The Real News: Paul Jay- 'A Real Challenge to Corporate Power'

Source:The Real News- the U.S. Department of Justice.

"Arthur MacEwan: Opposing bail out of bankers and fighting for Universal Health Plan challenges corporate power." 

From The Real News

The problems with TARP of 2008 (or the Temporary Asset Relief Program) is that we borrowed about 800B$ to pay for it, to go on top of a 400B$ Federal budget deficit and a 10T$ Federal debt and we bailed out failing banks we essentially bailed them out for their bad behavior. While the victims of their bad behavior the people who did business with their banks, remained victimized. And three years later they are still struggling from the banks bad behavior. 

We bailed out banks that were "too big to fail" first of all we allowed them as a country to become "too big to fail" in the first place. And then we bailed them out for their bad behavior, which is a double-edge sward for the country. We suffered for our government's bad behavior of letting banks become "too big to fail" in the first place. And then we suffered from these banks and their bad behavior. 

What we should've done instead is force these banks that are "too big to fail" breakup as a result of becoming too big, as a condition of getting their bailout money, as well as forcing these banks to come up with new management, as another condition of receiving TARP, as well as forcing them to buy Bankruptcy Insurance. So they would never need to be bailed out again at all, because they would have their insurance that they could go to when they are failing.

Firing Line With William F. Buckley: James B Carey- 'Labor Unions and American Freedom (1969)'

Source:Firing Line With William F. Buckley- talking to American labor leader James Carey, in 1969.

"Episode 154, Recorded on June 12, 1969. Guest: James B. Carey. For more information about this program, see:Hoover Institution." 

From Firing Line With William F. Buckley 

"Mr. Carey, as Mr. Buckley tells us, had, with the help of John L. Lewis, launched a counterattack when his union, the United Electrical Union, had been taken over by the Communists. Host and guest sometimes talk past each other, but even so we get a clear idea of what is at issue between Mr. Carey's notion of "an effective union -- a union that represents the views of the people effectively and can deal with management on a basis of equality" and Mr. Buckley's observation that, in the aftermath of the New York City newspaper strike, "the few who survived ... did indeed get their 10, 15, 20, 25 per cent raises, but a lot of other people who would otherwise have survived, went from let's say $250 a week to welfare." 

From the Hoover Institution

One thing I think about when I think of labor unions organized labor, is what working conditions would be like for the American workforce without them. Because with organized labor we have weekends, Social Security, Medicare, Minimum Wage, Unemployment Insurance, Cobra, safe working conditions, etc. 

It's sort of how I think about Lyndon Johnson a man as a Democrat I have a lot of respect for, without President Johnson, how much longer would African-Americans and other racial and ethnic minorities, have to wait until their constitutional rights were enforced. Probably at least until President Carter. who had a large majority in both chambers of Congress and President Carter being a big believer in civil rights. But did he have the political skills to get civil rights legislation through Congress. 

Al Jazeera: Inside Story:- 'Is The Promise of Democracy Fading in Egypt?'

Source:Al Jazeera- talking about democracy in Egypt. They might as well be talking about sunburn in Antarctica, while they're at it.

"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 

"The country's ruling military council is facing criticism after a violent crackdown on Coptic Christian protesters." 

From Al Jazeera

What looked like a real shot at bringing democracy to Egypt and finally ending authoritarian rule in this large country of 80M people, looks like its stagnating, as the military establishment in Egypt has become its effective ruler. And they are starting to have crackdowns on the democratic protesters in Egypt, as well as crackdowns on Coptic Christians in Egypt, a religious minority in Egypt. Instead of returning Egypt to civilian rule. 

The Real News: Paul Jay- Interviewing Professor Michael Hudson- 'Occupy Wall Street to a Bank in The Public Interest'

Source:The Real News- OWS taking on American banks

"Michael Hudson: A public option in banking will be a structural answer to the power of finance."

From The Real News

All of these protests on Wall Street that are going on around the country, could be positive for the country. If it leads to real reforms in our economy, that reforms our banking system in a way that we stop bailing out banks and other company's, regulate their bad behavior. And lets them keep a lot of their profits instead of subsidizing them when they are successful. And thats not what we have right now. We have so many tax loopholes, that a lot of our business's end not paying much if anything in taxes like General Electric. But tax them at a rate that allows them to be profitable and encourages them to be profitable.

You can also see this post on WordPress.

Russia Today: The Alyona Show- 'Bailout For The American People?'

Source:Russia Today- Reason Magazine writer Anthony Randazzo, talking to Russia Today anchor Alyona Minkovski.

"RT (formerly Russia Today) is a state-controlled international television network funded by the federal tax budget of the Russian government.[5][6] 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 operates as a multilingual service with conventional 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),[7] RT UK (since 2014) and other regional channels also offer some locally based content.

RT is a brand of TV-Novosti, an "autonomous non-profit organization", founded by the Russian news agency, RIA Novosti, on 6 April 2005.[3][8] 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." 

From Wikipedia 

"There's a new proposal being floated out there, massive debt relief, it may seem a little radical but some economists argue that it's the only way to get out of this mess. Just think about it, tens of millions of Americans are burdened with mortgages they can't afford, as well as student loan debt, credit card debt....we're a country that likes to charge and pay later. But since the banks got a bailout....could the American people get one too? Reason's Anthony Randazzo weighs in." 

From Russia Today 

A so-called People's Bailout that the Far-Left in and outside of the Democratic Party pushing, makes sense, in one sense, because they can argue: "We've bailed out Corporate America and the banking industry, now it's time to bailout the middle class and low-income individuals." 

I get that in that sense, but I'm not in favor of subsidizing bad behavior, especially at taxpayers expense. I was against the bank bailouts in 2008, because the reason why American banks went under, is because the Bush Administration fell sleep at the wheel, while all of these American companies were making risky (if not irresponsible investments) and came to Uncle Sam to bail them out for their bad investments. 

I'm also against bailing out individuals who borrowed too much money in the mid 2000s when the economy was much stronger, thinking that they wouldn't need to pay back those loans or their economic security would be indefinite. 

RT America: Christine Frazao- Leftists Fight to Launch Tea Party of Their Own

"

Source:RT America- Left-wing political activist and CNN political commentator Van Jones, speaking at this Occupy Wall Street event.

"Progressives attending a conference called Take Back the American Dream are planning to organize and speak with a more unified voice.  They say they are angry about the rising gap in income inequality, and in corporations being given more power while more and more Americans struggle."

From RT America

"RT (formerly Russia Today) is a state-controlled international television network funded by the federal tax budget of the Russian government.[5][6] 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 operates as a multilingual service with conventional 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),[7] RT UK (since 2014) and other regional channels also offer some locally based content.

RT is a brand of TV-Novosti, an "autonomous non-profit organization", founded by the Russian news agency, RIA Novosti, on 6 April 2005.[3][8] 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." 

From Wikipedia

Van Jones had the best line at this whole event when he said he wasn't mad at the Tea Party and the broader conservative movement for being so loud, but he was mad at the progressive movement (as he put it) for being so quiet. 

And that's exactly been the problem for Democratic Socialists in America. While the Tea Party has been so loud and been organizing going on three years now, Socialists have been sitting back and staying home. Not going to work, not writing their blogs, appearing on TV and radio shows that are ideologically comfortable for them.

Take MSNBC, PBS and NPR (just to use as examples) and perhaps you picked up another clue there, not voting taking the 2010 mid-term elections where House Democrats lost the House. (Thanks a lot, Socialists) And now we have a Tea Party run House of Representatives. 

Thanks to the Tea Party and Democratic Socialists and we actually have to have debates on whether we should close the Federal Government or not or raise the debt ceiling or not. Hearing questions like is Sarah Palin the most influential public figure in America or not. Is Michele Bachmann going to be the next President of the United States or not. All because they believe President Obama is not progressive or socialist enough for them.

Had today's so-called Progressives (Socialists in actuality) did better research on Barack Obama's biography when they all supported him in 2007-08, they would've known that Obama's socialist leanings are very limited. Barack Obama would never ever be confused with Bernie Sanders or Ralph Nader. 

Barack Obama is basically a Bill Clinton/Jack Kennedy Progressive Democrat. Not a Henry Wallace Democratic Socialist. That's what he was four years ago and what he is today. As a result of sitting on the sidelines and watching other people come into power, the Tea Party all 70 plus of them in the House the not so Progressives in America have lost influence in the Federal Government.

So its good for the so-called Progressives to finally stand up and get organized behind a movement and an agenda. And hopefully they'll remember to vote in 2012. And they'll organize their own movement that's made up of a bunch of different political action groups. Not one unified organization raising money and recruiting candidates to advance their cause. Democratic Party or they form their own leftist party. Which they have the people for in DSA, the Green Party and the Democratic Party. 

There's an old saying that I like a lot, that basically goes like this: "If you don't vote, you don't have the right to complain". And if you sit at home, you watch the world go by without you. And hopefully this is a lesson that the Far-Left are learning right now and will learn from it. And not make the same mistakes in the future. 

You can also see this post on WordPress.

RT America: Richard Wolff- 'Question Capitalism'

Source:RT America- RT America, is at least partially funded by Vladimir Putin's Russian Federation Government.

"RT (formerly Russia Today) is a state-controlled international television network funded by the federal tax budget of the Russian government.[5][6] 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 operates as a multilingual service with conventional 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),[7] RT UK (since 2014) and other regional channels also offer some locally based content." 

From Wikipedia

"Recently the Occupy Wall Street movement has gone international. Many believe that these uprisings are a part of a growing concern for a change of governments. What are the real alternatives to current government systems? Will the Occupy Wall Street movement make Americans question capitalism? Richard Wolff, talk show host at WBAI Radio, digs deeper." 

From RT America

What we see in these Wall Street protests and these so called Take Back America rallies in Washington,  is Democratic Socialists all across the country from several different political parties. The Democratic Party, the Democratic Socialist Party, the Green Party, the so-called Progressive Party, along with some Libertarians. And perhaps a few Liberals, who are fed up ( for lack of a better term ) in what's going on in Corporate America and in how they see what's going on in Corporate America and in how they believe thats affecting our economy right now.

So-called Progressives ( Socialists, really ) could be able to transform this movement into a political movement and use this political movement to be able to recruit political candidates in the future that will stand up to what they don't like in the Federal Government and Corporate America. And as I blogged a couple nights ago, if they play this right and look like a diverse group of everyday people just looking to work hard, be productive and make good lives for themselves and not look like thugs, terrorists, anarchists, etc.

I don't like this movement's ideas of what they want to see in the future, I mean I'm not a Socialist. I don't want to see the return of 70-90% tax rates. People have to have incentive to be productive. And giving the Federal Government that doesn't do a very good job of managing it's current budget a much bigger role in our economy as well as lives as far as delivering public services. People have to be able to keep a lot from their productivity, thats one thing what American capitalism is about. But I like what this movement is trying to defeat and hope they are successful.