All across Spain workers protested in the streets last weekend, when will we see this in the US?
By louisehartmann
From Greece to the U.K. to now Spain. Hundreds of thousands of workers took to the streets in 57 cities across Spain over the weekend to protest the Conservative government’s new austerity package and labor reforms. As many as a half-million people demonstrated in Madrid alone according to reports.
Alongside new spending cuts – the Conservative government is slashing severance pay for workers and making it easier for companies to opt out of union contracts. Before the European debt crisis – Spain’s unemployment rate stood at just below 8% - but today it’s above 22% - which is the highest in the developed world. And as we’ve seen elsewhere across Europe – and in the United States – slashing government spending and taking money out of working people’s pockets only makes the situation worse.
Comments
#2
Mass Arrest of Treasonous Elites & Their Minions Who have shredded our Constitution:
The White Hats in the Pentagon are ready to begin the mass arrest of those who have shredded our Constitution through treasonous activity. An email of your support to: billwood1022@gmail.com will help get this started sooner. That's billwood1022@gmail.com
#3
It will take mass demostrations coupled with mass strikes. The post above says it right - do it on Mayday!
#4
It's way too late for government or the rich to think Americans can tolerate even an ounce of austerity for more than a week. Wait till the masses can't afford pepsi, cigarettes, drugs, and alcohol.
Here in Miami, when you see something you like, you puts it in your purse, or wear it out the door, just like a Hollywood clelebrity.
Things could get worse when the cable starts going off...
#5
How was this conservative self-starving policy still thinkable after Thatcher's failure? Isn't that insane, those suckers still try to be successful by starving their country or state to death? And how comes, it pretty much is a southern insanity -- whether here in the U.S. or in the E.U.? Is it the sun shining to toughly on their brains?
Are the U.K. in the meantime learning? Or will they try it again and go on ruining themselves? Germany actually surprises me too, because Merkel is very conservative. But maybe they didn't let her celebrate austerity..... On the whole, the homo sapiens sapiens seems to be a Ponzi-scheme, in actual fact a pretty dumb race.
#6
Let’s Usher in a New Golden Age through a World Jubilee
The mass awakening seen across the globe is giving me tremendous hope. The movement correctly points to excess corporate power as a source of injustice and economic inequality. They also wisely prescribe moving of our money from huge international banks to local institutions.
It is no less true now than when King Solomon first wrote Proverb 22:7, “Just as the rich rule the poor, the borrower is slave to the lender.” The modern mechanism of rule now includes corporations and the ancient practice of money creation. The movement addresses both. But do they go far enough? No other time in history is mere survival as dependant on money, which inevitably buys necessities made by corporations.
It is instructive to note that both Nehemiah in rebuilding Jerusalem and Solon in ushering in the Golden Age of Athens responded to mass misery and economic injustice by cancelling all debt. This idea is not too radical. Even Chancellor Merkel from the largest creditor nation in the Euro zone is “asking” private banks to write off debt to help stabilize the world economy. The movement could “demand” for an even stronger move such as a world Jubilee.
We need to think big because historically speaking the level of civilization has always been achieved through taxation. Higher taxes provide higher civilization. Unfortunately the civilization we have now is destroying our ecosystem. Maybe the global corporatists are doing the planet a favor. Their policies will certainly collapse the global economy. It will be an ugly mess but maybe the absurdity of the situation will force mankind to live with nature.
As much as I like progressive budget proposals which would benefit “We the People” in the short run, in the long run it will only allow this crazy economy of ours to do more damage. What I'd love to see happen is a plan to use our consumption based economy to build sustainable systems with the plan of shutting down this economy once the needed infrastructure is built. The new economy could then slow down dramatically. Instead of making disposable “Happy Meal” toys we could be making durable goods like we used to, when cars and equipment could be repaired indefinitely. Instead of racing to make more stuff to throw away we could simply make what we need, allowing more time at home rather than work.
This would require changing the concept of money. Money created by debt is the root of our economic and environmental problems. Because we chose to create money by lending it into existence we must continually grow the economy to pay back the principle with interest. Since this is clearly unsustainable, wars have been a convenient way to collapse economies sooner so they can grow again. Is there any wonder why Germany and Japan have better manufacturing and public infrastructures than we do? Instead of collapse this time around why not plan
on making a change?
Of course this would require a revolution of thought and action. Why not declare a world bankruptcy of all debt? Even Moses commanded that all debts be eliminated every seven years in Deuteronomy 15. With all the books wiped clean mankind could have a clean slate. I seriously doubt that creditors would starve if this happened. I know debtors are currently starving.
How low must we go before we wake up? I’m torn. Part of me wants the corporatists to get their way so that more people will wake from the absurdity of it all. Then we could vote the corporatists out of office in order to build a new system that takes care of the least of these and provides good stewardship of our planet. Visions of an apocalypse may be good for entertainment but we have work to do. Does it really have to get worse before it gets better? We are going to have to work through it either way.
I don’t know about you but the words rebuilding, Golden Age, and Jubilee have a far better ring than decline, collapse, and dare I say, apocalypse. We are the leaders we’ve been waiting for and it begins with our ideas. We create the world around us.
#7
http://www.reasonrally.org/
Washington, D.C. on March 24th, 2012 from 10:00AM – 4:00PM at the National Mall. There will be music, comedy, speakers, and so much more. We hope you can join us!
#8
When was our Golden Age? And what happened to make it so wonderful. Whatever it is or was, it's probably a delusion and we can't go back in any case. I wish we could and start over on environmental protection when there was still time to save the planet.
But Occupy will rise again. Though I'm pessimistic, we still have to give it our best shot.
#9
I hope so, but I doubt it....too many sheeple....:((
#10
I'm more worried about Americans not being able to afford coffee!!! THAT would be the end of the world....
Just think of all the caffeine addicts in Washington....
#11
What will it take to end austerity cuts here in America and maybe elsewhere? End endless war spending, regulate to end bubble bank fraud, and RETURN TO PRE-REAGAN TAX RATES. The latter would force economic extortionists like Romney to recycle some of their ill-gotten wealth back to it's original creators, hard working citizens.
With an acknowledgement of republican desire to combine church and state.....a few words of wisdom for 1%ers like Mitt......Proverbs 1:19.... "Such is the end of all who go after ill-gotten gain; it takes away the lives of those who get it."
Like our global brothers and sisters we have to continue to take to the streets and Occupy, I think it's our only hope besides voting progressive.
#12
Divine intervention
#13
We all know that austerity will never work and has the opposite effect of what would work which is wonderfully articulated in many of Thom,s books like Screwed the undeclared war against the middle class.So why we must ask do we have it and who,s interest does it serve ,certainly not we the people.
To find the answers check out the film THRIVE its on dvd and helps us uncover the wizard of oz world of the fed and European central bank and the private money cartel.I fear until we take the money out of the private banksters hands and into local decentralized governments and public accountable authorities i,e we the people you will get more of the same and the gap will widen between the insanely rich and the rest of us.
What the established system fears the most is to move power from the select few into the hands of the many-of all the peoples of the earth.and a new democratic system based on two thirds majority will be put in place because it serves the greatest interest and the highest number of people so major decisions like austerity would never be able to get passed ,all of this is explained in the book tomorrows god by Neale Donald Walcsh its a truly visionary work based on the new spirituality and as we can see our politics is our spirituality demonstrated ,that's where the solution lies every problem comes down to spirituality and what we believe about ourselves.
We are all ONE.
#14
Perhaps they will do away with us with Chemtrails they spray every single day in Southern California.
#15
It amuses me quite a bit that mauiman58 commented his right-wingy nonsense in sort of 'mauiman-trap' -- as GOP-loner. There he claims, the South European crisis was caused by overspending. But was it really the Keynesian healthy kind of spending? As far as I know about Greece, it was NOT. Greece did their overspending mainly on defense -- nobody in Europe spent that much on their armed forces. I should actually study the Italian example these days: This country has been ruined by the conservative Berlusconi over the last years, a selfishly self-interested guy who loves luxury and very young girls. Not at all a social politican, as a Keynesian is supposed to be. Spain has a fatal corruption problem, so no wonder they're broke.
Right-wingers are awfully phlegmatic, as we all know. They shoot from the hip very soon, but hardly hit the bullseye. As they phlegmatically put their comments in dead places -- and why? Because they don't think, they don't consider, as they don't give a darn what is reasonable or logical. That's why they don't get anything.
Quote Ed Schultz today rather said than:"We have voters who absorb information that isn't correct."Well spoken Ed! Our righties here on the blog do that all the time. And then they dump their resulting garbage here.
____________________________
P.S.: A few weeks ago mauiman58 tried to tell me, I was too young, because obviously under 50, and ergo supposed to be wrong. I recommend the bridge/ middle-part of Gershwin's I GOT RHYTHM. It is and was the perfect answer to mauiman58 -- already in the early 1930s.
#16
Maybe Spain has more people working than in US. Also maybe they feel they have leverage to walk out on their jobs. Thanks to Obama, the ecomony is so bad many people DO NOT have a job to walk out on.
Also the UN is a corrupt anti-Semitic organization. The US should pull out of the UN, people from evil third world countries shouldn't be dictating our affairs.
Obama and the Democrats are spending more money than ever, and most of it is wasted. I wonder if Obama and his cronies are going to be subjected to Obamacare like the rest of US are. With all the trillions America has spent in the last 50 years, we should have the best education system in the world and the best of everything else. We don't, more governmnet spending makes things worse.
The federal government is supposed to have limited powers. (Look at 10th Amendment) The rest of the power is supposed to go to the states and the people.
The Obama administration has taken away freedom from Americans slowly but surely. God help us if he gets re-elected.
Finally if the majority of the media actually told the WHOLE truth about Obama and what he has done, he wouldn't get over 30% of the vote in Nov 2012!!!
#17
Thanks Obama we slowly get out of the depression Bush got us in!
You can destroy a country in no time -- rebuilding always takes many years.
You're just a grumpy Republican bitcher.
#18
So Obama is wonderful and perfect and all of the problems we're having are Bush's fault! Obama's been president for 3 years and things have gotten worse and worse since he became prez Jan 2009. Bush isn't perfect but he loves America and things were better under him. Bush never bowed down and apologized to dictators and told the world how terrible America is.
#19
President Obama was inaugurated in January 2009, in the year after that GOP-election-fraud and he lost the house. Since then GOP-gridlock, GOP-downgrade of our credit rate, GOP filibuster....
Nevertheless he did great work! Well, I don't want to praise him too much, but if you consider all those facts, YES:
Quote joe1223:So Obama is wonderful and perfect and all of the problems we're having are Bush's fault!
This time you really nailed it. Thanks a lot!
#20
Aaaaaaah, must you really go on with this pitiful GOP whining?
Quote joe1223:Bush never bowed down and apologized to dictators and told the world how terrible America is.
Nobody does that. You complain like little school girls.
#21
Why, we have growth again. Despite GOP-gridlock. ;o)
#22
A lot of Republicans piss me off and GW Bush made his share of mistakes, GHW Bush raised taxes and broke his pledge. Republican presidents and Congress have contributed to deficits and the national debt. But GW Bush is also responsible for tax cuts that Obama himself extended.
We spend so much money on health care now and Obamacare will make it worse. Obama will cut medicare to help fund it, besides it's unconstitutional for the federal government to require people to buy healthcare much less anything else.
Obama started this whole birth control issue because he cant run on his record.
Tell me why you think he's so great???
#23
I didn't say that. You sounded like that:
Quote joe1223:So Obama is wonderful and perfect and all of the problems we're having are Bush's fault!
I just say, the GOP didn't let him do his job, after Bush had ruined America. Though America's situation slowly begins to improve. You can't do that in a few months, with a bunch of lunatic teapartiers in the House. Obama did improve quite some things and it's okay.
By the way, we aren't a monarchy and Obama isn't king. The work is mainly done in Congress. We actually vote in a Congress team. And if I compare the two teams, I'm all for the Democratic Congress team. Or do you love Boehner, McCain, McConnell and Bachmann's crazy teapartiers?
#24
Quote joe1223:Obama started this whole birth control issue because he cant run on his record.You don't mess up Obama with Santorum? Now you really talk a bunch of hooey! It was mainly the Catholic Church and the GOP who brought that up! You must take some weird stuff that confuses your imagination. President Obama just presented a compromise and that was alright.
"Obama will cut medicare" is manic 2009 FoxNews/GOP propaganda and just for stupid rednecks. President Obama didn't do that and he won't do it. But healthcare will have to be improved, it has to go on PERIOD.
#25
Some teapartiers are now in the House but still dominated by insider establishment Republicans.
There are much more important issues than the govt forcing Healthcare companies to pay for birth control.
Issues that are more important are people being out of work, and people having their homes foreclosed on. More people are on foodstamps that ever before. The House voted to repeal Obamacare but the Dem Senate stopped it.
It's just the hypocrisy by the Dems and most of the media, Reagan, GW Bush and GHW Bush spent more days on vacation than Obama, but they went to places they owned, they didn't go on expensive trips all over the world.
Also Obama doesn't want to drill oil in America and doesn't care about high gas prices. The Dems criticized GW Bush when gas was 3$ a gal and those same people dont care gas is over $5 a gal.
Obama says algae will solve the problem.
#26
John McCain, Mitch McConnell and most GOP Senators and congressmen are NOT teapartiers!
Also the GOP won the house fair and square in 2010 they didn't steal any elections. Al Gore tried to in 2000. Al Franken did in 2008 and Gov Gregoire in WA did in 2004.
Also Tea Partiers are good people who salute the flag and clean up after themselves when they are done.
The occupy crowd defocates on our flag and breaks laws and are anti-Semitie!
#27
Quote Clarissa Smith:Boehner, McCain, McConnell and Bachmann's crazy teapartiers
Quote joe1223:John McCain, Mitch McConnell and most GOP Senators and congressmen are NOT teapartiers!
This is elementary school logic. How can one have a reasonable discussion if even THIS isn't working?
I said "AND Bachsmann's crazy teapartiers", I didn't say "= teapartiers"! There's a basic difference between "+" and "=".
#28
Yes maybe Bachmann but not the others, yer right about that.
Also the GOP won the house fair and square in 2010 they didn't steal any elections. Al Gore tried to in 2000. Al Franken did in 2008 and Gov Gregoire in WA did in 2004.
Also Tea Partiers are good people who salute the flag and clean up after themselves when they are done.
The occupy crowd defocates on our flag and breaks laws and are anti-Semitie!
I'll take the tea party people over the occupy people and ACORN any day. The tea-party folks are NOT violent and racist! They are just tired of seeing the country go down the tubes, and they want Republicans to start acting like real conservative Republicans not RINO's!
#29
I see, you are really able to beat me with flatness. Get a little more flat and you win.
#30
Flatness??? I'm just stating facts!
#31
You haven't challenged any of my facts yet?
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