Are there any stats on how well the top 1% is doing in their austerity economy? I think that would really drive the point home. After all, that money just doesn't disappear from the economy. It has to go somewhere. To me, it's obvious where it's going, but I'd like to see stats to prove it.

Thom,

Austerity will not work. It will take moving the subsidies for Fossil Fuel and Ethanol to renewable energy. Then building out the Electircal Grid to a modern system, replacing the 1930 technoloy the grid has now. Then passing the PTC for 5 years... And tax credits for companies that hire workers and a penalty for companies that have outsourced!

It will also take re-electing Obama and then going after the Teabagger Republicons... SIngle payer health care would also help!

Thank you for keeping America informed!

There are more people officially unemployed in the US than there are in private sector unions - maybe than belong to unions in total. Certainly there are more people actually unemployed than there are in unions. Unions have become a red herring in this arena.

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Let's be clear about what he actually said:

Quote President Obama:Over the longer term, I think we need to seriously consider mobilizing a constitutional amendment process to overturn Citizens United (assuming the Supreme Court doesn't revisit it)."

So he is basically saying wait for it, wait for it... wait for a new SCOTUS and then we should think about it. The Supreme Court has already quashed Montana's challenge so we do have to wait for a new SCOTUS to have an expectation of any real revisitation of CU FEC. Plus he is only calling for thinking about CU FEC , not the bastardization of popular democracy that is created by corporate political rights.

Obama has that amazing political touch to say things that are bland enough that people hear what they want to hear but not so bland that everyone catches on. In the meantime he does have a super PAC and a billion dollar contribution goal.

Move To Amend has the strongest amendment regarding corporate rights. There are several other amendments that address money in politics more directly. A complete solution will require more than abolishing corporate personhood. I note that the Congress that will overturn corporate personhood and the Powell doctrine (money has speech rights) with a constitutional amendment will just as easily impeach Scalia and Thomas. However, I do not think that is what President Obama had in mind.

The initial Obama stimulus was far too small and too much of it was directed to tax cuts. It is time for citizens to stand proud as tax payers and recognize that our taxes built the commons. It is the commons and significant investment intheir upgrade that will once again grow the middle class.

I think we need to insist that Mitt Romney be more specific about his "jobs plan". I believe he does, indeed, have a plan to create 12 million new jobs. In China.

Yes reform, though, trust but verify. Those three words are fundamental regulation. Which is something called quality control that any good business operation implements. Ronald Reagan said this, and is quoted over again many times. All this a confused noise of the Republican GOP convention not once considered what the French connection really was. The French are recognized for centuries of regulations especially fine wine and cheese through government parliament controls. For me to know what the Romney menu was during that difficult tour as a missionary was left out ? Perhaps a Kobe rib eye for dinner only $2,800 per serving. Or perhaps madam would like the slum dog this afternoon, Samundari Khazana, the World’s Most Expensive Curry – $3200 a pop.

A good sound analysis of this noise would show a totally warped concept of “We built it” the meaning, taken from Elizabeth Warren’s description of all America chipping into, like paying taxes, to the Common Wealth, and president Obama’s support of the ideal. Of course in most respects Romney tapped the system till the middle class is skewed left as far as they could go. Yes, hitting it out of the ballpark is exactly what happened. Romney pitched the Taguchi's fast ball right to over sea’s manufactured goods. Taguchi is a statistical principal used in manufacturing goods. Motorola used it to build the first micro tac cell phone. I know I helped implement it. Or maybe he uses another one. Just thinking about it makes me laugh because of Romney’s disclaimers likely had those sweeteners in little tiny teeny whinny letters you and I cannot see, legal ease, sort of like the loaded eighty inch television screen that has the commercial with Henry Winkler in the reverse mortgage that displays a disclaimer with what looks like hundreds of little words hard to see in about two seconds or less. I don’t think Evelyn Wood reading dynamics could get one to read that fast.

There are so many characteristics to talk about, especially Clint Eastwood’s empty chair skit. Here is Clint skillfully towing the conversation with the empty chair. I didn’t see it but there must have been a string connecting the chair, working Eastwood’s jaw. It had to be Richards Feynman’s applications in sting theory Hollywood style. Eastwood finally became the Pinocchio we love. Like a little kid pulling a Hollywood jack wagon train. I was expecting Joan Rivers to appear, to sell some energy drinks, or perhaps to help Eastwood blow the horn. LOL.

And of course Jeb Bush, saying with exclaim, don’t blame my brother for America’s grief, the displaced Persians of the middle east, the wounded and death in the wars, the money lost and likely the gold that disappeared from the treasury, riddling the healthcare laws, women with no rights. Because of Obama’s short fall in fixing the economy in free fall. I can picture Isaac Newton saying while holding the caduceus staff of health care “who thou is ith this serpent, dashing out our peoples health care, stealing the treasury and screwing up two wars, Guards arrest that man?”

Yes, for I totally agree to stop blaming George Bush, your brother. Now admitting that you are an accomplice, complicit, and likely scrubbed the flight records of the Arabs fleeing from Florida, and of course scrubbing all those third party Cayman Island Florida investment firms that flipped real-estate faster than a bank check through the Rockefeller clearing house. Yes we all know Greenspan’s lovely wife has a cut in it too, to keep you, your dad, your brother out of the slammer.

Yikes, the show just began, De Novo, if Bush and Cheney had the simple analysis that is given, Romney, and Obama they would also have to run from the notion of committing a felony. From my view they are felons and our Congress and Senate are complicit.

Thank you for reading this for I appreciate the first amendment right to free speech. I don’t have a lot of money there is nothing in this for me but to build an honest America that we will never have till this 911 fraud is completely exposed. I will say this for Michelle Obama, when watching parts of the GOP convention it rings true “That is part of America that I am not proud of either.”

People look starry-eyed at the prospect of a new "king" to "save" them. People hero worship.

All the stories of parents working so hard, were THEN, not now. It was easier to find a job in the 50'-60's. I know.

Obama runs the risk of being a whiner if he points out that the Republicans have blocked him at every move. However, I think they might have a chance to get the message out if team Obama uses the theme that it is much easier to destroy than it is to build, much easier to do nothing than it is to do something. They could use stories that everyone can relate to to illustrate this truth. Then they could illustrate, with a few stories how the Republicans have done this. Finally, they could ask what would Mittens do differently than Obama.

If Republicans rule, I can see some version of "The Hunger Games" on the distant horizon for future generations.

A brief comment on my last comment. One might say, 'That sounds like some kind of utopian nightmare". And it is. The cancer that is Big-controlling/Corporate money; Bank usuary and the derivatives Casino; Government overlordship largely via mandates, the Federal grants system, as well as over-reaching legislation, and the War on Terror (i.e everyone), has left us all with no easy options. The States will clamour: We simply cannot afford all the Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, Food assistance, Schools, Highways, Welfare, Emergency preparedness, and the multitude of other programs that we are faced with. We will be bankrupt within a week.

We are already bankrupt. If all the individual rooms in a house are bankrupt, then the house as a whole, or household is bankrupt.

I say the States must individually fight to get our money back from the banksters and penalize companies that have off-shored for personal profit and tax avoidance at the expense of America. This can lead to substantial proceeds that can be divided per capita, and exclude any personally based criteria such as age or wealth or financial need, or legal status (i.e. incarcerated, etc.).The person must be a living individual, not a corporation, and be a U.S. citizen. The monies discussed above would be issued directly to the States, to meet their community needs. And if companies and the wealthy balk at the give back, so be it. If they leave, then goodbye, but be aware that in this legislation, you have by default renounced your citizenship in The United States of America. Your assets will be frozen until taxes have been paid in full which will include a full tax audit of the previous ten (10) years of business operations and/or non-corporate income. Additionally a displaced worker re-employment/retraining fee has to be paid in full, directly to the State(s) in which the workers resided. Not to the State of corporate origin unless the worker physically lived in that State more than 50% of the previous year and on a pro-rated basis, based on residency. All of the above prior to the unfreezing of your assets.

By the way big wealthy corporations, if you jump ship, ten or twenty local small/medium companies will fill the void that you leave. Bye bye.

Want to see the Roaches scramble? Then let's go.

When you try to be fairly even handed against a conservative opponent that is always extremely one sided who never gives an inch ...then an attempt at compromise always ends up on the side of the conservative side (ie: far to the right of center). I believe conservatives are way too hard headed and unwilling to compromise with anything. And besides, when our government is owned and controlled by conservatives (they have all the money and power) then it is quite necessary, and many liberals do not yet understand this, to press full force in the opposite direction. Radical liberalism is no vice and is the only way to make any gains against radical conservatives. I'm tired of liberals being pushovers. We need to push back...hard! Hard to believe that so many people have been repeatedly screwed by the conservatives yet don't use their power...power in numbers...to overwhelm the few rich people who control us. The major news media is owned by fewer than 10 corporations that feed their propaganda and, it seems, effectively gets people to vote and act against their best financial interests.

They can even afford to pay sock puppets to create a multitude of false identities to influence and create confusion and doubt on liberal web sites.

Indiana always reminds me of the movie "A Boy and His Dog" with Don Johnson..when he goes subterranean where this underground cult, led by Jason Robards lives. I don't know why I always think of Indiana...I guess it should really remind me of Kansas...as the underground refuge was built below Topeka, Kansas after being destroyed by a nuclear war. I used to have to go to Kokomo frequently many years ago. And I would always think of "A Boy and His Dog".

Calgary is an interesting place...it has a town within a city. The town is fashioned on various eras with different streets that look like the different eras. There is a small old-fashioned train that circles around and an old fashioned bandstand where they, in colorful dress representing the good old days, play live music for people sitting on blankets on the grass.

I didn't realize that Bush had set up Zapata Oil operations in Calgary...I thought it was all down in Texas.
But, I guess since there were probable CIA connections to both Bush and Zapata Oil Co since the 50s one would likely find Zapata Oil in many places at times.