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' Global Free trade ' sucks US trade deficit is ALARMING Communist China owns USA We owe them many trillions Bad Bad Bad for USA
"Far as I’m concerned, Obama is a con artist, a smooth-talking fascist." BINGO ALice.
And what are the People supposed to do now? The TPP locks in the status quo. The internet's ability to allow the masses to monitor and respond to information on corporate and government abuses is gone. After the TPP, if information doesn't reflect favorably on wealth concentration - either maintaining it or on effortst to enhance it - it won't be allowed on the internet it is as simple as that. And without the dissemination of this information there will be no political pressure to stop abuses (even if activist groups are still allowed a presence on the web.) So I guess we are supposed to just blindly accept their management of the masses, even if it is reduced to an after thought to their quest for ever growing profit at what ever expense to society they feel necessary.
And to take advantage of Memorial Day to do it?! WOW, that is offensive!
This is fascism. The TPP is the ultimate betrayal, Obama is the worst President ever, even worse than Bush.
I'm a Vietnam Vet and I'm almost despondent about our Country screwing us Vets over this "Traitor" Deal. I flew with about thirty young men who didn't come back from that country and killed trying to win "LIBERTY and DEMOCRACY" for the Vietnamese PEOPLE, not CORPORATE ENSLAVEMENT serving a Criminal Enterprise, masquerading as a Government.
The Vietnamese Regime reportedly uses prisoner and slave labor or when forced, pays a minimum wage of .60 cents an hour with no overtime, worker rights or safety, or environmental hazard protections.
I am OUTRAGED that our country sent us to that country to die and now expect us to "COMPETE" with HUMAN RIGHTS CRIMINALS to keep our jobs and somehow that's "Fair Trade"? Nope.
It's TRAITOR TRADE that pisses on the Grave of every one of the 58,000 VETS that died in that country, and the shame of it is that it's betrayal just so some RICH SCUMBAGS can steal more money from the WORLD (mostly us! and our lost jobs) and as crazy and absurd as can anything in this world could be, They can't even spend what they have already stolen from us, and they DEMAND MORE ?
2950- I feel your pain. That last emboldened question really resonates with me, as it’s crossed my mind more times than I can count. And the only answer I can come up with is that Obama was disingenuous right from the start, which is why I’ve always had reservations about him.
In one of his recent radio shows, Thom drew parallels between the dynamics of our personal relationships (romances & friendships) and the process we go through in our feeiings towards politicians. He talked about the difference between infatuation, where much of the attraction is based on our similarities with the other person; and love, where you’ve come to accept those things in the other than don’t suit you so much, while still embracing the whole person. In Thom’s analysis, many of us were infatuated with Obama in those early days of his campaigning and winning the election. But I was never infatuated with Obama. I always was skeptical. The only reason I ever voted for him was because the choices made available to us were abysmal.
John McCain and Sarah Palin?! Pl-eeeeez.
It was early in his first presidential campaign that Barak Obama announced his intention to escalate that pointless war effort in Afghanistan. I first learned about it from an article I read in the Unitarian Universalist magazine, sometime in '07 or '08. Obama's support of nuclear power also indicated a disregard for people’s autonomy, along with their safety and wellbeing. (Nothing indicates a corporatist more strongly than a gung-ho attitude towards nuclear power!) And thanks to the Hightower Lowdown, before Obama was first elected I caught wind of all the campaign cash donated to his run for office... by THE HEALTH “INSURANCE” INDUSTRY! (Hello.) I remember how deflating it felt to read about that.
Then after getting elected, one of the first things Obama did was appoint, as his financial advisors, guys like Geithner and Summers, two of those goddam hacks who had just come within a hair’s breadth of bringing down the world economy!!!! Hey, much as I hate the Grand Obstructionist Party, I can’t blame them for any of that!
Far as I’m concerned, Obama is a con artist, a smooth-talking fascist. Remember how he changed his tune during the healthcare debates in ’09? Remember how “Yes we can” morphed into “No we can’t”? Remember that lame-ass speech of his where he hemmed & hawed like establishing single payer would be tantamount to reinventing the wheel?! Fucking bullshit, all of it. I'd find it flat-out laughable if the consequences weren't so dire.
Critical thinking man-- Obama? I don’t think so. How can he do this to us? The same way the others are doing it to us, 10K. By lying and bullshitting us, saying one thing then doing the opposite, wheelin’ an’ dealin’ behind closed doors, taking bribes ad nauseam. Look at Obama's aggressive push for Fast Track and the TPP! And mark my words, Thom: if Hillary Clinton wins the Democratic ticket, we can expect more of the same.
That's why I donated $100 to Bernie's campaign that we could ill afford to part with, the day he finally decided to run. It's why I plan to do for Bernie Sanders' campaign what I've never been willing to do for any presidential candidate before him: go door-to-door. I hate going door-to-door because it feels unsafe and creeps me out, but hey, I'll do it for Bernie. I trust that man more than I've trusted any other candidate for president in my lifetime, and I'm in my sixties. I've seen many of 'em come and go...
Bernie's the man. He walks the talk. He's consistent, he's passionate and he's honest. An honest politician! Wow. And if Elizabeth Warron doesn't join Bernie as the VP candidate, how about Alan Grayson or Dennis Kucinich? These are all critical thinkers, 10k, and they're willing to fight for us. Any of those people as VP would suit me fine.
Thanks so much Bernie, for bringing us the gift of hope!
The vast majority by far stands against "fast- track," the TPP, and for that matter all of the past free/slave trade deals. However for some anti-democratic reason, actually that reason is called Fascism, our President and more than half of our elected officials choose not to represent the will of the people. The desire to have a decent paying job, own a home, raise a family, and after working a lifetime enriching the so called job creators, retire with a degree of dignity, are all modest desires. When these desires, the pursuit of happiness, is thwarted by our elected officials, that constitutes abuse. When a "long train of abuse, "free trade deals," pursuing invariably the same object," concentration of wealth and the arbitrary political power this wealth creates....."It is our right and in fact our duty to throw off such government."
How could a critical thinking man like Obama do this to us?
Bernie is our only hope. No other candidate is worth squat.
What this all boils down to is the fact that the big money boys and their bought off politicians never did like the situation where the people could keep an eye on them and keep them in line. Reagan hated unions because they kept him and his buddies in line and put restrictions on their greed. Since Reagan, his plutocratic army of Reaganites that came after him started removing our labor union and econimic protections all over the country, and they never will stop till we stop them by replacing the regulations and make them pay the taxes they are supposed to be paying. As Ted Kennedy said, "when will the greed stop?" Well, it will stop when the people finally rise up and take their country back from them. The Rethug morons always say, "we're going to take our country back," but they of course are really wanting to keep the country where they have had it and where they want it, right there in their pocket.
Despair is the mating call of the loser bird. I prefer to always have the highest expectations and never give up. That is what I admire about Bernie Sanders. He has exactly the same quality. He was the underdog in Burlington Vermont when he won the Mayoral race. He was the underdog for the seat in the House when he won that as an Independent. He was the underdog for his present Senate seat that he also won. He's the underdog for the Democratic nomination; yet, this underdog has raised more money in his first week than all the other candidates put together. If this underdog loses this bid for the White House, it will be his first loss so far in his career since the 1970's. I would not underestimate this underdog. Also, if he does win, the success of the TPP--if any--might just be short lived.
Certain lib media (MSNBC, etc.) have gone all-out to sell Hillary Clinton in place of VP Joe Biden as the 2016 Dem Party candidate. Before launching her pre-campaign speaking tour, Clinton was hard at work promoting the TPP. When even the liberal bourgeoisie evidently support the TPP, how bad could it be, right? Right. Regardless, the TPP is something that those in power want, so I don't see what the masses can do about it (beyond huff and puff and sign a few petitions). I'd love to be proven wrong, but with this generation so deeply divided and subdivided by class and race, it does seem to leave us quite powerless.
I support both options but, until Congress acts to ban fracking (which I doubt they ever will), local governments should have that power. AND, by the way, they have....NY state and Las Vegas, NM.
75 people have WON the Bank of Sweden Prize for Economic Sciences.
Maybe you could ask one of them, if you know any?
Or maybe Bernie does, and his campaign would need an economic advisor,
as well as "his administration", what say you, Thom?
Oh wait, you don't read or respond to what is written here, do you?
Aren't we lucky to be able to open a bank, take money from our customers, invest it, manipulate the interest rate (illegally) to our advantage, get caught and fined doing so and then have our customers pay for our wrongdoing letting the owners off scott free.
When will the press and pundits start making it obvious that fines, taxes and all other costs of doing business are born by the customer, in general this means, you and I. It is high time that we stop blaming the corporation and instead blame its leaders and decision makers (by name) for their misdeeds. Jail time and banishment from the financial community of these individuals would be an added bonus.
As for punishment for the latest bankster crimes instead of fines (essentially punishing the customer/victum) how about forgiving all consumer credit card debt. This would not take additional money out of the customers pocket and would be an enormous kick in the behind to the economy.
I'm a little embarrassed to say that I voted "Yes" before reading the whole description of the "No" vote. I do support federal banning of fracking!
Thom might consider changing "suckers" to "out-foxed" sortofa double entendre. Thank all of you for all of your service!!! Doesn't have any blood on it as does mine.
Liz Shield says she shouldn't have to show ID to buy ammunition because she's not a criminal, but people that buy alcohol aren't generally criminals either. The point is to determine whether the purchase is illegal. And by her argument, her wish to require ID to vote would mean voters are criminals.
On the other hand, the searching of everyone's persons and effects at airports is a violation of the 4th Amendment, and therefore does treat everyone like a criminal.
WHERE have all the good jobs gone?
LONG time passing
WHERE have all the good jobs gone?
LONG time ago
WHERE have all the good jobs gone?
JOBS are export number one
WHEN will they ever learn?
WHEN will we ever learn?
WHERE have all the good jobs gone?
LONG time passing.
WHERE have all the good jobs gone?
LONG time ago.
WHERE have all the good jobs gone?
CORPORATIONS ship them every one
WHEN will they ever learn?
WHEN will we ever learn?
http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/vote_menu_114_1.htm
I'm not seeing a vote on H.R. 1314 as a whole yet, but there are votes listed for 4 amendments so far.
Reply to #6: Mr. Ford, I too would love it if a news reporter had the balls to ask a candidate for office questions like that. But even if they did, we've no guarantee a correct answer would amount to much more than false pretense, just to placate the public and win votes.
Bernie Sanders' passion and consistency are what make him stand out from the crowd. He's addressing the kinds of issues that really matter to the American people. And he's doing it all the time; not just during election time when he needs our votes.
BERNIE SANDERS FOR PRESIDENT! We need you Bernie, now more than ever.
Reading Thom’s introductory post, I’m reminded yet again, the regulatory policies on corporations were more enlightened and more robust in the 1870s than they are today. And that’s pretty damn depressing. Now in the 2010’s, corporations are “people” while we are chopped liver. Apparently Warren Harding’s incarnates still occupy the seats of Congress, hellbent on further reducing the USA to a banana republic shithole. Empty suits, all of them.
Kill a bunch of people via negligence… Hey, no big deal, just pay the fine! In the same country where jaywalkers and shopliofters can ger executed on the spot, and smoking a joint can still land you in prison for life. Amazing.
One thing that has to change if we’ve got a prayer of a chance: we all need to wake up to the consequences of congressional seats filled by psychopaths. Too bad psychopathy can’t be recognized as a birth defect so easily as missing limbs or the “wrong” gender. People with no soul and no conscience are incredibly dangerous, especially when they occupy seats of power and influence, as this Amtrak scenario clearly illustrates. But it is only one example of many. If we don’t learn to weed out these subhuman imposters, we will be forever screwed, all the way to extinction.
Before I go, I’d just like to tip my hat to Liz (post #2). You speak for me, sister. I’d love to see a woman president in my lifetime… but not just any woman will do!
Get Out Of Jail Cards;
1-Wealth, OR, how MUCH are you worth
2-Fame, not always guaranteed (OJ Simpson)
3-Job Title, Mayor Blah is NOT going to Jail...COPs or,
4-Related to a COP, self explanatory
5-Politics, and those associated with Politics, Ambassadors, Lobbyists, any1 with influence
6-if you're a White Man with a Gun
Seems like the President uses Populist rhetoric when his poll numbers slip, but governs center right on finance and energy. The banks will most likely be allowed to write the fine off as expenses so pe prepared for that 5.8 billion tab.
No honor among thieves.
How is it possible Thom that you don't know or care that the Fed. Bank is a private corporation? And if you do know, that you don't impart that fact to your readers? What right does the Fed. Bank have to fine any banks for any indiscretions, when they themselves have been printing money out of thin air for decades? Don't you think these facts are worth mentioning?
Do you ever do any homework Thom, or are you just another paid shill? How about running your proposed articles by me, so you can get a real education before you print this crap. The Fed. Bank is a corrupt and fraudulent central banking system that caters only to the ultra wealthy. Do you even care about integrity Thom? How many folks are doing your research for you? I could use a job, how about hiring me for free for a couple of weeks, and give your readers a chance at knowing the whole story? Time to wake up sir.
I would like to see news people ask presidential candidates if they think those who commit banking crimes should serve jail time. It would be fun to see some of them implode when they can't say "yes" because they are afraid of getting their campaign donations cut off. I just hope there's a news person with the guts to ask the question.
Awkword-o, a lot of people have a following. This guy having one doesn't bother me, the next pope's does. I think the right wing bishops are gonna poison him so he'd die in his sleep and all the Catholics take it as a sign from God that He's a right winger like they did the last lefty pope, John Paul I.