The Corporatocracy doesn't want you to know this about economics & the economy

In general, the Powers-That-Be (both public & private) almost constantly mislead us regarding whether or not the economy is doing well.  That's because they measure such all wrong.

Robert Reich tells it like it is---

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFjoDq0HfFw&list=WL&index=71

To have an economics as if all people and the entire ecosphere matter, we must adhere to the parameters described/endorsed by Prof. Reich in the short clip above.  Anything else is mostly propaganda.

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Not only my opinion.  Take Care

This might be the beginning of the end of Corporate Globalization

More & more, people with influence  are recognizing the destructiveness & failure of neoliberal globalization.  It's about time.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XrEI2-7Ubiw

  The solution offered hearkens back to E.F. Schumacher's "Small is Beautiful"; at least, it's akin to that.  Again, IT'S ABOUT TIME that happened.  This could be the beginning of the overthrow of global corporatism.  Let's hope so.  Perhaps policy makers will start seeing that all those "cheap" goods have social, economic, & environmental costs which have not been taken into account. 

Incidentally, the goods coming from Asia are not cheap in price.  Why?  Because the quality of them is so poor that they have to be replaced about ten times more than those made with durable materials, quality assurance, & quality control.  And, as has been shown over & over lately, with great distances come monstrous supply chain problems.  Suddenly the price of an item jumps up because it's scarce.

Finally, corporate globalization must go because mega companies (in general) :  a) don't really care much about customer satisfaction; and b) often evade accountability when they farm out manufacturing overseas.  International Trade can be responsibly done, but the WTO & the so-called "Free Trade Agreements" are an utter disaster.

https://rethinktrade.org/toolkit/hyperglobalization-and-supply-chain-failures/

Small is beautiful.  Let's have an economics as if people really mattered to the Powers-That-Be.  How about that?!

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Not only my opinion.  Be Well

"War is a Racket" Redux

I posted this essay about a year & a half ago.  It's still brutally relevant today, especially with the NeoCons in the current Administration--- Bolton, Pompeo, Pence and the like ---up to their usual Warmongering.
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"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's 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 can be found online.

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

p.s.  I'm an Army Vet and a gun owner.  Not only Vets, but ALL of us need to wake up to the fact that War (especially the current & recent ones) is not about "spreading democracy".  Instead, it's about economics and finance.  The main beneficiaries of it are Mega Corporations, especially Mega Banks.

Republicans & Democrats - Time to Cowboy-Up

Preface---
Trump is not the problem; he's merely a symptom of the problem.  More accurately, he's a symptom of a plethora of problems, most of which revolve around Corporatism and Propaganda.  Below I suggest only a couple of things that the highest levels of the Repubs and Dems can do toward making our country a better place, and our standing in the world more favorable.
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Democrats---
This is a no-brainer:  stop harping on Trump's foibles and misdeeds.  They are obvious to almost everyone.  Instead, give us a vision of your program for improvement...a comprehensive vision, rather than a one-or-two-issue vision.  You've managed to essentially kill the "Green New Deal", I've seen little to no efforts/plans on your part to get Corporate money out of politics, or break up the egregious Mega Banks, or put a stop to gerrymandering of House Districts, or stop antagonizing the world with military adventurism, or any significant plan to fix our crumbling public infrastructure, or any plan to encourage manufacturing in this great land, and on & on.  Mostly what I see are high level politicos bellying up to the public trough and private wealth.  I also see that over the years you've managed to pretty much marginalize any person in your Party who favors the "common people".  You give a lot of lip service to genuine Populism, but little else.  Most of you now seem to believe in Neoliberalism, not Liberalism.  It's time for a sea change.

Republicans---
You're just as bad as the Dems.  Over many years, and especially lately, you have squandered and ruined the reputation of a once ethical Party.  In the distant past, your Party stood for:  honor, ethics, We the People, and small business (which employed 80% of American workers).  Now you support what is basically a cabal of super-rich, monopolistic, anti-democracy NeoFascists.  You favor Mega Biz over Small Biz.  You favor Crony Capitalism over genuine Capitalism.  In the past you recognized the folly and danger of policing the world; now you jump at every chance to get into another war.  You once knew the difference between patriotism and nationalism; now you don't seem to have a clue.  In the past, one sect of your Party was Conservative; that's now gone.  Instead, NeoConservatives now dominate a pathetic excuse for what's called the Republican Party.  Even worse, most of you now kowtow to a man who has little to no ethics, morality, or even mental stability.  Shame on you.

Given all that, here's another no-brainer:  stop backing Trump.  History will not treat him well.  He's not even a Republican...and certainly not a Conservative.  In addition, divest yourselves of NeoConservatism.  Re-discover the roots of your Party.  Our country will be better off for it.
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Not only my opinion.  Be Well

Election = a Mixed Bag - Plus, World Corporate Empire

In what should have been a resounding, slam-dunk rejection of the corporatist, plutocratic, serial-lying, ignorant but clever, law-breaking Trump Admin (and any candidate supported by The Don), the election turned out to be a mixed bag.  There are many reasons for that, but in this essay I'll focus on a chief reason.

[Technically, all the election results have not yet been tabulated.  This is being written just before midnight on Tuesday, Mountain Standard Time.  Nevertheless, I feel comfortable with the "mixed bag" characterization.  Of course, both sides undoubtedly will claim victory on Wednesday.  Once again, and for any new readers here, I'm not a Republican or a Democrat.]

Just as during the Bill Clinton Era, today's Democratic Party (at the highest levels) is run by plutocratic corporatists...or their puppets.  After Clinton left office, the DNC re-took power from the Clintonite DLC (Dem Leadership Council, which heavily leaned toward Corporatism).  Unfortunately for genuine Populists, the DNC quietly adopted most of the policies of the outgoing, corporatist DLC.

So, today (& for a number of years), the only difference between so-called Democrats and so-called Republicans is on most social Hot-Button issues---such as gun control, abortion, gay rights, etc.---and maybe one or two non-Hot-Button, domestic issues.  When it comes to the economy, finance, war, empire, monetary policy, fiscal policy, corporatism, and foreign policy, the two Parties (again, at the highest levels) are pretty much the same.

All of the above means that the Dems in control of their Party don't want to rock the Corporate Boat.  That's why, in the lead-up to the election, we heard little to nothing about the following---

1.  About 50% of working families in the USA are either in poverty, or so close to the brink of it that the difference doesn't matter.  They are in the "Precariat Class", a term coined by the economist & professor, Guy Standing.  People in this Class are insecure relative to their material & psychological existence.  Their lives, through little to no fault of their own, have become extremely precarious.

2.  Of the remaining 50%, about 35% of them are doing okay, but they still are in the Precariat Class...at least in terms of economic and financial stability.  Their jobs and lifestyle are no longer secure.  They could lose it all virtually in a few weeks, or at most, a few months.

3.  The economy is "booming" only for about the top 15% of income earners.  Despite any piddly wage increases of late, wages/salaries still essentially are stagnant (after adjustment for price inflation).  That's been true for about thirty years.  In the same period, the Upper Crust has increased its income by 700%.

4.  Our crushing National Debt (which has the potential of further ruining our economy) is not primarily due to social spending; rather, the main cause is massive Corporate Welfare (including military spending).  Corporate welfare DWARFS all social spending combined.  The "Nanny State" in the USA is for corporations, not people.

5.  Our foreign policy kowtows to Mega Corporations...especially those in the Financial Sector.  Our Fed Gov't is belligerent on the world stage because that ultimately benefits the Big Boys in Biz.  [See the book, War is a Racket, by General Smedley Butler, a Marine for 33 years.]  Our foreign policy is further bankrupting our country.  Do you really believe that we need 900 military bases around the world?  Do you really believe that we still need to be in Afghanistan...after 17 years?  Do you really believe that sanctions on a country are not an act of war?  Do you really believe that we need more expensive nukes?  Our military budget already is larger than those of the next top seven countries combined...and that includes China & Russia.

6.  The goal of Mega Corps is to privatize everything...worldwide.  At the highest levels in DC, politicians are helping them do that...or, at the very least, not opposing them.  The monopolists of Mega Biz are moving us all toward NeoFeudalism, and the pace rapidly is increasing.  In the not-too-distant future, the Middle Class no longer will exist.

7.  Finally, our foreign policy is crucial mainly because it drives domestic policy.  Surveillance, War, Trade Wars, Sanctions, Empire...it all drains economic security from We the People.  It all enriches the Upper Crust at our expense.  It serves to funnel spending away from any safety net for the most vulnerable, and increasingly, from any economic security for everyone who isn't in the top tier of income earners.
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The Big Boys & Girls at the DNC ignore most of the above.  Even the small Progressive Wing of the Democratic Party often appears to not get the significance of foreign policy vis-a-vis the World Corporate Empire.  The Democratic hierarchy is basically the same as the Republicans when it comes to foreign policy, sanctions, war, and Empire.

It all comes down to more wealth for the already wealthy...and the top Democrats don't want to rock the boat.  So they mostly ignore Corporatism, and instead, concentrate on immigration or Russian "interference".  No wonder they can't slam-dunk the rejection of Trump & Crew...and if anything needs slam-dunking, it's that.

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

Four Things You Need to Know About Neoliberalism

1.  It's not new and it's not liberal.

2.  It's sweeping over the entire world.

3.  It's a political and economic philosophy favoring the Rich & Powerful at the expense of the rest of us.      [Essentially, at its core, it's Crony Capitalism, AKA, Fascism.  Both FDR and Mussolini defined Fascism as the power of BIG Business married to the power of the State...an almost perfect description of Neoliberalism.]

4.  Here in the USA, it is subscribed to by almost all high-level Republicans AND Democrats.

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

"An Economy for the 1%: How Privilege and Power...

in the Economy Drive Extreme Inequality and How This Can Be Stopped".  That's the title of a new Oxfam America report.  From the Report and as reported on Democracy Now, the 62 richest billionaires in the world (a majority of them in the USA) now are as wealthy as the poorest 3.6 billion people worldwide combined.  The inequality is due primarily to:  deregulation (i.e., Crony Capitalism), privatization (more Crony Capitalism), and offshore tax havens (even more Crony Capitalism).  [Those are key components of Neoliberalism...which is subscribed to by most Democrats and Republicans (at the highest levels) here in the USA.]

In one such tax haven, the British Virgin Islands (population 24,000), there are 800,000 shell corporations associated with real corporations from around the world.  Anxious to get in on the action, there also are a total of fifty banks there.  Here in the USA for the last 20 years, politicians have talked about closing the loopholes in the Tax Code that allow tax havens.  In that timespan, there have been periods when both the Repubs and the Dems each have controlled Congress separately.  Nothing has been done.  Lobbyists.  More Crony Capitalism.  Democrats and Republicans both are to blame.

Some here would argue that the corporations need every break they can get, and that allows them to expand and create more jobs.  It's the old "Trickle Down Theory of Economics".  Unfortunately, nothing much is trickling down anymore.  The tax avoidance wealth is either being held offshore, or being used to close, dismantle, & ship factories out of the country, or buy/lease existing factories in another country, or raid companies here & the downsize them, or invest in bizarre financial derivatives, or in foreign currencies, or in foreign bonds, or in a number of other ventures that also create zero jobs in the USA.  So much for the Trickle Down argument.  Mega Corporations seem to rarely invest in their communities anymore (or even in the USA); instead, they move their operations to wherever the labor is the cheapest.  Apple Computer is a prime example:  they don't make even one of their products in this country...not one.  Remember that the next time you buy something from Apple.

Meanwhile, the Middle Class here shrinks, wages essentially are stagnant (& have been for 30 yrs), our manufacturing base rapidly is disappearing, jobs are becoming more & more inferior, employee benefits are shrinking, and the income of the Upper Crust has increased 700% in the last thirty years.  Plus because of the crashing economy, in 2016 alone many 401ks already have lost from $2,000 to $6,000.

While eight million jobs here evaporated after the 2008 Crisis, the Mega Banks grew by 37%, significantly increasing their profits.  At the same time, their Executives avoided prosecution for what was blatant FRAUD during the time leading up to the Crisis.  More Crony Capitalism.  Politicians know on which side their bread is buttered.  SSDD.

NeoFeudalism is well on its way to being here.

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

The Third Iraq War for America, & the Constitution

Here we go again.  The first Iraq War was in the early '90s.  Just prior to that one, the Fed Gov't supplied weapons to Saddam for his war against Iran.  The second Iraq War started in 2003, I believe, and went on seemingly forever; however, it did eventually end (for the U.S.).  Now we're beginning the third Iraq War for America.  [For those who may not know, when one country drops bombs or shoots missiles from aircraft into another country, that's war.  Even if you're not bombing, say, the forces of Iraq, it's still war.]

My point here is this:  apparently I missed the preludes to those three wars---  the part where the U.S. Congress, as mandated by the U.S. Constitution, issues a Declaration of War.  Some time ago, John McCain in response to a question from Congressman  Jesse Jackson Jr. on this very subject, essentially stated that such a Declaration of War was not necessary because the War Powers Act gave the President (with the approval of Congress) the authority to go to war at his discretion.  In his defense, McCain is not the only DC Crony who uses that reasoning.  What they all appear to be ignoring is that no law supercedes the Constitution.  That means, despite what McCain and others tell us, Congress must declare war before troops (or war planes, or war ships) are sent into battle against some enemy.  I challenge any politician (or anyone) to disprove that.

For decades now, the Fed Gov't has been ignoring the restraints of the Constitution whenever it suits politicians or their Mega Business Cronies.  They use Laws to justify their war actions; there is nary a peep about the requirements and restraints imposed on the Fed Gov't by the Supreme Law of the Land regarding war and the proper use of the military.  I find it exceptionally strange that the U.S. public appears to accept this scenario.  Perhaps that is due to propaganda, or disinterest, or poverty, or being super-rich, or being too busy, or feeling helpless, or something else.  Maybe people don't believe that the Constitution does require a Declaration of War; or perhaps they believe that Laws actually can alter the requirements stated in the Constitution.  It especially puzzles me that "Conservatives" (nowadays that means Neoconservatives) accept this travesty against Constitutional Gov't.

Perhaps we as a People have forgotten the primary purpose of the Constitution:  it is to restrain the Fed Gov't.  For that to work, the requirements of the document cannot be ignored.  Simple logic.

Be Well

The Bush-Obama Principles and Doctrines

1.  Respect a country's sovereignty only when it serves the interests of the U.S. Fed Gov't and the Oligarchs who own that Gov't.
2.  Never refer to the Constitution except when saying, "Stop telling me about the Constitution; the Constitution is just a goddamn piece of paper."  ~ George W. Bush.
3.  Refer to those in a civil war who are not the puppets of the U.S. Fed Gov't as "terrorists".  [Example--- A day or two ago, Obama referred to the Iraqi Sunnis (who are in a civil war with the Iraqi Shiites) in that exact way.  He also said that, short of sending in ground troops, he would aid the Iraqi Gov't in order to defeat said terrorists in Iraq...and so, too, to make sure they never attack our Homeland.  Query:  do people really fall for that line?]
4.  If a whistleblower exposes Fed Gov't criminality, then criminalize that whistleblower.  [Examples---  Tom Drake, Julian Assange, Edward Snowden, and several others.]
5.  Bail out financial institutions who have made reckless, incredibly speculative investments...and who should (according to the principles of Free Market Capitalism) eat the consequences and fail.  Lie to the People, saying that if those Financialization Institutions are not bailed out, our entire economy will collapse.  Protect the mega banks that swindled investors from criminal prosecution.
6.  Allow mega corporate cronies to become Fed Gov't cronies, and in the process, give them a capital gains tax break of hundreds of millions of dollars.  [Example:  Hank Paulson...capital gains tax break of $200 million.  There are others as well.  Put out a cover story saying that's how we attract the best people to Gov't.]
7.  Do whatever Israel says.  Ignore and/or suppress the fact that the founders of the State of Israel were once themselves terrorists...back when that land was British Palestine.  Ignore and/or suppress the fact that current Israeli settlements in the Occupied Territories violate International Law.
8.  Support all so-called "Free Trade" Agreements...especially when they facilitate the export of jobs and manufacturing from the USA, thus allowing the super-rich to become even richer.
9.  Cover up Fed Gov't criminality by using this phrase over and over:  National Security.
10.  Talk the Egalitarian Talk, but then do what's best for the Oligarchy.  Continue mega corporate welfare at the highest level possible.  Make certain that billionaires essentially can buy elections.
11.  Continue the lie that the Fed Reserve benefits Main Street.  Don't let the People know that the Fed provides essentially free money (the Discount Window) to so-called investment banks...and that those "investments" are not for job creation, but rather are for speculative derivatives that benefit only insiders.
12.  Continue the myth that because of certain legislation the Congress supposedly does not have to declare war before the President can put troops on the battlefield.  [That LIE has been one of the most successful falsehoods ever put forth by the highest levels of the Fed Gov't.  The false premise in that concept is that Laws supercede the U.S. Constitution.  Please.]

I could go on...and on...and on.  Time constraints do not permit it.

Be Well

The Biggest Foreign Enemy of the USA

This enemy dwarfs all other threats to our beloved country, and for that matter, the world.  Our Neoliberal Elites, both Democrats and Republicans, for the most part coddle this particular enemy.  [I'll illustrate below.]  In terms of a threat, this enemy makes Al Qaida look more akin to the Mafia than anything else.  [You have a better chance of being killed by lightning than by a terrorist; that's according to a statistical study done by someone...the source escapes me at the moment.]  In 2001, this enemy was allowed to join the Elitist, worldwide economic structure known as the WTO.  In the ten years following that event, 57,000 manufacturing facilities disappeared from the USA.  Literally millions of jobs were lost, along with tax revenues supporting a decent level of government services in cities and counties all over our country.

Yes, that's correct...the foreign enemy of which I speak is the totalitarian Gov't of Mainland China.  It's important to note that we're not talking about the Chinese people; they are victims of this most brutal regime.  With the possible exception of North Korea, Mainland China's Gov't is probably the most brutal on Earth.  In addition, because of the policies and actions of that regime, China is the most environmentally degraded country in existence.  Grossly polluted air, water, and soil are common throughout that land.

When Bill Clinton and the Republicans in Congress sold the idea of China being in the WTO to the American people, they claimed that not only would it create jobs in the USA, but that it also would democratize Mainland China.  We have had, and still have, a Trade policy regarding China that isn't only foolish...it's just plain stupid.  If not, then it's nefarious.  It benefits transnational, mega corporations...and no one else.  It fits right in with the dominant political and economic philosophy of Neoliberalism.  [See other posts on this Blog.]  China's fourth largest Trading partner is not a country...it's WalMart.

Mainland China uses weapons of mass job destruction against the USA... in particular, forced labor in many of their factories, child labor, State-subsidized exports, little to no expenditures for the protection of workers, no concern at all for economic "externalities" (such as environmental degradation, the prevention of which costs money), and manipulation of the value of their currency (the Yuan) to their distinct Trade advantage.  The result of all this is a huge China-USA Trade imbalance in favor of a brutal, totalitarian Gov't.  This is so-called "Free Trade" in action.  This is what is being promoted by the Elites in DC.

A number of experts in the documentary, Death by China (narrated by Martin Sheen), state that the best Jobs Program in the USA would be a total revision of our China Trade Policy.  It's common sense.  Our society is being destroyed by the current policy, by "Free Trade" in general, by Neoliberalism, and by both branches (Republican and Democrat) of the Mega Corporation Party...arguably the only major political party in the USA.  Other knowledgeable people in Death by China (which also is in book form) state that a society without a strong manufacturing base cannot sustain a viable Middle Class.  Without that, we're left with only the super-rich and the poor.

Small manufacturers cannot compete with the Big Boys anymore...because the Big Boys have moved out of the country to places where costs have been slashed to the bone.  Elites have made that possible, both Democrat and Republican Elites.  Our China Trade Policy is a perfect example.  We need Fair Trade with China, not "Free Trade".  By the way, the Trans-Pacific Partnership (should it be approved here) will make this whole scenario even worse.  Obama is pushing for the TPP with great enthusiasm...and is putting forth pretty much the same propaganda that Clinton and the Republicans did relative to China entering the WTO.

I know full well that sometimes it's extremely difficult to find a particular consumer good that is not made in China.  Nevertheless, the next time we're thinking about such a purchase, let's consider these facts---
1.  Many children in China work 12-hour days in factories.
2.  Prisoners (political and otherwise) make Chinese goods in various forced labor camps and prison manufacturing facilities.  No labor, no food.
3.  Mainland China now has "cancer villages", in which the soil is heavily contaminated with carcinogenic heavy metals...a result of no concern for "externalities".
4.  The organs of some political prisoners in China (as well as those of criminals) are harvested by Gov't doctors for sale on the Black Market in Shanghai.  There are confirmed reports that in some cases all the prisoner's organs are harvested...and then the body is cremated.
5.  Contaminated pet food from China has killed household pets here in the USA.
6.  Children's toys from China have been found to contain lead and other toxins.
7.  Various baby appliances/furniture from China have been found to be unsafe.
8.  If you attempt to organize workers at your workplace in China, you can be sent to prison.
9.  There are almost zero worker protections in Mainland China.
10.  China has been rapidly building up its military, with high-tech weapons.
11.  The Gov't of Mainland China definitely is not our friend, nor is it the friend of its own people.
12.  Not only are factories and jobs being shifted to China, so too is Research and Development, as well as intellectual property.
13.  Our China Trade Policy is responsible for the loss of millions of US jobs... thank you, DC Propagandists.
14.  The Gov't of Mainland China is a most brutal, totalitarian institution...and its Trade and manufacturing practices are illegal, immoral, and completely unfair.

Despite all the above, we Americans continue to buy goods Made in China.  Perhaps it's time to seriously re-think the matter.  Perhaps it's past time to hold Republican and Democrat policy-makers to account.  Perhaps it's time to boycott certain mega corporations.  [Most of them are headquartered in the USA, and have maybe 25,000 or more management-type employees (e.g., Apple Computer); unfortunately for our economy, though, they have hundreds of thousands of employees overseas.]

Sixty or so years ago, there was a much different Business Culture in this country.  The Elites in Business had concern for not only the present, but the future as well... the future of both the corporation and our society.  In recent times, the only concern appears to be for short-term profits...quarterly, not even yearly.  Many CEOs don't seem to plan to be around in the company for long...they're looking for that Golden Parachute in the short-term.  There appears to be very little concern for the future of either the corporation, its employees, or the American society.  This shabby attitude is masked by almost continuous propaganda of the Neoliberal variety... and we Americans have been, oh, so gullible.  I'm slightly encouraged by the observation that people seem to be awakening a bit from their slumber.

There is a better way, but first we have to stop drinking the Propaganda Kool Aid.

Partly just my opinion.  Be Well

Part 4: Paying Homage to Gonzo

For decades I've watched politicians, both Democrats and Republicans, flush my beloved country down the drain.  It continues.  Years ago, I believed in the Mainstream Political System, but I was looking only at the surface...& I was drinking the Propaganda Kool Aid, gulping it down.  For the last several years, I've looked beneath the surface and discovered the utter fraud, sham, and tragedy/joke that is American Politics.  The widespread deceit, corruption, and criminality is truly incredible.  Some of it gets reported by the prostitute Corporate Media (ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox News, etc.), but much of it doesn't.  One has to go to other sources.  I'll illustrate, using only one other source.

The following items have been reported just recently on Democracy Now, the War and Peace Report, with Amy Goodman and Juan Gonzalez.  Perhaps you saw one or more of these topics on Corporate Media broadcasts, but I'd be willing to bet not.

1.  This year in Iraq there have been over 8,000 deaths as a result of the ongoing civil war there.  That's their highest number of casualties in the last five years.  The Sunnis and Shiites have not stopped killing each other.  Electrical service still is not provided to large parts of that country on a consistent basis.  Corruption in their government appears to be rampant.  [It makes one wonder why it was that our Fed Gov't expended so much of our blood & treasure over there.  Other than lots of big bucks for mega corporations, what did we accomplish?]

2.  Only a short time ago, Obama had millions of dollars of arms sent to the Shiite gov't of Iraq...to help fight the "terrorists".  I'll bet the Arms manufacturers here were very pleased.  Our Fed Gov't fully supports the Shiite government of Iraq...so does Iran's gov't.  I find that somewhat odd.  Basically, our Gov't is taking sides in a foreign civil war, and stoking the fires of that war by helping to arm one side.  A couple of Arab political analysts (in Western dress) found that to be rather bizarre.  I agree.

3.  Just the other day, our Fed Gov't killed four more terrorist SUSPECTS in Pakistan with yet another Drone attack.  This despite the fact that the Pakistani Gov't has told us to stop infringing on the sovereignty of the Pakistani people...by launching Drone attacks.  [You see, when our Gov't commits a crime, it's not a crime.  That only applies to other countries.  As Nixon said in a David Frost interview years ago, "When the President does it, it's not a crime."...I guess that principle still holds in DC today.]  Sorry Pakistan, you don't have any sovereignty; so says the Big Bully U.S. Gov't.

4.  A few days ago, fifteen SUSPECTS were killed in Yemen by a Drone attack.  It turns out that they were merely a wedding party going to a reception.  I imagine that the warmongers in DC will chalk it up to "collateral damage", maybe pay the victims' families a few thousand dollars, and then forget about it.  [This is shameful.  It's both immoral and unethical to go around killing suspects.  Terrorists are not soldiers, they're criminals.  The so-called "War on Terrorism" is not a war at all.  That's propaganda.  If you believe it is a war, please tell me, with which country are we at war?  When soldiers go to war, it's against soldiers from another country.  That's war.  This terrorism situation is a law enforcement issue.]

5.  Former President Bush (Dubya, not Daddy) recently cancelled an overseas trip.  He did so because sixty Human Rights Organizations around the world have been compiling evidence to be used to indict and arrest him for using/approving/ordering the torture of terrorist suspects during his administration.  [It's about time.]  Any such arrest would occur outside of this country, and the country he was going to agreed to give it a go.  [This story is not a spoof; it's true.]  Bush admitted to approving "waterboarding" in his fairly recent book.  Whether or not you agree that suffocating a person to a point just shy of death is torture or not is not relevant.  This is relevant:  every other country in the world believes that waterboarding is torture...even the few countries that do it.  I agree.  The fact that our Gov't did it is shameful and obscene...and UNAMERICAN.  Just because certain criminals are Neanderthal brutes doesn't mean that we should be.

Some of you may disagree with my views above, but that's not the point.  My point here is that I doubt you were aware of those stories if you listen to/watch only the Corporate Media.  Those networks are in league with the Fed Gov't to one degree or another, or in league with the Oligarchs of the mega corporations, or both.  We get only the news they want us to hear.  [Not long ago, CBS reported that for some unknown reason a man set himself on fire in DC, and died.  There was no follow-up story.  I suspect that the act was some sort of protest against either the Fed Gov't or mega corporations, or both.]

Incidentally, my investigator reports that the rumor regarding Ibocaine use in DC appears to be true.  He estimates that somewhere between 90% to 99% of the Fed politicians use the drug.  You may recall from Part 3 of this series that Ibocaine ingestion causes one to lose integrity and become a scumbag.  Don't confuse this drug with Ibogaine, a psychoactive substance that has been very successful in getting many people off heroin, the most addictive drug in the world.  [Ibogaine is probably banned in this country, which makes about as much sense as the ban on industrial hemp...we're the only developed country in the world that prohibits farmers from raising industrial hemp, a crop that is small-farmer-friendly and the products of which could replace many energy-gorging petro-chemical products.]

Just my opinion.
Dr. Gonzo

No Representation in DC

This post will be short, but not sweet.

We no longer have a representative government at the national level. Some folks say, "But...we elected them; therefore, they represent us." Sorry, but after getting elected, here's what our "representatives" do:
1. pass legislative bills without reading them [Representative Conyers told one interviewer, "Sit down my son; we don't read any of the bills we pass." This, after the interviewer had asked why the Patriot Act had not been read before passage.];
2. attach unpopular bills as amendments to wildly popular bills;
3. vote themselves a pay raise...during a recession;
4. accept hidden/filtered campaign contributions from certain entities, and then vote in favor of bills that benefit those same entities;
5. give/loan billions of dollars to private mega corporations, while essentially raising taxes on the rest of us;
6. for all intents and purposes, nationalize certain portions of particular industries (AIG Insurance, General Motors, some banks, etc.), while allowing Wall Street insiders to continue trading complex derivatives---about $600 trillion** so far (compare that to the world GDP); and,
7. too often, ignore the limitations placed upon them by the Constitution or abdicate their duties under that document. [Example: it is the duty of Congress to regulate the value of our money.]

Now, I ask you: how is all or any of that being a representative government? I would venture to guess that there is not even one voter in this country who wants any part of the above list.

Yes, we elected them. But their actions after election do not represent us. Instead, their actions represent their own self-interests and those of mega corporations. The rest of us are left out in the cold, chewing on empty promises and sly propaganda.

The worst of it is this: we keep re-electing these liars to office...over and over. Come on, now...let's do things differently. Eh?

**Note: my source was two months old. The new figure for the derivatives total is $1.2 quadrillion; that is about twenty times the total of the world's GDP. It has the capability of collapsing our entire financial system; the crisis is far from over. Keep in mind, too, that the Republicans are just as bad (or a little worse) than are the Democrats when it comes to protecting the Wall Street investment banksters.