American Debit

American Debit

Money as speech in action

More Climate Denial

What else would we expect from the finest Democracy money can buy?  

Dark Money

I live in North Carolina, USA. We have undergone a far right-wing take over of state government. While over all this is a Conservative state, all of the larger municipal areas are left leaning. But you would not know that by looking at the actions of our State Legislature, and governor. Some of the legislative wreckage includes: 

• Cutting Federal Unemployment Extensions off via re-writing the state's Unemployment Laws.
• Cutting the weekly unemployment benefit amount.
• Cutting teacher pay, and promoting the further privitazation and comodification of k-12 schools. 
• Needless Voter ID laws. 
• Chronic Chronism - Hiring politically connected people for positions they are not qualified for, AND overpaying them. 
• Repeal of the Racial Justice Act
• Abortion restrictions.
• "Anti-Muslim fear-mongering."
• Denying Medicaid coverage to half a million low-income people.
• Tax cuts for the wealthy.
• Etc Etc...

...And it is another year to the mid-terms. 

I think some of this would even make the old right-wing Senator Jessie Helms blush. This in not following the will of the people of North Carolina. Let's keep in mind we are NOT the customers Governor Pat Mccrory speaks of when referring to North Carolina Citizens, and residents. The real customers are those that bought and paid for this election. Arthur (Art) Pope is a customer. According to this article, one of the biggest. We have been lead astray when the US Supreme Court in Citizens United, made money free speech. We are seeing the result here in North Carolina. Reform = Cut. What kind of business will want to relocate to such a state? A state that refuses to recognize same-sex couples, devalues education, devalues diversity, and refuses to safeguard it's mist vulnerable citizens, AND is anti-science cannot attract the top-tier companies looking for a highly skilled work force.  

I'm not a big fan of the Democratic Party either. I see them as Republican light. How can they be different when they too are also paid by many of the same "Customers?" Both parties support the only party that seems to matter anymore, The Business Party. Our challenge is to get money out of politics in an environment of shrinking individual freedoms and increasing domestic spying.    

Reform, My Ass!

I'd like to think we can somehow take our democracy back via he current two party system but I fail to see how it could be possible. Average everyday citizens, the 99%, don't have the deep pockets it takes to influence most politicians. We now find ourselves with the finest democracy money can buy. Which is not a democracy at all. It is something more like this. As of this writing, we still have more or less freedom of speech (unless you talk about talking to so called terrorist groups and wind up in a cell at an undisclosed location as a guest of the US military, for example). There are other taboo topics where the punishment is not as obvious but still bad enough. Those who question the the on going War on Terror, invasions of other countries and bombing those we label rouge and or terrorist organizations often face ridicule, humiliation, job loss or marginalization.

The same can be said of anyone who questions capitalism or Neo-liberalism. "What are you, some kinda commie or socialist?" Try to get a job with this label. Hell, this may be worse than doing time in the American gulag. I think we still feed prisoners and let them have shelter which is more than I can say for our ever shrinking social safety net. But if you are a massive financial intuition who has paid BOTH political parties failure is not an option. Read 'em and weep; here here and here. How can average citizens compete?

Financial deregulation under former President Bill Clinton helped pave the way for mega-mergers and big banks gone wild. Did they really expect this industry to police itself? Those who say the market will weed out the dirty players may have been correct but some how they became "Too Big To Fail" and we the tax payers got stuck with the bill. Thus the cycle begins again. For an easy to understand explanation of what's driving the financial crisis check out the documentary, "The Greed Game". The super rich are building wealth on a massive scale while people in so called wealthy western countries are being stuck with "austerity". Those cashing in spend millions on our elections and rake in billions. That's a damn good ROI (Return on Investment)! Are the Republicans any better?

Republicans are all about pro business at the expense of the ever growing underclass. They confuse being a good business man with being a good political leader. Romney offers his business skills as a big qualification to be president but is a good businessman the right person to be president? I think business are two different things. Well duh! Business is all about making money. It is the whole point. Government should be about protecting liberty, providing defense (not an empire) and seeing to it every one's basic needs are being met. What happens when doing the work of good government clashes with making money? Now it seems money wins out every time, no matter the party in power. For a good objective article on Romney click here. Republicans play on people's fears to protect business interests. Government run health care is bad! The old lady on TV says "Big government stay out of my Medicare!" GROOOOAN. Death panels under your bed! They want to take away your guns! The Mexicans are taking our jobs! The list is almost endless but people buy in. Both parties do a hell of a job on selling us on war!

In the beginning George W. had me sold on the Iraq war but I started to listen to those opposed to it and woke up. "War made Easy" is a documentary which exposes the same script presidents use to sell us on war for more than fifty years now. "They are a grave threat to us.", "We must protect freedom." 'We must prevent genocide." Bla bla bla... Neither party questions the fact that a president can start a war and now has a private army in both the CIA and Contractors such as Dyncorp and Academi (formerly known as Xe, Formerly known as Backwater).

There are others who feel this way.

Stan Goff "Why I wont vote (and you shouldn't either)"

Ted Rall Blog

Chris Hedges "This is what revolution looks like"

Chalmers Johnson Read here!

I hope I'm full of shit and those who want to change the system / game from with in are right but how? If not, what are the possible alternatives? Let the dialogue begin! Keep it positive.