TVO: Allan Gregg Interviewing Noam Chomsky- 'The Conscience of America'

Source:TVO- Professor Noam Chomsky, talking to Canadian talk show host Allan Gregg, about American foreign policy.

"Noam Chomsky - Conscience of America."

Originally from Allen Gregg 

What I like and respect about Noam Chomsky, is what I like and respect about Ron Paul, or William F. Buckley, or Bernie Sanders, Ayn Rand: not their political philosophy, necessarily, but their commitment to it and their honesty. 

You don't have to agree with someone to view them as a good, honest, and decent person. Perhaps the main problem with American politics and probably why we have 3-5 American voters who aren't a member of either the two political parties, is that politicians and political activists, as well as commentators that view the other side and even people in their own party as the enemy and not as just political opponents, as well immoral people. 

I disagree with Professor Noam Chomsky on most economic and foreign policy issues, but I respect his intelligence and ability to communicate exactly what he believes and why he believes it.  

You can also see this post on WordPress. 

Bart Friedman: 'Jesse Jackson Speech to 1988 Convention'

Source:Bart Friedman- Reverend Jesse Jackson speaking to the 1988 Democratic National Convention, in Atlanta, Georgia.

"Never stop dreaming, never surrender, women deserve equal pay, AIDS, Roosevelt in a wheelchair or Bush on a horse?, I was born in a 3 room house, keep hope alive." 

From Bart Friedman 

“Tonight, we pause and give praise and honor to God for being good enough to allow us to be at this place at this time. When I look out at this convention, I see the face of America: Red, Yellow, Brown, Black and White. We’re all precious in God’s sight — the real rainbow coalition.

All of us — All of us who are here think that we are seated. But we’re really standing on someone’s shoulders. Ladies and gentlemen, Mrs. Rosa Parks — the mother of the civil rights movement.”

Source:American Rhetoric- Reverend Jesse Jackson speaking to the 1988 Democratic National Convention, in Atlanta, Georgia.

From American Rhetoric

Reverend Jesse Jackson at least to me with all of his faults and strengths represents the best of the Democratic Party as far as our vision and what it means to be a Democrat in America. And what we stand for as a party and what makes us Democrats. Not all of the policies, but the vision and what Democrats are supposed to be about and what we fight for. He’s someone who started from the bottom in life growing up in the segregated deep South of the 1950s and 60s.

Jesse Jackson faced discrimination obviously because of his race and complexion and yet still working past that to becoming one of the most influential reverends in the United States. And becoming one of the main leaders in the civil rights movement of the 1960s. And working for Dr. Martin L. King’s Southern Leadership Conference and becoming one of the most important civil rights leaders post MLK Assassination of 1968. And someone whose always been about making a great country even greater so it works for all Americans.

Hope, opportunity, equality, do not settle for mediocrity and bigotry, or use the way you started out in life as an excuse not to be successful which is I believe the message of Reverend Jackson that America should work for all Americans. Which is what the Democratic Party is all about at our best and why we represent the entire country. Instead of just being able to appeal strongly to one ethnic or racial group in the country and why we have strong Democrats all over the country. 

You can also see this post on WordPress.

Strombo: 'Gilles Duceppe on Quebec Sovereignty'

Source:Strombo- Quebec Nationalist Leader Gilles Ducceppe.

"Gilles Duceppe talks to Strombo about how he views Quebec's future on CBC's The Hour." 

From Strombo

Senator Bernie Sanders: Ed Schultz Show- 'Super Committee: The Winners & Losers'

Source:Senator Bernie Sanders (Democratic Socialist, Socialist Republic of Vermont) on The Ed Show on MSNBC.

"Super Committee: The Winners & Losers" 

From Senator Bernie Sanders

I don't see any good news or bad news from the Congressional Joint Committee on Deficit Reduction (or as I call it: The Congressional Joint Committee on Do Nothing) as far as them not reaching an agreement, because I wasn't expecting them to reach any agreement. It's real hard to be disappointed anything to happen. (Not that I've tried that or anything)

I do see Congressional Democrats looking very good coming out of this. They knew going in that Congressional Republicans weren't going to agree to any tax hikes, probably not even tax reform. But they look good to their base which they'll definitely need in 2012 to take back the House and hold the Senate, by not agreeing to any entitlement reform without more defense cuts and tax hikes on the wealthy. 

I don't believe President Obama looks good because it's one more time he tried to bring Democrats and Republicans together and they failed. I don't think that will hurt him in the election, he can easily back up Congressional Democrats on this. 

I believe once again Congressional Republicans look stubborn and unable to work with Democrats, with their way or the highway approach when it comes to tax reform and caving to Grover Norquist again and they may have given democrats an issue to hit them with in 2012. 

RT America: The Alyona Show- Kevin Zeese: 'The 99 Percent's Deficit Plan'

Source:Russia Today- Kevin Zeese was one of Occupy Wall Street's founding members.

"RT (formerly Russia Today) is a Russian state-controlled[1] international television network funded by the federal tax budget of the Russian government.[15][16] It operates pay television channels directed to audiences outside of Russia, as well as providing Internet content in English, Spanish, French, German, Arabic, and Russian.

RT is a brand of TV-Novosti, an "autonomous non-profit organization" founded by the Russian state-owned news agency RIA Novosti in April 2005.[10][17] During the economic crisis in December 2008, the Russian government, headed by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, included ANO "TV-Novosti" on its list of core organizations of strategic importance to Russia.[18][19][20] RT operates as a multilingual service with channels in five languages: the original English-language channel was launched in 2005, the Arabic-language channel in 2007, Spanish in 2009, German in 2014 and French in 2017. RT America (since 2010),[21] RT UK (since 2014) and other regional channels also produce local content. RT is the parent company of the Ruptly video agency,[5][6][7] which owns the Redfish video channel and the Maffick digital media company." 

From Wikipedia 

"Next Wednesday is the deadline for the Congressional Super Committee to finalize its deal on how to find 1.2 trillion dollars minimum in deficit savings. All things considered, including what members of the committee themselves are saying, it looks like it's going to fail. We'll take a look at something that one occupation in the country is offering up. Those camping out at Freedom Plaza have now created their own Deficit Proposal, the 99%'s deficit proposal. Kevin Zeese, an Occupy Washington, DC Oragnizer explains." 

From RT America

It looks like Occupy Wall Street finally has an agenda and it's pretty clear where they are coming from on the political spectrum. Their leadership (if you want to call it that) has put something on the table an agenda that I'm assuming they want to see passed.  

So the OWS deficit reduction plan is about putting the top tax rate back at 91% (which is where it was until 1964) and raising the capital gains tax. And of course cutting defense in half, without laying out where they would make those cuts. (Perhaps because no one in this movement actually understands the defense budget) They'll probably say their cuts will be in Afghanistan and Iraq, but that's all borrowed money to begin with, so if we stopped doing that, we would just stop current borrowing, but not actually cutting the deficit. 

The OWS agenda (at least according to Kevin Zeese) is just more traditional social democratic proposals: more infrastructure investment, more co-ops in business, more employee owned businesses. I'm fine with that, just as long as businesses and employees get to make those decisions themselves, instead of Big Government forcing those businesses on to the people. 

In the late 1960s and early 1970s there was a left-wing political movement in America called the New-Left, which was made up of self-described Socialists and Communists. Not right-wingers who still lived in the 1950s calling these young political activists Socialists and Communists. And those young activists back then were talking about what left-wing Gen-X and Millennial political activists are talking about today. Nothing new here, but at least OWS finally has a political agenda.

The Young Turks: Cenk Uygur- 'What is the Happiest Country on Earth -- And Why?'

Source:The Young Turks- Cenk Uygur: guilty of first degree ass-speaking. Unless he had the time to ask 4 billion people how happier they are, how could he know this? 

"What is the Happiest Country on Earth -- And Why?" 

From The Young Turks 

I hate these so-called scientific polls, which are really just left-wing, political pop culture polls in America that are designed to promote a basic political and economic philosophy. 

I mean seriously, how would anyone in the world ever be able to tell who are even the happiest people or person in any given country, let alone who are the happiest people and countries in the world? Maybe they inherited a 100-billion-dollars from their grandfather when they're 21 and decided that they would buy their own airplane devote their lives to traveling around the world to poll people about how happy they are. And if you believe that: I hear there are beach houses in Alaska for rent with a view of the Kremlin in Russia, where you can watch President Vladimir Putin going swimming everyday. 

Seriously, no one has time to do this and therefor could ever know who are the happiest people in any given country, let alone the entire Planet Earth. 

And also lets clear up one for more socialist falsehood about Scandinavian social democracy that Cenk Uygur repeated in his editorial: there's so thing as free government anything, that is funded either through taxes or by borrowing the money from another country. Anyone who pays taxes (including Cenk Uygur) is smart enough to know that. Finland and everyone else in Scandinavia pays for all the government benefits that they receive, whether it's health care, paid leave, or anything else that's provide by their government. 

Talking Points Memo: Senator Barack Obama- 'Confesses to Socialist Leanings'

Source:Talking Points Memo- U.S. Senator Barack Obama (Democrat, Illinois) talking about his opponent Senator John McCain (Republican, Arizona)

"Obama Confesses to Socialist Leanings ...admits to sharing in kindergarten. Oct. 29, 2008."

From Talking Points Memo 

If Barack Obama is Socialist, then then John McCain is a Christian-Right Theocrat, as well as a Islamic Theocrat, wanting to bring both fundamentalist Evangelicalism, and Sharia Law to America. (Impressive guy to pull both of those off at the exact same time) 

2008 was obviously a very trying year for America economically and with the Republican Party in The White House and presiding over all of this turmoil, Senator John McCain and company knew they were in a lot of trouble politically. (Which would explain their political hail marry pass known as Sarah Palin) And when political campaigns are in trouble, they tend to get desperate, especially when both Congress and The White House are at stake. And throw every name in the book (and perhaps some names that haven't been invented yet) at their opponents.   

You can also see this post on WordPress. 

You can also see this post at The Daily Journal, on Blogger. 

You can also see this post at The Daily Journal, on WordPress.

Talks At Google: Lawrence Lessig- 'Republic Lost'

Source:Talks At Google- Lawrence Lessig talking about his latest book Republic Lost.

"In an era when special interests funnel huge amounts of money into our government-driven by shifts in campaign-finance rules and brought to new levels by the Supreme Court in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission-trust in our government has reached an all-time low. More than ever before, Americans believe that money buys results in Congress, and that business interests wield control over our legislature.

With heartfelt urgency and a keen desire for righting wrongs, Harvard law professor Lawrence Lessig takes a clear-eyed look at how we arrived at this crisis: how fundamentally good people, with good intentions, have allowed our democracy to be co-opted by outside interests, and how this exploitation has become entrenched in the system. Rejecting simple labels and reductive logic-and instead using examples that resonate as powerfully on the Right as on the Left-Lessig seeks out the root causes of our situation. He plumbs the issues of campaign financing and corporate lobbying, revealing the human faces and follies that have allowed corruption to take such a foothold in our system. He puts the issues in terms that nonwonks can understand, using real-world analogies and real human stories. And ultimately he calls for widespread mobilization and a new Constitutional Convention, presenting achievable solutions for regaining control of our corrupted-but redeemable-representational system. In this way, Lessig plots a roadmap for returning our republic to its intended greatness. 

While America may be divided, Lessig vividly champions the idea that we can succeed if we accept that corruption is our common enemy and that we must find a way to fight against it. In Republic, Lost, he not only makes this need palpable and clear-he gives us the practical and intellectual tools to do something about it." 

From Talks At Google

One of the things I respect about the Occupy Wall Street movement is the fact they do support campaign finance reform and ending the partnership that Wall Street has with the Federal Government. Now, I disagree with their solutions and their alternate agenda, but they are right that we need to end this partnership and that we need to reform our campaign system.

OWS doesn't like the influence that Wall Street has on our Federal Government. (Which should go without saying to anyone with a brain and happens to also be sane) And all at least to a certain extent support CFR and ending corporate welfare. And perhaps all would like to see our lobbying rules reformed as well. But OWSs has a different approach in how they reform our system. But at least they all agree that it needs to be reformed but just have different approaches in how to do it. 

Reel Talk: 'Occupy Wall Street- A Short Documentary'

Source:Reel Talk Films- talking about Occupy Wall Street.

"A short film on the Occupy Wall Street movement. Included: facts behind big banks, history of social change and a first hand observation of the protest itself. 

"Knowledge is power. How will you use it? We are the future. We are the 99%"

From Reel Talk

We are going to find out in the next few months as the weather gets cold, especially in the Northeast and Midwest, if the Occupy Wall Street movement is here to stay and will be a factor in 2012. Or will it fade out like other social democratic movements in the past. Especially that were dominated by young people as they got older, finished school, went to work, got married, had kids, became part of the economic establishment they claimed to be against, etc. 

For OWS and I know I've blogged about this a lot lately and said this a lot before, but for them to become something and to effect the 2012 elections, which I'm assuming is their goal, to bring what they call Progressive Change (or Socialist Change) to America, which I'm assuming they are for, they have to be for something. They have to lay out what they say Progressive Change is. It's obvious what they are against: Wall Street, corporations, lobbyists, our campaign finance system. But the question is what does the modern left-wing (or Socialist-Left) in America believe in. And what would they do with government, is they just had the power to do it.

Mark Belfast: 'Newsnight - The Meaning of Socialism in 2010 - 7th September 2010'

Source:Mark Belfast- U.K. Labour Party member Tony Benn, talking to BBC's Newsnight in 2010.

"Newsnight debate in the middle of the Labour leadership campaign on 7th September 2010. Features veteran Labour politican Tony Benn and Political Editor of the 'New Statesman' Mehdi Hasan, interviewed by Jeremy Paxman." 

From Mark Belfast

The meaning of socialism as it was in 2010 and is now going into 2012, has the same meaning in Britain as it does in America. And its democratic socialism or social democracy meaning that the people have some personal economic liberty and there's private enterprise, but that it's heavily regulated and taxed to finance a large welfare state to provide a lot of social insurances. Like health care, health insurance, education, pensions, transportation, etc, even media. Basically the economic system that Sweden has. 

When most people in the West or developed world at least are talking about Socialists and socialism (at least in the positive sense) they're talking about social democracy. And in an economic sense that means having a strong, vibrant private economy and private sector, where individuals are highly taxed to fund a large welfare state, to provide the basic human and economic benefits that Socialists tend not to trust the private sector to provide individuals, like health care. 

The Real News: Paul Jay Interviewing Norman Solomon- 'The Emperor Has No Clothes'

Source:The Real News- President Barack H. Obama (Democrat, Illinois) I guess someone that the Far-Left views as an emperor. 

"Norman Solomon (running for Democratic nomination for Congress in California): Progressives must mount a challenge inside the Democratic Party." 

From The Real News

Norman Solomon a self-described Progressive (Democratic Socialist, in actuality) Democratic candidate for the U.S. House in California, represents exactly what so-called Progressives (Democratic Socialists, in actuality) should be doing right now. You can't get a job or you can't get power unless you apply for it, especially in American politics. 

If you don't like the Democratic Party or the Democratic Leadership and you feel left out of power, but you want to stay in the Democratic Party, then you should either run for office or recruit people who share your political and governmental values to run for office. And not sit at home and cry like a baby as the other party gains power, because you sat at home and didn't do a damn thing about it.

The Real News: David Dougherty- 'Hundred of Community Activists Gather in Baltimore'

Source:The Real News- in Baltimore, Maryland.

"Fair Development Conference held to discuss local organizing strategies." 

From The Real News

So far for the most part the Occupy Wall Street movement has been exactly that: what the people in this movement are against. Not really what they would do instead, what would their alternative agenda would be. Except for a few exceptions, like calling for a "national fair wage" of 20$ an hour. College for all provided by the Federal Government and of course health insurance for all again provided by the Federal Government. (What's known as Medicare For All) And they have been pretty discipline about not announcing an alternative agenda. 

I'm guessing the reasons why OWS hasn't made their own agenda public yet, is because it easy to be against Wall Street right now. Thats like being against trial lawyers, or Congress, or communism. But once it's clear you're against something, but then the question comes what would you do instead. It's easy to be against something especially if it's unpopular, but harder to lay out what you would do instead. And once you're against something that has broad disapproval like Wall Street.

Al Jazeera: Jesse Mesner-Hage- 'Cuba Legalizes Sale of Private Property'

Source:Al Jazeera- welcome to Fidel Castro's Communist Republic of Cuba.

"Al Jazeera (Arabic: الجزيرة‎, romanized: al-jazīrah, IPA: [æl (d)ʒæˈziːrɐ], literally "The Island", though referring to the Arabian Peninsula in context)[3] is an international Arabic news channel based in Doha, Qatar that is operated by the media conglomerate Al Jazeera Media Network. The channel is a flagship of the media conglomerate and hence, is the only single offering to carry the name as simply "Al Jazeera" in its branding.

The channel's willingness to broadcast no holds barred views, for example on call-in shows, created controversies in the Arab States of the Persian Gulf. One of the station's office was the only channel to cover the War in Afghanistan live." 

From Wikipedia 

"Cuba's government has given its citizens the right to buy and sell their homes for the first time since the 1959 revolution.

The long-awaited reform, published on Thursday in the government's Official Gazette, is one one of the most substantial reforms introduced by Raul Castro, Cuba's president, to liberalize the island's Soviet-style command economy while maintaining the communist system..

Phil Peters, a Cuba expert at the Lexington Institute in Arlington, Virginia, said the move could have broad

ramifications for the Cuban economy, where the cash-strapped government is encouraging the growth of self-employment as it attempts to cut a million jobs from its bloated payrolls.

"The ability to sell houses means instant capital formation for Cuban families. It becomes a source of capital at the

grassroots level," Peters said. "It is a big sign of the government letting go."

Al Jazeera's Jesse Mesner-Hage reports." 

From Al Jazeera

Today there was another indication that Fidel Castro is out-of-power in Cuba and that his brother Raul is President Castro of the Communist Republic of Cuba. Perhaps even one day the President of the Socialist Republic of Cuba or even Democratic Republic of Cuba. But thats probably at least a decade off, but at least the Castro Regime has given its people some liberty and breathing space from this authoritarian regime that took power in Cuba fifty two years ago. 

Thom Hartmann: Ryan Streeter- 'Kick Starting the Economy With Radical Tax Reform?'

Source:Thom Hartmann- debating tax reform with Ryan Streeter.

"Thom Hartmann debates Ryan Streeter,  Editor of ConservativeHomeUSA / Director of Fiscal & Economic Policy-Sagamore Institute, on the Cain and Perry tax proposals." 

From Thom Hartmann 

The economy that Thom Hartmann is talking about was pre-1981 and even pre-1964 before President Lyndon Johnson and later President Ronald Reagan cut taxes across the board. What Mr. Hartmann seems to want is a tax system that ranges from 20-25% to 90%, which is what it was under President Dwight Eisenhower. 

With Ryan Streeter seeming to making the supply side economics argument, that if you just cut taxes especially on wealthy people, investors, and corporations, that alone will not just drive economic growth, but create so much revenue that those tax cuts will pay for themselves. 

We know supply side economics doesn't work at least in the sense that those tax cuts don't pay for themselves. Especially when you're also doubling government spending, which is what the Reagan Administration did as well. 

Current tax rates range from 10-34%. We know that doubling the lowest tax rate and giving lower, middle income people a tax hike whether you're talking about a flat tax, or the Thom Hartmann plan and going back to the Eisenhower tax rates won't work either. Most Americans who aren't either upper class or upper middle income simply can't afford afford any tax increases right now, especially at the levels of 50-100%. 

The best income tax system that we could have is where rates are low on everyone, to encourage economic growth, spending, and investment. Where you force government to pay for everything that it does regardless of what the tax rates are, to keep debt and deficits down. And you eliminate most if not all the tax loopholes in the system, especially if they don't lead to any economic growth or investments and just gives us higher deficits and debt.