How Energy and Finance Have Enabled Plutocrats and Ruined Western Democracies

 https://www.newstatesman.com/ideas/2022/02/the-age-of-plutocracy?emci=61695df0-c598-ec11-a507-281878b83d8a&emdi=8832a6a1-c898-ec11-a507-281878b83d8a&ceid=6171896

If the link doesn't work (after copying & pasting), do a Search for the first line only up through "...plutocracy?".

It all started about fifty years ago in the early 1970's.  Up through today, it only has gotten worse--- more plutocrats and less truly participatory democracy.  A paradigm shift is needed.

The article is an extract from a book, and it's highly informative.

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

"HOT MONEY"...

 with General Wesley Clark & his son, Wes, Jr., & directed by Susan Kucera ("Living in the Future's Past", narrated by Jeff Bridges).  Too bad Clark Sr. wasn't elected President when he ran awhile ago.  It's on Amazon Prime, not the best production for a doc, but the content is on the mark.  It shows precisely why:

1.  the global financial world is so fragile, & why mega banks should be broken up ASAP;

2.  there's so much economic & financial inequality;

3.  most national gov'ts (including ours) are not seriously addressing Climate Change [only some cities & States in the USA are, & that's insufficient];

4.  mostly, the transformation to clean energy is going at a snail's pace;

5.  Climate Change already has started the destruction of the worldwide financial & economic systems;

6.  the new normal will involve mass human migrations never seen before;

7.  too many people apparently fail to recognize the paradigm shift in values which must occur if we are to survive & thrive in the future; and

8.  too many people are wrong when they believe that Tech will save us in time, therefore to them, there's no urgency about any of this, no need to drastically alter politics, the economy, or the financial system...much less our values.

..........

I imagine this documentary is found not only on Prime, but elsewhere online as well.  Look for it if you really want to understand what's going on currently, and what's required to avoid complete catastrophe.  Off & on, I've been studying this for about 50 years (started in 1972 at Arizona State U.), so please believe this:  humans are facing the greatest Crisis in our history, and climate disruption is only a part of it.  The "experts" think we have until 2050 to mitigate the problem & thus avoid total societal breakdown.  In all probability, I believe that benchmark should be moved to the year 2035.  Why?  Because much more than climate is involved.  

It's time for all of us to take this seriously.  Much can be done on the micro scale, & much "lobbying" (of sorts) needs to be done on the macro scale.  Politicians will engage in window dressing efforts unless there's an outcry from the ground up.  History has proven such.

Best of Due Diligence to Everyone

p.s.  STEP 1:  stop believing the Edward Bernays style propaganda put out by most of the Powers-That-Be.  For example, it will take much more than Tech to avoid catastrophe.  Don't believe anyone who says otherwise.

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Not only my opinion.  Be Well

NOTE:  After more than a year of being gone from this blog, I'm returning on a sporadic basis.  Why?  Because I appreciate the fact that, in my absence, many people visited this site even though there weren't any new posts.  Thank you, and I hope you enjoy the once-in-awhile future essays.

"There's No Threat to Capitalism Like Capitalists"

Note---
I hope you don't leave this piece before reading the portion about Trump and Mnuchin.  Though the topic below is a bit of history, I do relate it to the players of today.  Plus, I suspect much of the history relayed in the video is mostly unknown to many or most people.
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There's a link below to an interview of William K. Black by Bill Moyers.  Black was a bank regulator key to the production of about a thousand criminal referrals in the Savings & Loan fraud in the 1980's.  He's also a Professor of Economics and Law, and in my view, a genuine American hero.  For more than a quarter century, he has worked tirelessly to expose the ongoing ripoff of the American public by Mega Banks and their political Cronies in DC.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXWaAQpofqE&amp=&index=28&amp=&list=WL

In the above clip, Black explains exactly what caused the 2008 Crash and the complicity of Obama, Holder, Geithner, Jamie Dimon, and others.  He also tells us why the same thing will happen again.  This general topic may be old news, but the details in this interview are revealing, breathtaking, and largely unknown by the "average" American.  It's a Must-See, and brutally relevant to today.

Capitalism is a great economic system, but without strong regulations and enforcement it becomes Crony Capitalism-Casino Capitalism-Surveillance Capitalism and a Kleptocracy for the Super-Rich.  History supports that contention.  There's no question about it.

So, what about Trump relative to this essay?  That's probably an eight-hour conversation.  Briefly, though, here are some points to consider---
1.  Elsewhere in this venue, I've explained why he owes Bankers big-time, both literally & figuratively.
2.  He and his Crew are decimating regulations across the board, including Banking regulations.
3.  His Secretary of the Treasury is Mnuchin, who was more or less a foreclosure king during the last Crash.  Because he would make millions, he was overheard saying prior to the last bursting of the Housing Bubble, "I'm hoping for a real estate crash".  He was a Goldman Sachs Banker for 17 years.  He financially supported Hillary in her Primary run against Obama, and then supported Obama in his run against McCain.  He has strong ties to Wall Street, and apparently, no defining political ideology.  In some ways, he's another Paulson.

None of the above speaks well for Trump in relation to the coming Crash.  The Mega Bankers again will make out like the bandits they are...at our expense.

Not only my opinion.  Be Well
p.s.  The title quote is from William K. Black, and it's in the video interview.

The Plutocracy Continues in the USA

Below is my email reply to an organic farmer friend regarding his comment (in an email) on my last post here on this site.  He & I agree on the Plutocracy, but differ as to the contributions to that by Repubs and Dems.  He thinks the former are much more responsible than the latter.  My reply below is edited somewhat.

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I mostly agree with your comments.  But, even though FDR's Populism was significant, he was not ideal.  Even he admitted that sometimes he had to side with Big Biz.  Plus, I agree with Chomsky's thoughts on Nixon---because Tricky Dick was an opportunist, and because he sensed the mood of the people in the early '70s (except for the Vietnam issue), he became---for the wrong reasons--- the last of the New Deal politicians (in a way).  

I know it sounds outrageous, but think about it.  Nixon signed into Law (he could have vetoed these):  OSHA (Occupational Safety & Health Act/Administration, 1970), NEPA (Nat'l Environmental Policy Act, 1970), the precursor to the Clean Water Act (the Fed Water Pollution Control Act of 1972), the Clean Air Act (1970), the Marine Mammal Protection Act (1972), the Safe Drinking Water Act (1974---proposed by Nixon, signed into Law by Ford), the Endangered Species Act (1973), and he created the EPA in 1970, after signing NEPA.

Repub actions aren't all bad.  Plus, though they do it less than Repubs, Dems gerrymander voting districts, too...and Dems manipulate Primaries, too... and Dems suppress Populist candidates, too.  And until a few years ago, Dems in Congress also practiced Insider Trading on Wall Street.  Dems also have an interventionist Foreign Policy, and Dems also often are warmongers and Empire Builders.  And Dems also support questionable regimes such as Saudi Arabia and Honduras (never mind corrupt Netanyahu's Israel).

The whole system is rotten, not just the Repub side of the overall Plutocracy.  Those who keep blaming "the other side" are not helping to correct the situation.  All they're doing is prolonging the squabble and distracting from the overall problem, which is Plutocracy/Oligarchy/ Empire Building.  It's not about Republicans or Democrats; it's about Plutocrats...and they're found in both major Parties.

It all continues with the ultimate Plutocrats, Trump & His Crew.  What few crumbs he has thrown to everyday people are vastly outweighed by his favoring of the Oligarchy.  Plus, the deregulation blitz ultimately will harm us both financially and physically.  The Don continues with his blatant lies, and apparently, some people believe every word he says.  On the Dem side, Schumer & His Crew continue to pretend to be Populists...when in fact, they are Plutocrats and/or puppets of the Plutocracy.

Then, too, we now have the Mega Banks and Mega Hedge Funds more empowered than ever before.  A number of fairly well known & reputable people have stated in the past that if the public ever discovered how the Big Banks really operate, then there would be a revolution in the streets tomorrow.  By the way, keep in mind that a revolution does NOT have to be violent.  A massive, national boycott of Mega Banks would do wonders toward restoring the Financial Sector to sanity.  We don't do it essentially for only one reason--- convenience.  Shame on all of us.

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Not only my opinion.  Be Well

"The Clown Who Plays King" - NY Daily News

The NY Daily News recently commented on the Clown King, Trump.
My reaction is---

He's got 'em all fooled.  They don't seem to realize that it's all about enriching himself even more via the Presidency.  He has played the Clown his entire life simply to get attention.  

Mega Bankers bailed him out in the '80s only because they figured the name "Trump" would get them more than his complete bankruptcy.  Then they put him on an allowance and nursed his failing business ventures back to some degree of health.  

Those Bankers are very pleased now.  Deregulation of the Financial Sector is the flavor of the day in DC.  All this other stuff, though important, is distraction and deliberate misdirection by The Don & Crew.  The Elites/Crony Capitalists/Plutocrats win again.

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

Kudos to Trump, Plus the Repub v Dem Squabble

Kudos to Trump must be said.  Perhaps he finally recognized that our Gov't, whether for good reasons or sometimes bad reasons, has been threatening, sanctioning, and intimidating North Korea for many decades.  No wonder they pursued nuclear ICBMs.  Then, too, he probably also recognized the value of the Summit to the Repubs in the upcoming Mid-Term elections.  Lastly, I imagine he considered the value of it to his mythical reputation as a deal-maker.  While praising him, though, let's not disregard the crucial contribution of the South Korean President, Moon Jae-in.  He constructed the basis for the whole thing.

Except for Bernie Sanders, Keith Ellison, Elizabeth Warren, & a very few others (all of whom have been marginalized by the DNC), the Corporatist Dems at the top of the heap---who falsely claim to be "Progressives" or "Moderates"---should all be praising Trump for the outcome of the Summit.  As a Congressional guest (Rep. Ro Khanna) on Democracy Now said today:  if the Summit had happened under Obama, the Democrats would be cheering.  [I'll bet little of that takes place.  Here's why.]---

The Corporatists in charge of the upper echelon of the Democratic Party must do everything they can to promote the illusion of a battle between the two major Parties.  That's been the game ever since Neoliberals and NeoConservatives have taken over both the Republican Party and the Democratic Party.  Those Parties now (& for some time) merely are branches of the only major Party in the USA, the Corporatist Party.  I'm not coining a term here; call it the Oligarch Party, or the Plutocrats, or the Shadow Gov't, or whatever.  The name doesn't matter, because after all, it doesn't officially exist.  It's highly likely that especially the young people of today think that the major Parties are the norm, that they've always been the way they are now.  That's simply not true.

The NeoCons and the NeoLibs both began their ascent in the 1970's... mostly on a theoretical level; in other words, they developed their philosophical underpinnings.  The differences between them are almost nil, and center around a few social Hot-Button issues (such as gun control).  They gained speed in the 1980's and really exploded onto the scene in the 1990's.  They are essentially the same on the crucial issues of the economy, finance, war, corporatism, and corporatist globalization.  They now control the Fed Gov't, and have for at least 25 years.

Trump hasn't changed that at all.  He's a faux "rebel", and nothing more than their puppet.  Perhaps he's unwitting in all this, but I doubt it.  Surely at least he knows that he owes the Mega Bankers big-time.  They bailed him out in the 1980's when his arrogance, incompetence, and ignorance relative to Big Business brought his "empire" to the brink of total collapse.  His recent banking deregulation gift to them is partial payback.

Bottom line:  good for Trump relative to Korea; nevertheless, he's still a Corporatist, not a Populist.  He still serves the Plutocrats.

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

Moyers, Black, Obama, Holder, Trump & Crew, and Mega Banks

All you need to watch is the 1st 11 minutes & 40 seconds to see how the Mega Banking "Cartel" (rather than people with sub-prime mortgages) was the cause of the last Financial/Economic Crisis, and how/why the failure of the Obama Admin to prosecute Mega BankERS (not Banks) has set up the next overdue, soon-to-be-here Crash.  [Trump & Crew most likely will not do the same thing that Obama & Holder did not do.]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXWaAQpofqE&amp=&index=28&amp=&list=WL

Bill Moyers is well known...Bill Black not as much.  He's a brilliant academic in Law & Economics, as well as a former bank regulator.  After the Savings & Loan scandal of the 1980's, Black's team investigated & made about 1,000 criminal referrals to the Justice Dept.  All resulted in successful prosecutions of Bankers, rather than Banks (which are fictitious "persons" & only can be fined, not jailed).  Even fines in the billions of $$$ are considered merely a cost of doing Biz by the "Cartel".

It's all coming our way again.  This time, not only home mortgages, but also car loans & home rental receipts have been bundled up & then chopped up to create "securities" sold by Wall Street.  Plus, bizarre financial derivatives (bets on those securities, and bets on those bets, and bets on those bets, etc.) are back in the game with virtually no regulation.

Don't believe DC's propaganda that "everything is going great".  Everything is going pretty much where it went from 2007 through 2009.  Get ready...all it will take is one glitch, one Black Swan event, or one who-knows-what and the whole system again will be in chaos.  At least, the probability of that is extremely high.  Trump & Crew's deregulation blitz is making it all the more likely.  [I believe that in many areas of society, there are too many regulations; but in the case of the Financial Sector, there are too few.]

Not only my opinion.  Be Prepared

The Oligarchy Handbook

To my knowledge, no such Handbook exists; if it did, however, this would be a good outline or condensed version.  NOTE---  Certainly not all of it, but much of the information below comes from Noam Chomsky's superb book and documentary titled, Requiem for the American Dream.  The editors of the documentary came up with this subtitle:  "The Ten Principles of Concentration of Wealth and Power".  I would call it "The Ten Steps for Instituting Corporatism in a Society".  These concepts are evident not only in the USA today, but also in all industrialized countries of the world...some more than others.

1.  Reduce democracy---
Reduce or eliminate the input and influence of commoners in the formation of public policy.  The "little people" should be treated as "spectators" when it comes to government because they are incapable of comprehending complex matters.  They should be distracted with consumer consumption and kept apathetic.

2.  Shape ideology---
This begins with indoctrination in education.  Critical thinking and any challenging of Authority should be suppressed.  Except for basic skills such as reading and math, the minds of students should be molded to always accept Authority, wage slavery, war, the hierarchy of society, and a belief in the wisdom of opulence and luxury.

3.  Redesign the economy---
Complete the move (started in the 1970's) to Neoliberalism, Financialization, and Globalization.  In part, that means privatization of gov't infrastructure & services and the promotion of worker insecurity.  Separate worker productivity from wage increases.  Keep wages stagnant.  One way to do that is to promote the moving of manufacturing to emerging economies with low wages and sweatshop conditions.  Reduce or eliminate regulations applying to the Financial Sector so that income can be made without producing any goods or services...as with the use of bizarre financial derivatives and other financial instruments.

4.  Shift the burden carried by Oligarchs---
Make the Rich and Powerful less responsible for funding gov't, and for their own mistakes.  Reduce their taxes, and promote "Too Big to Fail", "Too Big to Jail", "Bail-Outs", and "Bail-Ins".  Increase gov't subsidies to mega corporations.  Let the "little people" foot the bill.

5.  Attack solidarity---
Reduce (through Edward Bernays style "molding of the public mind" Propaganda) the caring by individuals for the fate of others.  Destroy unions.  Clamp down on freedom of assembly, nonviolent protest, and any group that challenges the status quo.

6.  Run the regulators---
Promote and encourage a revolving door between BIG Business and high-level Gov't service...especially in the Financial Sector.  Poo-poo the concept of "conflict of interest".  Promise and provide high-paying, cushy, corporate jobs to regulators when they "retire" from gov't service.  Strive for "Government-Sachs".

7.  Engineer elections---
Continue the practice of having high-level political candidates selected, groomed, and financed by the Rich and Powerful.  Continue to encourage gerrymandering and voter suppression/manipulation.  In Primaries, continue to encourage the Corporate Media to slight or ignore any candidate not approved by the Oligarchy.  Promote and encourage the discussion of personalities rather than issues.  Continue to have debates run by a private corporation, thus making certain that no Populist candidates are allowed to participate.  Make sure that corporations continue to be "persons", and thus are able to contribute to our political candidates (via "free speech" money) in a virtually unlimited fashion.

8.  Keep the rabble in line---
Inundate the public with Edward Bernays style Propaganda Kool Aid all year, every year.  Attack Organized Labor.  Attack any Populist group.  Promote nationalism rather than patriotism.  Talk jobs, not profits.  Never reveal that while the wages of the "little people" have remained relatively flat (after adjustment for price inflation) for 30+ years, our incomes have increased 700%.

9.  Manufacture consent---
Mold the public mind to our benefit.  Keep the Propaganda flowing--- Trickle-Down Economics really works, there's no conflict of interest in having a Mega Bank CEO run a Gov't financial department, Big Biz should have a Stay-Out-of-Jail card, the Boogie-Man is coming so we have to go to war, the type of Globalization we're promoting really is good for the public, the commoners can have either privacy or safety (but not both), etc.  They've bought it all so far, and they will continue to buy it.

10.  Marginalize the population---
Make society an amorphous mass.  Attack and destroy groups critical of Power and Oligarchy.  Discourage the linking of individuals into effective political action organizations.  Denigrate them whenever possible.  Encourage the belief that commoners cannot understand the complexity of the issues facing the world today.  This all creates an unfocused anger which makes people more susceptible to our control.  Gain control of the internet, which is the greatest democratizing force in existence today.  Oppose net neutrality whenever possible.
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And so it goes.
Not only my opinion.  Be Well

The End of American Hegemony is Now on the Horizon

It's difficult to predict whether that end still is a long way off or will happen somewhat quickly...too many variables.  Nevertheless, it is finally visible.  Despite what Oligarchs and those who are propagandized to the hilt may think, the approaching end of the USA's worldwide hegemony is a good thing.

A few years ago the results of either a Gallup or Pew Research Poll (can't recall which) indicated that 80% of the world believed the greatest threat to peace was the USA.  I suppose our Bully Boy, Reality Show, Tweety Bird, Ignoramus, Oval Office Occupier would call those results "fake news"; but then, everything he disagrees with is so named by him. 

China, the rest of Asia (including India), Russia, Iran, large parts of South America (especially Brazil), South Africa, and now even Saudi Arabia, are so fed up with our Govt's HEGEMONY that they are waging an unprecedented economic/financial war on the USA.  They have a good chance of winning it.  First came South America's rejection of our Govt's longstanding policy of Neocolonialism relative to them.  Next was BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, & S. Africa) and their financial revolt, and just recently, we have the PetroYuan...essentially backed by gold.  Finally, beaucoup countries are allowing escape from the "almighty" Dollar via cryptocurrencies.  Dollar-dumping is rife in many, many countries.

We live in interesting times--- we are witnessing the beginning of the end of American Hegemony... especially monetary/financial hegemony.  Our Gov't and its Mega Bank Cronies will do anything legal or illegal to prevent that end.  It all hearkens back to Manifest Destiny and the crimes committed under that "justification".  The main difference between then & now is that our Empire is no longer land-based.  It's now based on control via threats of force, both monetary/financial/economic force and military force.  Most of it is illegal, immoral, unethical, and unconstitutional.

Starting a war won't prevent the end of our hegemony; it only might postpone it.

The Constitutional Republic of the USA is now in name only.  These days, we live in a Fascist State.  According to both FDR & Mussolini, Fascism = the Power of the State married to the Power of BIG Business.  Undeniably, that's the U.S. Gov't both for quite a number of years and presently.

The days of genuine American Conservatism (a big part of which was non-interventionism abroad and non-speculative banking at home) AND genuine American Progressivism (a big part of which was a safety net for the most vulnerable and fairness for all) are mostly gone...long gone.

And so it goes.  

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

War is a Racket

"As I look back on my 33 years of service in the Marines---from Second Lieutenant to Major-General---I realize that I've been nothing but a thug for Bankers and Big Corporations."  ~ General Smedley Butler

See brainyquote.com for more quotes by General Butler.

Only people who don't know what's going on still believe that our brave & well-meaning military folks are fighting for freedom, democracy, etc.  In actual fact, they are the unwitting enforcement arm of our Fed Reserve Bank and other Western World Mega Banks, as well as other major Corporations whose leaders believe they are the real rulers of the world.  Butler clearly pointed that out in his book, "War is a Racket".

Now (& for some time) that both Repubs & Dems in DC pretty much ignore and/or violate key parts of the U.S. Constitution, the Corporatists are free to complete their establishment of Global Private Rule.  Public Governments still will exist, but only as window dressing.  By the way, none of this is a "grand conspiracy"; to the Powers-That-Be, it's simply "good business practice" and "the best thing for the world".  It's also important to grasp the fact that Corporatists are NOT Free Market Capitalists; instead, they are Fascists.  The very last thing they want is a Free Market.  They prefer a series of Monopolies supported by their puppet governments.

To those who believe Trump is fighting all this, and is the champion of the Common Man, you are sadly mistaken.  Trump is the quintessential elitist, Corporatist, Establishment, Crony Capitalist...the worst kind of capitalist.  He's a serial liar, a Super-Rich snob, a gaslighter, and doesn't care at all about the bottom 90-99% of the USA citizens.  He's just telling you what he thinks you want to hear.  His whole history proves all the above.  Study it, and then you'll see.  A good start is the documentary, "Meet the Trumps:  from Immigrant to President"; it's found on Netflix and elsewhere.

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

Observations on the Insanity of the Elites and on the Progression of Corporatism

Let's first define one term.  By "Elites", I'm referring to those who are either super-rich, or in positions of super-power and/or influence, or both.  These people are in public or private positions, or both.  It's a general definition; there are always a few exceptions to any general rule.  The exceptions, however, do not invalidate the general statement.
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1.  We've had the National Security & Surveillance State since at least 9-11-01.  Yes, security is important; however, excesses in that field by the Elites have created a monstrous problem.  It is this:  the Fourth Amendment essentially has been eliminated.  Other constitutional guarantees of protection against an errant gov't have been seriously compromised as well.  The Elites have done all this by various means, but often it's by passing laws in the dead of night before any of our "Representatives" have had a chance to even read a particular law.  Those who originate these laws (e.g., The PATRIOT Act, FISA, the National Defense Authorization Act, etc.) seem to have the insane idea that even though the laws are in conflict with the Constitution, somehow they trump that document, which of course, is the Supreme Law of the Land.  We the People appear to be putting up with this nonsense.

Perhaps it's past time to recognize that the "Security" State is more concerned with security for the State as opposed to for us.  We are fast going toward a Hard Fascist State, and leaving behind the Soft Fascism which we've had for at least a decade or more.  Many people don't believe that because, I think, they associate Fascism mainly with the anomalous weirdness of the German Nazis & their obsession with the elimination of Jews.  Let's not forget Franco's Spain and Mussolini's Italy; they were more truly Fascist.  Fascism means the marriage of the power of the State to the power of Big Business.   It's a totalitarian rule by public & private Elites.  That's what we're rushing toward in the USA.

2.  Not since the Cold War with the old Soviet Union have we been so close to a nuclear war disaster in the world.  The current crop of politicians in DC seem to hold the insane view that:  (a) "tactical" nukes can be used without any significant, serious, long-term, detrimental consequences to humans and our planet; these business folks probably haven't had a science class since high school, & they are clueless on this subject; and (b) a "first-strike" war is permissible under the Constitution and International Law... not true.

Critics of this critique probably will say something to the effect of:  Iran, Russia, and especially North Korea are a distinct danger to us, and threaten us repeatedly.  Some of that is true, but not to any serious degree.  What those countries are doing, for the most part, is pushing back against our threats to them.  We have economic and financial sanctions against them (especially N. Korea & Russia).  Sanctions are an act of war.  The Bully-Boy US Gov't seems to believe it can act against any other gov't in the world (including allies) and there will be no blowback.  That's an insane belief.

As reported by the dissident, Noam Chomsky (on Democracy Now), not long ago N. Korea offered to sit down and talk about their stopping weapons-delivery testing in exchange for our Gov't lifting sanctions against their country.  Our DC politicians refused to even consider it.  Naturally, to my knowledge that whole business never was revealed by the Corporate Media.  I'm not defending N. Korea; I'm against any totalitarian regime.  The point is, our Gov't appears to be escalating the situation, rather than diffusing it.  Worse, with Buffoon Trump, the politicians now are talking about a first-strike...with a possible nuclear option.  That's unmitigated insanity.

3.  Our top-level politicians, including both Democrats and Republicans (and those in the Corporatist Cabinet), seem to have lost all common sense.  Here are just a few examples of that.

(a)  The Democrats keep harping on the concept of Russia "interfering with" or "influencing" the last election here.  They can't or won't face the fact that the real reason they lost the last election (& not only at the national level) is because We the People no longer buy into their Corporatist and/or Neoliberal crap.  Almost without exception, top-level Dems are shills for the Wall Street Casino Capitalists.  They truly do represent the Status Quo...which most Americans have no patience for anymore.  Dems whining about the Russians displays hypocrisy to the Nth degree.  Our Fed Gov't has a history of interfering with elections, influencing electoral outcomes, and even overthrowing democratically elected gov'ts.  During the Clinton Era, our Gov't made sure that Boris Yeltsin got elected in Russia.  Top-level Dems are insane to keep on with this Russian interference narrative.

(b)  Trump and the Corporatist/Neoliberal Repubs are in the process of making it easier for the Financial Sector, especially the monopolistic Mega Banks, to screw over the bottom 99% of Americans.  They are doing so by removing the paltry restraints on the Crony Capitalist, Mega Banks.  They are guaranteeing the next Bust in the Boom-Bust American Business Cycle.  We're right on the cusp of being overdue for that Bust, and they are hurrying it along.  They do this because, for the most part, the Super-Rich benefit greatly from such a Bust.  How?  It's simple:  during a major recession or depression, the Elites can buy up assets cheaply.  We've seen it over & over in our history.  For example, not long after the 2008 Crash, Mega Banks bought up smaller and/or troubled banks at pennies on the dollar.  The "Too-Big-to-Fail" Mega Banks grew by 37%.  During the Great Depression of the 1930's, super-large landowners and banks bought up small farms and a myriad of other assets at bargain prices.  Assisting that type of scenario, as the current Repub Corporatists are doing, is insanity.  It will further ruin our country and cause great suffering among the majority of us.

(c)  Similar to the point above, both Repubs AND Dems refuse to bring back the Glass-Steagall Act.  In my view, their refusal is because they are Wall Street shills.  If Mega Banks want to play at Casino Capitalism using bizarre financial derivatives, then they should do so with their own money, not ours.  That's just common sense.  Anything else is insanity.
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Not only my opinion.  Be Well

Trump---and the Obama-Mega Banking Cartel Legacy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXWaAQpofqE&index=28&list=WL

Here's (the above link) Obama's keep-out-of-jail card (because of the $ you gave my election campaigns) for JP Morgan Chase/Jamie Dimon and the other Mega Banks.  [Dubya Bush was no better.]  As W.K. Black points out, they all should have & could have been prosecuted.

Now we have Trump...who probably owes up to a billion $ to various Mega Banks.  No problem there.  :)

Democrats are talking about "resistance" to the new regime.  That's all well & good, but Establishment Democrats need to be resisted as well.  Most likely, 99.9% of them are promoters of Corporatist, Wall Street, Casino Capitalism.  They're Crony Capitalists of the highest order.

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

Why Most American Presidents Should be Considered Puppets

Below is my response to an email from a family member.  The bulk of his email was a reprint of an article about Obama in the final issue of Newsweek.  [Apparently the magazine is ceasing publication.]  The article lambasted Obama with a variety of assertions.
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I agree with most of this, but take issue with the following.

1.  Obama's first job after college was not as a "community organizer", but instead was with Business International, a mega business consulting firm and a known CIA front.

2.  His Marxism was "warmed over" because it was an act.  He's a Corporatist, not a Marxist.  He became a multi-millionaire while in office.  He failed to prosecute fraudulent Mega Bankers, even when the fraud was admitted... and the evidence supporting that admission was clear.  He received more campaign $ from Big Biz than did McCain.  In his first term, he kept all the Wall St. Bush economic people in his Admin.  Anyone who believes Obama was on the so-called "Left" is the victim of unmitigated Propaganda... & that Propaganda worked.

3.  He did have a record in the Senate:  he supported the Afghan & Iraq wars, the Death Penalty, voted for the PATRIOT Act, voted against Universal Health Care, and supported anything that favored the highest 1% on the economic ladder.  [None of that record is in the slightest a "Marxist" record.]

Obama certainly was/is unqualified, but he's definitely NOT any kind of Socialist.  The Newsweek author simply is reinforcing the Propaganda that most Americans bought into.

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

Let's see if Trump, who is facing an imploding economy, blames Obama for economic woes the way O blamed Bush.  I'd say there's a very good chance that he will.  Funny thing is, they both have a good case... that's because the Cabinet members & other economic advisors aren't really "Conservative" OR "Liberal"... instead, they're Corporatists who promote Boom & Bust cycles that benefit the Super-Rich.  They bamboozle ANY President into thinking they're on the right track with that policy (of course, they don't use Boom-Bust terminology).  As I look at Trump's Cabinet & Advisors on economic policy, it's easy to predict that's exactly what will happen to the President-Elect.  Just watch.

Happy Trails

p.s.  Thanks for the piece.  It reinforces my belief that the Corporate Media (including Newsweek) are way beyond those old, worn-out labels of "Conservative" and "Liberal".  Every one of them is Corporatist... and their main objective is to benefit the 1%.

_________________________

On a similar note---

Don't know how I missed this piece, but just a bit ago I finished watching a documentary (on Netflix) narrated by Matt Damon, titled Inside Job.  It's from the year 2010, and is an analysis of the 2008 Crash.  Although I was familiar with most of the facts explained, the film blew me away.

Long story short, the piece showed how the Administrations of Reagan, Poppy Bush, Clinton, Dubya Bush, & Obama, plus Oligarchs in the Financial Sector, plus Presidential advisors from academic economics---all essentially more or less in collusion--- were responsible for the last Crash.  The devastating role of bizarre financial derivatives was laid bare, as well as the utter failure of governmental regulation, and how millionaire economic advisors shape Executive policy.

Bottom line--- American Presidents (with very few exceptions) have been molded economically by BIG Business reps and academic millionaire economists to the point where the Presidents are mere puppets...at least, when it comes to issues such as finance, the economy, jobs, & the like.  Those issues are the most important ones to almost all of us.  If you can't make a decent living, all the other issues don't matter.  The only possible exception to that statement is the issue of Freedom.

Finally, as pointed out in the film, those "academic" economic advisors became millionaires by giving speeches to mega corporations at $100,000 or more a pop.  After advising the President, many/most of these economists then move on to high corporate positions at an annual salary of $300,000 or so.  A question should arise as to conflict of interest, eh?

Don't miss Inside Job.

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

Financial/Economic Crash Update

1.  The Bond Market already is crashing.

2.  That eventually will burst the Stock Market Bubble.

3.  The Dollar is temporarily "strong", but only in terms of being the best house in a really horrible neighborhood.

4.  We currently have the lowest number in years of people with a full-time permanent job.

5.  The current Real Estate Bubble is on the cusp of bursting.

6.  Mega Bank fraud continues...especially in terms of gold & silver price manipulation... because that makes the Dollar appear "strong".

7.  Many countries (especially emerging markets) continue to bypass the USA by forming their own Trade & Finance agreements.

8.  The second largest economy in the world, China, is in deep financial & economic trouble.  Their Crash would affect the entire world.

9.  Italy's financial system is on the verge of collapse.

10.  Though they should bite the bullet, the Fed Reserve most likely will not raise interest rates beyond one time in 2017.  That means more QE is coming, which means Bubbles.  All financial & economic bubbles burst; there hasn't been a single time in human history when that wasn't true.  The longer the Fed waits to bite the bullet, the bigger the Crash will be.

11.  Deutsche Bank is in deep trouble.  Their derivatives portfolio alone could crash them.

12.  Price inflation in the USA already is edging up.

13.  USA sovereign Debt as of tonight is just under $20 trillion... and increasing rapidly.

14.  US Debt held by foreign countries is a bit over $6 trillion, and decreasing rapidly.  Countries are dumping the Dollar.  Those Dollars are coming home; that will decrease the value of each dollar, and that will cause an increase in price inflation.

[See the online "US Debt Clock" for the two items immediately above.]

15.  Various analysts say to look for a continued expansion of the Wall Street Stock Market Bubble in early 2017, and then a massive correction later in the year.  [That massive correction could well become a complete Crash... especially given what's going on in the Bond Market.]

16.  The unmitigated Propaganda here in the USA continues:  "The Recovery is doing fine..."; "The Fed has it under control..."; "Our economy is improving..."; etc., ad nauseam.

17.  50% of American workers have a yearly income of only $30K or less.

18.  The top 1% in America has more wealth than the bottom 95% combined.

19.  The 400 wealthiest individuals here have more wealth than the bottom 150 million individuals combined.

Yes, everything is fine... for a few people.

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

"Fool Me Once, Shame on You; Fool Me Twice, Shame on Me", OR, More on the Shadow Gov't

"It is this power structure which the Radical Right in the United States has been attacking for years in the belief that they are attacking the Communists."
Carroll Quigley
Citation:
Carroll Quigley. BrainyQuote.com, Xplore Inc, 2016. http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/c/carroll_quigley.html, accessed September 22, 2016.
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Quigley understood (and stated) that the International Financial Coterie (his phrase) was the real controlling force in the world.  Way above political groups, they often would use/manipulate various institutions (whether on the Right or Left) to attain their goals.  Edward Bernays, the Father of the Public Relations field, gave them a massive boost in 1928 with the publication of his book, Propaganda:  Molding the Public Mind.

To the Coterie, none of this is a "conspiracy"; rather, it's merely "private", and "good business practice".  [In essence, they have little or no ethics.]  Today, it's fairly obvious that world central banks (especially the Fed Reserve System), the IMF, the World Bank, the Bank of International Settlements, the Financial Stability Board of the G-20, about thirty Mega Banks (e.g., JP Morgan, Goldman Sachs, Bank of America, etc.), and a few others essentially control world Finance and Economics...regardless of political Parties.  He who controls the purse, controls it all.

As an international banker of long ago once remarked, "Let me issue and control a nation's money and I care not who writes the laws." – Mayer Amschel Bauer Rothschild, 1744-1812.

Unfortunately, as recent headlines affirm, mega banking today is rife with fraud and wealth transfer schemes.  On top of that, world central banks create massive Asset Bubbles which skew the Free Market...and eventually destroy economies.  The dynamite documentary (now online at Netflix.com & elsewhere), Money for Nothing, explains it all.  If you're at all confused by what's going on in Finance and Economics, that film is a Must-See.  It's right on the mark.

Banking should be a public utility.  [The Fed is a cabal of private banks.]  At the very least, a public bank should be an option...much the way it is in North Dakota.  That bank, by the way, outperforms Wall Street.  Google/Bing:  Ellen Brown public banking.  She's the leader of that movement, and has written numerous brilliant pieces on the subject.

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

Financial-Economic Crash Update

Below is an email I just sent to a few family and friends.  There's a tiny bit of editing... nothing important.
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Maloney is correct (see link below):  this is undeniable evidence that we're in a Recession; there is no "recovery".  Since '08-'09, we've had a series of weak "dead cat bounces", not just of the Stock Market, but of the entire economy.  They haven't been sustainable.  The current Stock Market is a poor indicator anyway--- it's in an artificial Bubble created completely by the Fed... and the chickens are coming home to roost... probably within a year or so... at most, by no later than 2020 or thereabouts.  Just a guess.  No one knows "when", but there is no more "if".  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1He-bpM8MI

Sorry, folks, but now there's little to no doubt that we're in for really bad economic times.  Don't believe the Propaganda from the Powers-That-Be.  NeoFeudalism is on its way.

Get out of Mega Banks, get out of the Stock Market, stock up on household goods, hang onto and/or acquire as many hard assets as you can, cash in any T-Bills (Fed Bonds) you might have, squirrel away some cash, and watch the Bond Market rather than the Stock Market.  The current Housing Bubble is predicted to burst anywhere from very soon to no later than 2024.  The Dollar Crash could be anytime... all that's needed is for China, Russia, India, etc. to accumulate a little more gold.  Once China launches a (to some degree) gold-backed currency, the sound of the rush from the Dollar will be deafening.  That's only one event that could bring down the Dollar; there are several.

Once one Sector goes, the obscene, bizarre Financial Derivatives Market (estimated at $1.5 quadrillion) will bring everything down...probably worldwide.  Banks, Mega Hedge Funds, Insurance giants, et. al. are making billions off Derivatives sales (while creating essentially zero jobs in the process), but don't have enough reserves to cover all defaults.  It's 2008-09 on steroids...super steroids.  Be Prepared.

Don't let the State-Corporate Complex mold your mind anymore.  Reject all Edward Bernays style Propaganda Kool Aid.  You can't miss it; they don't even try to lie with subtlety anymore.  It's blatant lying:  "There's no price inflation worth mentioning"; "The unemployment rate is now only 5%"; "The dollar is strong"; "The Fed has it under control...they're doing a great job"; "The recovery is proceeding"; "Some banks are too big to fail [and prosecute]"; and on & on.  Please, enough of the lies.

By the way, this is not a Right v. Left issue.  Forget that paradigm; this is way above that distraction.  To use an educational metaphor:  this is at the post-doctorate level; the Right-Left paradigm is at the second grade level.

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

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

Some of the Corporatists Finally are Waking Up re: the Economic Collapse

Quotes from---
Goldman Sachs:  "We are witnessing a Stock Market exodus.";
Bank of America:  "The U.S. may already be in a Recession.";
Wall Street Journal:  "A Hedge Fund Exodus";
CNBC commentary:  "This [the weak consumer] could be the 'Black Swan' for the economy.";
                                 "We are in the midst of a deceleration in the economy, and the chain of                     dominoes leading to a recession has started to fall.";
                                 "This is the foreshadowing of a recession.";
JP Morgan:  "An economic crisis is inevitable.";
                   "The U.S. economy is steamrolling toward a Recession."
                   "Recession risk in the U.S. is rising rapidly.";
Bloomberg:  "The Shipping News Says the World Economy is Toast.";
                    [The Baltic Dry Index is way down.]
                    "The clouds are gathering again over the global village we live in; they are getting darker every                        day.";
CitiGroup:  "The global economy is on the brink of a Recession.";
                  "The global economy seems trapped in a death spiral...";
US Bank CEO:  "I worry that the economic, political issues can impact people's incentive to consume and                                their optimism to go down. That's what worries me."
                          [Well, it's difficult to maintain an incentive to consume when:  your wages are stagnant; or                                you have a part-time or temporary job; or you're unemployed; and the cost of living                                     (especially groceries and rent) keeps going up.  Hello.]

The above institutions/people have only scratched the surface relative to the Economic Crash that already has started, but at least it's a start.  Now, if we can get the politicians to admit what's going on, maybe we'll get somewhere.

Not only my opinion.  Be Well, and Best of Luck to Everyone

So Where's the Economic Crash?

It's unfolding before our eyes.  Despite the Dead Cat Bounce (a horrible term) after the disastrous dip in January, the Crash is proceeding...and worsening...and it's worldwide.  Below is a portion of a Reply I sent to my son, his family, and others regarding a piece he sent me from Greg Hunter's "USA Watchdog.com".  That clip had Ron Kirby of Kirby Analytics in his very latest guest appearance on "USA Watchdog".
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The dollar reset could be right around the corner.  Especially telling was that series of meetings the Fed had, and the meetings with the Pres & VP with the Fed.  Add to that the admission of silver & gold price fixing by the Mega Banks, & the new China Gold Exchange, & the IMF SDR situation (especially involving China), & how the highest levels of our Fed Gov't are trying their damnedest to provoke a war, & how Obama has been working for almost 8 yrs having us construct tactical nuclear weapons (as opposed to strategic), & the fact that the Financial Stability Board of the G-20 approved Bail-Ins for 29 Mega Banks (worldwide), & the fact that the TPP will further deregulate the Financial Sector (both high-level Dems & Repubs support that Agreement), & the fact the War on Cash is accelerating, & the fact that the vast majority of the public appears to believe just about anything the Corporate Media tells them... with all that & more, we're ripe for a disaster.

Nevertheless, I still believe the Oligarchy somehow will pull off preventing it from happening until after the election.  As Kirby puts it, they've been holding together this criminal, fraudulent financial system with "...paper clips & bungee cords" [:)] for a long time.  Maybe they can do it a bit longer.

I see the Oligarchy in America as having 3 main options:

1.  Get us into a major, major war.  As Kirby accurately points out, historically that's what the Ruling Class does when the Financial System is in really deep trouble.  The Bush-Obama Perpetual War has not been enough...it's not big enough.  This, of course, is not a wise option, but that doesn't mean they won't do it.

2.  QE-4...print even more currency.  The Fed buying back the bonds being dumped by China & other Asian countries hasn't been enough.  The Fed might even send checks to individual households...to the People, not just make it available to Mega Banks.  [If that happens, buy every necessary household commodity you can get your hands on...because if that happens, the culmination of the Crash is imminent.]

3.  After the election, bite the bullet & gradually raise interest rates to where they should be.  This will burst the Asset Bubbles & put us into a deep Recession and/or Depression.

I'm sure there are more options, but I see the above as the main ones.

Unfortunately, nothing above will stop the worldwide economic mess from worsening.  We're in a global Economic Crash.  There's been nothing like this since the Great Depression, and prior to that, the Fall of the Roman Empire (which was largely economic).  What's sad is that so many Americans seem to be so tied up in the tribalism of the election cycle that they either don't see the Crash unfolding, or they don't think it's very serious.

I hope Kirby is wrong regarding his time frame, but what he said certainly is possible.

Love,  Dad    p.s.  Don't take on any major debt.  When all this stuff culminates, your income & purchasing power will go down...but debt payments won't.  That's how people in the 1930's were wiped out financially.

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Not only my opinion.  Be Well

Redux--- The Shadow Government: A Bit of History

This is from Professor Carroll Quigley--- the late and renowned macro-historian who was Bill Clinton's mentor at Georgetown University---and was written about 45 years ago  [Now, 53 years ago; I first wrote this in 2007].  Following are excerpts from his book, Tragedy and Hope (1966)---
[All emphasis added...below.]

"There does exist, and has existed for a generation, an international Anglophile network which operates, to some extent, in the way the radical Right believes the Communists act. In fact, this network, which we may identify as the Round Table Group has no aversion to cooperating with the Communists, or any other groups, and frequently does so... 

"I know of the operations of this network because I have studied it for twenty years and was permitted for two years, in the early 1960's, to examine its papers and secret [private] records. I have no aversion to it or to most of its aims and have, for much of my life, been close to it and to many of its instruments...

"[A] front organization, called the Royal Institute of International Affairs, had as its nucleus in each area the existing submerged Round Table Group. In New York it was known as the Council on Foreign Relations and was a front for J.P. Morgan and Company in association with the very small American Round Table Group...

"On this basis, which was originally financial and goes back to George Peabody, there grew up in the twentieth century a power structure between London and New York which penetrated deeply into university life, the press, and the practice of foreign policy...

"In England the center was the Round Table Group, while in the United States it was J.P. Morgan and Company or its local branches in Boston, Philadelphia, and Cleveland...

"The American branch of this 'English Establishment' exerted much of its influence through five American newspapers (The New York Times, New York Herald Tribune, Christian Science Monitor, the Washington Post, and the lamented Boston Evening Transcript )...

" They were gracious and cultured gentlemen of somewhat limited social experience who were much concerned with the freedom of expression of minorities and the rule of law for all, who constantly thought in terms of Anglo-American solidarity, of political partition and federation, and who were convinced that they could gracefully civilize the Boers of South Africa, the Irish, the Arabs, and the Hindus, and who are largely responsible for the partitions of Ireland, Palestine, and India, as well as the federations of South Africa, Central Africa, and the West Indies...

"It was this group of people, whose wealth and influence so exceeded their experience and understanding, who provided much of the frame-work of influence which the Communist sympathizers and fellow travelers took over in the United States in the 1930's...

"It must be recognized that the power that these energetic Left-wingers exercised was never their own power or Communist power but was ultimately the power of the international financial coterie, and, once the anger and suspicions of the American people were aroused, as they were by 1950, it was a fairly simple matter to get rid of the Red sympathizers...

"Before this could be done, however, a congressional committee, following backward to their source the threads which led from admitted Communists like Whittaker Chambers, through Alger Hiss, and the Carnegie Endowment to Thomas Lamont and the Morgan Bank, fell into the whole complicated network of the interlocking tax-exempt foundations...

The Eighty-third Congress in July 1953 set up a Special Committee to investigate Tax-Exempt Foundations with Representative B. Carroll Reece of Tennessee, as chairman. It soon became clear that people of immense wealth would be unhappy if the investigation went too far and that the 'most respected' newspapers in the country, closely allied with these men of wealth, would not get excited enough about any revelations to make the publicity worth while, in terms of votes or campaign contributions..."

[My point here is to illustrate that those who founded the "Shadow Government" were beyond political party affiliations, right v. left, and all that Propaganda. I believe that is still true today...and today, the Shadow Government is greatly expanded and includes many multi-national corporations, not just those in banking, oil, and newspapers.]

Quigley's book, Tragedy and Hope, quickly was suppressed.  I doubt you can find a copy today.  Finally, keep in mind that the good Professor was not a deranged nutcake; instead, he was well respected and very credible.

Not only my opinion.  Be Well
p.s.  Some years ago, Bill Moyers also did an excellent piece on "The Shadow Government".