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I hate saying this my friends, but I really believe that until or unless we get more in lockstep in certain ways, we're never gonna fix or solve diddily squat. We'll never be effective players in this deadly game of class warfare politics until we pick an issue, unite around it, set aside our differences and give it everything we've got. And if it were up to me, folks, that one issue to start with would be campaign finance reform, which means overturning "Citizens United". Because without publicly funded elections, we're flatout screwed. I've heard it said numerous times: attempting to turn liberals & progressives into a more united force is like trying to herd cats. Can't argue with that! But hey, look what we're up against. Long as corporations control everything our lives literally depend on, people will die. Because without campaign finance reform, corporations own our government. Everything we literally depend upon to function and live becomes ransom. So now we've got fascism. Long as we have that, nothing is going to change. The situation will continue to worsten as more people are impoverished, and poverty kills. So what are we going to do about it? We have to do something, because their policies are literally killing us. People are dying, right here in America- from hunger and disease, from poor nutrition, toxic drugs, pollution, unsafe work environments, denial of healthcare and mental health services... How many more people have to succumb to this before we've finally had enough, and are ready to get ourselves friggin' organized? I kid you not my friends, without campaign finance reform the situation will only get worse. Without campaign finance reform we're doomed. All of us: men, women, white, nonwhite, gay, straight, the poor, even the not-so-poor... doomed. - Aliceinwonderland
The whored off corporate shills in the upper house can afford to be populists since it is a no brainer that the thing will die in the House. Koch money well spent. It is just so disheartening. You worried about a drone visit Thom? Or, have we all been too marginalized to pose any threat to the status quo. The more you vote for change, the more things stay the same!!!!!
DAnne that is why I have said over and over to have a health care system run by the Fed is insane. Even though we have only 33 million people our health care is run province (state) by province. We have a national health act the is the guide line for all provinces to follow but is is just the basic care. Each area has different needs. ie New York and Montana. What this also creates is a comparison as to what is working and what is not. Canada has been decentralizing as we have found doing anything at a national level ineffceint and the US is centralizing everything.
I have theory, want do you think. States like New York and California are in big trouble. They have given such generous state health care benifits over the years and are way under funded to keep them up. Not to mention the massive state debt they have built up. They desperatly need to go to a national single payer system to get those liabilities off the books. If not the whole socialism system collapses. I can't think of any other reason why the Fed would get involved in such a massive mess.
Interesting that in 1812 if Canada had not won the war against the US I would be an American. History is awsome. Canada defeating the powerful United States. Today only in hockey,.
Kend ~ It wouldn't surprise me. Pelosi and Feinstein are both out as far as I am concerned. Boxer and Lee are going to stay right where they are. I wrote them all concerning the TPP. Their responses to that dictate my response to them. I recommend everyone treat their congressmen accordingly. Write them a letter denouncing the TPP. If they get a letter back that agrees, vote them back into office. If they get a condescending rambling of tripe, vote them out. It is that simple. My simple strategy for solving this awful major economic problem.
Not that they actually write back. I'm not that naive. However, they will have someone respond--usually with some generic response to a general question. It is enough, however, to determine exactly the way they stand on the issue. You can tell by the way it is worded exactly where their priorities are. Later, you can tell by their actions exactly where their loyalties lay.
You are very fortunate in Canada. Your small population is your advantage. Our relatively small populations in our cities, and states also make for very equitable politics. Less people and less money are a better recipe for good government. It is on the Federal level that corruption is so very rampant. Too much money floats through the corridors of the Federal Government. Too many hands are in the pie. Money and power corrupt even the best of us. This is the true task at hand. We have to remove the money element from our elections or our real problems will never be healed.
The truth of the matter is that if we can't push and pass comprehensive Campaign Finance Reform we are all doomed. So is the Federal Government. If they continue down the current path--blinded by greed and avarice--they will turn our nation into an economy that cannot be sustained--much the way Russia did to it's nation around the turn of the last century just before the Russian Revolution. Russian leaders were just too removed and out-of-touch with the working class to govern effectively. Of course, our situation has quite a ways to go before it matches the problems of Russia. However, we are well on the way. We are living at a most interesting time. It is a time when Democracy is being tested and will either be vindicated or defeated permanently.
Thank you for being so concerned.
DAnne. Over 20 million children on food stamps. Wow that is scary. Those poor kids. I had my three grandchildren over last night well mom and dad went for diner and a movie. I can't help thinking how lucky they are compared to those 20 million kids on food stamps.
You are so right about politcations. Did you know Nancy Pelosi, working for the government all her life is worth 35 million dollars. Where is the media on things like that. How did see make it?
It can't be done over night. But it can be done. We are lucky in Canada our government put forward the "Canadian Action Plan" back about 5 years ago which gives us incentives to spend money, for example I used two of them. I re sided and insulted my house, I received $3,500 tax break and my business hired a new apprentice which we received a tax break for. Both I would have waited until the economy picked up but went ahead with it now because of the breaks. There is hundreds of others for huge corporations to individual people. Your government choose a different route. They gave grants to select companies that most of which went under. That wouldn't be where Pelosi made it would it.
Right on, Marc! I wish I had your patience as well as your research skills. Unfortunately I don't.
Were it not for certain unearned advantages keeping my husband and myself afloat, we could easily be on food stamps and/or depending on local pantries. Our actual earnings are barely covering utilities, gas and food right now as I complete my training in a new occupation, and gear up for starting a business.
I don't know how anyone on minimum wage can afford a healthful diet. I have to pay $2.50 a pound just for fuckin' broccoli! It costs us roughly $300 a month to eat, and that's just for two people. How does anyone paid seven or eight bucks an hour manage to keep food on the table without some kind of assistance?! And like Marc explains so well, we've got toxic trade policies to thank for so much of that.
Kend, please pull your head out of your ass. The real Welfare Queens are the Kochs, the Waltons (Walmart heirs), and Rush "Limpballs" (as Thom calls him); not to mention trust fund babies, CEOs, celebrity pundits and most congressmen and women... basically all members of the Billionaire & "Lucky Sperm" Club, living off the sweat of the "masses". And oh by the way, Thom (the illustrious historian) has enlightened me to the fact that Ayn Rand was herself dependant on Social Security & Medicare in old age! This is the Goddess of Crony Capitalism, whose philosophy the Kochs and their ilk use to justify their parasitic, thieving ways. Just another one of those inconvenient little facts no one else in the media likes talking about. Tsk, tsk. - Aliceinwonderland
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Kend ~ The people on food stamps mostly either can't work or work such low paying jobs that they can't afford a roof and food. So many "living wage" jobs flew out of the country with Free Trade that only poverty wage jobs are left; and, people are working them. However, they don't pay enough to live. It is the reverse Robin Hood effect where multinational industries are the recipients of the booty collected by the Federal Government.
For your benefit, here are some of the facts concerning Food Stamps and the situation here in the United States as published by the Federal Government itself. Please feel free to use the link and educate yourself.
http://blogs.usda.gov/2011/06/24/fact-vs-fiction-usda%E2%80%99s-supplemental-nutrition-assistance-program/
You are very right. Obama has done nothing to change our trade policies. In fact, he might be acting--even as we speak--to make the situation much worse with TPP legislation. There is not much that can be done about that. The problem started with a Democrat and is being prolonged with a Democrat. Yet, between Clinton and Obama we had 8 solid years of Republican leadership that also did nothing to solve the problem. In fact, the Republicans provided tax incentives to encourage even more businesses to leave the country. With both political parties determined to sabotage the countries economy, how would you suggest we "change those policies?"
Now I know you think we can just snap our fingers and fix the situation. Either you are very terribly misinformed or you are being a smart a$$. In either case rest assured that We the People are aware of the problem and are desperately doing everything we can to fix it--and that ain't enough. With both of our political parties as corrupt as they are fixing this situation is no easy trick. Till the wheels in that process start to move pardon us for demanding that our fellow citizens receive the aid that we would like to receive if we were in their shoes. It's called "The Golden Rule". It was a teaching by someone by the name of Jesus Christ. You should get to know him. He had a lot of good ideas.
Kend, I'm sure you are a very nice, personable guy. But what I find so annoying about you is your apparent inability, or unwillingness, to absorb the information that I, DAnneMarc, Mark Saulys and various other bloggers have been trying to get through to you. Because if it did, you wouldn't be posting the kind of clueless crap this latest message of yours exemplifies. It really is annoying. - Aliceinwonderland
DAnne, then change those policies. Again five years later and there is no hope and no change when it comes to jobs. There is only so much money. I have asked here over and over what has Obama done to create jobs, nothing.
Sorry Alice, I know it's not that much money, what I am thinking about is the 47 million who could be paying taxes and supporting the system. 5 years ago when Obama was elected iall the talk was jobs, jobs, jobs. What happened. The best cure for poverty is a job.
Another question without a real choice. I think we humans will cause more extinctions than global warming could, we have had 10,000 years of experience of causing extinctions starting with the mega fauna.
Every place that modern humans reached was soon followed by the extinctions of the large animals and thanks to our use of fire, a change in the environment leading to even more extinctions.
Global warming is caused by human activities especially the burning of fossil fuels and the destruction of forests.
We are the most deadly preditor to ever evolve, far deadlier than T-rex at it's worse.
For those of you bemoaning the cost of food stamps and support, last week, Associated Press reported that Congress has authorized almost half-a-Billion dollars over two years to build Abrams tanks for the Army. But the Army has said it currently doesn’t need any tanks, and the money would be better used elsewhere. They are immediately going into storage. Food stamps keep people alive, and healthier, so they can work and take care of their families--and it puts money into the economy.
N Z Sarah ~ Of course it will. It already has by far. For a few measly corporate profits this country has been plunged further into debt, and countless millions of lives have been shattered. What does it matter if the corporate bandits further plunge the nation into debt? It's not their money. Besides the more our society is destabilized the easier it will be for them to get away with murder. This is the price we pay for allowing our leaders to deregulate and privatize the nation. Reagan Republicans and Free Trade Democrats have destroyed our nation. Neither party wants to take responsibility for the mess they both created and both have thrown We the People under the bus of corporate greed.
Will this cost more than it saves? Stressed and desperate people are forced to commit crimes, hungry people will have poor nutrition, many more people will be jailed. That costs more money . As many jails are privately owned there will be a masive increase in proffits for those companies.
One word, reprehensible...
As long as there is something left to take, they will find a way to take it. All under the guise of conservatism. They are nasty self centered people with power. God help us.
Tclark says "There was a book written about an intentional effort to 'sabotage' the government as inept in order to create an atmosphere of dissatisfaction within the population in order to facilitate efforts to privatize government functions. Is there a possibility that the sequester, the shut-down, etc. are being driven by similar intentions? In reality, how does one shrink the government to fit in a bathtub? Could it be that the underlying intention involves taking the citizens of the U.S. to new heights of distrust in government so that privatization becomes a walk in the park?" And I say, BINGO. You just highlighted the heart of the problem. It is definitely what motivates those little fascists. This is why they fill the airwaves with government-bashing messages, while filling the seats of Congress just to make sure that government doesn't work.
Wake up, people! Don't fall for this crap, or you'll be in for much harder times than we've seen already. - Aliceinwonderland
Kend ~ Yes, that is what they should be doing, isn't it. The only reason we have 10% of the population on food stamps is due to our insane trade policies. Maybe instead of whining about the consequences of free trade the Government should be whining about the free trade policies. But, no, it isn't, is it? In fact, neither party has anything to say about the real cause of this mess; and, neither party wants to do what is needed to fix it. Instead, they want the poor and needy to bare the burden. Bull $h*t!! The Government caused this crisis and now they should be made to pay the consequences. It is reprehensible that anyone would not be outraged at cuts in the meager sustenance provided to these needy family's that are suffering as a direct result of public policy. Until the trade debacle is corrected, it is the Federal Government's responsibility to feed these victims. Anything less is deliberate genocide.
Since multinational corporations are primarily responsible for this trade fiasco, they should be the main target of the Government's efforts to raise the revenue to pay for these programs. Let they who profited pay the price for the poverty they created.
Kend, are you kidding? For your information, the Food Stamp program extracts ten cents per day out of an annual $50,000 income. That is less than one twentieth (or less than 5%) the amount extracted for war! I get so sick of you conservatives blaming poor people for the goddam deficit. You never bitch about the cost of weapons that kill and mutilate people, but heaven forbid if our resources are allocated to food, health care and education for those of average means (or less)! You guys are full of crap. - Aliceinwonderland
Yes, but since Clinton, Democrats have helped the Republicans completely wipe out what is left of any safety net.
Consider America's response when Bill Clinton wiped out basic poverty relief, and began dismantling Social Security, starting with disabled workers. You didn't notice? Right. Since then, liberal media (with rare exception -- and I have tremendous respect for those exeptions!) has waved the Middle Class Only banner. Since Clinton, the overall life expectancy of America's poor has already fallen by 5-6 years. That might not sound like much, but on a population-wide scale, this would normally be regarded as a humanitarian crisis.
This act of cutting the SNAP benefits by the Republicans is absolutely cruel.
Today’s Republicans fall, basically, into 3 categories: the Rich, the Cruel, and the Ignorant. And, these categories are not mutually exclusive.
If you need further elucidation of the Republcan agenda, then you fall into the last category. Sorry...
May I say thank you for your work we volunteer as often as we can. I know it all we can do in this time. Once more thank you.
The problem is that Duff keeps saying that is what everybody thinks why is that?