Tuesday
Sep152009
Bill Moyers: Corporate Interests Own Both Political Parties
PBS' Bill Moyers appeared 2 weeks ago with Bill Maher on HBO's Real Time. Discussion was wide ranging and included politics, history and health care. The most salient observation from Moyers was one we've been shouting from the rooftops, both Republicans and Democrats are appallingly beholden to, and co-opted by, a narrow set of corporate interests. Lobbyists wield the power and control the issues. Voters are lawn ornaments.
Sep 15, 2009 at 7:16 AM
Reader Comments (14)
We were experiencing severe internet disruption issues yesterday...not with our servers but in our ability to remain connected,,,the problem seems to be fixed and so posting will return to normal Tuesday afternoon. Bear with us, and thanks.
http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2009/08/27/democrats/index.html
USA enterprise is now pure PONZI SCAM . Total Control by Financial Al Qaeda and working aka so called MIDDLE Class is now PERMA DEBT SLAVE for generations to come.
REVOLT is our Salvation
Unite and revolt urgency
AMEN
FInancial and Economic Crisis Compares to Collapse of the Soviet Union - Video
Ron Paul on the Glen Beck Show September 7, 2009 discusses the changes going on with the entire US economic system. Also take note of what George Soros said at Columbia University last Friday and threat to the United States of America as we know it today. Gerald Celente has said that we are about to experience a scenario “like nothing we’ve ever seen in our life time“, and Ron Paul and George Soros seem to agree. This is far from being over, folks.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_Uxvzfu3iM
But the herds always blame each other, just as the manifest demands.
Abramoff figures in at least four separate, interrelated scandals:
1. He and partner Adam Kidan have been indicted on wire fraud and conspiracy charges involving the 2000 purchase of SunCruz Casinos, a Florida gambling boat venture;
2. He funneled money into the PAC run by House Majority Whip Rep. Tom DeLay that has led to Texas charges against DeLay for illegally laundering campaign donations;
3. He and partner Michael Scanlon are suspected of defrauding and vastly overbilling Native American tribes and other clients with gaming interests;
4. He and Scanlon are also suspected of bribing and offering gifts and spousal jobs to Congress members and Executive Branch officials in exchange for actions favorable to their clients.
Here is an interesting article on “the King of K street”. If nothing else, read this.
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0JZS/is_3_22/ai_n24981799/
More articles on the power/ corruption of lobbying.
http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=5382
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0809/25772.html
http://features.csmonitor.com/politics/2009/09/10/mike-duvall-sex-scandal-did-he-break-lobbying-rules/
http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2009/09/07/Lobbying-trial-features-scandal-players/UPI-34201252374395/
http://blogs.abcnews.com/theblotter/2009/03/raided-lobby-fi.html
Top 10 scandals
http://blog.oup.com/2006/03/congressional_l/
As I have said before, politicians are the symptom.
Thanks for the posting the Cato article by David Boaz, and the other links. But I tend to agree with Boaz: "As long as the federal government has so much money and power to hand out, we'll never get rid of the Abramoffs. Restrictions on lobbying deal with symptoms, not causes." And an earlier quote from The Road to Serfdom: "As the coercive power of the state will alone decide who is to have what, the only power worth having will be a share in the exercise of this directing power."
Boaz also wrote another article titled The Who and Why of Big-Bucks Politics, http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=5411, on the same topic. ... I just read his book, The Politics of Freedom, good stuff.
The founding fathers knew the evils of a privately-owned central bank. First of all, they had seen how the privately-owned British central bank, the Bank of England, had run up the British national debt to such an extent that Parliament had been forced to place unfair taxes on the American colonies.
In fact, as we’ll see later, Ben Franklin claimed that this was the real cause of the American Revolution. Most of the founding fathers realized the potential dangers of banking, and feared bankers’ accumulation of wealth and power. Jefferson put it this way:
“I sincerely believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies. Already they have raised up a money aristocracy that has set the government at defiance. The issuing power should be taken from the banks and restored to the people to whom it properly belongs.”
That succinct statement of Jefferson is in fact, the solution to most of our economic problems today. James Madison, the main author of the Constitution, agreed. Interestingly, he called those behind the central bank scheme “MoneyChangers.” Madison strongly criticized their actions:
“History records that the Money Changers have used every form of abuse, intrigue, deceit, and violent means possible to maintain their control over governments by controlling money and its issuance.”
The battle over who gets to issue our money has been the pivotal issue through the history of the United States. Wars are fought over it. Depressions are caused to acquire it. Yet after World War I, this battle was rarely mentioned in newspapers or history books. Why?
KICK THEM ALL OUT!
www.kickthemallout.com
"S. Gompers, I disagree that politicians are the symptom. They're part of the problem, along with the massive size and power of our current government."
The problems are:
Lack of oversight
Lack of accountability
Lack of accurate disclosure
Lack of transparancy
Lack of the people who vote, giving a shit
And lack of people caring to vote
We can continue to replace politicians with other politicians as we have forever to no avail. As the situation has deteriorated for generations by following this course, and is increasing as more and more money is spent lobbying.
Even term limits would not fix this the way their retirement is structured.
Until someone finds a way to eliminate greed and lust from the hearts of politicians it will stay this way until the problems above are corrected. After all, where else do you get a job that pays a couple of hundred thousand, and immediately have to start raising millions of dollars to keep it.
I stand by the fact that the problem is the system, and the lack of the voters and non-voters caring, until someone can prove to me that changing names on the checks will one day in the future make a difference. Which it has not so far.
I will check out the book The Politics of Freedom, thanks.
And Gompers is correct that the largesse of a Congressional lifestyle generally attracts the wrong people...and that we have a severe problem with voter apathy...
It really feels like you 2 are stating different versions of the same thesis...just concentrating on diff aspects of it...
No, we are not disagreeing on semantics. But as long as governments exist anywhere, they control the money. That is not subject to change.
As long as "human nature" exists, there will be greed and lust. That is not subject to change.
We must accept that for what it is, and create checks and balances, accountability, and awareness as mentioned above, so "we the people" can control the "excesses", of our "humble elected servants" . And I use that term loosely.
Treating this form of "cancer" by changing names on checks, is like treating brain cancer with aspirin because the pressure inside the cranium gives you a headache.
Every time I look at a politician any more I become physically ill. And I used to work hand in hand with them.
Perfect example from last nights news where I am from.
http://news.aol.com/article/former-kentucky-lawmaker-steve-nunn/669922
Can't wait to read the book Allie mentioned, and I love your insight.
I just noticed I typoed where I said "As I have said before, politicians are the symptom. " it should have been "As I have said before, politicians are a symptom. "
Sorry