The president cannot govern against Congress -- not on the long run. If that was really so easy, it wouldn't be a democracy. It would be plain dictatorship. President Bush wouldn't have been able to start those wars, if this country and Congress weren't ready for war. But America was ready to go to war. And Congress gave him the money. They can easily stop the president by cutting down his budget.

Maybe you like the citizen united stuff, but we progressives feel like dumping that. Because this makes politics, Congresspeople, government dependent on money. President Obama very much depends on corporate money. And this makes him powerless. To change that, we need a decent majority in Senate and House. We also need to change Supreme Court. Even if President Obama didn't want that progressive change -- a progressive dominated Congress could force him, for they make the laws. And they really should take away his ability to start wars. This had been a emergency measure (if I remember right during WW2) and not meant forever.

If President Obama really was so independent as you say, he could have arrested the gridlocking Teapartiers last year. But that much power would be extremely dangerous, as much as I hate those teabaggers!

______________________________

P.S.: Thanks for provocating me, because these things have to be said. People have to understand, that the low approval rate of Congress is extremely anti-democratic!! Although those Congress people drive us mad, nuts or to tears at times : after voting them in, we have to take those guys. And this is Democracy -- not a president who lonesomely can decide over war and peace.

The United States Government for the last 30 years has been for the multinational Corporations and by the multinational corprations and the American People be damned. The Republicans are talking about preventing voter fraud by eliminating old people, poor people, and young people from voting. Nobody says anything about the electronic voting machines with no paper audit trail that hackers can logon to and change the vote to whatever they want it to be leaving no trace of tampering. Don't be surprised if the Republicans win everything in 2012 despite exit polls predicting a Democratic win.

Just listen to Mitt Romney:

He's already speaking like an aristocrat -- He's acting strangely like an aristocrat -- He is stiff like an aristocrat -- He lives in a separate world like an aristocrat

Monarchy / aristocracy is: A few idiots rule masses of immature fools. Let's not vote like a bunch of immature fools in November!

The purpose of business as humans have currently constructed is for profit to be made for the owners of that business all businesses are profit driven that is the objective is it not?

So why are we surprised to see history repeating, it will ever do so until we change the model or until we change the beliefs that create the model.According to our society profit is the most important thing,and it stems from the thought that there is not enough to go around and our separation theology.

Yesterdays god has been characterized as a every-man-for- himself kind of god this comes from the idea we are separate from each other and god.

Life is tough on planet earth with at least 3 billion people living in poverty of those around 1.3 billion live in absolute poverty.

This is because we have created an economic system the purpose of which is to generate profit.

The ten ILLUSIONS of humans are Need exists,Failure exists,Disunity exists,Insufficiency exists,Requirement exists,Judgement exists,Conditionality exists,Superiority exists,Ignorance exists.

It is from the dual ILLUSIONS of Insufficiency and Disunity that our economy emerges.The idea that there is NOT ENOUGH of what humans think they need to be happy,and the idea that humans are separate from each other ,forms the basis of our entire economic model.

The New Spirituality will provide us with a new basis for our economy and we will create a new model,the purpose will change from an economy needing to generate profit to one that generates wealth.

Wealth at the moment is defined as possessions and power so the more things you owned the more power you had and the wealthier you were.The old spirituality encouraged humans to have dominion over the earth ,humans have interpreted this to mean domination ,so now you can see the vast problems this has caused.The imagined idea of ownership of or power over,people,places and things that we call asset,s are all part of dominating the earth and each other.

In the days of the NEW SPIRITUALITY wealth will be defined not as possessions and power,but as access and happiness.

There is enough stuff for everyone if we use this stuff rather than have ownership of the stuff of life.

So the answer is to redefine wealth as access and availability and shift from a possession and-power economy to a USE -and-COOPERATION ECONOMY.

remember WE ARE ALL ONE

namaste to all in America the time has come to change the world ,lets all be the change we wish to see,or as Shakespeare said to be or not to be THAT IS THE QUESTION or do humans wish to be at all.?

BofA and FDIC...About a week ago, a man called into Thom's radio program and talked about a Bank of America and the FDIC deal - but couldn't give much detail. Since I'm invested with a company owned by BofA, I started doing some research. BANKING LAW PROF BLOG was among the sources I found on the internet. And here's a reference from that site to the BofA and FDIC (http://lawprofessors.typepad.com/banking/2012/01/financial-stability-ove...):

"...Art Wilmarth seconded Baxter's point that regulators appear to have been "moving in exactly the wrong direction," exemplified by the informally reported action (not denied by the Federal Reserve) that allowed BofA to transfer a large portfolio of OTC derivatives from a broker/dealer subsidiary to the FDIC-insured bank. The effect was to allow BoA to avoid putting up required reserves and transferred risk of loss to the deposit insurance fund -- and ultimately to the taxpayers. In addition, BoA holds a large portfolio of second mortgages that are, for practical purposes, worthless. Almost-certain losses in this portfolio are not yet reflected."

Wanted to add this subject to the conversation about way-too-big-to-fail.

I agree, big business own American politicians (apparently democrats like Obama too).. Look at obamas performance with monsanto.. Who but a hard core conservative would do that?

Someone said what will it take to wake people up.. We had bush2 who started an illegal was with nearly a million dead (apparently for profit motivation; since nothing else makes sense).. Unfortunately, since a million dead didnt wake people up, maybe if something like the nazi party arose in America (actually the republicans have uncanny similarities to the nazis)..

Fantastic! Glad to hear that Brazil's leaders have balls...unlike American leaders. I hope they do put these criminals in jail and set a very good example. But, I am afraid that Obama might decide these Brazilian leaders are getting too uppity and may target them for assassination by our missiles.

Dig this. Maybe the US gov is hamstrung by the corporations, but the people are desperately working to survive. We all need to be working together to save our earth.

Dr John "Lissen At Our Prayer" SoulFire4TheGulf:
http://youtu.be/WwapNyqyeiQ via @youtube
Elaine Langley, of Plenty and The Farm, was instrumental in bringing
Dr. John to the Islands West of New Orleans to see the damage done by
the destruction of the wetlands and the BP oil spill. The Grandmothers
will be in the area April 16 to 20 to join in the blessing. love, Eliz

Video by: www.jamesdemariaproductions.com
In support of: www.turtlewomenrising.com
Additional footage by Cottage Films.
Thanks to Rebecca Ferris.

If corporations are people, then BP deserves the death penalty. They owe billions to the shrimpers, the beach resorts, fishermen and locals who have been exhiled from their favourite beaches. They owe wildlife rehabilitation centres. If their liabilities exceed their corporation's entire net worth, then so be it. If the fisheries are not viable for a decade, then they owe the fishers for that decade.Lousianna has to suffer so much from the petroleum industry that, like the people of Alaska and Norway, every citizen should get a royalty cheque.It's not enough for big oil to just grease the hands of a few politicians.Being French Canadian, I also have relatives there.

Dear Dr. Richard,

Your analogy is akin to not prosecuting a child molester because he owns the town's only gas station.

America has been held hostage by big oil long enough. In fact, the oil companies are the ONLY winners of the Iraq War. They should reimburse the American taxpayers for the entire cost of the war. We paid for the take over of the oil fields and handed them to the oil companies at no charge. It's a disgrace.

America's lack of ethics--not taking the moral highground--not standing up to the power elites out OF FEAR is what's wrong with this country. We used to stand for courage, bravery and integrity but your mind set is the new America. If Shell wants to cut off gasoline to our military--let's deal wiht it. If Shell Oil is more powerful that the entire nation of America--let's put it on the table and figure out what to do.

Isn't it obvious by now???

All the big corporations - the banks, the insurance compaines, the oil companies - they own the Justice department, lock, stock, and barrel. Until that changes, the "BIGGIES" will get away with mass murder, theft, fraud, and all manner of criminal activity. We are SSSOOOO screwed!!!

Simple.

Members of congress don't indict their bosses.

You want to keep your job, you look the other way.