That's not a bad idea. If all small contributors acted as a group, they could potentially buy back Congress but they don't. I don't know if as a whole small contributors are dwarfed by corporations, probably.
This is our problem, fundamentally, is money in politics and why so many say this is job #1. It's gotten way worse as we saw with election 2012.
See, the Congressmen get what they want - $. The unemployed and grads can get what they want - a job in their own country that they often fought and bled for (unlike the whores in Congress). And the colleges and universities can go fuc* themselves, same with big CEOs and boardrooms. So, if Congress acts like a whore, why not let students pay only $20,000 and buy it? The whore gives them laws that get them jobs, the students save $100,000+ in tuition, and the CEOs can rot. It's all good up in the Fall of the Roman, British Empire, and US Empires.
These amounts are trivial! Look how cheaply these people can be bought. How does it feel for them to sell out their country and Americans for $10,000? $20,000? A job for their friends or family? A consulting gig or publishing deal in the future? They must feel oh so good.
I wonder, how do their constituents feel when they are long-term unemployed or a STEM grad that's homeless and has $150,000 in debt? How are UW grads kickin' it grossly overqualified and struggling to survive in 2013? Boeing? Outsourcing? How's that working out? 787 says what? Eh?
Then again, if these politicians cared, they probably wouldn't enter politics, let alone sell out their country or countrymen. "Pale Rider" has more lessons about integrity and corruption/$ and standing up for what's right in 2 short hours than these people could ever understand in their lives.
You can trace bills, agendas straight to the money. This is also, in my opinion, why no one goes to jail or corporations face no consequences beyond almost a kick-back fee for wrong doing.
No shock here - the Microsoft puppets did the paymaster's bidding in the article I posted.
Here it is from opensecrets.
Adam Smith (D) - Microsoft was 3rd in 2012 Campaign Cmtee. contributions, following Northrop and Boeing.
Dave Reichert (R) - Microsoft was 1st in 2012 Campaign Cmtee. contributions. Top leadership PAC contributor too.
So defense, aerospace, computers, etc. all loving the TPP - and the Japanese farmers and everyone not in the corporate boardrooms or on their payroll in government has everything to fear.
From their corporate culture to their cutthroat business tactics to their infamous perma-temp low pay no benefits to their H-1B, fire the Americans agenda to their offshore outsourcing, the world would be a much better place if their technology is finally superseded by Linux, Apple and Google.
Heads up, right now they are "making a deal" in Congress, ignoring the facts, the statistics, the reports and the millions of Americans screaming about their jobs, as well as organized labor and planning on flooding the U.S. with foreign labor through unlimited de facto H-1B, more guest workers and turning our education system into an employer tethered green card ATM.
Guess who demands that, Silicon valley with Microsoft leading the charge. The American STEM worker be damned, the will of the American people be damned, organized labor be damned and most importantly, facts and statistics be damned.
Once again we have editorials promoting the agenda of big corporations like Microsoft without mentioning anything negative about free trade thus far (economic wasteland of USA proof they don't work) or about the corporations promoting these things.
This editorial refers to Microsoft supporting the TPP, but fails to mention Microsoft's bribery issues, Microsoft's repeated lies about American workers, or anything negative at all about "free trade." Notice both sides, D & R, promote this crap and don't care about Americans. It's a Seattle paper, so no doubt Microsoft has just a little sway with writers and papers, but journalism used to mean standing up to big $ in some corners. The editorial quotes one really enthusiastic Democratic legislator, Adam Smith (apparently the writer of The Wealth of Nations is still alive and in Congress):
“If done right, TPP will promote innovation, high labor standards, help small and medium-sized businesses participate, and allow our country and the Pacific Northwest to more actively compete in international markets.”
Yeah, sure, how's that working out for us so far? How are those businesses and labor standards? Better off or getting worse in a race to the absolute bottom? Many millions of lives and years of experience tell the true story.
Are bribes doing international trade "right"? Lying about Americans and insulting them to Congress? These are questions the press should ask Adam Smith and other members on both sides of the aisle, along with Microsoft bosses. Corporate media - doing their paymaster's bidding, PR posing as news. Nothing negative regarding big corporations or free trade at all? Sad.
All a farce, all Punch and Judy games while the puppetmasters with the money control the puppets. Most of the audience is amused/distracted, doesn't dare look behind the curtain to see who's running the show. Blue v. red, Dem. vs. GOP, all crap. And they keep pushing the social issues and divisive issues on abortion, guns, etc., etc. because that always results in heated debates, no resolution on anything, and media coverage. Chocolate ice cream rules, no, vanilla. No matter what year it is, they will always have these issues to distract and divide us with while our national security and economy are completely destroyed by the $ Party.
Well why doesnt Warren go after Obama and his underling Holder and make them see the light? It is because they are both Democrats. We officially have to sets of rules, blast the other side with you disagree, Just talk high level and point no fingers when you disagree with your own team.
The collapse occurs first in the mind, as citizens realize their country is only steps away from anarchy or dictatorship.
Surely you must understand that "the collapse in the mind" is the objective here. This is not a bug, it's a feature.
You realize the state is going to take your money and that there is no consequence to the theft for the banks and for the state.
And what is it precisely that "the people" are going to do about it?
If the money is confiscated - sorry, "taxed" - and there is no revolt, and any attempt to "run" is contained with capital controls, and life goes on, and hey, how 'bout that stawk market... then the "savers" will have been taught an object lesson. Namely, give up.
Besides, the times are changing.
The accumulation of financial assets? Bad. Making a portfolio of claims on future cash flows? Hoarding; a deeply anti-socal practice. The financial service industry does so miserably by "investors" that it's better to deprecate the whole "store of value" function of money. Best to condition "savers" to accept arbitrary "adjustments"; this will slowly begin to open them to alternative social arrangements.
"Savings" will join "guns" and "religion" as things that the left-behind, out of date people cling bitterly to.
Nothing has changed except the Fed's balance sheet which has to be well north of $4 trillion on the books and much more off the books.
"Fischer was not only Bernanke's teacher; he was also one of the preeminent economic officials of the '90s, the era of the "Washington consensus" bias in favor of deregulation. After leaving the IMF he became vice chairman of Citigroup—the corporate embodiment of the too-big-to-fail problem. So it was all the more remarkable to hear Fischer apparently jumping to the other side of the issue and chiding his former student at the annual Jackson Hole, Wyo., conference for central bankers last week. Fischer also seemed to take aim at his former allies from the deregulatory '90s, Larry Summers and Tim Geithner.
"We seem to be taking it for granted that we should go back to the structure of the financial system as it was on the eve of the crisis," said Fischer, who is now the governor of the Bank of Israel."
BlackRock's CEO Fink said, “It has some symbolism impact on Europe, but it’s not a really major economic issue."
That's pretty ridiculous for several reasons.
1) I'd hope a bankster in charge of the largest asset manager in the world would worry about everything involving finance and $, because how could he ever justify a salary of $50,000, or $500,000, or whatever 100s of 1,000,000s he makes otherwise. I'd hope someone that overpaid would understand the long-term implications of destroying faith and trust in global financial systems YET AGAIN.
2) Even if he isn't concerned, he should at least pretend to be to make people believe he might have thoughts worthy of their trust (for those people that still believe that lie).
3) if he isn't really concerned, it means he has inside information on what will happen regarding further actions regarding the EU, IMF, and government policies globally - which we don't have access to and which show YET AGAIN the game is once again only for the elite.
4) People like this would bitch and moan if someone took a penny of their money, one penny. But he's such an arrogant, removed 1%er that stealing other people's money just doesn't phase him, it's other people's money after all. Someone dents his SUV or whatever, he'd demand the death penalty. Stealing other people's money on a national scale, not a problem because he just doesn't care about other people.
These folks make me puke. They say they are working capitalists yet as soon as the country needs them to do some work they go out for some Bacardi or Diageo's Captain Morgan. By the way both rums also subsidized heavily by the "free market" supporting congressmen on both dems and repubs sides in supporting the continued mollases subsidys.. Hope they like the box wine they will afford when we throw them all out in favor of a third party.
In New Mexico the legislature is obligated under the State Consitution to prevent trusts, monopolies and other restraints on trade. Can't think of a single time it has ever ever been applied. Maybe the state archives might find a sheep rancher or frontier guide who tried to corner the market in green chile.
To the above list of complaints about Microsoft I will add Mr and Mrs Gates support of efforts to undermine the public school system with their support of Charter Schools, and more testing, especially through their membership in the American Legislative Exchange Council, or ALEC, at least until they were found out to belong to it.
FCPA investigations are launched and go on and on until the defendants can raise enough money to bribe, sorry, "lobby" the DOJ to drop the case. Worst case scenario for corporations, they pay civil fines and toss a few clowns at the lowest levels that actually exchanged envelopes overseas to the wolves. Those people were probably threatened by the untouchable bosses at higher levels with following their orders or getting fired - of course the highest bosses never do anything unseemly themselves, that would expose them to actual consequences and bosses hate that.
Now in China, that could mean prison, but that's only if the Chinese care - mostly they don't unless they want a bigger cut of $ somehow and threaten foreign corporations. Rio Tinto the Anglo-Australian mining giant had employees convicted there and they got tough sentences. Probably someone up the Chinese food chain didn't get his fair share and got pissed.
As for Microsoft, bust Gates (when he was CEO) for his outright lies regarding the lack of qualified Americans. I want to see HR and everyone else that purposely lies and ignores the tens of thousands of qualified applicants and then perjure themselves in front of our government punished severely; their outright lies destroy our lives and country. I want the outsourcers and everyone else to be confronted with their bullsh*t software programs that screen out all Americans, the hundreds of thousands of applicant names, numbers of times they applied, etc. and the bosses' Congressional testimony as they lied and begged for more foreigners and outsourcing. Perjury, conspiracy to commit perjury, mail and wire fraud, filing false information on official documents (visa applications, etc.), etc. This trial would be quick if held in a normal Western country where $ didn't rule. And then send them away to Lewisburg or Leavenworth or Atlanta to rot. Bill Gates in a yard - I could actually tolerate him then.
Watch as this takes forever and goes nowhere with no real punishment, no deterrence. Now next time someone is pulled over for speeding 5 mph over the limit, that person should see what happens when he tells the officer/Trooper there might be a free lunch in it for him if he lets him off with a warning. Arrested at the scene immediately, charged with at least a misdemeanor, probably a felony, arraigned, held overnight at least, many, many court appearances, legal fees that will bankrupt him, maybe a little jail time and a massive fine. And his name will be published for all to see and point the finger at him like he's the boogeyman. Never find a job again. See how quick and easy it is to figure out what a "benefit" and "something of value" and "offer" and "exchange" are when it's the little guy? And how fast the little guy is screwed time and time again while the big fish just keep on doing what they do?
From The Washington Post: "lawmakers in Cyprus on Tuesday rejected a bailout plan that would have rescued the country's banks but forced savers to chip in for the cost." See, robbery and theft of people's money isn't robbery or theft when the IMF or EU or US Government does it, it's merely "chipping in." Fan-f'ing-tastic! Next time someone holds a gun to my head and demands my wallet, he's not robbing me, I'm merely chipping in to save his own financial situation. I won't bother resisting or telling the cops.
Funny, these international banksters refuse to pay one more dime in taxes or work an honest day, but taking people's money against their will is fair and just and not a crime? I love that bankster-owned press twisting words and meanings beyond repair in their service. Just let the Euro die already, it's done. Anymore of these crimes planned by the Davos crowd will only piss off more people and speed the revolution.
That's not a bad idea. If all small contributors acted as a group, they could potentially buy back Congress but they don't. I don't know if as a whole small contributors are dwarfed by corporations, probably.
This is our problem, fundamentally, is money in politics and why so many say this is job #1. It's gotten way worse as we saw with election 2012.
See, the Congressmen get what they want - $. The unemployed and grads can get what they want - a job in their own country that they often fought and bled for (unlike the whores in Congress). And the colleges and universities can go fuc* themselves, same with big CEOs and boardrooms. So, if Congress acts like a whore, why not let students pay only $20,000 and buy it? The whore gives them laws that get them jobs, the students save $100,000+ in tuition, and the CEOs can rot. It's all good up in the Fall of the Roman, British Empire, and US Empires.
These amounts are trivial! Look how cheaply these people can be bought. How does it feel for them to sell out their country and Americans for $10,000? $20,000? A job for their friends or family? A consulting gig or publishing deal in the future? They must feel oh so good.
I wonder, how do their constituents feel when they are long-term unemployed or a STEM grad that's homeless and has $150,000 in debt? How are UW grads kickin' it grossly overqualified and struggling to survive in 2013? Boeing? Outsourcing? How's that working out? 787 says what? Eh?
Then again, if these politicians cared, they probably wouldn't enter politics, let alone sell out their country or countrymen. "Pale Rider" has more lessons about integrity and corruption/$ and standing up for what's right in 2 short hours than these people could ever understand in their lives.
You can trace bills, agendas straight to the money. This is also, in my opinion, why no one goes to jail or corporations face no consequences beyond almost a kick-back fee for wrong doing.
No shock here - the Microsoft puppets did the paymaster's bidding in the article I posted.
Here it is from opensecrets.
Adam Smith (D) - Microsoft was 3rd in 2012 Campaign Cmtee. contributions, following Northrop and Boeing.
Dave Reichert (R) - Microsoft was 1st in 2012 Campaign Cmtee. contributions. Top leadership PAC contributor too.
So defense, aerospace, computers, etc. all loving the TPP - and the Japanese farmers and everyone not in the corporate boardrooms or on their payroll in government has everything to fear.
From their corporate culture to their cutthroat business tactics to their infamous perma-temp low pay no benefits to their H-1B, fire the Americans agenda to their offshore outsourcing, the world would be a much better place if their technology is finally superseded by Linux, Apple and Google.
Heads up, right now they are "making a deal" in Congress, ignoring the facts, the statistics, the reports and the millions of Americans screaming about their jobs, as well as organized labor and planning on flooding the U.S. with foreign labor through unlimited de facto H-1B, more guest workers and turning our education system into an employer tethered green card ATM.
Guess who demands that, Silicon valley with Microsoft leading the charge. The American STEM worker be damned, the will of the American people be damned, organized labor be damned and most importantly, facts and statistics be damned.
Once again we have editorials promoting the agenda of big corporations like Microsoft without mentioning anything negative about free trade thus far (economic wasteland of USA proof they don't work) or about the corporations promoting these things.
http://seattletimes.com/html/editorials/2020613843_editpacifictradexml.html
This editorial refers to Microsoft supporting the TPP, but fails to mention Microsoft's bribery issues, Microsoft's repeated lies about American workers, or anything negative at all about "free trade." Notice both sides, D & R, promote this crap and don't care about Americans. It's a Seattle paper, so no doubt Microsoft has just a little sway with writers and papers, but journalism used to mean standing up to big $ in some corners. The editorial quotes one really enthusiastic Democratic legislator, Adam Smith (apparently the writer of The Wealth of Nations is still alive and in Congress):
“If done right, TPP will promote innovation, high labor standards, help small and medium-sized businesses participate, and allow our country and the Pacific Northwest to more actively compete in international markets.”
Yeah, sure, how's that working out for us so far? How are those businesses and labor standards? Better off or getting worse in a race to the absolute bottom? Many millions of lives and years of experience tell the true story.
Are bribes doing international trade "right"? Lying about Americans and insulting them to Congress? These are questions the press should ask Adam Smith and other members on both sides of the aisle, along with Microsoft bosses. Corporate media - doing their paymaster's bidding, PR posing as news. Nothing negative regarding big corporations or free trade at all? Sad.
Eric Holder should be charged with malfeasance.
All a farce, all Punch and Judy games while the puppetmasters with the money control the puppets. Most of the audience is amused/distracted, doesn't dare look behind the curtain to see who's running the show. Blue v. red, Dem. vs. GOP, all crap. And they keep pushing the social issues and divisive issues on abortion, guns, etc., etc. because that always results in heated debates, no resolution on anything, and media coverage. Chocolate ice cream rules, no, vanilla. No matter what year it is, they will always have these issues to distract and divide us with while our national security and economy are completely destroyed by the $ Party.
This week was 336,000, an increase of 2,000, which is basically statistical noise.
Well why doesnt Warren go after Obama and his underling Holder and make them see the light? It is because they are both Democrats. We officially have to sets of rules, blast the other side with you disagree, Just talk high level and point no fingers when you disagree with your own team.
The collapse occurs first in the mind, as citizens realize their country is only steps away from anarchy or dictatorship.
Surely you must understand that "the collapse in the mind" is the objective here. This is not a bug, it's a feature.
You realize the state is going to take your money and that there is no consequence to the theft for the banks and for the state.
And what is it precisely that "the people" are going to do about it?
If the money is confiscated - sorry, "taxed" - and there is no revolt, and any attempt to "run" is contained with capital controls, and life goes on, and hey, how 'bout that stawk market... then the "savers" will have been taught an object lesson. Namely, give up.
Besides, the times are changing.
The accumulation of financial assets? Bad. Making a portfolio of claims on future cash flows? Hoarding; a deeply anti-socal practice. The financial service industry does so miserably by "investors" that it's better to deprecate the whole "store of value" function of money. Best to condition "savers" to accept arbitrary "adjustments"; this will slowly begin to open them to alternative social arrangements.
"Savings" will join "guns" and "religion" as things that the left-behind, out of date people cling bitterly to.
Nothing has changed except the Fed's balance sheet which has to be well north of $4 trillion on the books and much more off the books.
"Fischer was not only Bernanke's teacher; he was also one of the preeminent economic officials of the '90s, the era of the "Washington consensus" bias in favor of deregulation. After leaving the IMF he became vice chairman of Citigroup—the corporate embodiment of the too-big-to-fail problem. So it was all the more remarkable to hear Fischer apparently jumping to the other side of the issue and chiding his former student at the annual Jackson Hole, Wyo., conference for central bankers last week. Fischer also seemed to take aim at his former allies from the deregulatory '90s, Larry Summers and Tim Geithner.
"We seem to be taking it for granted that we should go back to the structure of the financial system as it was on the eve of the crisis," said Fischer, who is now the governor of the Bank of Israel."
BlackRock's CEO Fink said, “It has some symbolism impact on Europe, but it’s not a really major economic issue."
That's pretty ridiculous for several reasons.
1) I'd hope a bankster in charge of the largest asset manager in the world would worry about everything involving finance and $, because how could he ever justify a salary of $50,000, or $500,000, or whatever 100s of 1,000,000s he makes otherwise. I'd hope someone that overpaid would understand the long-term implications of destroying faith and trust in global financial systems YET AGAIN.
2) Even if he isn't concerned, he should at least pretend to be to make people believe he might have thoughts worthy of their trust (for those people that still believe that lie).
3) if he isn't really concerned, it means he has inside information on what will happen regarding further actions regarding the EU, IMF, and government policies globally - which we don't have access to and which show YET AGAIN the game is once again only for the elite.
4) People like this would bitch and moan if someone took a penny of their money, one penny. But he's such an arrogant, removed 1%er that stealing other people's money just doesn't phase him, it's other people's money after all. Someone dents his SUV or whatever, he'd demand the death penalty. Stealing other people's money on a national scale, not a problem because he just doesn't care about other people.
These folks make me puke. They say they are working capitalists yet as soon as the country needs them to do some work they go out for some Bacardi or Diageo's Captain Morgan. By the way both rums also subsidized heavily by the "free market" supporting congressmen on both dems and repubs sides in supporting the continued mollases subsidys.. Hope they like the box wine they will afford when we throw them all out in favor of a third party.
In New Mexico the legislature is obligated under the State Consitution to prevent trusts, monopolies and other restraints on trade. Can't think of a single time it has ever ever been applied. Maybe the state archives might find a sheep rancher or frontier guide who tried to corner the market in green chile.
To the above list of complaints about Microsoft I will add Mr and Mrs Gates support of efforts to undermine the public school system with their support of Charter Schools, and more testing, especially through their membership in the American Legislative Exchange Council, or ALEC, at least until they were found out to belong to it.
FCPA investigations are launched and go on and on until the defendants can raise enough money to bribe, sorry, "lobby" the DOJ to drop the case. Worst case scenario for corporations, they pay civil fines and toss a few clowns at the lowest levels that actually exchanged envelopes overseas to the wolves. Those people were probably threatened by the untouchable bosses at higher levels with following their orders or getting fired - of course the highest bosses never do anything unseemly themselves, that would expose them to actual consequences and bosses hate that.
Now in China, that could mean prison, but that's only if the Chinese care - mostly they don't unless they want a bigger cut of $ somehow and threaten foreign corporations. Rio Tinto the Anglo-Australian mining giant had employees convicted there and they got tough sentences. Probably someone up the Chinese food chain didn't get his fair share and got pissed.
As for Microsoft, bust Gates (when he was CEO) for his outright lies regarding the lack of qualified Americans. I want to see HR and everyone else that purposely lies and ignores the tens of thousands of qualified applicants and then perjure themselves in front of our government punished severely; their outright lies destroy our lives and country. I want the outsourcers and everyone else to be confronted with their bullsh*t software programs that screen out all Americans, the hundreds of thousands of applicant names, numbers of times they applied, etc. and the bosses' Congressional testimony as they lied and begged for more foreigners and outsourcing. Perjury, conspiracy to commit perjury, mail and wire fraud, filing false information on official documents (visa applications, etc.), etc. This trial would be quick if held in a normal Western country where $ didn't rule. And then send them away to Lewisburg or Leavenworth or Atlanta to rot. Bill Gates in a yard - I could actually tolerate him then.
Watch as this takes forever and goes nowhere with no real punishment, no deterrence. Now next time someone is pulled over for speeding 5 mph over the limit, that person should see what happens when he tells the officer/Trooper there might be a free lunch in it for him if he lets him off with a warning. Arrested at the scene immediately, charged with at least a misdemeanor, probably a felony, arraigned, held overnight at least, many, many court appearances, legal fees that will bankrupt him, maybe a little jail time and a massive fine. And his name will be published for all to see and point the finger at him like he's the boogeyman. Never find a job again. See how quick and easy it is to figure out what a "benefit" and "something of value" and "offer" and "exchange" are when it's the little guy? And how fast the little guy is screwed time and time again while the big fish just keep on doing what they do?
You'll also read plenty about Cyprus being a tax haven for the Russian Oligarchs to get their funds in Euros.
But that's not what the local press is saying, most accounts are regular Cyprus citizens.
The FT (which is really a superior financial news organization), does mention seizing private bank accounts is unprecedented.
In other words, certain sources have credibility, others sure do not.
From The Washington Post: "lawmakers in Cyprus on Tuesday rejected a bailout plan that would have rescued the country's banks but forced savers to chip in for the cost." See, robbery and theft of people's money isn't robbery or theft when the IMF or EU or US Government does it, it's merely "chipping in." Fan-f'ing-tastic! Next time someone holds a gun to my head and demands my wallet, he's not robbing me, I'm merely chipping in to save his own financial situation. I won't bother resisting or telling the cops.
Funny, these international banksters refuse to pay one more dime in taxes or work an honest day, but taking people's money against their will is fair and just and not a crime? I love that bankster-owned press twisting words and meanings beyond repair in their service. Just let the Euro die already, it's done. Anymore of these crimes planned by the Davos crowd will only piss off more people and speed the revolution.
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