AlterNet / By Robert Greenwald and Derrick Crowe
Defense Secretary Panetta Plays on Job Fears But Military Spending Is the Worst at Creating Jobs
When we spend $1 billion on the military rather than green investments, health care or education we forfeit between 5,000 and 17,000 jobs.
September 16, 2011 |
Well, that didn’t take very long.
Two days ago, while representatives of war profiteers were on the Hill trying to push elected officials to protect their profit margins from the deficit committee, heads of the war industry met in a closed-door meeting with Defense Secretary Panetta.
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Unemployment crisis and clip of Elizabeth Warren
AlterNet / By Michael Thornton
11 Reasons Why the Unemployment Crisis Is Even Worse Than You Think
Here are 11 unemployment facts that mass media underreport or ignore completely.
September 14, 2011
11 Reasons Why the Unemployment Crisis Is Even Worse Than You Think
Here are 11 unemployment facts that mass media underreport or ignore completely.
September 14, 2011
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Hey GOP 2012ers: You Lie!
Edmund D. Fountain/St. Petersburg Times/Zuma
How many times can a candidate peddle falsehoods before it’s okay to use the L-word?
—By David Corn
Tue Sep. 13, 2011 8:45 AM PDT
"Let's cut to the chase: The GOP presidential field is a pack of liars..."
And a Minnesota accent was charming before Batshit Bachmann turned it into a major annoyance. I swear that now every time I hear the lies, distortions and absolute insanity that she spews I'm looking for the volume button.
2 unrelated semi-interesting articles and one waste of time.
New 9/11 Lawsuit: Saudis Aided 9/11 Attacks
By Cynthia Hsu on September 9, 2011 11:51 AM |
Female 'Vampire' Bites Elderly Fla. Man's Face, Arm Outside Hooters
By Stephanie Rabiner on September 12, 2011 5:43 AM
Dressed to The Nine: The Verdict on Supreme Court Robes
By Robyn Hagan Cain on September 9, 2011 12:08 PM
Are you fucking kidding me? After all the damage the US Supreme Court has done to average citizens in the last dozen years, the article is about the fashion worthiness of their robes.
I can't tell you how very disgusted I am with many of my fellow citizens. Right-wing retards who would refuse to think for themselves even if you paid them to. Hateful, bulllying morons who watch Fox Noise and listen to the string of highly paid shit-heads like Limbaugh, Hannity, Ingraham, Savage, O'Reilley, Coulter, Pat Roberstson....
Hmmm, did I forget any of the well-paid hate slingers?
Hijole, what's on Netflix? I can't stand to think about it any more.
By Cynthia Hsu on September 9, 2011 11:51 AM |
Female 'Vampire' Bites Elderly Fla. Man's Face, Arm Outside Hooters
By Stephanie Rabiner on September 12, 2011 5:43 AM
Dressed to The Nine: The Verdict on Supreme Court Robes
By Robyn Hagan Cain on September 9, 2011 12:08 PM
Are you fucking kidding me? After all the damage the US Supreme Court has done to average citizens in the last dozen years, the article is about the fashion worthiness of their robes.
I can't tell you how very disgusted I am with many of my fellow citizens. Right-wing retards who would refuse to think for themselves even if you paid them to. Hateful, bulllying morons who watch Fox Noise and listen to the string of highly paid shit-heads like Limbaugh, Hannity, Ingraham, Savage, O'Reilley, Coulter, Pat Roberstson....
Hmmm, did I forget any of the well-paid hate slingers?
Hijole, what's on Netflix? I can't stand to think about it any more.
Monday, September 12, 2011
Bennett Miller, 'Moneyball' Director, On His Non-Baseball Baseball Movie
I was never interested in Pitt because he's good looking but because he can act. I knew the name Billy Beane in HS only because his coach lived down the street from my folks, and he was well liked in school. I'm interested in seeing the movie not only because of the local connection (I never knew him, and I'm not a baseball fan) but because it looks like an interestin
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost
Sunday, September 11, 2011
I'm numb thinking about the 10 year 9/11 anniversary
It's strange to watch this, I don't feel anything. Probably because the Bush Administration's response to the 9/11 attacks has been so incredibly devastating for my country.
Tweet
September 11, 2011 02:00 PM
9/11 De-Edited, Reconstructed & Synchronized: News Without A Filter
Tweet
Julian Assange: A Modern Day Hero? Inside the World of WikiLeaks
Julian Assange: A Modern Day Hero? Inside the World of WikiLeaks
2011 NR 90 minutes (Streaming on Netflix)
Radical and unapologetic, Australian publisher and journalist Julian Assange created massive controversy in 2010 by making public a flood of secret correspondence among U.S. government agencies via the WikiLeaks website. As this comprehensive and unbiased examination of Assange's career illustrates, he was already engaged in distributing "secret" information in the public interest before the revelations that made him world famous.
Frankly, I've watched with disgust and amusement those powerful people and organizations who have been exposed by whistle blowers who managed to get source material to Wikileaks.
2011 NR 90 minutes (Streaming on Netflix)
Radical and unapologetic, Australian publisher and journalist Julian Assange created massive controversy in 2010 by making public a flood of secret correspondence among U.S. government agencies via the WikiLeaks website. As this comprehensive and unbiased examination of Assange's career illustrates, he was already engaged in distributing "secret" information in the public interest before the revelations that made him world famous.
Frankly, I've watched with disgust and amusement those powerful people and organizations who have been exposed by whistle blowers who managed to get source material to Wikileaks.
Friday, September 09, 2011
So, there was a blackout here in San Diego
And parts of OC, Northern Mexico, Imperial County.
Update: Power Coming Back on In San Diego; Human Error Blamed
MARK MEMMOTT (NPR)
Outage Affects Millions in Southwest, Mexico
By JULIE WATSON Associated Press
SAN DIEGO September 9, 2011 (AP)
"...San Diego Gas & Electric Co. officials said the blackout occurred at about 4 p.m., taking out power to all 1.4 million of its household and business customers. The outage extended into southern Orange County and across California's inland deserts as far east as Yuma, Ariz.
In Mexico, officials said power was out in northern Baja California's two biggest cities, home to roughly 2.5 million people...
...Officials at Phoenix-based Arizona Public Service Co. said the source of the trouble could be traced to an employee removing a piece of monitoring equipment at a power substation in southwest Arizona. Why that mishap, which normally would have been isolated locally, triggered such a widespread outage was to be a focus of the probe, they said.
Authorities quickly ruled out an intentional act or, in the anxious days leading up to the anniversary of Sept. 11 attacks, any suggestion of terrorism.
"This was not a deliberate act. The employee was just switching out a piece of equipment that was problematic," said Daniel Froetscher, an APS vice president...."
ON average, San Diego is sunny 68% of the time and the police had to use backup generators to take 911 calls? Thank you Republicans who run this city. *sigh*
I lost power for 8 1/2 hours. My husband loves stuff that uses alternate forms of energy, so we had all kinds of battery/crank/solar powered radios and flashlights and I always have scented candles. That was kind of a joke when my kid was a teenager (they joked about the "poop candles") because the exhaust duct for the fan in the bathroom was designed by a complete moron.
As helpful as Rick Roberts was in having people call into the radio station to let others know where there was gasoline, food, and where the power was being restored, dude is a dick. A right-wing, self-important nincompoop and he got on my nerves. No wonder I never listen to local AM hate radio, I think some of his regular listeners were calling in -- UGH, what a bunch of idiots.
So, this part of the story is only because my friend told me it was funny, I dunno, you tell me?
There is a rat that scampers up and down the tree in front of my house and the little fucker was really busy giving me the heebeejeebies last night as I sat on the porch to cool off a bit. So, you know those sticky traps? I put one at the base of the tree last night and this morning I hear this gawdawful racket, only it ain't a rat. Two crows are attempting to unstick 2 other crows from this thing and complaining noisily. It worked, Go Team Crow! Guess they like peanut butter.
PS, I finished Dexter is Delicious via flashlight, lol.
Update: Power Coming Back on In San Diego; Human Error Blamed
MARK MEMMOTT (NPR)
Outage Affects Millions in Southwest, Mexico
By JULIE WATSON Associated Press
SAN DIEGO September 9, 2011 (AP)
"...San Diego Gas & Electric Co. officials said the blackout occurred at about 4 p.m., taking out power to all 1.4 million of its household and business customers. The outage extended into southern Orange County and across California's inland deserts as far east as Yuma, Ariz.
In Mexico, officials said power was out in northern Baja California's two biggest cities, home to roughly 2.5 million people...
...Officials at Phoenix-based Arizona Public Service Co. said the source of the trouble could be traced to an employee removing a piece of monitoring equipment at a power substation in southwest Arizona. Why that mishap, which normally would have been isolated locally, triggered such a widespread outage was to be a focus of the probe, they said.
Authorities quickly ruled out an intentional act or, in the anxious days leading up to the anniversary of Sept. 11 attacks, any suggestion of terrorism.
"This was not a deliberate act. The employee was just switching out a piece of equipment that was problematic," said Daniel Froetscher, an APS vice president...."
ON average, San Diego is sunny 68% of the time and the police had to use backup generators to take 911 calls? Thank you Republicans who run this city. *sigh*
I lost power for 8 1/2 hours. My husband loves stuff that uses alternate forms of energy, so we had all kinds of battery/crank/solar powered radios and flashlights and I always have scented candles. That was kind of a joke when my kid was a teenager (they joked about the "poop candles") because the exhaust duct for the fan in the bathroom was designed by a complete moron.
As helpful as Rick Roberts was in having people call into the radio station to let others know where there was gasoline, food, and where the power was being restored, dude is a dick. A right-wing, self-important nincompoop and he got on my nerves. No wonder I never listen to local AM hate radio, I think some of his regular listeners were calling in -- UGH, what a bunch of idiots.
So, this part of the story is only because my friend told me it was funny, I dunno, you tell me?
PS, I finished Dexter is Delicious via flashlight, lol.
Thursday, September 08, 2011
Wednesday, September 07, 2011
Muslim students stand trial for speech disruption
Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2011
"...The case has split residents of affluent Orange County, a traditionally Republican-stronghold that is home to sizable Jewish and Muslim populations. Residents have written vociferous letters to the editor of the local newspaper, the Orange County Register, on both sides of the debate...."
"...The case has split residents of affluent Orange County, a traditionally Republican-stronghold that is home to sizable Jewish and Muslim populations. Residents have written vociferous letters to the editor of the local newspaper, the Orange County Register, on both sides of the debate...."
Friday, September 02, 2011
5 days in between posts
I escaped into Netflix this week. I discovered 3 new TV shows that I'm moving through. There are TV shows that I will watch now because I don't have to suffer through the advertisements that annoy the living shit out of me. not had access to cable shows because I just couldn't see paying for more ads, a DVR just didn't seem like it was worth the money because most of what is on cable is almost as stupid as what is on the networks.
I loathe reality shows but I've found some documentary mini-series' that I am enjoying. Frankly, I just haven't wanted to read much lately. I haven't had any patience with the right-wing retarded trolls that seem to be exponentially multiplying over at the HuffyFluffyPo since Arianna sold it to fucking AOL. It used to be hilarious to watch the clever liberals pile on the NOT clever righty trolls, but it seems like the cards are stacked against us over there now. Just like most of the pro-business corporate advertising funded elephant crap out there.
There are still a few writers over there that I enjoy:
Jason Linkins
Amanda Terkel
and Wendell Potter
What does it say that I know that 3 out of 4 of these writers came from other, "more liberal" sites?
Jason Linkins
Amanda Terkel
and Wendell Potter
What does it say that I know that 3 out of 4 of these writers came from other, "more liberal" sites?
Monday, August 29, 2011
Volunteer Doctors Can't Keep Up With Health Care Demands of Uninsured and Underinsured
"Savage told me that as he and others were planning the Oklahoma clinic, many political and business leaders would make it clear that they had no clue just how shredded the safety net really is in the U.S."
Well said kind sir.
And may I add that that may be because business (including insurance company oficers) and political leaders are much more interested in next quarter's earnings and the next electon.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost
Well said kind sir.
And may I add that that may be because business (including insurance company oficers) and political leaders are much more interested in next quarter's earnings and the next electon.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost
Friday, August 26, 2011
Rick Perry
August 24, 2011 Gallup
Perry Zooms to Front of Pack for 2012 GOP Nomination
Leads Romney by 29% to 17%
by Jeffrey M. Jones
Top Ten Rick Perry Failures
October 5th, 2009
Top 10 Things Texas Gov. Rick Perry Doesn’t Want You To Know About Him
By Scott Keyes on Jun 10, 2011 at 2:41 pm
Rick Perry's College Transcript: A Lot Of Cs And Ds
Rick Perry Sought State Profits From Teacher Life Insurance Scheme
Rick Perry Struggles To Answer Question About Sex Ed: 'Abstinence Works'
Rick Perry Is Big Oil's $11 Million Man
During an interview on the Laura Ingraham radio show on Thursday, Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry characterized the nation's capital as a "seedy place."
Rick Perry Signs Anti-Gay Marriage Pledge Before Mingling With Virulently Anti-Gay Activist
I'm so fucking amazed that people in this country take Laura Ingraham or Rick Perry seriously. I'm still stunned at the amount of people in this country who are truly stupid, can't spell, refuse to think for themselves, trust the corporate funded media and stick razor blades up their own ass by voting Republican every election. Sadly, when they bleed out, they have no idea why.
Perry Zooms to Front of Pack for 2012 GOP Nomination
Leads Romney by 29% to 17%
by Jeffrey M. Jones
Top Ten Rick Perry Failures
October 5th, 2009
Top 10 Things Texas Gov. Rick Perry Doesn’t Want You To Know About Him
By Scott Keyes on Jun 10, 2011 at 2:41 pm
Rick Perry's College Transcript: A Lot Of Cs And Ds
Rick Perry Sought State Profits From Teacher Life Insurance Scheme
Rick Perry Struggles To Answer Question About Sex Ed: 'Abstinence Works'
Rick Perry Is Big Oil's $11 Million Man
During an interview on the Laura Ingraham radio show on Thursday, Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry characterized the nation's capital as a "seedy place."
Rick Perry Signs Anti-Gay Marriage Pledge Before Mingling With Virulently Anti-Gay Activist
I'm so fucking amazed that people in this country take Laura Ingraham or Rick Perry seriously. I'm still stunned at the amount of people in this country who are truly stupid, can't spell, refuse to think for themselves, trust the corporate funded media and stick razor blades up their own ass by voting Republican every election. Sadly, when they bleed out, they have no idea why.
Thursday, August 25, 2011
new Taibbi
“"...The idea behind this federally-guided “settlement” is to concentrate and centralize all the legal exposure accrued by this generation of grotesque banker corruption in one place, put one single price tag on it that everyone can live with, and then stuff the details into a titanium canister before shooting it into deep space..."
"...In a remarkable quote given to the Times, Kathryn Wylde, the Fed board member who ostensibly represents the public, said the following about (AG) Schneiderman:
It is of concern to the industry that instead of trying to facilitate resolving these issues, you seem to be throwing a wrench into it. Wall Street is our Main Street — love ’em or hate ’em. They are important and we have to make sure we are doing everything we can to support them unless they are doing something indefensible..."
Charles August Lindbergh (1859-1924) on the Federal Reserve:
".. The system is private, conducted for the sole purpose of obtaining the greatest possible profits from the use of other people's money. They know in advance when to create panics to their advantage, They also know when to stop panic. Inflation and deflation work equally well for them when they control finance."”
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Karl Rove loves him some Molly McMooseturd
"...Obama holds a narrow 44% to 38% lead over Palin among male voters, but women prefer the incumbent by a sizable 56% to 29% margin..."
According to Rasmussen Reports
AUGUST 5, 2011 » WEB ONLY
America In Decline
By NOAM CHOMSKY
The comic opera in Washington this summer, which disgusts the country and bewilders the world, may have no analogue in the annals of parliamentary democracy.
"... The spectacle is even coming to frighten the sponsors of the charade. Corporate power is now concerned that the extremists they helped put in office may in fact bring down the edifice on which their own wealth and privilege relies, the powerful nanny state that caters to their interests.
Corporate power’s ascendancy over politics and society—by now mostly financial—has reached the point that both political organizations, which at this stage barely resemble traditional parties, are far to the right of the population on the major issues under debate...."
Friday, August 19, 2011
Are military pensions too 'generous'?
Bwaaaahahahahaha ha ha ha aaaahaaaaa
Ummm. NO!
Ummm. NO!
Half of base pay doesn't mean you will be making half of your base pay plus your allowances (food, rent, and the bitch you married).
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Is the SEC Covering Up Wall Street Crimes?
A whistleblower claims that over the past two decades, the agency has destroyed records of thousands of investigations, whitewashing the files of some of the nation's worst financial criminals.
by: Matt Taibbi
AUGUST 17, 2011 8:00 AM ET
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Looting Frenzies:
Thinking about the Federal Reserve while Nursing a Cheap Beer
Published on Wednesday, August 17, 2011 by CommonDreams.org
by Linh Dinh
Published on Wednesday, August 17, 2011 by CommonDreams.org
by Linh Dinh
'Cyberloafing' At Work Boosts Productivity, Researchers Find
Akin to ocean wave surfing, also known to increase productivi
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost
Monday, August 15, 2011
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Why Religion Will Matter In 2012
Do you think that maybe, just maybe a poll "conducted by Public Religion Research Institute" could be a bit biased towards religious people? I know if somebody from that organizati
I was raised a Christian, but I get so disturbed when people drag the flock in to vote on candidates who definitely don't have the flock's best interest at heart.
We have separation of church and state for a reason, and if you really back up and look at the US, the only thing that those with REAL power worship is the Almighty Dollar.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost
I was raised a Christian, but I get so disturbed when people drag the flock in to vote on candidates who definitely don't have the flock's best interest at heart.
We have separation of church and state for a reason, and if you really back up and look at the US, the only thing that those with REAL power worship is the Almighty Dollar.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Polygamist sect leader Warren Jeffs gets life in prison
By Dennis Wagner, USA TODAY
August 10, 2011
"...Prosecutors rejected Jeffs' contention that he was being persecuted for his religious beliefs. During the trial, they used DNA evidence to show Jeffs fathered a child with a 15-year-old and played an audio recording of what they said was him sexually assaulting a 12-year-old..."
Warren Jeffs' Niece Says Uncle 'Needed To Be In Prison'
By CLAYTON SANDELL (@Clayton_Sandell) and TAYLOR BEHRENDT and WENDY BRUNDIGE
ABC
Aug. 10, 2011
The niece of polygamist religious leader Warren Jeffs said today that she is pleased that her testimony about how her uncle molested her helped send him to prison for life.
August 10, 2011
"...Prosecutors rejected Jeffs' contention that he was being persecuted for his religious beliefs. During the trial, they used DNA evidence to show Jeffs fathered a child with a 15-year-old and played an audio recording of what they said was him sexually assaulting a 12-year-old..."
Warren Jeffs' Niece Says Uncle 'Needed To Be In Prison'
By CLAYTON SANDELL (@Clayton_Sandell) and TAYLOR BEHRENDT and WENDY BRUNDIGE
ABC
Aug. 10, 2011
The niece of polygamist religious leader Warren Jeffs said today that she is pleased that her testimony about how her uncle molested her helped send him to prison for life.
Monday, August 08, 2011
Credibility, Chutzpah And Debt
OP-ED COLUMNIST
Credibility, Chutzpah And Debt
By PAUL KRUGMAN
Published: August 7, 2011
"...Nor did the bad judgment stop there. Notoriously, S.& P. gave Lehman Brothers, whose collapse triggered a global panic, an A rating right up to the month of its demise...
...Wait, it gets better. Before downgrading U.S. debt, S.& P. sent a preliminary draft of its press release to the U.S. Treasury. Officials there quickly spotted a $2 trillion error in S.& P.’s calculations...."
John Nichols of The Nation says:
"... S&P is part of the problem, not the solution...."
Credibility, Chutzpah And Debt
By PAUL KRUGMAN
Published: August 7, 2011
"...Nor did the bad judgment stop there. Notoriously, S.& P. gave Lehman Brothers, whose collapse triggered a global panic, an A rating right up to the month of its demise...
...Wait, it gets better. Before downgrading U.S. debt, S.& P. sent a preliminary draft of its press release to the U.S. Treasury. Officials there quickly spotted a $2 trillion error in S.& P.’s calculations...."
John Nichols of The Nation says:
"... S&P is part of the problem, not the solution...."
Sunday, August 07, 2011
Rachel on Meet the Press
I never watch the show, but I love Rachel.
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
Saturday, August 06, 2011
S&P downgrades US credit rating for first time in history
And Maddow says that S&P is full of shit
Republicans blame Obama for downgrade Yeah, what the fuck DON'T the RepugnanThuglicans blame on Obama.
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
Republicans blame Obama for downgrade Yeah, what the fuck DON'T the RepugnanThuglicans blame on Obama.
30 Years Ago Today: The Day the Middle Class Died ...a letter from Michael Moore
30 Years Ago Today: The Day the Middle Class Died ...a letter from Michael Moore
Friday, August 5th, 2011
Friends,
From time to time, someone under 30 will ask me, "When did this all begin, America's downward slide?" They say they've heard of a time when working people could raise a family and send the kids to college on just one parent's income (and that college in states like California and New York was almost free). That anyone who wanted a decent paying job could get one. That people only worked five days a week, eight hours a day, got the whole weekend off and had a paid vacation every summer. That many jobs were union jobs, from baggers at the grocery store to the guy painting your house, and this meant that no matter how "lowly" your job was you had guarantees of a pension, occasional raises, health insurance and someone to stick up for you if you were unfairly treated.
Young people have heard of this mythical time -- but it was no myth, it was real. And when they ask, "When did this all end?", I say, "It ended on this day: August 5th, 1981."
Beginning on this date, 30 years ago, Big Business and the Right Wing decided to "go for it" -- to see if they could actually destroy the middle class so that they could become richer themselves.
And they've succeeded.
On August 5, 1981, President Ronald Reagan fired every member of the air traffic controllers union (PATCO) who'd defied his order to return to work and declared their union illegal. They had been on strike for just two days.
It was a bold and brash move. No one had ever tried it. What made it even bolder was that PATCO was one of only three unions that had endorsed Reagan for president! It sent a shock wave through workers across the country. If he would do this to the people who were with him, what would he do to us?
Reagan had been backed by Wall Street in his run for the White House and they, along with right-wing Christians, wanted to restructure America and turn back the tide that President Franklin D. Roosevelt started -- a tide that was intended to make life better for the average working person. The rich hated paying better wages and providing benefits. They hated paying taxes even more. And they despised unions. The right-wing Christians hated anything that sounded like socialism or holding out a helping hand to minorities or women.
Reagan promised to end all that. So when the air traffic controllers went on strike, he seized the moment. In getting rid of every single last one of them and outlawing their union, he sent a clear and strong message: The days of everyone having a comfortable middle class life were over. America, from now on, would be run this way:
* The super-rich will make more, much much more, and the rest of you will scramble for the crumbs that are left.
* Everyone must work! Mom, Dad, the teenagers in the house! Dad, you work a second job! Kids, here's your latch-key! Your parents might be home in time to put you to bed.
* 50 million of you must go without health insurance! And health insurance companies: you go ahead and decide who you want to help -- or not.
* Unions are evil! You will not belong to a union! You do not need an advocate! Shut up and get back to work! No, you can't leave now, we're not done. Your kids can make their own dinner.
* You want to go to college? No problem -- just sign here and be in hock to a bank for the next 20 years!
* What's "a raise"? Get back to work and shut up!
And so it went. But Reagan could not have pulled this off by himself in 1981. He had some big help:
The AFL-CIO.
The biggest organization of unions in America told its members to cross the picket lines of the air traffic controllers and go to work. And that's just what these union members did. Union pilots, flight attendants, delivery truck drivers, baggage handlers -- they all crossed the line and helped to break the strike. And union members of all stripes crossed the picket lines and continued to fly.
Reagan and Wall Street could not believe their eyes! Hundreds of thousands of working people and union members endorsing the firing of fellow union members. It was Christmas in August for Corporate America.
And that was the beginning of the end. Reagan and the Republicans knew they could get away with anything -- and they did. They slashed taxes on the rich. They made it harder for you to start a union at your workplace. They eliminated safety regulations on the job. They ignored the monopoly laws and allowed thousands of companies to merge or be bought out and closed down. Corporations froze wages and threatened to move overseas if the workers didn't accept lower pay and less benefits. And when the workers agreed to work for less, they moved the jobs overseas anyway.
And at every step along the way, the majority of Americans went along with this. There was little opposition or fight-back. The "masses" did not rise up and protect their jobs, their homes, their schools (which used to be the best in the world). They just accepted their fate and took the beating.
I have often wondered what would have happened had we all just stopped flying, period, back in 1981. What if all the unions had said to Reagan, "Give those controllers their jobs back or we're shutting the country down!"? You know what would have happened. The corporate elite and their boy Reagan would have buckled.
But we didn't do it. And so, bit by bit, piece by piece, in the ensuing 30 years, those in power have destroyed the middle class of our country and, in turn, have wrecked the future for our young people. Wages have remained stagnant for 30 years. Take a look at the statistics and you can see that every decline we're now suffering with had its beginning in 1981 (here's a little scene to illustrate that from my last movie).
It all began on this day, 30 years ago. One of the darkest days in American history. And we let it happen to us. Yes, they had the money, and the media and the cops. But we had 200 million of us. Ever wonder what it would look like if 200 million got truly upset and wanted their country, their life, their job, their weekend, their time with their kids back?
Have we all just given up? What are we waiting for? Forget about the 20% who support the Tea Party -- we are the other 80%! This decline will only end when we demand it. And not through an online petition or a tweet. We are going to have to turn the TV and the computer and the video games off and get out in the streets (like they've done in Wisconsin). Some of you need to run for local office next year. We need to demand that the Democrats either get a spine and stop taking corporate money -- or step aside.
When is enough, enough? The middle class dream will not just magically reappear. Wall Street's plan is clear: America is to be a nation of Haves and Have Nothings. Is that OK for you?
Why not use today to pause and think about the little steps you can take to turn this around in your neighborhood, at your workplace, in your school? Is there any better day to start than today?
Yours,
Michael Moore
Friday, August 5th, 2011
Friends,
From time to time, someone under 30 will ask me, "When did this all begin, America's downward slide?" They say they've heard of a time when working people could raise a family and send the kids to college on just one parent's income (and that college in states like California and New York was almost free). That anyone who wanted a decent paying job could get one. That people only worked five days a week, eight hours a day, got the whole weekend off and had a paid vacation every summer. That many jobs were union jobs, from baggers at the grocery store to the guy painting your house, and this meant that no matter how "lowly" your job was you had guarantees of a pension, occasional raises, health insurance and someone to stick up for you if you were unfairly treated.
Young people have heard of this mythical time -- but it was no myth, it was real. And when they ask, "When did this all end?", I say, "It ended on this day: August 5th, 1981."
Beginning on this date, 30 years ago, Big Business and the Right Wing decided to "go for it" -- to see if they could actually destroy the middle class so that they could become richer themselves.
And they've succeeded.
On August 5, 1981, President Ronald Reagan fired every member of the air traffic controllers union (PATCO) who'd defied his order to return to work and declared their union illegal. They had been on strike for just two days.
It was a bold and brash move. No one had ever tried it. What made it even bolder was that PATCO was one of only three unions that had endorsed Reagan for president! It sent a shock wave through workers across the country. If he would do this to the people who were with him, what would he do to us?
Reagan had been backed by Wall Street in his run for the White House and they, along with right-wing Christians, wanted to restructure America and turn back the tide that President Franklin D. Roosevelt started -- a tide that was intended to make life better for the average working person. The rich hated paying better wages and providing benefits. They hated paying taxes even more. And they despised unions. The right-wing Christians hated anything that sounded like socialism or holding out a helping hand to minorities or women.
Reagan promised to end all that. So when the air traffic controllers went on strike, he seized the moment. In getting rid of every single last one of them and outlawing their union, he sent a clear and strong message: The days of everyone having a comfortable middle class life were over. America, from now on, would be run this way:
* The super-rich will make more, much much more, and the rest of you will scramble for the crumbs that are left.
* Everyone must work! Mom, Dad, the teenagers in the house! Dad, you work a second job! Kids, here's your latch-key! Your parents might be home in time to put you to bed.
* 50 million of you must go without health insurance! And health insurance companies: you go ahead and decide who you want to help -- or not.
* Unions are evil! You will not belong to a union! You do not need an advocate! Shut up and get back to work! No, you can't leave now, we're not done. Your kids can make their own dinner.
* You want to go to college? No problem -- just sign here and be in hock to a bank for the next 20 years!
* What's "a raise"? Get back to work and shut up!
And so it went. But Reagan could not have pulled this off by himself in 1981. He had some big help:
The AFL-CIO.
The biggest organization of unions in America told its members to cross the picket lines of the air traffic controllers and go to work. And that's just what these union members did. Union pilots, flight attendants, delivery truck drivers, baggage handlers -- they all crossed the line and helped to break the strike. And union members of all stripes crossed the picket lines and continued to fly.
Reagan and Wall Street could not believe their eyes! Hundreds of thousands of working people and union members endorsing the firing of fellow union members. It was Christmas in August for Corporate America.
And that was the beginning of the end. Reagan and the Republicans knew they could get away with anything -- and they did. They slashed taxes on the rich. They made it harder for you to start a union at your workplace. They eliminated safety regulations on the job. They ignored the monopoly laws and allowed thousands of companies to merge or be bought out and closed down. Corporations froze wages and threatened to move overseas if the workers didn't accept lower pay and less benefits. And when the workers agreed to work for less, they moved the jobs overseas anyway.
And at every step along the way, the majority of Americans went along with this. There was little opposition or fight-back. The "masses" did not rise up and protect their jobs, their homes, their schools (which used to be the best in the world). They just accepted their fate and took the beating.
I have often wondered what would have happened had we all just stopped flying, period, back in 1981. What if all the unions had said to Reagan, "Give those controllers their jobs back or we're shutting the country down!"? You know what would have happened. The corporate elite and their boy Reagan would have buckled.
But we didn't do it. And so, bit by bit, piece by piece, in the ensuing 30 years, those in power have destroyed the middle class of our country and, in turn, have wrecked the future for our young people. Wages have remained stagnant for 30 years. Take a look at the statistics and you can see that every decline we're now suffering with had its beginning in 1981 (here's a little scene to illustrate that from my last movie).
It all began on this day, 30 years ago. One of the darkest days in American history. And we let it happen to us. Yes, they had the money, and the media and the cops. But we had 200 million of us. Ever wonder what it would look like if 200 million got truly upset and wanted their country, their life, their job, their weekend, their time with their kids back?
Have we all just given up? What are we waiting for? Forget about the 20% who support the Tea Party -- we are the other 80%! This decline will only end when we demand it. And not through an online petition or a tweet. We are going to have to turn the TV and the computer and the video games off and get out in the streets (like they've done in Wisconsin). Some of you need to run for local office next year. We need to demand that the Democrats either get a spine and stop taking corporate money -- or step aside.
When is enough, enough? The middle class dream will not just magically reappear. Wall Street's plan is clear: America is to be a nation of Haves and Have Nothings. Is that OK for you?
Why not use today to pause and think about the little steps you can take to turn this around in your neighborhood, at your workplace, in your school? Is there any better day to start than today?
Yours,
Michael Moore
MMFlint@aol.com
MichaelMoore.com
P.S. Here are a few places you can connect with to get the ball rolling:
Showdown in America
Democracy Convention
Occupy Wall Street
October 2011
How to Join a Union, from the AFL-CIO (They've learned their lesson and have a good president now) orUE
Change to Win
MoveOn
High School Newspaper (Just because you're under 18 doesn't mean you can't do anything!)
Friday, August 05, 2011
Welcome to Fascist America
Unmasking "Secret Law": New Demand for Answeres about the Government's Hidden Take on the Patriot Act.
Sooo, these stories may have no connection whatsoever, but in combination I just don't feel safe in my country any more. The fact that for-profit corporations have so much power and the Supreme Court, and other courts keep handing them more and more power is disgusting. I am disgusted, no wait, make that revolted with the power structure in my country. This:
"We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America"
bears little resemblence to reality these days.
Sooo, these stories may have no connection whatsoever, but in combination I just don't feel safe in my country any more. The fact that for-profit corporations have so much power and the Supreme Court, and other courts keep handing them more and more power is disgusting. I am disgusted, no wait, make that revolted with the power structure in my country. This:
"We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America"
bears little resemblence to reality these days.
Thursday, August 04, 2011
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