The Corporatist, Militarist Coup in the USA is Almost Complete

That Coup has been going on for decades.  It has continued advancing over these many years whether Democrats or Republicans have been in power in DC.  Ike was spot-on in his statement about the Military-Industrial Complex, but in the last twenty or so years there has been a conversion to the State-Corporate-Military Complex.  Let's briefly look at a few of the reasons for the assertions in this paragraph.  The following reasons are more or less in chronological order.

1.  The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, 1964---  It turns out that the Incident prompting that Resolution didn't happen at all the way the Military said it did.  Nevertheless, it was used to get us into a disastrous war.  Plus, the War Clause of Article I, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution was ignored completely.  Private war contractors here made out like bandits, financially speaking.

2.  Just prior to being elected in 1968, Nixon claimed he had a "secret plan" to end the Vietnam War...except, he didn't have any such plan.  The war dragged on for about seven more years, and the military hardware manufacturers raked in beaucoup profits.  State Capitalism at its best.  😒  Meanwhile, about two million people were killed or drastically maimed.  That's not counting the birth defects from the dioxin in Agent Orange.

3.  In 1971, Nixon took us completely off the Gold Standard; that became known as the "Nixon Shock".  In essence, our Gov't defaulted on its debt.  Very quickly, the Dollar lost 25% of its value/purchasing power.  We went to a total fiat currency.  Nixon said it all would be "temporary".  Right.  While Carter largely was blamed for the rampant inflation of the mid to late 1970's, it was the Nixon Shock that made such inflation inevitable.  The point of all this is:  without the monetary Gold Standard, the Fed Gov't was free to spend, spend, spend while borrowing, borrowing, borrowing.  By the time the Reagan Era ended, we had gone from a creditor nation to a monstrous debtor nation.  State Capitalism went bananas, and the military budget increased exponentially.

4.Clinton and Gore---  fierce supporters of NAFTA.  One million jobs went South.  The Rich got richer.  Our two "Populists" (not hardly) also lobbied hard for the conversion of GATT into the WTO...and the admission of China into the WTO.  That guaranteed no reform of that organization relative to environmental and democratic matters.  It all was a massive boost to "Globalization"...the wrong kind of Globalization.  The Rich got richer.  Workers suffered.

5.  Dubya Bush---  flim-flam war propaganda (Iraq), gross ignorance of the U.S. Constitution, unimaginable spending by the Feds, State Capitalism on steroids, the beginning of Drone Wars, more U.S. Hegemony, and the Rich got richer.  The economy ended up being a disaster.  The Surveillance State shifted into second gear.  The Fourth Amendment was trashed.  The blatant Propaganda was beyond incredible.

6.  Obama---  another Fake Populist and Master Propagandist.  Even though admitting to mortgage and securities fraud, not a single Mega Bank was prosecuted by the Obama Administration for criminal acts leading up to the 2008 Crisis.  The Drone Wars increased beyond belief.  According to the Left-leaning Roosevelt Institute, ObamaCare is sorely lacking and is a "bailout of the health insurance industry".  Obama launched a ten-year program to update & improve our nuclear arsenal.  Then there's the Syria mess, and the support for the terrorist-exporting Saudis.  [Wahhabism is State-sponsored by Saudi Arabia.]
In his first Presidential race, Obama received more campaign contributions from Mega Corporations than did McCain.  The Surveillance State shifted into third gear...then overdrive.  Fed Gov't spending increased even more than it did under Bush.  I didn't think that would be possible.  The National Debt soared to amazing heights...it's now impossible to repay in full.  Obama was a fierce supporter of the TPP, the most egregious "Free Trade" Agreement yet proposed.  Finally, while in office, our President became a multi-millionaire...mostly through the purchasing of Bonds.

7.  Trump---  I could write twenty pages on this guy's Corporatism, Fake Populism, gaslighting, war-mongering, conceit, arrogance, snobbery, Crony Capitalism, serial lying, elitism, disgusting sexism, ignorance of crucial matters, and gross propagandizing; unfortunately, time and energy constraints prevent me from doing that.  The Don is absolutely, without question the worst President this Land ever has had.  Thank heaven, just as I and many others predicted, his base supporters are beginning to question his competence and sincerity.  The prediction was that would happen within one year.  Kudos to them.
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Side Bar---

The gall of the Trump Admin. threatening the overwhelming majority of nations at the U.N. because they disagreed with Trump's decision on our Embassy in Israel.  Typical U.S. Gov't Bully-Boy tactics.  One more example of our Gov't erecting roadblocks to Middle East peace.  The last thing the Fed-Corporate-Military Complex wants is peace in that region.  That would be bad for Big Business...especially bad for the Mega Banks and war contractors.

Lastly,  the Coup finally will be complete when at least two more things happen:
1.  SS and Medicare are privatized, and Wall Street gets its hands on that money;
2.  Another major war is provoked by the Corporatists...in order to forestall the following--- the next upcoming (and overdue) financial/economic Crash, and action by the IMF and Bank of International Settlements to replace the Dollar with something else to serve as the World's Reserve Currency.

Not only my opinion.  Be Well
p.s.  Happy New Year

Another Reason People Are Pissed Off

Yesterday I drove to town to RENEW my Driver's License.  I hand the lady my license, & she says she also needs my BIRTH CERTIFICATE, SS CARD, & TWO PROOFS OF RESIDENCE.  And something else...I've already forgotten what.  I drive back home, get my portfolio of docs that I keep handy, & drive back to her office...for the 2nd time.  She looks at an official County doc titled "Proof of Residence" which I had to get when I moved here (almost 5 years ago) and says, "This is no good."  And I say, "Why not?"  She replies, "I need two proofs of residence that are no more than 60 days old.".

It used to be that getting a Driver's License meant you already had established your ID and place of residence, so when license renewal time came up, you simply were asked if there were any changes.  According to the lady I dealt with, the "Real ID Act" changed all that.

[Thank you so much, DC Repubs & Dems:]

The County Office guy who issues the County-required "9-1-1 Emergency Proof of Residence" official document wasn't available when I was at the County Courthouse yesterday.  [The County Courthouse is a few double-wide mobile homes strung together.]  So, the MVD lady (in New Mexico, it's MVD, not DMV:) sent me to the local phone company & also to the place where I buy propane for my home.  I was told to give them my "this-is-no-good" County Proof of Residence, & then they would print out a copy of my last receipt...with my physical address on it, not just the mailing address.  Though by now I was somewhat exhausted, frustrated, & pissed off from all this running around, like a good member of the Herd, I did all that.  Then I drove back to the MVD Office for the 3rd time.

I don't blame the local bureaucrats here; they don't pass the Laws or make policy.  But this whole scenario is only one tiny reason why the Fake Populist wound up in the White House.  [Hillary, too, is a Fake Populist; way back when, she wasn't, but has been since becoming a multi-millionaire.]  Too many people in this country are frustrated with, & angry about, public institutions.  Never mind how bad it is with private institutions.  They wanted a massive change.  Unfortunately, they're not going to get one...at least, not the kind they want.

I could write a whole piece on why the "Real ID Act" is an abomination, but very few folks seem to care, so I won't bother...or bore you.    Just keep in mind, it was passed into Law by both Repubs AND Dems.

There is a wrinkle to my story.  When "Real ID" was passed (in 2008, I think), many States basically said, "This is hogwash...we're not doing it."...New Mexico has been one of the very last to finally comply.  This State is right in the middle of complying; that may be why I had this License Renewal nightmare, & someone in a different State hasn't recently experienced the same thing.

The MVD Branch Office is 10-15 minutes from my home.  The 3 times I was there yesterday, there were only 1 or 2 people ahead of me in line.  It took me 3 hours to get my license renewed.  In the not-so-distant past, it took about 20 minutes.  The people at the phone company and propane business told me that they print out receipts like the ones I got at least 5 times per day...all year.

This is no way to run a railroad.  

Today, a friend in CA told me that Commercial Driver's Licenses there soon, as part of SMART ID, will have a yellow/gold star on them.  Really, a yellow star?...what a lack of historical perspective.  Good grief.

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

We Deserve Corporatism, and Notes on Fed Income Taxes, & on Banking

Most Americans today appear to know very little History, Geography, American Government, & Logic, and pretty much zero about the Constitution.  Never mind knowledge of how Propaganda works, or anything at all about Corporatism, or the significance of gerrymandering, or how political candidates really are selected.  And worse, they don't see the relevance of any of it to their lives.  They don't care that they don't know.  But most of them know the really important stuff, such as when the new I-Phone will be coming out and whether or not it will be able to fry eggs, or perform some other mundane or silly function.  The whole situation is an utter disgrace...on all of us.

In this country, we deserve the Corporatist Clinton (both of them), the Corporatist Bush (any of them), the Corporatist Obama (the Fake Populist), and the Corporatist Trump (the doubly Fake Populist)... along with Global Private Rule.  We all deserve it all...because we all have let them (the Elites) get away with egregious, rampant Edward Bernays style Propaganda---the molding of the public mind---and with blatant violations of the U.S. Constitution.

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Notes on Fed Income Taxes & on Banking---

In 1946, the Chairman of the New York Fed Reserve, Beardsley Ruml, presented a paper to some auspicious group or another.  The thesis of his paper was this:  the idea of Fed Income Taxes for government revenue is obsolete.  I don't have the time or energy to explain his reasoning, so if you're interested, Google/Bing the topic.

I do have the time for this much.  A good deal of his reasoning was centered on the central planning of monetary issues by the Fed Reserve, and on the changing of the Gold Standard by FDR.  A fairly recent example of Ruml's thesis is as follows.  Between the times when Congress voted down the 2008 Bailout package for the Mega Banks and then fairly quickly afterward approved it (about $700 billion), the Fed Reserve felt it had to do something, so it made TRILLIONS OF DOLLARS available to the Big Boys in the form of loans at essentially zero percent interest.  Not one cent of those trillions was from taxes.  Nor was any of it from government "savings".  [There are no gov't savings; the National Debt is $20 trillion...an amount impossible to repay in full.]  The Fed simply added a bunch of digits to its balance sheet; it created the "money" out of thin air.  That's entirely possible with a fiat currency.

Banks do it every day.  For example, let's say you deposit $100 into your bank account.  Because of the obscenity known as fractional reserve banking, your bank is required to keep only $10 of that $100 on deposit.  It loans out the other $90 to someone else.  So now, you have $100 on your account and the other person has $90.  That's $190 from your $100..."money" created out of thin air.  This is all possible because only 3% of the "money" in circulation is actual paper or coin.  The rest of it is nothing but digits on a computer.  In a nutshell, that is our goofy "money" system.

The point of all this is:  Ruml was correct; Fed taxes (NOT State & Local taxes) are unnecessary for revenue.  That's especially true ever since Nixon took us completely off the Gold Standard in 1971.  The Fed Gov't never will "run out of money"; to get more, all it has to do is add digits to its balance sheet.  Some people counter this argument by saying that the Fed Reserve doesn't just add to its balance sheet; instead, it buys Bonds (T-Bills)...which means the Fed loans "money" to the Gov't.  Yes, it does that...but it doesn't hand over a wad of cash to the U.S. Treasury.  It simply adds digits to its balance sheet.

Without a Gold Standard to restrain spending, any Gov't with a fiat "money" system can "print" (97% of the currency never gets "printed") as much currency as it needs...and anytime it so desires.  Some people counter that argument by saying:  in such a scenario, people would lose confidence in the Dollar.  Hello!  All around the world, that's exactly what's happening right now.

Finally, during the Reagan Era, the Grace Commission did a two-year study and found that 100% of Fed Income Taxes goes toward paying the interest on our National Debt.  Not one cent goes for Gov't services.  And who gets those interest payments?  Primarily they go to Central Banks around the globe, other Mega Banks, and other Mega Corporations...the really Big Bond Holders.

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

Republicans, Democrats, Trump, Elections, and North Korea

Below is my Reply to an email from a friend.  His email contained a link to an article by Thom Hartmann, the author, pundit, and Talk Show host.  Hartmann detailed various illegal methods that Republicans have employed over the years in order to get elected.  [Hartmann often has some great points, but his flaw (in my opinion) is that he almost always puts 99.9999% of the blame for our troubles on the Republicans.  Very rarely does he ever recognize the role of Democrats in those troubles.]  Plus, my friend opined that if Dems had been elected instead, a whole slew of things would be so much better.  My Reply has been edited a bit for this venue.

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Hartmann and his long-time false paradigm of Repub v. Dem; sorry, I don't agree.  Regardless of illegalities by Repubs, the Dems are no better.  Carter was elected strictly because of the backdoor doings of the Globalist Trilateral Commission (David Rockefeller's and Brzezinski's Think Tank)...he was their choice, a guy who basically came out of nowhere.  They published their 1st book-length report just prior to his term:  The Crisis of Democracy...written by so-called "Liberals".  Their conclusion essentially was that the "Crisis" was this:  America has too much democracy...and that something had to be done about it in order to preserve the Meritocracy.  ["Meritocracy" is code for Oligarchy.  Originally, the term meant Rule not only by those of merit, but also Rule by aristocrats...or their puppets.]

After Carter came Corporatist Clinton...enough said.

Then came the wolf in sheep's clothing, Obama.  Enough said.

Now the Corporatist Schumer is one of the top Dems.  He's the go-to guy for Wall Street election campaign money.

Going way back to 1960, there even are serious questions about JFK's election---shenanigans in Illinois by Richard J. Daley & Crew.

No-sir, blaming only Repubs doesn't work for me.  They are only half the problem.  There's only one major Party in the USA---the Corporatist Party.  It has two branches, and they differ only on some social hot-button issues.  When it comes to economic, monetary, fiscal, financialization, war, and Corporatist matters, they are essentially the same.  Hartmann needs to wake up to that fact.

And so it goes.

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The following was not in my email response.

Trump should consider writing a new book:  "The Art of the Failure".  He's made us a laughingstock in the world.  He can't decide who he really wants working for him in the West Wing.  [He keeps replacing people who not long ago were, according to him, "fantastic", "great", "wonderful", etc.]  He can't stand (or work with) the Republican Top Dogs, and they can't stand him either.  He has violated the Constitution at least twice.  He has broken Laws that are on the books.  He continues to refuse to be transparent regarding his finances, taxes, and conflicts of interest.  He has zero diplomacy in his actions.  He continues to beat the war drums; although, so do most of the politicians in DC.  His past lies continue to surface, such as, "I'll be the best friend that the LBG community ever has had..." (paraphrased, I can't remember the exact quote), and "Mexico will pay for the Wall, guaranteed..." (paraphrased).  He has alienated several of our Allies.  He has yet (as of tonight, Saturday, 7-29-17) to get a major piece of legislation through Congress...even though Repubs are a majority in both Houses.  He has yet to fill dozens & dozens of high-level positions in our Gov't; many of them are in the State Department.  That puts us all at risk.  And on & on.

OR---

All the above merely is his GASLIGHTING, in order to distract us from his political incompetence and, more importantly, from his real goal--- to make gobs of money from the Presidency...which is not an unheard of thing in American politics.

Side note, or questions regarding North Korea---

1.  Does the U.S. Gov't have nuclear weapons that can reach N. Korea?

2.  Does Trump appear to be a stable person? 

3.  Is he the one who can order the launch of nukes?

4.  Has the Trump Administration threatened N. Korea in any way?

5.  Given what I think are the obvious answers to those questions, is it any wonder that N. Korea wants nukes that can reach the USA?

And finally---

6.  Where are the political Statesmen in the present Administration???

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

Electoral College and a Popular Vote Lead of Over 2.6 Million

Below is my response to an email which stated that the Electoral College system in the USA "makes sense" as evidenced by the fact that of the total number of Counties in our Land, the overwhelming majority voted for Trump.  That email was written when Clinton's popular vote lead was 1.1 million less than it is now.  [My piece below is edited very, very little.]
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The email below apparently was written when Clinton's lead in the popular vote was only 1.5 million.  [It's now over 2.6 million...and still counting.]  It follows, then, that it was a bit premature to say with certainty how many counties voted this way or that way... because the vote count wasn't over.  It still isn't.

But all that aside---

Yes, of course the Electoral College system makes sense... as long as---

1.  You don't believe in democracy, i.e., every vote is equal, every vote is counted, and whoever gets the most votes... wins.  The College always has been weighted in favor of less populous areas; thus, every vote is not equal.  If you're fine with that, then yes, it all makes sense.

2.  You believe a winner in Presidential races should be determined before all the votes are counted.  If you're fine with that, then yes, it makes sense.

3.  You don't believe in the concept that the winner must get the most votes.  If you're fine with that, then yes, it all makes sense.

4.  You accept the fact that when College Electors vote in the actual Presidential election (this time it's on December 19th), they don't have to vote according to the pledges determined when we voted.  They can, instead, vote according to their "consciences"... even if that's the opposite of the pledges.  If you're fine with that, then yes, the Electoral College makes sense.

"Luckily" (so to speak, but not really), except for social hot-button issues, it makes very little to no difference who gets elected President.  Nowadays, they're all Neoliberals... that is, all of them at the highest levels in the two major Parties.  [Any exceptions are fairly quickly marginalized.]  They all have similar beliefs when it comes to significant issues like war, economic policy, monetary policy, the corrupt Fed Reserve, Global business, too-big-to-fail-or-jail Mega Banks, the broken Fed Justice System, the war on the Fourth Amendment, the war on the First Amendment, the war on cash (part of the war on privacy), Corporatism/Crony Capitalism, & a few others.  Plus, Trump shortly will discover that it's high-level, lifelong bureaucrats who run the Gov't, not Presidents.  Especially in the case of Trump v. Clinton, we were shafted no matter who won.

To refer to those who opposed Trump as "whiners" really is hilarious.  Today, the biggest whiner in politics is the Don... he's still whining even after he was elected.

Finally, in case anyone doesn't know, 58% of the electorate opposed Trump AND CLINTON.  [That includes me.]

p.s.  The Don, like all politicians, already has started going back on his campaign promises... even before he takes office.  Example:  he railed against Wall Street insiders, but now is appointing Wall St. insiders to his Admin.  Example:  he said he'd deport the "illegals" (11 million of them); now it's down to about 3 million--- those who are "criminals".  Example:  he said he would launch an investigation into the criminality of Hillary; now that's off the table.  Example:  he said he would register all Muslims; now that's gone as well.  [It's a good thing; such a registry would be blatantly unconstitutional AND unAmerican.]

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Not only my opinion.  Be Well

The Actual Presidential Election is on December 19th

Below is a slightly edited email I sent to a few friends and family members today.  Not that I want her (or Trump) to, and though it's not likely, Clinton still could win the election.  It's certainly not probable, but it is possible under the Electoral College system.
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1.  Technically, the Presidential election is not yet over.

2.  Electors are not bound by the Constitution to vote according to electoral pledges of the election we just had.  Many, but not all, States and/or Parties have rules stating the electors should vote that way...but the fine for noncompliance is below $1,000.

3.  President-Elect Trump is the least popular "winner" (of the pledges) we've had since 1824.

4.  The Electoral College system was set up to favor the less populous States. 

5.  Clinton's lead in the popular vote is now over 2.2 million.

I'm surprised that the Corporate Media are not harping on all this; they clearly favored Clinton during the entire campaign season.  The fact that these two candidates were selected as nominees is a sorry state of political affairs...and in Trump's case, a testament to just how much Americans are (in general) filled with anger & despair because of the policies & actions of the elitist Establishment.  [It's too bad that Trump is, among other things, a rich billionaire Crony Capitalist.]

Boycotting would have sent a more powerful message.

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Not only my opinion.  Be Well

Clinton's Lead is Now Over Two Million

Though the election is over and Trump is the President-Elect, Clinton now has over two million more votes than the Don... and there still are uncounted votes.  We have quite an unusual "democracy", eh?  I suggest our leaders stop the hypocrisy, and stop calling our form of gov't a democracy.  Obviously, it isn't.

[I'm in favor of a genuine democracy, but not in favor of either Clinton or Trump.]

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

Clinton's Lead Grows, & the Evil of Two Lessers

As of 11-19-16, Clinton leads Trump by about 1.5 million more votes.  The tally continues.  Because of 240 years of relentless propaganda and indoctrination, we still think we live in a true, participatory democracy.  To those who disagree with that assessment, I suggest watching this series:  Oliver Stone's Untold History of the United States... and this documentary as well, Requiem for the American Dream.  Both can be found on Netflix and elsewhere online.

Finally, it's not about Left v. Right anymore.

Not only my opinion.  Be Well
p.s.  Reminder:  58% of us (including me) were not in favor of either major candidate.  We never should vote for the evil of two lessers.  When will we ever learn?

November 16--- The Latest Vote Count

Clinton is about one million votes ahead.  It's a good thing for Trump that the election wasn't in a democracy.  So much for "every vote counts" and "your vote is just as important as the next person's".  I don't agree with Scott Walker on much of anything, but he was right about this--- "Twelve States will elect the next President.".

Perhaps it would be more accurate to say this:  It's too bad for Clinton that the election was in a kinda, sorta, partial democracy.  In any case, it finally should be obvious to everyone that the USA is not a true, participatory democracy.  It never has been.  Propaganda reigns supreme here.  Molding the public mind is the Oligarchy's national pastime... especially regarding the subject of "democracy".

[In case anyone doesn't know--- I wasn't for either one of the major candidates.]

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

Latest Count: Clinton Has 395,000 More Votes Than Trump

Her lead is up from 225,000... and all the votes still have not yet been counted.  Welcome to American "democracy".  We can stick our heads in the sand and ignore this (again), or we can work to change our electoral system.  It would be helpful if we all stopped drinking the Edward Bernays style Propaganda Kool Aid.

Long ago, James Madison said that the opulence of the wealthy must be protected from the majority.  He also stated that democracy is the most vile form of government.  John Jay, also a signer of the Constitution and the first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, stated that those who own the country (property owners) should rule it.  Benjamin Franklin defined democracy as two wolves and a lamb voting on what to eat for lunch.  Other Founders referred to the tyranny of the majority.  Benjamin Rush, one of our Founders, said that a simple democracy is the devil's own government.  John Adams, the second U.S. President, claimed democracy soon degenerates into an anarchy.  Gouverneur Morris, the writer of the Final Draft of the Constitution, stated that the tumults of democracy terminate in despotism.  Fisher Ames, the framer of the 1st Amendement to the Constitution, claimed that democracy is the most violent of despotisms.  Even the respected Thomas Jefferson said that democracy is mob rule.  Long story short--- our Founders were against having democracy as our form of gov't.  They succeeded in that quest.

Despite the above, our current/recent leaders at the highest levels keep referring to "our democracy".  They rarely ever refer to our form of government by its proper name, our Republic.  The two types of gov't are not the same.  We don't have a democracy in the USA.  We've never had one.  Most other developed countries do have a democracy...and they haven't devolved into anarchy, or tyranny, or mob rule.  What they have done is a better job of protecting the majority from the Super-Rich... a better job of it than our gov't has done.

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

A Con Artist Has Conceded to Another Con Artist!

It just goes to show you:  no one can predict everything with accuracy.  Mea culpa.

Trump borrowed a page from a man he can't stand, Obama:  the Don sold a bit more than half the voters* on HOPE and CHANGE... with little to no details.  I give Trump voters less than a year from January 20th before they become disgruntled.  [I forget how long it took Obama voters to become disgruntled after January 20th, 2009.]  *Later I discovered that he lost the popular vote.

The good news---
1.  IF Trump was sincere, the TPP is dead.
2.  The rule of the dictatorial, major political Parties may be over.
3.  A war with Russia is now somewhat less likely...hopefully, much less likely.
4.  If we're lucky, the Clintons are out of politics.
5.  Wall Street is bewildered.

The bad news---
1.  Trump's economic "plan" consists of only two parts:  put the brakes on so-called "Free Trade" deals, and Trickle-Down Economics.  Only the first part of that is good.  The second part doesn't work because of false assumptions.
2.  America's Police State will grow... especially if Giuliani is in the Cabinet.
3.  Crony Capitalism will expand.
4.  The economy will worsen.  First will come the next Financial Crisis... soon.
5.  The Super-Rich will get richer.
6.  The Middle Class will continue to be hollowed out.
7.  The Poor are just plain shafted.
8.  The International Financial Coterie has won... the next Financial Crisis will make them even richer, and increase their Power.
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The Asian Stock Markets already are taking a nosedive:  the Nikkei is down almost 1,000 points; the Hang Seng is down almost 500.  Let's see what happens when the NYSE opens... hopefully, not much.

Good Luck to Us All
Be Well

Why Trump Will Lose...Big Time

Preface
Again, a reminder that I am vehemently against both Clinton and Trump.  Both of them are Corporatists and serve the so-called 1%...the Oligarchy.  [I'm aware that Trump True Believers don't believe that about their man, but they are dead wrong.]  By the way, Corporatism is not Free Market Capitalism.  Corporatism is Crony Capitalism, AKA, Fascism...the perfect marriage of the State to Big Biz.
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In politics, one cannot be 100% certain that any prediction will be accurate.  That's because politics arguably is the most despicable profession in existence; one never knows what sleaziness is going on behind the scenes.  Nevertheless, based on Logic and plain ol' common sense, here's why Trump will be buried at the polls today.  [It's now about 2:40 AM (Mountain Time) on Election Day.]  He has about one chance in a trillion of winning.

1.  The billionaires at the highest levels on Wall Street want Clinton to win; they usually get what they want.

2.  The majorities of the following groups will vote for the Corporatist Clinton, rather than the Corporatist Trump:  Millennials (ages 18-35, 31% of the electorate), Latinos (15% of the electorate), Blacks, all other minorities, college-educated Whites, Women (52% of the electorate), Independents (42% of the electorate), and the Super-Rich.  All of them together make up the overwhelming majority of voters.  Game over.

Trump supporters don't appear to get it--- this election is pretty much a repeat of the Goldwater v. Johnson election in 1964.  I'm intimately familiar with that fiasco.  One of the major differences between the two elections is this:  after his devastating loss, Goldwater went on to become a Senior Statesman... well respected by both Repubs and Dems.  That won't happen with Trump.
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The real winners in this election are the Mega, Globalist Financiers of the world... the Ruling Oligarchy.  The election should have been boycotted on a massive scale.
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Not only my opinion.  Be Well

Wars Against Americans Conducted by the Elites/the Corporatists/the Ruling Oligarchy

Following is a list of only some of the wars being waged by the Ruling Oligarchy in the USA against We the People.

1.  The War on the First Amendment
2.  The War on Journalists
3.  The War on Whistleblowers
4.  The War on Peaceful Protests and Dissent of Any Type

5.  The War on Privacy
6.  The War on Cash
7.  The War on Drugs
8.  The War on Prescription Painkillers
9.  The War on the Fourth Amendment

10.  The War on Health Food Supplements
11.  The War on Alternative Medicine

12.  The War on Alternative Energy

13.  The War on Minorities
14.  The War on Youth and Education
15.  The War on the Mentally Ill
16.  The War on Nonconformists
17.  The War on Small Farmers
18.  The War on Small Business of Any Type
19.  The War on Industry

20.  The War on Democracy
21.  The War on Critical Thinking
22.  The War on Military Vets
23.  The War on Poor People
24.  The War on the Middle Class
..........................................................
Following is a list of only some of the things that the Ruling Oligarchy promotes/promulgates/supports.

1.  Crony Capitalism (aka, Fascism)
2.  Edward Bernays Style Propaganda
3.  Phony Elections
4.  Elitism
5.  Monopolies
6.  Financialization
7.  Neoliberalism
8.  NeoFeudalism
9.  Class War
10.  Military Aggression and War Profiteering
11.  USA Hegemony and American Empire
12.  Intervention in Foreign Civil Wars for Economic Reasons
13.  Spying on Our Allies
14.  Economic and Financial Bubbles
15.  A Revolving Door Between Mega Banking and High-Level Gov't "Service"
16.  Bailing Out Mega Financial Institutions Guilty of Fraud
17.  Authoritarian Government
............................................................
Notwithstanding popular opinion to the contrary, History has shown that Oligarchs and their puppets (e.g., Obama, McConnell, Clinton, McCain, Schumer, Pelosi, Cornyn, Cruz, etc.) don't care one scintilla about the old labels--- Right, Left, Conservative, Liberal, and on & on.  At the highest levels, probably 99% of today's politicians are concerned only with this label--- Financier.  Those are the people who run the world, not the puppet politicians.  The International Financial Coterie (Professor Carroll Quigley's term) cares not at all about the old political paradigm.  They care primarily about power, money, and the private governance of the planet.  Ask David Rockefeller.  In 1991, he stated publicly,  "Surely it is better to have the world run by unelected elites than by the corrupt politicians of today.".

I suspect that Rockefeller was/is well-meaning, but like the famous Progressive journalist/author of the past, Walter Lippmann, he apparently believes that the commoners make up "the bewildered herd" and must be ruled by an "elite class of intellectuals".  Toward the end of his life, Lippmann wound up believing that commoners should not be allowed to fully participate in democracy because they simply were not competent enough in such matters.  That has become a dominant belief in Crony Capitalism.  That is what the Corporatists-Oligarchs-Elites think... and that thinking is implemented by today's puppet politicians.

At the national level, the best way to oppose such people and their thinking is to boycott whenever possible... individually, or in organized groups, or both.  We have been voluntarily complying with their nonsense for far too long.  Stuck in Propaganda, Consumerism, and outright fraud, we have enabled the Fascist State.  As I've pointed out several times before this, both Mussolini and FDR defined Fascism as:  the perfect marriage of the State to Big Business.  That's exactly what we have in this country...and much of the world.  That's especially true in the Financial Sector.

We can take a small step toward restoring sanity by boycotting the current farce of an election with which we are faced.  At the very least, don't vote for either of the major candidates... pick someone else.  Almost anyone would be better than Trump or Clinton; 58% of us don't want either one of them.  That's strong evidence of a phony election.  The election IS rigged...but not in the way that Trump thinks.

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

Here's the REAL Clinton...and Obama

The piece (at the link) below is from Bill Moyers and the publisher of Harper's, John R. MacArthur.  It's almost two years old, so it gives insight into the fact that the Dem Party higher-ups promoted the Corporatists and marginalized the Populists regarding this current election.

Once Madam Pres gets elected, she'll again change her mind about the TPP & be in favor of it...more jobs will evaporate, & more factories will move overseas (most likely to Malaysia and Vietnam).  Count on it.  Low-paying service jobs and part-time and/or temp. positions here will expand.

"Free Trade" Agreements are not primarily about Trade; instead, they're about investments and proprietary agreements.  They enable the hollowing out of the Middle Class in our country.  They overwhelmingly benefit the Oligarchy, not Main Street.  They evaporate American manufacturing and jobs.  Clinton, Obama, Schumer, McConnell, McCain, and many other Corporatist national politicians promote and support them.

This all reminds me of Ross Perot & Al Gore discussing NAFTA---Perot was right on the mark ("All you'll hear is the loud sucking sound of jobs rushing to Mexico..."), and Gore was dead wrong ("NAFTA will create more jobs here").  As predicted by Perot, one million jobs were lost here because of NAFTA.  The TPP will be much worse.

Trump (for other reasons) AND Clinton = disaster for the Lower & Middle Classes in this country.  Boycott the election, or vote for a worthy alternative candidate.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0rA1oCp4_g&list=WL&index=38

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

The Third "Presidential" Debate, 2016

If this whole situation weren't so tragic, it would be absolutely comical.  The performances of both candidates can be summarized with the following words---

deceit
misdirection
avoidance
pettiness
rudeness
propaganda
elitism
farcical
ridiculous
tragic

These two puppets are supposed to be the best this country has to offer for the highest leadership position in the Land.  Good grief---no matter who wins, we are totally shafted.  With one, we'll get who-knows-what...and craziness.  With the other, we'll get much more Neoliberalism...which is a polite form of craziness, elitism, and economic disaster.  With both, we'll get acceleration of the rush to NeoFeudalism... and probably WAR.

Boycott the election, or vote for a worthy alternative candidate.  Boycotting is best because the election already is over---whichever candidate is installed into office in January, the International Financial Coterie has won.  SSDD.  All we can do is send a powerful, peaceful, legal message (by boycotting), and then work outside the corrupt system to eliminate elitism-Neoliberalism-Oligarchy and bring about genuine democracy.  STEP ONE is to stop drinking the Edward Bernays style Propaganda Kool Aid being promulgated by the State-Corporate-Financial Complex.

This election is the worst political farce I've seen in my entire life...and I was born in 1942.

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

This & That About the Public and Private Powers-That-Be

1.  Notice how the Corporate Media and the Democratic Party Machine have responded to the leaked transcripts/excerpts of Clinton's highly paid speeches to Mega Bankers and other Mega Corporations:  "Russian hackers did it; they're trying to influence the election here."...little to no discussion of what Hillary said in those speeches.  That's because some of the content of those talks largely contradicts the Propaganda that she's some sort of Populist.  If Hillary Clinton is any kind of Populist, then I'm a Chinese astronaut.  I can see why most likely she was never going to release those transcripts.  The texts/quotes are online; see for yourself.

2.  From the leaked Democratic Party Hierarchy emails, it's now obvious that the Sanders campaign was targeted for destruction by the Corporatist Democrats from the very beginning.  Of course, it was fairly obvious as it unfolded... well before the leaks.  Keep in mind that Party Hierarchies are supposed to be completely neutral regarding Primary candidates.

3.  Trump is complaining that the Corporate Media favor Clinton (which is true), but fails to mention that during the Republican Primaries he was given more exposure to the voters than all the other candidates combined.  That's because his idiocy was a money-maker for them.  The Corporate Head of CBS freely admitted as much.  Candidates such as Rand Paul, because he favored a non-militaristic foreign policy, were given such short shrift by the Media that at times I wondered if he had dropped out of the race... before he did drop out.

4.  The current Administration continues its unconstitutional War in Syria.  Yes, the Assad Regime is brutal and ISIS is brutal---bombing civilians (including children), hospitals, schools, etc.  Here's what the Administration here fails to mention:  the US Gov't-backed, Saudi-led Coalition is doing the same thing in Yemen.  Our Gov't helps by refueling bombers, providing intelligence, and providing weapons.  Obama recently approved a $38 billion military aid package for Saudi Arabia.  Not long ago, a funeral home was bombed in Yemen; dozens & dozens of civilians were killed.  Just before that, a hospital was bombed.  Since the beginning of that war, over 900 children have been killed.  All that because of the Sunni-Shia conflict between Saudi Arabia and Iran... and our Govt's "help".  Shame on the highest levels of the US Gov't.

5.  Both public and private, the Powers-That-Be continue to use ISIS as an excuse for US Gov't Hegemony throughout the world.  At the same time, they criticize other major countries (China, Russia, Iran) for wanting to have a big influence in their respective regions.  The US Powers can't stand it when some other country wants to exercise its own hegemony.  Imagine that---some country wants to be influential in its own backyard.  Well, we can't allow that!  [Hypocrisy abounds.]

6.  The Corporate Media here are so desperate to support the lie that our economy is "recovering" that they recently reported on thousands of temporary, holiday season jobs opening up.  You know, the way those jobs open up every holiday season.  This year they're being touted as something really special.  According to the major stores with the openings, 90% of those jobs will be converted to full-time, permanent positions after the holidays.  I seriously doubt that.  It's much more likely that some permanent employees will be laid off after the holiday season.  Our economy is worsening, not getting better... unless you're in the upper 10% or so.

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

The Second Presidential Debate, 2016

Mostly SSDD.

Interrupting each other again, but this time a bit less of that...especially by Clinton.  Both candidates regularly exceeded their response time limits, and did so while talking over the moderators' pleas to stop.  The same amount of personal sniping at each other was present...of little to no interest to us, and completely unprofessional.  A tiny bit more discussion of the issues, but that primarily was due to audience questions.

Here's what was glaringly obvious in this debate:  national politicians are masters at either avoiding the question, or answering in such generalities as to make the answer essentially meaningless.  Both Clinton and Trump did that over and over and over.

So, we had a debate set up by a private corporation (the Commission on Presidential Debates), moderated by reps from mega corporations, with two candidates who are Corporatists.  Oh, for the days of the League of Women Voters running the show.  What we have now is a farce.

Clinton's biggest misstep probably was her handling of the question concerning her leaked, taped statement of awhile back that went something like this (paraphrased):  At times, a politician has to have a public stance and a private stance.  [In other words, politicians have to be two-faced.]  This, of course, is pretty much true; that's one reason politicians are despicable.  Hillary's answer to that question was revealing (paraphrased):  Um...[hem-haw], I believe I was talking about Abraham Lincoln [hem-haw]...um...etc.  She then very quickly changed the subject.  I gauge the probability of that answer being an outright lie at about 90-95%.

Trump's biggest misstep probably was that, except for slashing taxes & eliminating regulations, he rarely ever says HOW he's going to accomplish this, that, or the other.  Slashing taxes and eliminating regs has been tried...more than once.  It didn't work; it only made the rich into the Super-Rich.  The trouble with Trickle-Down economics is that it assumes Big Biz will invest in USA manufacturing, new ventures, new products, etc.---all requiring new employees---instead of investing in foreign currencies, foreign bonds, foreign factories, bizarre financial derivatives, etc., or simply socking the extra money away somewhere offshore...all of which require no employees.

Right after WW II through the 1950's and into the very early 1960's was the greatest period of prosperity ever known in this country.  It was known as the Golden Age of [American] Capitalism.  During that time of tremendous economic expansion, corporations were taxed at a 90% rate.  They now pay (if at all) a 35% rate; Trump wants to lower it to 15%.

As to war, both candidates favor different versions of it.

There was no discussion, or sometimes no significant discussion, about:  the gutting of the Middle Class, the coup of Financialization, the Recession in which we find ourselves, the various economic/financial Bubbles ongoing, Climate Change, the ongoing one trillion dollar Fed Gov't nuclear weapons program, our current Police/Surveillance State, the broken Fed Criminal Justice System, the failed War on Drugs, Crony Capitalism, USA Hegemony, and a few other significant issues.

For the most part, the candidates squabbled about the past, sniped at each other, and had very little to say (except for broad generalities) about the future.  According to the corporate moderators and the Corporatist Trump & Clinton, the most pressing issues facing the country apparently are:  Trump's comments about women, Trump's taxes, Clinton's emails, Bill Clinton's marital affairs, and other such trivia.  Talk about distraction from what's really important...good grief!

Neither one of these candidates should be President of the USA.  Both are shills for Corporatism and the Globalist Oligarchy.

The Kabuki Theater continues...on & on.  Wall Street and the CRONY Capitalists are the Directors.  Carroll Quigley's International Financial Coterie is the Academy.  The Oligarchs already have won the election.  Our best hope for avoiding the fairly imminent NeoFeudalism that's coming and the continued hollowing out of the Middle Class is peaceful, direct action outside the Rotten System...such as boycotting the election, or (if you must) voting for a worthy alternative candidate.  On a massive scale, either of those actions would send a powerful message.  Unfortunately, because of unending Edward Bernays style Propaganda, I don't see either of those things happening this year; but, one always can dream.

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

Once Again: Trump is Trumped by Trump

Here's my latest email to family and friends---
.......................................

RE:  tonight's news---

The man's mouth again reassures me that my prediction is correct:  barring extreme unforeseen circumstances, the Don will be slaughtered in the upcoming election.  Too bad that Clinton is a rich, two-faced Corporatist...much like Trump.  That's about his only hope, however slim, of winning.  Wall Street prefers Clinton; and it looks like they're going to get her.  Whichever one wins, we lose.
..............................

The Kabuki Theater continues.

Boycott the election, or vote for a worthy "Third Party" candidate.

.....................................

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

Trump Wonders Why We Can't Use Nuclear Weapons???

As reported on Democracy Now, according to MSNBC's Joe Scarborough--- months ago a foreign policy expert went to advise the Don, and three times Trump asked (regarding nuclear weapons), "If we have them, why can't we use them?".  If true, that's the only reason anyone needs to dump Trump.

Clinton should be dumped as well...simply because she's a Neoliberal, Perpetual War Hawk.  Don't take my word for it--- ask Bill Moyers, Cornel West, Chris Hedges, Jeremy Scahill, Ralph Nader, and many others... listed on a previous post on this site.

This is the year to opt out of the corrupt, Rigged Game.  If you don't think so, Google this Neoliberal Think Tank Report---  "Extending American Power: Strategies to Expand U.S. Engagement in a Competitive World Order".  Just what we don't need--- an extension of American Power.

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

Trump Can't...

oversee a political campaign without causing frustration and chaos amongst the staff.  I'd hate to see what would happen if he were in charge of the behemoth Fed Executive Branch.  [I'm not in favor of the Neoliberal, Perpetual War Hawk, Clinton, either.]

Not only my opinion.  Be Well