Cenk Uygur asked Sen. Bernie Sanders how we mobilize workers on a national scale and not just in Wisconsin and a few other states where we're seeing these protests. Bernie didn't have a direct answer for Cenk but laid out what the stakes are if we don't.
SANDERS: What we have to understand is this is not just Wisconsin. This is part of the concerted attack on the middle class and working families of this country by the very wealthiest people in America, the Koch brothers and many others. And you're also right in suggesting that if you look at the end game, what are you talking about?
You're talking about the end of Social Security, privatization of Social Security, massive cuts and privatization of Medicare, major cuts in Medicaid. You're talking about over a period of time, the end of unemployment compensation, the end of the minimum wage or lowering the minimum wage.
What these guys want is to return us to the 1920's when working people had virtually no rights to organize or to earn a decent living. Bottom line today is the top 1% earn more income than the bottom 50%. The top 1% owns more wealth than the bottom 90%. That gap between the very rich and everybody else is growing wider.
And what the wealthiest people in the country are doing are using their resources to make the attack against the middle class even stronger. They want the destruction of the middle class and almost all wealth in this country to go to the people on top.
Cenk and Bernie also discussed whether the Democratic Party has figured out that it might not be the best strategy for them to abandon their base and the union movement and the importance of the existence of unions which don't only raise the wages and benefits for unionized workers, but everyone else as well.
Unfortunately these bought and sold politicians don't do the right thing until they're pushed. The best thing we can do is take to the streets and remind all of them who they're supposed to be representing. MoveOn is sponsoring rallies across the country Saturday for anyone that would like to participate.
Of course it is - and worse.
We are talking about the sickest form of greed on a scale never before seen.
If anybody ever thought the corporate interests weren't evil they'd have to think again.
We have to be smart about how we fight back but I think people are getting it - non-violence and people power will expose the SOB's.
In some ways it might be good that these rwingers are overreaching. The (so-called) labor movement hasn't been much of a movement (unless you count shrinking).
This might create a new labor movement - a new effort to end poverty. The law of unintended consequences will surely bite the GOP in the backside. Seems like it might already be taking a little nibble.
Another great piece
"I know that there are people who do not love their fellow
man, and I hate people like that! " ~ Tom Lehrer (1928 - )
The war is on , it has been declared outright for all practical purposes but but half the country are too damned stupid to realize they are under attack by the Reich wing , the dumb fucks won't even hear of it !
"The poor have sometimes objected to being governed badly; the rich have always objected to being governed at all."
Why do you hate Murika? (/snark)
"I know that there are people who do not love their fellow
man, and I hate people like that! " ~ Tom Lehrer (1928 - )
The endgame for wealthiest in the world is the destruction of social safety nets and of the middle class on a worldwide basis.
(fixed that for ya Bernie)
audit-prosecute-incarcerate
was a byproduct and instead it turns out to be the goal. At least the Saudi kings share their wealth. Unlike our wealthy, who seek to have it all. Their short-sightedness is stunning. Almost unbelievable. Makes one wonder what their final goal is with respect to us peons.
Western govt's want the Chinese system....except with less people, and RFID chips instead of wallets.
audit-prosecute-incarcerate
the digital angel looking after all of us.
Saudi King Abdullah just confirmed he's terrified of revolution in the kingdom.
According to reports, he's introduced a slew of new reform measures, basically centered around giving more money away to the poor.
Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/saudi-arabia-u...
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Don't forget it wasn't his money to begin with. The oil money belongs to all the Saudis.
"Government by organized money is just as dangerous as Government by organized mob"
-= Franklin Delano Roosevelt =-
The Arab world is moving forward and America is moving backward.
as much as i disagree with it, have a semi-coherent philosophy in islam, even misguided people can reach an astounding degree of discipline when united.
frontline had a decent report on cairo last night,
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/revol...
the brotherhood was much more involved than is generally understood. you have to give respect where it is due, and they have earned it. doesn't mean i agree with their entire philosophy.
(someone oughtta tell em') ...I bet the average Saudi citizen has no idea.
audit-prosecute-incarcerate
good luck with that. it's not fun being knowledgeable about this stuff, it's goddamn depressing, doesn't help to never have recognition, go home to the same bills in the mail, and debt; you know who doesn't have to worry about that? our peace prize president, "bloody barack" obama, and our elected "representatives", what a sick joke. not a blessing, but a curse.
whaddya know? mr. milquetoast got something right, "The endgame for wealthiest in the world is the destruction of social safety nets and of the middle class on a worldwide basis." goddamn right.
this process started a hundred years ago when the united states government ran the reds and the socialists out of this country, been going on ever since. you want to stop this crap? it is going to take some education, and a commitment to something other than polite intellectual politics.
the antidote to rampant monopoly capitalism is socialism, and if you have never read at the very least the communist manifesto, well then, what in the hell are you talking about? who is nicer? more compassionate?
jean baudrillard wrote a book about this, "the intelligence of evil", about the viral system that is insinuating itself into every corner, nook, and cranny of our world; first thing to realize is the upc is not your friend, it represents exactly what ned beatty was talking about in network
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3vbCxj2ifs&fe...
no charge.
Dear derekthered,
Do not take to the streets. everyone will just label you a racist teabagger.
stay at home and just keep hoping for change.
(that was reverse psychology snarkasm and I hope it works on you)
audit-prosecute-incarcerate
"This process started a hundred years ago when the united states government passed the Federal Reserve Act and ran sound money and free markets out of this country, been going on ever since"
(fixed that for ya)
audit-prosecute-incarcerate
Milque... you are, apparently, laboring under a misconception that there is only one cause for the fix we are in... I would submit that you are both correct, and that there are many other reasons... one big example being the ability of the right to control the message --- unfortunately, the left in so many cases has been intimidated into silence for not appearing "nice" or "fair."
I would also submit that the dumbing down of educational standards, teaching to the test, and corporate underwriting of all of this has also greatly contributed to this sad state of affairs.
Furthermore, the ability of the right-wing media to give "bread and circuses" while spoonfeeding their gullible audiences in great, loud amounts, the talking points du jour and controlling the message is unparalleled in history (and there is no viable left-wing media any longer.. Pacifica doesn't count, as too many folks who need to hear their message cannot due to right-wing media monopolies).
Multiple causes, multiple blame, if such be necessary... personally, I find it a waste of time and energy to point fingers.
Tell me, since you weighed in, what would you suggest as a solution?
In the marketplace of ideas, too many people shop in the bargain basement.
-- Thunder BlueRose
Why, yes, I am a card-carrying member of the ACLU
http://saxman.bravepages.com
sure the fed is bogus, private banks that control the money supply? crazy on its face. but what we are facing is the end result of monopoly capitalism, the destruction of the contending classes. once global warming heats up, one good drought, rampant commodity speculation, game over.
And the last two months we have been experiencing full out crisis capitalism by the republicans.
"Government by organized money is just as dangerous as Government by organized mob"
-= Franklin Delano Roosevelt =-
I watched that clip DTR.
I've never seen Network.
It is just a movie?...Isn't it? :(
Beer-i.e., God's Sweet Nectar- is a magic drink that makes you smarter, stronger, and more sexy.
-S. Colbert
it's only a movie, it's only a movie, it's only a movie............
sure, but ideas come from everywhere, if a screenwriter throws out some good stuff, i am willing to give it consideration. i think ned beatty gives a pretty good rundown of the corporate cosmology.
get over it. Obama won and he's not the ernemy in this fight. Your candidate lost, get over it.
I don't totally trust Sanders unfortunately. This class division he obsessives about may be real, but would it be happening with a white president? I agree Obama won, and it has made the rich fanatical about their money and their power even while his economic principles are nearly identical to theirs.
Way too many Americans are'nt only ignorant but WILLFULLY ignorant. By the time we tear each other down to being slave labor that causes us to finally rise up the corporations will hire enough merc's willing to shoot everyone down.With "our" governments blessing and help. There is no hope for this country, sadly.
"Poor man wants to be rich; rich man wants to be king; king wants it ALL".
That observation was attributed to Bruce Springsteen when I first read it. Could be, but it's truly folk wisdom.
I will never understand why democratic party officials across-the-board refuse to speak in terms such as Sanders routinely employs. I used to put it down to their being cowed by Ronnie Ray-Gun, but criminy, its been 30 years since his landslide. 30 years, and a second Bush administration on top of that.
My incomprehension borders on the rhetorical (if such a thing is possible, which it probably isn't); i.e., follow the money.
This country would be healthier place if Sanders were in the White House.
but the league of women voters, a private corporation, wouldn't let him on the stage, ron paul either, they both had to go on moyers to be heard. or was that kucinich, hell, i don't remember, but you get my drift.
Nelson Mandela
"Our worst fear is not that we are inadequate, our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure".
How many more times do we have to be kicked in the ass, before we learn to stop bending over?
Yet the rules are currently being made by those who obviously are inadequate, and are embarrassed and pissed off about it... bullies tend to be that way.
In the marketplace of ideas, too many people shop in the bargain basement.
-- Thunder BlueRose
Why, yes, I am a card-carrying member of the ACLU
http://saxman.bravepages.com
Sanders is not quite right here. This is not merely about destroying the middle-class safety net, it is about the destruction of the middle class. They really want to turn this into a third world banana republic.
want to destroy the safety net. They want to destroy the middle class itself.
And honest scary answers!
"First they came for my Social Security,
and I didn't speak out because I listened to Fox News and learned to hate Government..
Then they came for the trade unionists,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Liberals,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a Liberal.
Then they came for me
and there was no one left to speak out for me."
This is all because of politics - crisis capitalism to destroy the democrats and the middle class.
Want some more crisis capitalism?
Governor of RI just issued pink slips to every teacher in the state.
"Government by organized money is just as dangerous as Government by organized mob"
-= Franklin Delano Roosevelt =-
http://www.projo.com/news/content/providence_...
"Evil is the product of the ability of humans to make abstract that which is concrete." Jean-Paul Sartre
I agree with Bernie Sanders. The problem we have is there is no party in Washington to represent the middle class, the working class and especially the poor. The silence from the White House in the face of Wisconsin, Ohio, and others is telling. As I commented back in December when the President stabbed the Democrats in the back and handed the right the major tax cuts they wanted, this was pre-ordained when that act happened. And now that Mr. Obama is leading the charge to place the economic pain on the backs of the poor, working, and middle classes, how can he, with his complete acceptance of the right wing narrative, how can he challenge the right for doing what they've wanted to do since FDR's administration. As I said back in early 2010, AUSTERITY IS NOW ON OUR SHORES!
This president has adopted and defended the "Reagan" doctrine of huge military budgets, and pain for working and middle class Americans. He has allowed the right wing narrative on what's caused the economic problems in America to be the standing story. He is loathed to challenge that narrative for fear he'll anger the people he wants to finance his presidential run in 2012. I know there are people who'll say I just hate the president, and they can say that, but they'd be wrong. I wanted this president to succeed in the worst way, but at some point, what this guy repeatedly shows you is exactly who he is. The myth his advisors are giving him bad advice is just that, A MYTH!. At some point, the kool-aid drinkers will have to face the reality this guy is not who they think he is. Or if he is, he's the worst poker player in history.
I gave up waiting on the day for President Obama to come to his senses and realize the reason America is in the shape it's in isn't because of Public unions, Social Security, or any other right wing myth. It's because since the Reagan revolution in 1980 we have seen to greatest concentration of wealth to the top 2% since the 1920's. The myth this nation if broke is the newest "BIG LIE", and this president has allowed the Republicans make that false argument without any challenge at all. How is it the total 50 state budget shortfall almost equals the bonuses being handed out by Wall Street this year alone. Does that sound like this nation is broke, or is it that the resources in this nation are concentrated in the hands of the people who've bought and paid for our elected representatives. Now they try to sell us the lie that "WE' are the problem, not the sociopathic, greedy 2 percenters who never have enough.
I'm not waiting on Obama or any elected official to "GET IT". They are in debt to the people who fund their campaigns, so to expect an elected official to get us out of this hole is ludicrous. What we need are a million rallies like the Wisconsin rallies to take this country back. The tea partiers constantly complain about taking their country back, I guess from the Black man in the White House. But the real theives who've stolen our nation, the mega-rich, are the ones they came to Wisconsin to defend. These have got to be the stupidest, most ignorant people on the face of the planet. No, it is we who have to take our country back, before we officially become a Plutocracy and Oligarchy!
the wealthy elite in this country should pay close attention to what's
happening in northern africa. when the poor and downtrodden finally
have had enough and get angry---THEY BURN THINGS that belong
to the oppressors. an angry mob is not a pretty thing.
Bernie's a socialist. Even though I am too I don't believe in fear mongering, I'm afraid Sanders fearmongers a bit too much, like most socialists do. I hope we achieve socialism in a peaceful and most importantly democratic fashion. People must want it, if we can stop the dumbing down by a corporate media, that will defend capitalism to the death, the country can evolve into a system that would guarantee all of us a better life, end the greed and war overseas. It is huge, and that's the change that was the promise of president Obama.
Is it the 21st century yet?
Why the top richest 1% want this is very important, what motivates them, the already have everything they could ever want, what drives them not to gain more they couldn't possibly want more but, to specifically and definitively strip away from the supposed fellow citizen the bare minimum they have.
The insanity of the psychopathic richest 1%, the drivers of ego and lust, to be able to abuse psychologically and physically all others, be they men, women or children. The richest 1% want their economic freedom to buy and sell you personal freedom and you families freedom, they are well and truly beyond reason and are the enemies of democracy. So should laws be created to destroy them, not necessary, it has been pretty blatant that many laws were broken so that they could accumulate their wealth, those laws simply need to be upheld and the penalties revised in line with the true pain and suffering they have caused.
White House officials announced today: Our accomplishments are many,allow us to mention just a few ! We have prosituted our nations health care system & enriched the pockets of our nations' wealthiest insurance providers ! We have notified carriers, that if a pre-existing condition applies, we will issue an immediate waiver, to that provider ! We have strengthened our Medicare System by removing some $500 Billion in unneccessary funding ! We have removed COLA's for Seniors, as the Surgeon General has deemed soft-drinks unhealthy ! Now under new management, drug-manufacturers will reap untold profits ! While helping us to fill-in the blanks contained within the new "Health Care Law"! Doctors & Hospitals will be asked to "take-one for the team" and accept a smaller reimbursement for services rendered ! States will be asked to bear a larger share of Medicaid Funding ! We will create some 159 new agencies, as mandated ! We will be hiring some 16,000 new IRS Agents to support our new "Health Care Law" ! Watch out, that could be you ! We have made great strides, as "Health Care" now resembles, nothing but, unrecognizable garrble !
We have immobilized the average American Small-Business & entrepreneur ! We have laid new rules for America's working men &women ! No longer will "Unions" be tolerated within the USA ! We have decided to out-sorce your jobs for your own protection ! Don't worry, we have introduced a new standard of living thru extended unemployment benefits ! We have created an illusion, that millions of new high-paying jobs, have been created ! We have finally stripped our 99ers' of any remaining hope or dignity !
We created TARP, abused the American Taxpayer while managing to include waste & fraud ! However, our team managed to save the Big-Banks & Wall Street ! While avoiding the root problems, such as Fannie, Freddie & our FHA ! We simply diverted national attention to Home Forclosures & the advantages afforded under the "Hamp Program ! We prompted GM's Bankruptcy, screwing the little guy,common shareholders & most bond-holders ! We managed to dissolve GM Service Centers across our nation ! We are proud to announce that we did included the loss of 10's of thousands of skilled support-jobs ! We had no idea this phenomenon would ocurr ! We promised "Middle-Class Americans" your taxes won't increase,( "we omitted the part,"and you won't be working either"), so promise kept"! We then created a wild story about the "richest of the rich needing our help" ! The "poorest of the poor", being of generous spirit fell for it, "hook,line & sinker" !
We ramped up the War in Afghanistan & have hired "War-time Contractors", at cost-plus, to re-build it's infrastructure ! Hopefully the American Taxpayers won't notice our own crumbling roads, bridges & water facilities ?. We have instructed all contractors, that "California Earthquake Standards" must be adhered to in Afghanistan ! After all, whats' a little waste, fraud & abuse or a few x-tra bucks among friends ? We must fulfill our commitment ! We will spend untold $Billions, even if it means borrowing from our childrens' future ! We have excluded "Baby-Boomers", from further discussions' & are now focusing all of our attention to immigration reform ! We must seal our borders within the next few years, as it is vital to our national security ! We have decided two-years have passed & "voters" are in short-supply !
Why can't we manufacture, what we consume here in the U.S.A. ?
We need to be careful with what president Bernie says (I announce right now Bernie sanders as the new leader of our country). Obama has already been campaigning for the guy running against Bernie in the next election. And I imagine it won't take much to start a smear campaign against Bernie and then what?
Here's the one politician in America with the balls to speak truth to the nearly omnipotent Uber-Rich. I'd vote for him for President in a heartbeat.
Given the Citizens United fiasco, we can expect Bernie to face a tsunami of corporate money in his next election cycle. If you value his voice and perspective, I urge each of you (yes, YOU!) to send him a chunk every time you hear his name.
I'm unemployed at this writing, and still I send him small bits, and so can you.
As goes Bernie, so go the hopes of Working America.
It's just always been interesting to me how people with all the money, don't want to share the wealth. If all the money keeps going to the top, how will your servants exist? You're not going to watch your own kids, cook, clean, drive, mow, shop. Think about those folks when you're sucking the life out of the their very existence.
Hear, hear! Thanks Bernie. BTW, I used to live in Cambridge, about 20 miles from Burlington more or less. The GOPS simply want to have their cake and eat it too. They were the ones who insisted that we lower the debt, which they were for before they were against it. Well, not exactly against lowering the national debt, at least not on the backs of the Two Percenters who put the Scott Walkers in governors' mansions and congressional seats at the Midterms. The agenda was something like this: vote to extend the tax breaks for the Two Percenters as a compromise, the other 98 percent of the population paying a disproportionate amount at tax time, the Two Percenters using their tax breaks for fund campaigns to get more and more plutocrats elected. Bitch and bitch about the debt breaking the backs of future generations, making it look like only the Democrats and liberals want to waste money and raise taxes. As part of the deal, destroy the last vestiges of unionism, make Social Security a bank-owned insurance plan, abolish minimum wage, establish Christianity as the state religion, and on and on it goes. Welcome to the plutotheocracy that once was the United States of America.
"Respect for the rights of others is peace." --Benito Juarez
courtesy of think progress.org:
http://pr.thinkprogress.org/2010/11/pr20101118
yup,
right there, who wants the "reform",
or 'business as usual'?
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