERRING TO CORPORATIONS AS A PERSON.
OUTLAW CORPORATE DONATIONS OR GIFTING OF OR IN OUR GOVERNMENT IN ANY WAY.
OUTLAW PROFESSIONAL LOBBYING AND LOBBYISTS.
SUPPORT PUBLICLY FINANCED ELECTIONS.
LIMIT THE NUMBER OF LAWYERS WHO MAY SERVE IN ELECTED OFFICE BY PERCENTAGE.
OK? Do we understand each other? Obamabashing is NOT part of my agenda.
Obama bashing will not solve our problems. The policies adopted by our federal government under the Bush administration deepened the recession we find ourselves in. I don't say that to bash Bush either. But we must recognize the polices that hurt us and figure out alternative polices.
Corporations already are barred from giving political donations. However they can donate to polictical action committees (PAC). That should be banned as well. I doubt it will make much difference, since individuals run corporations and can raise salaries to allow the individual leaders of the organizations to make political contributions.
I started off with that policy change suggestion because I don't think that campaign reform is the answer. We need new policies. And I doubt that forcing our legislators to become more creative to maintain their position will make much difference in policy. We have to change their motivation.
Their motivation now is to increase their power hold. Approximately 50% of the current House and Senate members have been in office 10 years or over. Over 25% have been in office 15 years or more. 18% have been there over 20 years. Supreme court justices serve seemingly forever. These people forget the reason they are there and are motivated totally by power grabbing. We must limit terms. 10-12 years is as long as we need any federal official in the same capacity. Then maybe we will get policy change.
The policies started by the Bush administration and EXPANDED by the Obama administration include: bailouts of private businesses, increased government spending to boost the economy, increased involvement in the market that distorts the market and creates uncertainty. One person in the comments to this article even said we ought to basically stop world trade with tarriffs. That was done in the great depression and we got--the great depression.
So what should we do from here? Stabilize our laws and taxes. We don't need more, we need consistency. Constant law change creates uncertainty and uncertainty makes people and businesses go into their shell. Reduce big government. That means reduce spending and the involvement of federal government in big business. The federal govenment is not supposed to be a partner with private business. Break up GE, Bank of America, Citigroup, AIG, Verizon, AT&T, Exxon/Mobile, Blue Cross Blue Shield, and more to bring competition back into the market. Do NOT allow any more mergers.
That is the govenment's role in business, to make sure that we have a free market and that NO company is too big to fail or too big to alter the free market. Business is not the enemy, but these type of big businesses are. They are not better than big government.
Good ideas. I would strongly recommend adding term limits!
Once a person gets some seniority in Congress, their state constituents almost NEVER vote them out. The reason is that, with seniority, they get enough clout to steer money to their states! So, any person who can avoid getting caught taking payoffs on tape can stay forever!
This is clearly not in the best interests of the American people! Either term limints are needed, or a ban on the seniority system!
1623
Absolutely! But I'm not so sure Obama has our constitution at heart either, not when I see government run health care. Nope. The rest I agree with this should be done but it was "should be done" when he went into office too, and the term before that, and the term before that and the term before that, etc...
How is it the head of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are still marketable? These folks should be the focus of investigation not out doing more damage.
Greenspan, Paulson and Bernanke should be on trial as well. We've got some real corporate messes here, huge monopolies, huge! I don't think they want to deal with them, I think they want to grow them.
The Movement to take back our country is growing. We will not stop until the Obama nation is taken out of power
You do n't have a "Movement"!!!! you have a bunch of anti-american, pro-insurance industry, paid protestors who will do anything to see obama fail. If this was truly about spending you would have rallied against bush who grew the size of our federal government larger than any man in history except Reagan.
You don't want small government and the republicans will never do away with taxes. If they got rid of taxes then they would not be able to give lucrative contracts to their buddies in exchenge for board of directors jobs when they retire from politics.
You need to take a good long llok at who you have crawled in bed with jerry. Or are you one of the ones who knows whats going on but is just too greedy to give a @!$%#?
Dark Seducer Dugh??? Dugh???? What???? Come on...
If the good jobs are created and the country does good again YOUR president will loose control over you.You won't need gov. health care, and all the other gov, programs that make you dependent on obama, and the speaker of the house to get by!!
If they pass so called health care reform it will make for millions of voters automatic to go Democrat
if you think the cycle is 'normal' I have a bridge here you may be interest in..
The cycle is deliberate. Government doesn't control it, the Federal Reserve decides when and how to create it. The media is owned by their ilk so it goes along with these. Just trace back the lullabys the media spins when its time to inflate the bubble and then the bleak picture of the economy it paints when they are in 'collection' mode. All this time, real assets are transferred to the same party that's creating money out of thin air.
Put an end to this con. Just say no to the Federal Reserve and reclaim the hard assets they have acquired using this money.
When you can get free hand outs from obama, what more do you expect? What is the so called Obama poor getting out of all this. Union Bail outs? Bank Bail outs? Acorn get millions for what? To house Hooks, great way to spend our tax money
Are you getting the help you wanted? no you are getting put on the back burner. You are getting what most American are getting from the Obama Nation, Nothing but a line of B.S.
The Movement to take back our country is growing. We will not stop until the Obama nation is taken out of power
I think it was your buddy bush who started this whole bailout thing. I know you and the GOP state run news agency Pravda, oops I mean fox are betting on Americans short attention span but I remember McCain making a big deal our of suspending his campaign to go back and help W with his bamk bailout.
Dark Seducer
Your Bush theory is over and old news. We are now looking at Acorn, some thing I am sure some one like you supports.
your post just feeds us and makes us stonger. You day has come so the best thing to do is get over your self
Dark - please quit distorting the subject with your Bush rants and general BS. Pelosi passed the 2008 bailout over the objection of the house republicans who voted 100% against all bailouts
Bush was no better. He started all this. Obama is just expanding it. The Republicans did not vote 100% against all bailouts, just against the democrat proposed stimulus package. Remember McCain during the election flew all the way back to Washington to dicuss the bank bailout proposed by Bush and voted for TARP, one of the worst moves by any United States government ever. Bush started the bailouts of GM and Chrysler.
While i am not an Obama fan, we can't blame all this on him. Obama was voted in in the name of change and he has expanded Bush's policy. I don't c0nsider that change. We need to reverse course, not go faster in the wrong direction.
Distorting? I was there, I remember Bush on TV smirking away as he begged for a trillion dollars to bailout his buddies who screwed things up for the entire eight years bush and the repubs let them.
Your party had eight years to fix things and alls you did was make it worse, now you want back in power just a few months after we threw you out? why, you hadn't destroyed enough to bring this country down yet? is that it?
Marc-1276940
You are right this is not just about Bush or Obama. It About a free Natoin. A place that I decide what I want for my family. The money hunger socialist and Hypocrites need to go.
Amen
Jerry..I'm afraid "the movement" needs to a bit more than an occaisional "bowel reaction." Once every 2-3 months ain't gonna cut it man. This is life&death serious s##t we're dealing with now. It just about warrants 24-7 of a mass of humanity doing a tour of duty in the nation's capital. Every 3-5 days, rotate people in and out (those that still have jobs to go back to),..clog Washington in a never-ending protest. This isn't a Rep-Dem tit-for-tat anymore. This is US (the people) versus THEM (politicians who have sold their soul to the devil of greed-power-corruption.) We THE People need to put aside our petty differences and unite for the common good. Gay rights, abortion, saving the green salamander, are nothing but a distraction the gub'ment uses to keep us divided. Let's address the REAL issues like the IRS, the FED Reserve, Wall Street's ties with the gub'ment, Cap and Trade, Stimuli, Freddie/Fannie, Acorn, Czars, Taxes, Term Limits, Rangle & Geihtner's double-standards of getting away tax evasion while we poor slobs get hauled off to gulag. What else have I missed?
The Beev
What you see on the suface is just the tip of the Ice burg. I know what is going on in my state and I can tell you, it is battle the washington did not want to start.