Republicans don't want to give up corporate cash!

Republicans want to stop the Securities and Exchange Commission from adopting rule 4-637, which would require corporations to disclose their political contributions. A group of shareholder activists, pension fund representatives, and Democratic lawmakers are pushing the S.E.C. to require corporations to report their political spending to investors. And according to the New York Times the agency is preparing for fierce opposition from corporations and lawmakers alike.

As the S.E.C. could propose this new disclosure rule by the end of this month, House Republicans are already trying to introduce legislation that would make requiring disclosure illegal. Despite nearly half a million comments on the proposed rule, the vast majority in favor of its adoption, Republicans think shareholders don't have the right to know how their investment money is being spent.

Even in the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision - which opened the flood gates of corporate political spending – public disclosure was considered the proper check against abuse. Some of our nation's most powerful corporate lobbying groups – like the Business Roundtable and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce – have spoken out against disclosing how much they're spending to buy off our elected leaders. They don't want Americans to know how much corporate money is flooding into Congress, or who these bought-and-paid-for lawmakers are really working for.

As we continue our fight to say that money isn't speech, and corporations are not people, we should also support the S.E.C.'s effort to make corporations disclose their political contributions. Let's attack this problem from every side. Tell the Securities and Exchange Commission you support the public disclosure rule at SEC.gov, and join the fight against corporate power at MoveToAmend.org.

Comments

Kend's picture
Kend 9 years 48 weeks ago
#1

To answer you from yesterday Nachos:

KEND You Poor Dumb Animal! How many people do you employ?...full time?...part time? What's the starting wage for full time?...part time? How much does your lowest wage employee top out at? Do you offer Health Insurance to all your employees? How about maternity leave? What do you offer as far as retirement? Are you an employee owned company? Do you give your employees a paid vacation? How many weeks of vacation do they get a year? Do you pay out bonuses to ALL your employees?
In other words, lets hear how you treat those hard working worker bees...that make you such a Capitalist success!,

Only seven. all full time, $18.00 is the lowest but he is getting a $2.00 / hour raise at the end of the month he has been here for 6 months. I am Canadian so he gets our provincal health care to cover basics and the company gives him blue cross for there extended health care like, meds, teeth, glasses etc but that only costs me $100.00 month per employee so I am no hero. Maternity is covered under employment insurance by the government, one year. plus they keep all there benifits from here. I own it. yes to paid holidays 2 weeks for 2 years 3 after that etc , again holiday pay in Canada is min. 4% of there wage or the same in time off what ever they choose. The senoir guys / managers get 5% bonus on the net profit in there area. xmas bonuses are given on how well the company does for everyone any where from $500 to $5000. It generally costs me about 20% of there wages more in the companies portion of the employees taxes here for their pensions, IE etc. My employees are the life blood of my company I will all ways do what ever I can for them. I have given them personal loans, extra time off when ever needed. We don't have set sick days if they are sick they stay home thats it. We never had more than 3 sick days in a year in the whole company. I am a long way from walmart, Nachos. The truth is my investments make more for me than the company but with out the company and the employees that made the money I wouldn't have the money for the investments. I will never forget where I came from. I hope that answered all your questions.

"Poor dumb animal" come on be nice, Nachos. It is true I am not that smart, barely finished high school. Can't spell worth a crap. But that just hurt my feeling. Sorry i will let you get back to todays topic.

Palindromedary's picture
Palindromedary 9 years 48 weeks ago
#2

Obama's 'voluntary' inaugural disclosure left out some big corporate checks -- Boeing and Chevron, among others
-- By Keenan Steiner and Jacob Fenton Apr 23 2013

http://reporting.sunlightfoundation.com/2013/obamas-voluntary-inaugural-...
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So, it's not just the Republicans who are avoiding shedding light on who is backing them!
-----------------
"Neither the IRS nor the Department of Justice have prosecuted flagrant violations of campaign finance and related tax laws, despite both agencies' authority to take legal action against those who stealthily funnel dark money into our elections."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/the-sunlight-foundation/irs-and-doj-fail-t...
-------------------
"There's a certain conventional wisdom that President Obama wants stronger campaign finance laws, and to protect our democracy from the corrupting effects of money in politics.

It's a story that you should no longer believe.

The arc of the Obama presidency may be long, but so far, it has bent away from transparency for influence and campaign finance, and toward big funders."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/the-sunlight-foundation/obama-campaign-fin...
------------
The Obama administration has, however, been really vicious about going after whistleblowers who shed light on government corruption!

Mark Saulys's picture
Mark Saulys 9 years 48 weeks ago
#3

Poor dumb animal, you're not dumb Kend - you just play dumb. You are - if what you say about yourself is in fact true - a small business man and therefore, not, by nature, the enemy. Ideologically you are the enemy and that's, I think, because you deceive yourself. Anyway, you certainly try to deceive everyone else.

I don't know how it is in Canada but if, as a small business man in the United States, you cheated or harmed your workers, cheated or harmed your customers, created a toxic waste dump outside your establishment, poisoned the air or water in the conduct of your business, made too much noise in the conduct of your business, ran over a puppy in the conduct of your business - what have you - you would be held PERSONALLY responsible. You would not be able to count on bought and paid for, high level cronies in government to get you out of it.

But some of you small business people are just big business wannabes and sing that Big Bizness tune. Remember that business people aren't the only people who deserve anything and that we musn't sacrifice the well being of society, working people and the planet for the convenience and profit of business. Most of us work for someone else - one of youse - and, like you said, what would you do without us? Small business people don't take their employees for granted like big business does but some seem to eagerly look forward to a time when they can

I know that isn't you, Kend. Don't drink that big business kool aid... .

Kend's picture
Kend 9 years 48 weeks ago
#4

Mark, a big business wanabee is not me my freind. Everything I said is true. I hate big business but it does have its place. I have a sign i my office I look at all day that says "Never forget where you came from" and I never will. I started with nothing and did ok and I wish every one could do the same. Your right only the bigs get away with all that you mentioned above, love the "ran over the puppy" thing.

Outback 9 years 48 weeks ago
#5

Kend - If what you say is true, and I have no reason not to believe you, then you treat your employees with a level of fairness I've never encountered. I worked for several startups, one of which is now a multi billion dollar company. I've been screwed by them all, which is to say, the management. I wish I'd spent my life working for a Canadian outfit. Believe me, business down here is a cut throat operation. You have it right, Kend: "Never forget where you came from".

MMmmNACHOS's picture
MMmmNACHOS 9 years 48 weeks ago
#6

C'mon KEND...Keep your chin up! I don't mean to be hurtful...Just giv'en ya a jab...Nor hard feel'ins mate! ;)

If what you say is true about your company, and how you run it and take care of your employees...I stand and applaude you. You and your company should be used as a model...You do 10x more for your employees then that of Wal Mart and they're a multi-multi billion dollar a year company!
I also like how your Government pitches in. Is that how it is for all of Canada.
Kend I want you to know I am not "anti" capitalism...More so I am anti Feudalism; There is a fine, though be it definite, line between the two.
What truely bothers/scares me with what is happening socially; is how divided as a culture we are becoming...I wonder if the U.S. will ever divide into seperate nations. Why not??? I say Divided N.W to S.W. for no other reason than it hasn't been done.

DAnneMarc's picture
DAnneMarc 9 years 48 weeks ago
#7

Palindromedary ~ Thanks for that WTC response yesterday. Not to change the subject again; BUT, let me change the subject again. Have you ever heard this speech about Secret Societies by JFK?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhZk8ronces

His words not only ring truer today than ever; but, explain everything going on in the world today--including 9/11. Yet somehow this brilliant and brave soul expresses the resolved belief in this speech that We the American People can defeat this "unwanted influence" in the world today. I'd like to believe him.

Shame he didn't do what Eisenhower did and save this speech for the farewell address of his second term. I wonder why he didn't wait for the end of his term? Can all this evil be simply the doing of human beings. I've heard it suggested that extraterrestrials might be involved. Ancient civilizations and Angels and Demons have also been suggested. Who knows? At this point I wouldn't be surprised to hear the Flying Spaghetti Monster blamed. Do you believe that all this evil is simply the dark side of human nature and nothing else?

And, of course, if there is more to it than meets the eye, what might that be?

2950-10K's picture
2950-10K 9 years 48 weeks ago
#8

It seems to me that the Teapublican push to make disclosure of corp. political contributions illegal, is an acknowledgment that their party has categorically no interest in the democratic representation of at least 99% of us. Obviously the donor info would show this to be fact.

I'm sure the headlines will read, "Republican public servants push for concealment of corp. donor Info, while Democratic Lawmakers seek transparency."

Apparently one party is embarrassingly bought off $$$$$$ more than the other.They're bought off by donors who profit from warfare, profit from collapsing the global economy, and profit from pushing products that will eventually destroy life as we know it, and much sooner than most want to admit.

All good reasons for Republicans to keep the contributions hidden from 99% of us.

Palindromedary's picture
Palindromedary 9 years 48 weeks ago
#9

DAnnemarc: Yes, I have listened to several excerpts and the full 20 minute speech...with captions even. JFK sounded like he was trying to tell us about a world-wide conspiracy (and it sure didn't sound like he was referring to communism..even though he did lead out with a joke about Lennin). I just wish he could have been more explicit as to what exactly he was trying to say. I don't know, man, was JFK a conspiracy theorist? ;-} And then "they" shot him! I guess "they" didn't have a Rachel Maddow around to ridicule conspiracy theory nuts! (see my last comment on 911..yesterday). And although they may not have thought about doing a false flag like running airplanes into tall buildings...but wait ...there was Operation Northwoods:

"Code named Operation Northwoods, the plan, which had the written approval of the Chairman and every member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, called for innocent people to be shot on American streets; for boats carrying refugees fleeing Cuba to be sunk on the high seas; for a wave of violent terrorism to be launched in Washington, D.C., Miami, and elsewhere. People would be framed for bombings they did not commit; planes would be hijacked. Using phony evidence, all of it would be blamed on Castro, thus giving Lemnitzer and his cabal the excuse, as well as the public and international backing, they needed to launch their war.

The idea may actually have originated with President Eisenhower in the last days of his administration."

http://whatreallyhappened.com/WRHARTICLES/northwoods.html

You can actually read the copies of some of the actual documents of Operation Northwoods at this web site.

And people have a problem believing our government would do such a thing as carry out a false flag operation by crashing planes into buildings?

You know...Operation Northwoods must be a very popular topic because all you have to do is type in "Operation" in Google search and the very first thing it pulls up is "Operation Northwoods".

DAnneMarc's picture
DAnneMarc 9 years 48 weeks ago
#10

Palindromedary ~ All I can say is thank you and Good Night. I have a lot of Home Work to do. LOL OMG!!!

Palindromedary's picture
Palindromedary 9 years 48 weeks ago
#11

2950-10K: You don't really believe that the Democrats really want total transparency...do you? Certainly not Obama...as I've shown before..He, and the rest of the Democrats are just as interested in keeping corporate donations secret. The Democrats are just playing politics and know that more people are apt to believe that it is only the Republicans who don't want transparency...so they'll play that one up until they vote on it (just enough Democrats will vote on it to make it look like the Democrats are for transparency..with, of course, the bad old blue dogs shifting the decision over to the Republicans). How many times do they have to play that game before people catch on?

Palindromedary's picture
Palindromedary 9 years 48 weeks ago
#12

DAnnemarc: pleasant dreams...but don't dream of snakes!

Kend's picture
Kend 9 years 48 weeks ago
#13

nachos I was just kidding I am fine with all the jabs. But let me be clear about something. The government Kinda pitches in, the employer pays the government then the government redistributes it through maternity leave, imployment insurance etc. Simply replace the word government with tax payer and you get the truth. America is a big country I am sure there is a lot of places there that treat there employees just fine. The best way to get good employers is to create low unemployment. Something your current Government is not doing very well at. I have mentioned many times we re looking for workers here desperately. It is the big bad oil companies though. They pay great and have great benefits. They are fast tracking all work visa,s for trades right now I heard. It is easy to make over a $100,000 a year here if you dont mind working in a work camp in the middle of no where. Maybe it is time to make a change. The land of milk and honey. Oh Canada.

Mored's picture
Mored 9 years 48 weeks ago
#14

I've been reading the posts here for some time but thought I'd drop in and say hi! Very interesting stuff. Ill be back soon!

Palindromedary's picture
Palindromedary 9 years 48 weeks ago
#15

Hi, Mored...welcome! Come back and contribute your ideas and thoughts...the national security state is also interested in what we all have to say.

Kend's picture
Kend 9 years 48 weeks ago
#16

Please be at least a little on the right. Mored. Please.

MMmmNACHOS's picture
MMmmNACHOS 9 years 48 weeks ago
#17

You know Kend I would not mind paying taxes...most people feel the same way, however, its how my taxes are spent and my voice is ignored that irks me...50% of every tax dollar goes to the War Budget to pay past and present wars. How lovely is that???The U.S. hasn't even payed for past wars and the government wants to start up a few more. Sounds ALOT irresponsable and smells ALOT fishey!
I'd much rather have 50% of every tax dollar go towards Health Care and Education. I'd much rather see us improve those two areas than continue to pay for unnecessary and illegal wars...Wars that slaughtering innocent lives, Wars that rob us of our Rights and Freedoms; Wars that cause greater problems and fuel the flames of hate and violence on all sides.
Now as for your Oil jobs...No thank you. Don't get me wrong I am not silly enough to think that oil is passé. There is no doubt that modern life is addicted to patrolium. Just looking around my office I can touch more than a dozen items that are patrolium byproducts.
That being said though it is time the U.S. got serious and established a strong and fruitful Green Energy Policy. Now I know you are against such clean energy like solar and wind, so save your snarky comments...I've already heard them! The fact of the matter is Solar works, and works really well, so well that when a person installs PV panels and a domestic solar hot water panel on their roof, the up front cost is paid off with in the first 3 to 7 years. Other than occasionally needing some maintanence, (currently most systems installed here in the U.S. are under full warentee for 5 years and limmited for 5 years after, however in countries like Germany and China, whoes Solar Energy policies are far superior to the U.S., offer better insentives to encourage and help people to get off the grid.
I don't see Solar and or Wind wiping out the oil industry; but I do see it as the next step in a world that is realizing* we can't keep relying on a wasteful and limited resource such as oil.

*Several countries have been developing and expanding their Green Energy Policies; Germany has done so well with their Solar Power Policy that they just recently announced that there original goal to be off line from nuclear power by 2030 is looking like it will be about 10 years sooner.
What is sad when it comes to Solar and Wind Power is that the U.S. could have gotten on board back in the early 80's...The technology was there...The U.S. just needed to invest in it. But instead 'Ol Ronnie Regain torn down the solar panels that Carter had installed when he was in office...Guess Ol Ronnie and his rich Oil and Wall St. friends weren't on board with a sound and peaceful means towards reducing waste, and creating in the long run "free" energy for everyone.

MMmmNACHOS's picture
MMmmNACHOS 9 years 48 weeks ago
#18

KEND once again you speculate and much too broadly. To say tha the U.S. is a big country and that there must be some companies that treat their employees well, is not entirely wrong, but nor is it entirely true. In fact most companies that were the major contributors to a strong and robust middle class are all gone, thanks in large part to NAFTA.
KEND there are more than 50 million people who are unemployed and double that when it comes to people who work fulltime jobs that still must apply for Government assistance. You blame the Government for not creating a Jobs Bill, as do I, but I also know that if all the BIG TransGlobal Corporations were to take the iniative and increase their employees wages to a wage that was much more in sync with the cost of living (currently any family of 3 or more making less than $15 per hour per full time worker cannot affoard to; A)Keep up with the cost of living. and B)Have to apply for government assistance.
Again I applaude you for being realistic; I commend you for taking the initiative to be an employer that offers an opportunity to earn a true living, one that encourages and enables a person a fruitful future.
Now can you share with me why companies such as Wal Mart claim that they cannot afford to double the wages of the majority of employes who make 8.50 per hour, and offer ALL full time employes bennefits and incentives?
The truth is if today Wal Mart were to double that $8.50 per hour and give their employees full health care, the intrest that Wal Mart makes on their profits alone would cover the wage increase and full health care cost.
Shame shame shame that they don't!!!

Palindromedary's picture
Palindromedary 9 years 48 weeks ago
#19

Blowing the Whistle on Obama's America

"On the campaign trail four years ago, US presidential candidate Barack Obama shared his views on whistleblowers. He said: "Often the best source of information about waste, fraud and abuse in government is a government employee committed to public integrity, willing to speak out. Such acts of courage and patriotism ... should be encouraged rather than stifled."

As president, the reality has been very different. During his first term in office, six whistleblowers have been charged under the Espionage Act for allegedly mishandling classified information. That is twice as many as all previous presidents combined. "

Watch the video here:

http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/listeningpost/2012/06/20126816273761...

Palindromedary's picture
Palindromedary 9 years 48 weeks ago
#20

Net Worth of Our Politicians.
2011 Personal Financial Disclosures

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AtkPHD2bTUzbdGpUQUY0aGVoQ3d...

I got this from this link from this web site:
http://www.opensecrets.org/news/2013/01/new-congress-new-and-more-wealth...

Very interesting to learn that some politicians aren't as wealthy as we may have thought...in fact, some are in debt for millions of dollars. Others are quite well off. In fact, 25 members of congress have a negative net worth. A Democrat, John Dulaney, has something like $139 million..just behind McCaul, Issa and Democratic Senators Jared Polis, John Kerry, and Mark Warner.

The most popular investment of congress critters is GE. And it looks like they are all dumping financial stocks like Bank of America....hummm, I wonder why!

A Republican from California, David Valadao, is in the red by $15.6 million. Farms are expensive to run, it seems. Several other politicians also have farms that also puts them into the red.

Here's another link relating to the others:
http://www.opensecrets.org/pfds/index.php

Kend's picture
Kend 9 years 48 weeks ago
#21

Wow I agree with almost everything you said. Where you dipping into some Canadian rye whiskey. CC, Segrams maybe. if what you say is true, and I respectfully disagree, 50% of your budget goes to military spending no wonder your in so much trouble there. In our provincal (state) budget about 60% of it is health care. The Feds don't have much to do with it any more. It is true Germany has expanded there wind and solar and shut down there coal bu?T it is a false front. They are buying tons of energy from Eastern European coal generated power plants now. Great political move you bought it.

I am not a big fan of wind power about 30,000 birds a year die here in southern Alberta to them. The coyotes are getting fat though. Maybe we can get that Mayor from New York to come up with something to help them.

Kend's picture
Kend 9 years 48 weeks ago
#22

NAFTA really helped Mexico. I don't think we faired that well though. 50 million unemployed there is only 33 million in Canada. Why are you considering immigration reform with that high of unemployment. Shut the borders and start looking after yourself. You can't help anyone in less your healthy first. Anyone who has been in a plane knows that.

MMmmNACHOS's picture
MMmmNACHOS 9 years 48 weeks ago
#23

There you go again KEND with those half truths!!! Talking to you Kend is like listening to Fox, CNN, MSNBC, etc...basically all the mainstream commercial news networks...noth'in but half truths and lies to support, and push the agenda of the Corporate Government.

DAnneMarc's picture
DAnneMarc 9 years 48 weeks ago
#24

Palindromedary ~ Again, thanks for the education. You were right! Type "Operation" into the browser and up pops Operation Northwood like a Rattle Snake in a pile of wood. One nice thing about all this Revelation is that this problem existed before I was born--probably cultivated by Vice President Nixon and not Eisenhower if you ask me. At least I feel less complicit in the American nightmare. October Surprise indeed. Thank you so much for answering my questions so well. Joint Chiefs of Staff. Gives a lot of credence to that old Ozzie Osbourne song, "War Pigs."

I wonder what Ken Ware would say about Operation Northwood? Or, about nano-thermite chips in the dust at the WTC? He's been very quiet since that little post, hasn't he? As for me, I want the truth! I don't care what the truth is, just give me the truth!

MMmmNACHOS's picture
MMmmNACHOS 9 years 48 weeks ago
#25

I'm not considering Imagration reform...Look man just because I am from America doesn't mean I support the policies or actions of the government. That being said I am not anti immagrant and I do not support deporting those that have grown up here and are law abiding and tax paying contributors. Illegal Immagrants are not the problem...The problem is for the last 30 years we have allowed Corporations to hijack the Government away from The People, and write and push policies that undermine the Constitution and diminish our Civil Liberties.
The first Immagrants, are who this country was founded (stolen) by. Before a boat of Britts infested this land, The native Indians were interacting with the Spanish for several hundred years.

Palindromedary's picture
Palindromedary 9 years 48 weeks ago
#26

DAnnemarc: You're welcome...and thank you for reading all my posts and actually checking out my links. Yes, I know what you mean about Eisenhower...one of those links seemed to be saying that Eisenhower was itching to invade Cuba for political reasons...Somehow, since Eisenhower ratted on the Military Industrial Complex, warning the people about them, I don't think he was also willing to invade Cuba just for political or self-serving reasons. I think the people behind all of that push to invade Cuba was the Military Industrial Complex who tried to manipulate Presidents and other politicians..all of them..and when they couldn't manipulate them..they assassinated them.

David Abbot's picture
David Abbot 9 years 48 weeks ago
#27

The Twain Report

All The News That Mark Twain Says He Would Report If He Was Alive Today

4-24-2013

The George Bush Memorial Library (See photo below) has opened. The lack of fanfare is surprising when you consider that Bush was without question our most literaryness president, (as well as being quite the little decider). Holding a very impressive collection for a library in Texas, the Bush Memorial library is comprised of both a children's book about a goat, and book II of the 1988 Encyclopedia Britannica (Bevis to Butthead), both with many pages torn out. The size of the book collection forced the library to maintain a somewhat smaller magazine collection, which is comprised of a copy of a 1950 Montgomery Ward catalog, also with many pages torn out. The decorating scheme is early pioneer, with several corncobs next to the only seat, and a sign in crayon saying, "We aim to please. You aim too, please. This means you, George."

ginico55's picture
ginico55 9 years 48 weeks ago
#28

It is known fact that the majority of this money is going to the Republicans - why do you think that so many are against it's implementation! Plain and simple!

ginico55's picture
ginico55 9 years 48 weeks ago
#29

There are a million E-mail addresses at the Security and Exchange - what one should be used for this complaint! A small stockholder and American citizen who is tired of our country being ruled by Corporatists!

Tara T's picture
Tara T 9 years 47 weeks ago
#30

That's right, illegal immigrants are not the problem. If you want to point a finger and reprimand then you have to look at those that are skirting the laws and employing them. It's a ridiculousnotion to want to reprimand the little guy for what the big guy does. Of course that's one of the fundemental differences between liberals and conservatives -- the rich/powerful are to blame or the poor/weak are to blame.

Mark Saulys's picture
Mark Saulys 9 years 47 weeks ago
#31

In a competitive society there can be NO ethics in business. Ethics are an impediment to competitiveness, They have to be handed down by government in the form of laws, regulations and taxes. If your competitors are cheating or maiming their workers to save money or gain another advantage then your only choice is to either do the same as your competitor or to turn them in to the government. If the government, as a result of some undue influence of rogues in your industry, either chooses to look the other way or provides only small, minor, meaningless penalties for the violations then ... oh well, guess you'll have to choose the first option, then, or give it up.

Corporate CEOs are forbidden BY LAW to behave ethically. If they do ANYTHING for ANY purpose other than to maximize profits for their shareholders those shareholders can take them to court.

A similar unfortunate piece of power machienery is in place in government. The POTUS, for example, is mandated to be an imperialist. He may like to treat less powerful foreigners more ethically but he is not the president of those foreigners so when there is a conflict between the wishes - legitimate or not - of his constituent public and the needs and well being of foreigners he will have to go with the wishes , however self indulgently frivolous or covetous, of his public rather than the - quite possibly - more legitimate concerns, needs and well being of those foreigners.

Take drone strikes, for example. Drone strikes will continue regardless of the obvious glaring ethical violations they entail for as long as the president believes that the majority of the American public insits that there be no safe haven for Al-Quaeda in Pakistan, ethics be damned. In general, since Viet Nam, the U.S., in its military operations, has been completely willing to - almost gratuitously - visit any number and beyond of civillian casualties upon a foreign population in order to prevent a single casualty of U.S. military personnel. This in deference to the supposed "Viet Nam Syndrome" that would cause the public to freak out if ANY casualties are sustained by the U.S. military in an operation.

That's interesting because during the Viet Nam War the U.S. military encouraged almost unlimited Viet Namese civillian casualties as they measured success by body count. So ultimately the American public was outraged and upset about U.S. military casualties in Viet Nam but not by the Viet Namese civillian casualties that were at least 20 x the former.

Thus our problems are more systemic rather than just being a matter of the wrong people in charge with the wrong policies.

Mark Saulys's picture
Mark Saulys 9 years 47 weeks ago
#32

As someone whose family comes from the Soviet Union, who has visited the Soviet Union, who was part of the exile community of Eastern Europeans in the U.S., who has known a tremendous amount of defectors from the Eastern Bloc and who remembers and participated in (on the side of the West) the Cold War, I can tell you that Kennedy was, in fact, speaking of International Stalinist (even though Kruschev "destalinized" he arguably retained some essential Stalinist elements) Communism. In any case, he and Bobby declared a close parity between Soviet Communism and the international crime syndicate - or "Mafia" - saying they were both mercilessly brutal and cold blooded "secret societies" who respected might and not right, whose ends justified any means, and so on. I believe them to have been correct.

The great NY Times reporter/writer, Jack Anderson believed that the Mafia killed Kennedy because Sam Gianncana, as a favor for his old friend from his bootlegging days, Joe Kennedy, fixed the 1960 election for JFK in Chicago and then, after he was elected, JFK with RFK came after the Mafia with a great vengeance. The Mafiosos considered this a "doublecross".

The story goes that when the CIA were comissioned by POTUS to assasinate Castro they hired the Mafia to do it - as they often hired private thugs to do their dirt for the sake of deniability. When the Kennedies came after the Mafia, however, the Mafia approached Castro, told him about the plot and offered to kill Kennedy for Castro, instead. Then came Castro's speech in which he said, "It has recently come to my attention that the United States government is trying to have me assasinated. Two can play at that game."

The rest, as they say, is history.

Mark Saulys's picture
Mark Saulys 9 years 47 weeks ago
#33

NAFTA helped WHO in Mexico? Their unemployment so skyrocketed that illegal immigration to the U.S. quadrupled.

Palindromedary's picture
Palindromedary 9 years 47 weeks ago
#34

Mark Saulys; Yes, I know there are many different conspiracy theories about the assassination of JFK. Many books have been written detailing those different conspiracies. I certainly don't know which one is true...but the lone gunman theory that the government put to the American people is not very credible. Yes, I heard of the one where the Mob did it...one that Castro did it...one that the CIA did it...one that Johnson did it...and everyone seems to have some fairly credible information to prove their case. I knew that the CIA had done business with the Mafia to assassinate Castro. But I am wondering why the Mafia would have done any business at all with Castro since Castro took all their casinos away from them. The Mafia lost a lot of money on that. Besides, it was thought that Kennedy was "going soft" on Castro and the whole reason for the Joint Chiefs of Staff's Operation Northwoods was to sucker the American people into supporting an American invasion of Cuba. But JFK wouldn't go for it...another reason why the hawks hated him.

Right wingers hated Kennedy, the Oil people hated Kennedy, Big business people hated Kennedy...all the right-wing war mongering hawks hated Kennedy...especially after the Bay of Pigs and then the Cuban Missile Crisis. They believed JFK was not only going soft on Cuba but on Communism. These crazies would have tried to nuke not only Cuba but the Soviet Union as well and the world would have changed dramatically...those of us surviving the initial nuclear exchange would have died long ago from massive doses of radiation. And none of us would be watching those sexy girls on RT TV today! Now that would be a really horrible thing! ;-}

I certainly agree that our problems are systemic.. a system that has been morphed by the ruling elite over time...but if you think about it...it has been pretty rotten from it's founding. Rich, white, landowning men creating laws that ensures that they continue to maintain the wealth and power over others. Yes, there was a lot of high and mighty sounding words (that they evidently didn't really mean to apply all the time to everyone) just as it is today.

David Abbot's picture
David Abbot 9 years 47 weeks ago
#35

NAFTA helped the rich in Mexico- the rich Mexicans who, like rich Americans, use poor people and then throw them away.

Timothy Gilmore's picture
Timothy Gilmore 9 years 47 weeks ago
#36

As long as we use money as a medium of exchange, we will always have poverty. It's the basic economic principle of supply and demand. There must be a constant and increasing demand for money; otherwise it's valueless. Those who most need money must continually labor for it simply to survive. The more people need it, the more willing they are to do abominable things to get it. Wealthy and politically powerful people control the money supply, restricting global trade for profits. Used for world domination and the spread of terrorism, those who control it wage wars and pass trade agreements impoverishing the many to benefit the few. We don't have to barter individual goods and products. By voluntarily using our skills and abilities to benefit humanity by structuring service, social and industrial unions to produce, develop and distribute the world's resources we can abolish the overwhelming social ills caused by money: poverty, homelessness, global environmental destruction, waste, illiteracy, war, injustice, crime, slavery, governmental and corporate corruption and fraud, overpopulation and ill health around the world. Only by abolishing money can international cooperation secure genuine world peace, aided by the use of Esperanto, the international language of peace.
Labor unions would be the primary centers coordinating administrative duties and information about availability of goods and services locally and globally, nationally and internationally. They would manage local, state or large cities for primary services such as food, water, shelter/construction, sanitation, education, healthcare, recycling, clothing, power/energy, the environment, labor and for other fields of endeavor, such as entertainment, fire and police protection, space development and transportation. Others could be formed as workers’ needs are determined during the transition away from money.
Government would be part of the Education union and would be responsible for elections of union leaders, preventing the use of force or fraud and for citizen advocacy. Courts would cascade down from the World Court in Den Hague at the Palais du Droits de l’Homme, and any other administrative duties, such as war prevention, would be the responsibility of a restructured, much enhanced United Nations. And as far as NAFTA is concerned, it's the reason for the explosion of drug lords and crime in Mexico.

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