Contrary to what some think, this country is NOT controlled by big government; this country is (since the Citizens United case and the appointment of Justice Alito) run by an out-of-control Supreme Court with interests in Big Business. It's not government workers or regulations you should be worrying about--you should be worrying about the man behind the curtain--big corporations (esp. Wall St & Energy).
This is the respected Independent Senator from VT, Bernie Sanders, who talks about the collapsing Middle-class & those responsible: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=njRQ7o_MTHs. Listen to at least the first 4.30 minutes.
Here he is again on the Thom Hartmann show explaining plans for change: http://sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/media/view/?id=471ff42c-0c5f-4e53-8ed7-9bf5040598f6.
Info you might have missed about the 2008 Oil Price scam:
What Wall Street doesn’t want us to know about oil prices
"The top six financial institutions in this country own assets equal to more than 60 percent of our gross domestic product and possess enormous economic and political power. One of the great questions of our time is whether the American people, through Congress, will control the greed, recklessness and illegal behavior on Wall Street, or whether Wall Street will continue to wreak havoc on our economy and the lives of working families....
...Why have oil prices spiked wildly? Some argue that the volatility is a result of supply-and-demand fundamentals. More and more observers, however, believe that excessive speculation in the oil futures market by investors is driving oil prices sky high... ExxonMobil Chairman Rex Tillerson, testifying before a Senate panel this year, said that excessive speculation may have increased oil prices by as much as 40 percent...
....in the summer of 2008 when gas prices spiked to more than $4 a gallon, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, and other speculators on Wall Street dominated the crude oil futures market causing tremendous damage to the entire economy," Sanders said. "The CFTC has kept this information hidden from the American public for nearly three years. That is an outrage... (read rest of articles w/links at http://sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/news/?id=cea380a3-9234-41b1-9f24-991eb4c9bc6c)."
Note that, to date, legislation has been introduced to eliminate this unethical speculation but has been blocked by..guess who???..committee members getting large financial contributions from the Banksters of Wall Street and the likes of the Koch Brothers.
We are past many of the things that might (or might not) have worked in the past. The economy & country are very different from where it was back then. Because it's now run by GLOBAL interests, mostly led again by BANKSTERS, change has to now happen in a different area. Some ideas I've heard:
1. Congress must rebuke the Supreme Court for its obvious influence-peddling from Big Business (for instance, Judge Alito failed to recuse himself from a case where he voted in favor of Vanguard, a company where he had $390,000 worth of mutual funds).
2. Congress must pass a Constitutional Amendment making it illegal for ANY company to contribute more than a certain amount (like $1,000 based on inflation) to any one candidate.
3. Justices with obvious interests in the outcome of cases who fail to recuse themselves should be impeached.
4. Deny tax-free status to organizations like the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). This group has provided pre-written legislation to governors & legislators of some states (WI, OH, FL are just a few) in an attempt to privatize such things as the "commons"--the PO, highways, fire departments, etc.This group has actively, behind the scenes, supported Big Business interests replacing all government programs.
5. Admit that the war in Iraq was illegal, our continued presence in Afghanistan is irrelevant (we got the bad guy) and move at a faster pace to get our troops out of both countries.
6. Because our economy will not support the return of 150,000 US troops (from Iraq & Afghanistan) into the unemployment lines (added to the current 17% unemployed), we must begin infrastructure jobs asap.
7. Any district where a US legislator refuses to support Federal Disaster Relief and other programs in lieu of deficit reductions will be bypassed so that welcoming states can rebuild. Tying deficits to disaster relief aid is unethical and only hurts those who desperately need the help.
8. Change the FICA program so that ALL Americans making above $106,000 must also pay into the program.
9. Prosecute the Banksters responsible for the global financial meltdown (they're mostly to blame for affairs in Greece, Italy, etc.); reinstate rules banning banks and financial institutions from merging and deny hedge fund managers & others special tax breaks.
10. Fully fund Medicare for all by placing control back into the hands of non-profits.
11. Stop the anti-voter discrimination laws and place a fine on all citizens who don't vote. Increase it for each failure to vote.
12. Ban ALL political declarations until 6 weeks prior to the elections. Offer free media air time, of a set duration, during that period.
It's past time to refocus our problems and take a different path. Afterall, it's "We the People" not "We the RICH People."
