Tuesday, September 21, 2010

It's the economy stupid


SW at Oh!pinion got me to thinking as to just how we can get our wonderful congress to start listening to us and not some corporate lobbyist. We know that with an election looming they are in great need to fill their campaign coffers. Corporations banks and investment houses are flush with cash and are now shoveling it at our elected reps to make sure the game isn't changed. America is at present to the point of producing nearly nothing. What is still produced here won't be for long if corporate leaders have their way. As large a nation as we are we can not afford to be a mere service run nation. Even selling Wall Street paper overseas can be done with the click of a mouse now. What to do? Here's the crux of SW's post and after I'll give my two cents:

People are trying to figure out what happened to our economy and how do we improve our economy. . . . you have to get back to policies that really encourage manufacturing in America and making things in America.”

— Pete Brodnitz, Democratic pollster,
in an Associated Press story,
Sept. 18, 2010

My take-
As those at the top seem to have all the wealth and power it would be silly to try and start some type of armed revolution. The right would love nothing more than keep the game as it is with big profits going to their backers and in return to them. I guess that's their idea of "trickle down" economics. The left is just as guilty. While they talk a good game you'll notice that all the bills passed of late have been watered down and have very little effect on us. That's because they too must rely on corporate backers to run campaigns and stay in office.
With nobody really listening to us and I don't mean Teabaggers who are really backed secretly by corporate lobby groups, it would seem obvious to change the game. As in the movie Trading Places what's the best way to get back at a rich person? Make him poor of course. But how could we do that? We don't have the knowledge of a Wall Street broker or the $40,000 they used to dupe the Duke brothers. But we do have money in banks and retirement funds in IRA's. But you say they'd kill us with fees and penalties if we cashed out. Stop to consider that if things keep going the way they are then that 401k or IRA just might become worthless anyway. Many of the 99ers are having to do this anyway. And this plan could work. When banks were faced with credit regulations they immediately raised their rates my own included. But it was funny how they back peddled when the union informed them that it's members would be changing banks. Congress, the bankers and Wall Street have held us hostage, now it's our turn and think about it not a shot fired or a drop of blood lost.
This is the only strength we have left. Let the right wingers distract you with homophobia and witch hunts while the real problems of this country go unaddressed. They're sucking the life blood out of this country and we're letting the get away with it. Just the threat may get some action.

Update and some ideas in a leter post.

11 comments:

Randal Graves said...

Aside from the sheer humor of that flick, that's its finest legacy.

Tom Harper said...

"America is at present to the point of producing nearly nothing. What is still produced here won't be for long if corporate leaders have their way."

Now just a doggone minute here. America is still, and always will be, the world's leading exporter of guns, Bibles and Christian missionaries. Those are the 3 most important items in the world, and America has all 3 of them covered, thank you very much.

Prosperity is just around the corner.

Tengrain said...

Demeur -

The reason the pols need the money is to buy ads on the TeeVee machine, so... the obvious answer is to make advertising free for some period of time before each election.

The airwaves are actually owned by the public, and granted a license through the FCC. It could be as easy as a stroke of a pen for this to happen at no cost to anyone except the media companies who would howl at "lost revenue."

But considering that they make their money off of a public assett, I don't think they have a leg to stand on.

Media Reform is the lynchpin to the whole thing.

Rgds,

TG

jmsjoin said...

The super wealthy back the tea baggers and I just gave their names back a bit but I don't have them off the cuff. It is no surprise what happened to the economy and the timing was no surprise either.

I am posting on it again in a few days and started warning in 2007. I think I gave it to you in the past but Michael Whitney's second great Depression is right on and lays it all out.

Demeur said...

Randal unfortunately the way things are going we'll all land up like the Duke brothers.

Tom this too will be short lived. They say the Chinese can counterfeit anything.

TG agreed but we know that will never happen too easy to pull the plug and run that hour long infomercial. Sorry due to technical difficulties the political debate will not be presented at this time...

Demeur said...

Well Jim, Bush did the same thing in Texas. I was surprised he didn't set a match to the White House on his departure.

BBC said...

The rich and powerful may just well win control over this world. And frankly, that would suck.

But it doesn't mean that a revolution shouldn't be started against them. Only that it has to be done with new thinking.

I wouldn't target business centers and such, I would target the individuals themselves. Kill enough of them and the rest of them will wise up.

Open rebellion against them is kind of silly and expensive if you ask me. It would be cheaper and more effective to go about quietly killing those that need to be taken out.

BBC said...

As for the politicians, they're all crooks, shoot some of them that are running next before they have too much protection around them and they'll start getting it that they really do need to change the system.

S.W. Anderson said...

Demeur, if you could get enough people to pull their money out of major banks and all kinds of investments, it would definitely send a message. It might even stampede the SOB's into doing something besides pursuing their own greed, if only for a brief while.

Unfortunately, getting enough people to do it is the problem. You've got a single, 50-something woman working in an office, scared to death she's going to be laid off and not be able to get another job. She's got a very modest nest egg, and you're asking her to pay a penalty to take it out of her 401k and — do what, bury it the back yard?

Likewise, you've got a retired couple in their 70s, just getting by on their Social Security and modest savings. Ask them to use their little bit of money to play chicken with the likes of Goldman Sachs, Citigroup and Fidelity Funds, and you had better be prepared to make a fast getaway.

While the political system is co-opted to a dangerous extent by big-money interests, the chances of getting reform using it are still much better than trying to force changes through the marketplace.

Demeur said...

SW many of the 50 something women have already been laid off and replaced 2 years ago. When I first went to the unemployment office for a required meeting (I didn't have to go after that because I'm in a union) all the people in there were in their 50s and most women. I'm sure they had to cash out their 401ks and IRAs by now. If they haven't they soon will.

Ranch Chimp said...

An excellent posting Demeur, because this is the actual reality that many of the masses dont realize ... and if we dont DO SOMETHING, we may well end up for several year's as one of the largest 3rd world countries in the world ... with job's of flipping and feeding/ serving each other burger's and fries! :)

Actually ... you have a point as well ... that there are thing's we can do to change ... but letting them dictate constantly in mass, will get us frankly nowhere's. I seen this several year's ago and decided to go solo ... quit my last job in late 2006, and never looked to work for anyone else ... and make my own way of earning a living ... because job's frankly were cutting back on raises, less union's ... especially in Texas and benefit's ... I just figured ... fuck this ... Dallas is a boom town despite the recession as far as inde small business ... what is the point in working for someone else? But first we need to focus more on buying American and manufacturing here etc .... and this is hard (the way they also legislated and contractually locked us in on unfair, unbalanced trade practice's globally) .... I mean ... as it is now in this so called free market (corporate neo-communist dictated, more like it) ... do you realize how difficult it is to "buy" American even? Go to any major retailer and look at where the product's come from, and see how many come from here. The corporate sector own's our representation plain and simple ... what I am saying ... is ... were on our own. I actually just done a posting a day ago about the corporate dictation behind the Tea Party that many on both side's dont see.