Over the years I’ve been writing in this “blog” I’ve read many many books about the inner workings of the United States government, mostly over the past 30 years (although I love to read about US history in general), and the more I read the more I realize how corrupted our government has become by the selfish interests of the corporate elite in America who are buying favors in Washington DC.  I knew it was farcical when the governor of Michigan (I think), one of the new breed of right wing governors who are going after collective bargaining rights of workers  state by state, called teachers members of “America’s elite.” (I’m a teacher)  And, I’ve been fully aware of the republican party’s “buy in” of Joseph Goebbels’ “big lie theory,” and the propaganda war they’ve been waging – I just didn’t know, until it’s been sinking in recently, how ingrained this propaganda has been during my lifetime and how difficult it’s going to be to overcome the damage.  I’m reading the sequel to “Confessions of an Economic Hit Man” by John Perkins, I just finished “Vulture’s Picnic” by Greg Palast, I’ve read “The Wrecking Crew” by Thomas Franks, “The Shock Doctrine” by Naomi Klein, “The Family” by Jeff Sharlett, and “The Family of Secrets” by (I can’t remember the author’s name – it’s on my Nook), and many more books that ALL give the same picture.

There is a conspiracy of true “elitists” in America who are essentially “calling the shots.”  They are the “power brokers” at the head of what was once America’s corporate empire (imagine them referring to me as “elite”), but has evolved into a multinational corporate empire.  They have gained control of the inner workings of America’s government to the point where the “game” is so heavily tilted toward the “rich” that it’s just a matter of time, in my opinion, until “we the people” revolt.  In fact, that revolt appears to me to be in its initial stages as I’m writing this.  What should be a “wake up” to most Americans is that many people in the “rest of the world” are much more aware of the injustices of these corporations than America’s own public (because of the propaganda, which really seems to me at the brainwashing stage).  The thoughts that have struck me the most vividly in my recent readings are that, despite my continued DISDAIN for republicans (and justified, I might add), the evidence suggests that democrats have played a HUGE part in the deterioration of America’s middle class (and the middle class in untold numbers of nations around the world).

Many on the democratic “side of the isle” in American politics (including me on occasion) refer back to the administration of Bill Clinton as a success because during his eight years in office the American budget was turned from a HUGE deficit into a SIGNIFICANT surplus – with many (including me) expecting that surplus to be used to reduce the national debt.  Of course, that was not to be – but, is also a story for another day – what most democrats refuse to discuss are some of the decisions made during the Clinton presidency which have proven to be “game changers” in the “corporatocracy’s” assault on the middle class.  The best analogy I can think of is football – when the offensive line clears a hole “you could drive a truck through” – which is what the Clinton administration did for this corporate cabal which is attempting to control EVERYTHING!

What most people would refer to, should this subject come up, would be NAFTA and GATT – the “free trade” agreements which have subsequently been blamed for the departure of much of America’s manufacturing base to countries where labor can be found for next to nothing.  Workers in inhumane conditions working endless hours for pennies on the dollar compared to American workers and in an environment where there are no benefits to be paid by the corporations to the workers.  In fact, the only benefits involved seem to be the ones the corporations receive from the locations where they move their factories along with their ability to avoid the American tax code.  (Many of these corporate executives are the same people who are complaining about America’s national debt problem!)  As I see it, this is a very significant issue which has decimated many in America’s middle class by taking jobs they’ve held for years and essentially moving them outside our borders in an attempt to increase “shareholder value” AND corporate executive salaries and bonuses.  These trade agreements have played a large role in the now apparently accepted mentality that shareholders are more important than workers and that there is no such thing as excessive compensation for corporate executives.

That’s the most obvious of the, what I call, “foopahs” of the Clinton administration.  But, there’s a couple others that I believe might play an even larger role in the corporate takeover of America’s political process.  First was the Telecommunications Act of 1996.  At the time of this bill there were many thousands of small, medium, and large broadcast media outlets in America, with a somewhat thriving print media was well.  Now, I realize that the internet has had a profound effect on the print media, but the bottom line for me is that America’s newspapers were considered by the founders of our nation as the “Fourth Estate.”  That meant the fourth branch of government, the “connection” to the people which was supposed to keep us “informed” as to what is going on in the halls of Congress, the White House, and the court system.  Well, the newspapers have been dropping like flies since that date AND they have seen a contraction of ownership with the ability of people like Rupert Murdoch to gain a huge market share by buying up the competition.  I’m not a fan of the Wall Street Journal (I’ve subscribed to it occasionally over the years), but when I saw that Murdoch had been allowed to purchase it I could do no more than shake my head in disbelief.  What is this country coming to?  The man has proven himself to be a partisan through his political donations and through his other media outlets (especially “Fox news” which should be titled “GOP news”) and, I was convinced that the government would not allow one person to control so much of our media – yet, it was approved with nary a whimper.  I believe that over 90% of America’s media outlets are controlled by less than 10 corporations who are all led by republicans – hence our “liberal media” – this is the foundation of the great propaganda “machine” they’ve created.  And, trying to reverse this trend is like asking the fox to watch over the hen house – not an appealing proposition!

Yes, there’s another “foopah”  that I don’t think gets the amount of attention it should – mainly because the republicans are TOTALLY pleased by the results (they were actually very supportive of this one – and, I’m sure the others as well – so much for bipartisanship) and, I’m guessing, that the democrats would prefer to allow people to believe this was ALL the fault of republicans – and, that’s the repeal of the Glass Steagall Act.  If you’re not aware of what “Glass Steagall” is, it’s the name associated with a bill passed during the thirties under FDR (Glass and Steagall were the co sponsors of the bill) which essentially prevented the banks from becoming “too big to fail.”  That is, banks that were taking money from depositors (which was guaranteed against loss by the federal government) were not allowed to combine with Wall Street investment banks and they were also not allowed to combine with Insurance companies.  Three of the PRIME instigators of this “repeal” were Robert Rubin (then Clinton’s Treasury Secretary), Larry Summers (a Goldman Sachs big-shot and Clinton economic adviser and later Barack Obama’s chief economic adviser), and Timothy Geithner (another Goldman protegee, then assistant Treasury Secretary under Clinton, and now Treasury Secretary under Obama). It was Obama’s choice of Summers and Geithner that was one of my first “red flags” as I realized President Obama was not going to be the “change agent” I had understood him to be during his election.

It’s true these three worked in coordination with republican senator Phil Gramm to get this through, but the end result is probably not something democrats will be “crowing” about anytime soon.  You see, democrats (and, despite my “independent status” myself included) like to point out all the conflicts of interest that have devastating after effects on the general public and are done by republicans.  However, the repeal of Glass Steagall allowed Citigroup to become a HUGE conglomerate of insurance companies, banks, and investment houses (to give just one example) and one of the leading causes of the 2008 national economic collapse along with a chief recipient of the HATED TARP bailout orchestrated by Hank Paulsen (another Goldman Sachs protegee and CEO).  The sad reality is that Rubin, Summers, and Geithner went from the Clinton administration to key Wall Street positions and helped to create the aforementioned collapse.  Rubin is, to me, one of the worst examples of what’s wrong with our government and it’s ties to the corporatocracy.  He went from his position as Treasury Secretary (Glass Steagall was repealed in the final year of Clinton’s presidency)  to chairman of Citigroup with an ultimate payoff in the HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS of dollars! (Rubin, Summers, Geithner, Paulsen ALL have a common “thread” which is Goldman Sachs!)

This should be evidence enough to cause people who are planning to support democrats in 2012 (including me) pause to think about how to go about this.  But there’s more – which only helps me to understand how deep this corporate infiltration of our government has gone (and, I encourage you to read any of the books I listed above if you haven’t already done so – there’s some “eye popping” information in them).  And, the really sad part for me – because I so enthusiastically endorsed Obama in 2008 and so much want him to SUCCEED – is there’s a plethora of evidence that President Obama’s administration is going along with much of the “coolaid” that I would certainly expect him to oppose.  (I’m only going to give a couple examples, but I believe Palast’s “Vulture’s Picnic” should be required reading for all American adults of voting age)

I’d start with the connections to Wall Street (Summers and Geithner among others) but let’s take a look at “big oil.”  Do you remember the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico a couple of years ago?  The so-called Deepwater Horizon oil spill?  If you want to get to the “truth” as to what happened there and the “truth” about BP – read Palast’s book mentioned above.  What’s significant to me is that a common thread among all these books is the willingness – in fact eagerness – of the big oil companies, with BP being possibly the worst offender – to essentially rape societies of their natural resources in such an arrogant way that I believe history will look upon them as the perpetrators of evil.  I don’t have space to go into the details, but when President Obama “negotiated” the apparent $20 BILLION dollar fund from BP to pay off the Gulf Coast people damaged by their negligent (probably criminal) behavior in the Gulf he chose Kenneth Feinberg as the administrater.  This man came with a “track record” of being “pro BP” in this case – based on his previous work – again, read “Vulture’s Picnic” if you want the details.  Palast estimates that Feinberg will minimize, by BILLIONS, the amount of money BP ultimately pays for destroying the Gulf of Mexico and essentially murdering 11 of their employees.  He will make it as difficult as possible for people who claim damages to collect and will use their desperation against them in the negotiating process to reduce BP’s exposure to their claims.  Just as many are wondering why no one has gone to jail for the Wall Street fiasco and the crimes of the Bush administration, well you can add the Deepwater Horizon oil spill to that list.

There’s another indication of Obama’s connection to the large corporate interests in his willingness to approve Nuclear Power plants despite ALL the evidence about their safety issues.  Palast uncovered some interesting evidence that you’ll find nowhere else about the power plants that teetered on the verge of meltdown in Japan following the earthquake there and Obama’s administration has approved government loan guarantees in the tens of BILLIONS for a couple plants in the South that could receive funding NO OTHER way because the “real” financial market wouldn’t touch a nuclear power plant with “a ten foot pole.”  As with many of the projects the U.S. has been funding over the previous 30 plus years, both in this country and around the world, the real purpose of the money is to pad the pockets of America’s largest corporations (many of which are now owned by foreigners to different levels).   Keep in mind one of Obama’s chief economic advisers is the CEO of GE, a major “player” in the construction of nuclear power facilities.

Republicans continue to “bash” Obama for “tearing down” our military, while we continue to spend hundreds of BILLIONS on defense related projects that are essentially useless.  That is the one manufacturing sector we have kept in this nation – defense spending.  The reality is that defense related spending has increased at the usual rate under President Obama.  President Eisenhower’s warnings about the military industrial complex have come true – and that seems to be an area where there’s bipartisan agreement – spending this nation’s wealth on the military while the roads, bridges, schools, etc. are crumbling and people are suffering from a HUGE jobs crisis.

I’m trying to stay “upbeat” and I’m planning on supporting and voting for President Obama (can you actually believe the alternative?) – and, voting against EVERY republican I have the opportunity to do so – but for the long term, I’m going to support movements like the recall Scott Walker movement in Wisconsin (that’s presently where what little money I have is going), candidates like Elizabeth Warren in Massachusetts,  Alan Grayson in Florida, and Dennis Kucinich in Ohio.  Progressive activists that “tell it like it is.”  I’m too old and broken down to physically join the “Occupy” movement, but I can tell you, from what I’ve heard from their leaders, I’m all in with their movement as well – I hope it springs forth with “vigor” (in the words of Teddy Kennedy) next spring (no pun intended :o).

The real truth is that I continue to hope that members of the democratic party would “snap out of it,” gain some backbone – and, put up a REAL fight for the “change we can believe in.”  I honestly think President Obama was thinking that if we could “go back” to the way it was under Clinton, people would be happy.  I believe the one thing that the populist movement on the “left” agrees with the grassroots “tea baggers” is that we don’t want to go back to “the way it was.”  Well, let me restate that this way; I think we want our leaders to go back to the way it was supposed to be.  Now, there’s plenty of room for disagreement over what that means, but I’m convinced what it doesn’t mean is lobbyists controlling Washington, backroom deals controlling Congress, AND the “Big Lie theory.”  I think there’s millions more Americans besides me who are sick of all the LYING!  America’s “leaders” have been lying so long, they believe their own lies as soon as the words come out of their mouths. It’s time for America’s people to demonstrate to the rest of the world how to reclaim a government gone awry PEACEFULLY.  If President Obama and the democratic party are smart, they’ll join with the people they supposedly represent in order to speed up this process!

Honestly, I fully realize I’m just a 6th grade school teacher and this “blog” is simply my place in cyberspace to vent my frustrations with the “powers that be,” but I have to say that over the few years I’ve been doing this, the republicans have been getting so far “out there” that I’m wondering what’s going through the mind of ANYONE who would vote for them.  And, I’m including the so-called “1%” in this, because ultimately their economic health depends on the economic health of the nation as a whole.  Some of the comments I’m hearing from republicans lately make me wonder how any of them could possibly be commanding a national stage in the first place.  There are some popularly quoted “quips” like Romney’s “Corporations are people my friend” (how could he be remotely considered as our commander in chief?), to Herman Cain’s “Blame yourself” when referring to people who’ve lost their jobs or their homes, to Rick Perry’s inability to remember his own “talking points,” to now “the Newt” commenting that the Palestinians have never had a homeland (that should speed up a middle east peace accord? – and, by the way, Newt – over the years – has made enough buffoonish comments that are certainly on tape – that the republicans can’t possibly be considering nominating him, can they????) and Mayor Bloomberg of New York suggesting one half of all teachers should be fired and the “good ones” should have double the class size so our students will get a better education! OH MY GOSH!!!

The ignorance of these people never stops amazing me.  And, yet our “liberal media” continues to “run them by us” in debate after debate so we can choose which one of them deserves to be the spokesperson for the corporate cabal that is trying to surreptitiously undermine  and – at the same time – take over our government.  They are close, oh so close – yet, this group of buffoons is all they can come up with in their attempt to complete what Karl Rove calls the “permanent republican majority.”  I continue to wonder why they’re relying on Newt, or Mitt, or Rick, or ???? (I still think they’re going to pick Jeb) to be the”front person.”  The best I can come up with is there are two possible requirements – one of which must be met for someone to “lead” the republicans.  They have to be either totally STUPID or they have to be MORALLY BANKRUPT and willing to stand in front of “whomever” and lie through their teeth.  And, the sad reality is that they are going to have the FULL FORCE of those corporations Mitt Romney pointed out are “people” funding their campaigns.

While, on the surface it seems ridiculous that anyone of these people could win a national election, “upon further review”…….Let me give you a quick example of what to expect.  (This example is so outrageous that it cost me $20 – the minute I saw the add I HAD to send $20 [I know $20 doesn’t seem like much, but to me, well….] to the campaign of Elizabeth Warren in Massachusetts – and I live in Washington state)  Karl Rove – the ultimate plaything of the corporatocracy which is attempting the coup de tat on America’s middle class, that is they are the one’s supplying him with BILLIONS to spend in an attempt to complete the “gaining control of congress” part of their scheme – recently published an add in Massachusetts where Warren is leading in the polls over Scott Brown for the US Senate (Teddy Kennedy’s old seat).  Warren has been at the forefront of the anti-Wall Street movement for years and was directly responsible for creating the consumer financial protection agency that the republicans in congress are refusing to staff because it will oversee the unsavory banking practices of the predatory lenders who are paying MILLIONS into the campaign coffers of the same republican senators who are blocking President Obama’s attempt to get this agency “off the ground.”  After the republicans made it clear they would not confirm Warren for leadership in this new agency, she decided to run for the Senate where she could continue her attempts at reforming our banking system and Wall Street in general.

I’m sure you can guess where this is going, but just in case I’ll get to the point.  Rove’s TV add would have the unsuspecting (OK Lars Larsen, here I go again) low information voter thinking that Warren was a strong supporter of Wall Street and that she was directly involved in and responsible for the financial collapse of our economy in 2008 (you know, when Rove was working for GW Bush et al) and that the TARP bailout was something she came up with (Rove was blaming Warren for EVERYTHING he and his boss was responsible for – along with Cheney/Paulsen/Rumsfeld/and the others – as if to say it was so bad it would disqualify her from office! – what he doesn’t say, of course, is that his purpose is to put the very people who ACTUALLY did cause the crisis back in POWER!) .  The first time I saw the add it just confirmed in my mind there is NOTHING these thugs won’t say or do in order to gain the stranglehold on POWER they’ve been scheming for since BEFORE the days of Ronald Reagan – although he’s the one who showed them how to turn the tide against the New Deal they all hate so passionately (it was reported that Rove bought over half a MILLION dollars of air time for this add – and, of course the TV networks just take the money with NO fact checking – UNBELIEVABLE!).  This is the best example yet I’ve seen of how republicans use the “Big Lie Theory” of Joseph Goebbels – chief of propaganda for Adolf Hitler during WW II – in order to actually convince people to believe the OPPOSITE of what is actually true.  If you read this and live in Massachusetts, as far as I’m concerned, you have an obligation to start talking to people about what’s going on in your state.  If the people of Massachusetts are anything like the good people of Wisconsin, the backlash from CRAP like this will GUARANTEE one more republican senator “bites the dust.”

Aside from the UNLIMITED amounts of money the republicans will have at their disposal (and most of it anonymous) you have to consider the other ANTICS they have become famous for when considering the gravity of the situation.  Remember, the only way George W Bush (a comparable buffoon to Rick Perry) won the presidency was through the CHEATING of his brother Jeb and his cronies during the 2000 election.  Al Gore won that election but was “defeated” by our right wing Supreme Court – as I’m writing this it’s hard for me to imagine that the rest of us at the time even accepted the validity of this decision.  And, things for MOST Americans (and many others around the world) have been going abruptly downhill since Bush was appointed president by the court.  Think that was an isolated case of rigged voting?  My mind is continually reminded of the South Carolina primary of 2010 when a Black man who didn’t even have the money to pay for the nomination fee for the US Senate democratic primary and, who didn’t campaign, won the primary from a known statewide democrat who had at least some chance to win the general election.  What am I suggesting?  The electronic voting machines used in many precincts in America are ALL the product of companies owned by members of  the republican “donor class” and they are easily HACKED.  That’s been proved over and over again.  (There’s even ample evidence to suggest that Bush “stole” the 2004 election as well with rigged voting machines and crony voter suppression antics in Ohio)  Additionally, republican voter suppression schemes are in “high gear.”  I’ve heard estimates they intend to block at least 5 MILLION (potential democratic) voters in 2012 from casting ballots!

I’m pointing this out to encourage anyone who’s been disappointed in Barrack Obama (that includes me) to make sure they plan not only to vote for him in 2012, but to encourage as many others of the “99%” to vote – and, to emphasize the importance of voting OUT republicans!  Now, I’ll be the first in line if we want to complain about democrats, but first things first here.  I’ve written many posts expressing my disappointment with President Obama, but I can tell you that I will WILLINGLY vote for him in 2012 and I’m going to campaign for him again.  There was a time when I wasn’t so sure of that, but as I’ve watched the republicans since Obama took office and continued to read books which expose the true inner workings of our government and especially the republican party, I could give a plethora of reasons why Obama’s reelection is the MOST important election of my lifetime!  Furthermore, it’s time for “we the people” to mobilize the start of PURGING congress of ALL REPUBLICANS – unless somehow some of them would stand up and REJECT the direction their party’s taken in the previous 30 years or so.   I’m starting to see signs of republicans who’ve been in positions of leadership in the past beginning to speak out (of course, they are then subject to intense ridicule from the republican “leaders”- which all I should have to say includes the likes of Rush Limbaugh, Bill O’Reilly, John Boehner, etc. etc.) but NOT ONE of them that’s presently holding public office, at least that I’m aware of, has the guts to speak out against the vile rhetoric and the middle class BASHING ways they’ve adopted as their policy.

For those of you who turn immediately to blaming democrats when your republicans fall under attack, there’s a sizable list of democratic congress people who I believe deserve to be replaced as well.  And, honestly, as a lifetime independent I wouldn’t care which party a leader was from if the republicans didn’t have the sheep herd mentality that they all vote together as a block – and the UNTHINKABLE to me is their open declaration that their FIRST priority is the defeat of President Obama – while our nation is in the midst of a terrible economic downturn.  I’ll say it again, I don’t see how anyone could vote to support ANYONE who would espouse that position.  Think about it.  What would be the motivation of someone who would WANT our president to fail?  How could they come to that position from BEFORE the day he took the oath of office (I actually heard that come from the mouth of Rush Limbaugh and republican members of congress before Obama was officially the president)?

Today while I was driving around I heard a portion of a News Conference President Obama held in which he was focusing attention on the recent battle over the reduction in Social Security taxes for the middle class workers in America.  As with EVERYTHING the republicans are blocking Obama’s attempt to extend the tax cut (he wants those making in excess of $1,000,000 per year to get a tax increase to pay for it) which clearly shows the “gap” between republicans and democrats.  That’s what the president wanted to discuss at the news conference and presumably what he was expecting to talk about.  Yet, what was the FIRST question asked by our “liberal media?”  It went something like “How do you respond to republican claims that you are being ‘passive’ (that’s my paraphrased word, because I can’t remember the exact word the “reporter” used) in foreign policy regarding the middle east?”  Obama’s seemingly terse reply brought encouragement to my mind, “Ask Osama bin Laden or the 22 Al Qaeda leaders who’ve been eliminated how passive we’ve been!” (Do you remember George W Bush’s famous quote about bin Laden – the supposed reason we were STUCK in two wars for 10 years or so? “I don’t know where he is, I don’t really spend that much time thinking about him.” – that should say it all about republicans and foreign policy)

I didn’t get the wording exact, but that’s how the republicans operate – I’m sure without knowing who asked the question, it was a republican “plant” at the news conference and the design of the question was to manipulate people’s impression of Obama almost subconsciously (with the added bonus of trying to deflect the actual reality that republicans – Bush/Cheney et al  acted EXACTLY like what the questioner was talking about) – through the use of leading questions.  What it made me think of is how weak their position is going to be when it comes to the actual campaign that is on the horizon.  One thing I’m beginning to really realize about Obama is that he’s much more the brilliant strategic politician than most people acknowledge.  I can see him backing whoever the republicans come up with for a candidate into innumerable “corners.”  I REALLY can’t imagine the American people are stupid enough or FORGETFUL enough to allow ANY republican ANY “standing” at all when the foreign policy issues come up in debates.  The contrast between Obama and GW Bush – when it is focused into debates or TV adds or whatever, will be STARK.  Yes, Rove (and others) will be busy with their “Swift boating” – trying to lie their way past their own records of incompetency – but, do you really think they want to have a discussion about bin Laden?  Do you think they want to re-hash the Iraq issue?  Do you honestly believe they want the truth about Afghanistan to become public knowledge?  Do you think they want a discussion about how America’s corporate enterprises have managed to avoid taxes by moving overseas – yet still have unabated access to America’s consumers (you know, the old “cake and eat it too” syndrome)?

These people (the republicans) are totally counting on FINISHING the DESTRUCTION of America’s economy and having the American people be so stupid as to put the blame on Obama so that they can get another BUFFOON into the White House and continue the corporate pillaging of America’s middle class.  Accomplishing this and gaining total control of congress will be the finishing touches on their “permanent republican majority.”  I’m reading the sequel to “Confessions of an Economic Hit Man” by John Perkins and it has finally dawned on me that America’s corporations are now doing to AMERICA what they’ve been doing to the rest of the world for the last half a century.  They’re purposely attempting to BANKRUPT this nation with the ultimate prize being their stealing as much of America’s resources as they can before “we the people” wise up to their scheme.  And, many of the corporate “heads” are already “stationed” in other places around the world so that they can avoid the backlash whenever it happens (and, it’s GOING to happen – hopefully, the Wisconsinites have ignited it and the “occupiers”are the next step – I really hope the backlash is non-violent)

As encouragement for you, if you’re reading this and don’t want people like Karl Rove or Rush Limbaugh or the Koch Brothers or insert a republican name (I could go on and on) deciding your future, to actively participate in the process of REMOVING REPUBLICANS from office let me remind you that – I mentioned above that 2012 is the most important election in my lifetime – the next president will likely appoint two more Supreme Court justices and if the republicans get two more on the court who are similar to Roberts and Alito (I remind you of “Citizens United” – if you don’t know the significance of that yet – FIND OUT!)  and as young as them (it’s a lifetime appointment) our children and grandchildren are screwed! I could go on and on about my disappointment with the democratic party over the past 5 years.  However, as I stated above – FIRST THINGS FIRST.  I’m convinced that until “we the people” recognize what the republican party has done (and is doing) to America this nation will continue it’s downward spiral.  There are people all over the world waiting for America’s public to wake up and get their heads out of their A##@*.

It’s true that under President Obama illegal wiretapping has presumably continued (the promised “fixing” of the FISA legislation never happened), torture is still happening (Google “Bradley Manning”), the troops came out of Iraq in 36 months (exactly on Bush’s timetable) not the promised 16 and I guarantee you there’s still a strong (and expensive) American presence in Iraq, Afghanistan has been escalated (for what – who knows? Presumably to appease America’s Generals), the so-called “Bush Tax Cuts” were extended, and we (liberals) have had to endure a president and congress tripping over themselves as they time and again try to appease these dastardly republicans who are willing to destroy the nation in order to defeat them (the republicans clearly understand that America’s voters HATE politicians who appear to be “weak” better than the democrats).

President Obama’s rhetoric is ramping up again in a way to encourage people like me, but then the reality strikes as Manning is FINALLY brought into court – after almost TWO YEARS of unthinkable inhumane treatment because he had the courage to allegedly attempt to expose the TRUTH about America’s foreign policy – and I have to admit that “MY” president is allowing similar atrocities as the last one.  The more I learn about the foreign policy of the country I love, the more disgusted I get.  The corporate “bosses” have a stranglehold on our politicians (I believe of BOTH parties) and the peaceful way to solve that problem is through the ballot box.   There is a way the “99%” could solve the problem:  First, vote out ALL republicans in 2012 and then purge our congress of corporate democrats in 2014! (Yes, that means voting for Obama is imperative) This will not be easy or quick.  Those behind this right wing assault on our nation (Koch Bros., Cheney, Bush, Haliburton, Blackwater, GE, Goldman Sachs, BP, Limbaugh, and I could go on and on) have an unlimited supply of cash, they’ve got control of the “liberal media,” and – as mentioned above – have a Supreme Court which is “on board.”  Plus, also as mentioned above, the republicans will say ANYTHING in order to get elected – they TOTALLY believe the end justifies the means!  The backlash in Wisconsin and the “Occupy” movements are hopefully just the beginning of America’s great working class rising up and setting the ultimate example for the rest of the world:  A peaceful rejection of authoritarian rule through the ballot box.

I haven’t been writing much lately, but I’m still reading book after book – and, the results are pretty much always the same.  The American political system is corrupted to the core with the republican party being the worst offenders, but the democrats – over the course of time – having their share of culpability.  I think that was a big part of the message initiated by the “Occupy” movement, that those of us in the “99%” aren’t happy with either party.  As I’ve said many times on this site, I’m personally tired of voting for the best of two poor options (I’ve been voting since 1968) – but, I have to add that presently the republican choice is so unpalatable to me that I will either vote democratic in 2012, or – in the case of an election with an unacceptable democratic candidate (like, for example, a “blue dog” democrat) I’ll write someone in.  Locally, I have good senators to support (Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell) and I’m praying that our “tea party” republican representative gets a viable opponent so she can be voted out of office.  My local state representative is a republican and he is the only politician who ever responds in writing to my queries (which I admire), but I just will not be able to vote for anyone who can’t publicly repudiate the despicable position of the present day republican party.

The latest book I’ve finished is titled “Perfectly Legal” written by David Cay Johnston and it does a great job of educating the reader on how America’s tax system has been tilted HEAVILY in favor of the “1%” the Occupy protestors are railing against at the expense of the “99%” they are supporting.  Honestly, that’s what makes it so hard for me to watch television accounts of the movement as police officers (clearly members of the “99%” the protestors are supporting) initiate violence against young PATRIOTS who remind me of myself and others back in the sixties when we got fed up with government lies regarding Viet Nam along with the realities of racism, sexism, etc. which led to the Civil Rights movement.  I’ve become old and “wobbly” so joining the “movement” hasn’t seemed appropriate to me (aside from a spiritual bond with the protestors) but I believe the “occupy” movement will be a turning point in the history books years from now as people look back on this era where the “robber barons” are attempting to be resurrected.  As I’m writing this I’m reminded of the great people of Wisconsin who will actually be considered the catalyst to the backlash which hopefully will result in the elimination – FOR GOOD – of this republican assault on our society and the NEW DEAL which they’ve been attempting to dismantle since the days FDR was getting the original legislation passed. (as an aside, if you agree with my thoughts, I encourage you to participate – at least financially – in the effort to remove Scott Walker as the governor of Wisconsin.  That will be a substantial victory for those who believe in the “99% – when I have extra cash, that’s where I’m sending it)

Make no mistake, the republican strategy is to take control of ALL aspects of this government they profess to HATE (but, curiously are willing to spend BILLIONS to control) with the intent to complete their assault on the “social safety net” originated with FDR’s New Deal in the 1030’s and accentuated with the “Great Society” of the 1960’s.  You don’t have to look very hard to see the evidence which makes that claim seem obvious.  Ronald Reagan (the deity to these republican right wing thugs) started the assault on America’s union workforce when he publicly broke the Air Traffic Controllers shortly after taking office.  Since then, Americans working in union jobs have dwindled down to something like 10% of the workforce from around 35% when Reagan was elected.  And, Reagan wasn’t elected to defeat unions – that was a side benefit for the “donor class” who supported him financially – he simply showed all republicans who’ve followed him how to get Americans to vote against their own self interest.  Read “Crazy for God” by Frank Schaeffer and you’ll be able to see how Reagan and the republicans tricked MILLIONS of Christians into believing voting republican was the way to overturn Roe v Wade.

They’ve (republicans) been using “wedge issues” ever since that time to take the minds of voters off of what is really important to them – and, as pointed out in “Perfectly Legal” using the political power they’ve gained in the last 30+ years to STEAL TRILLIONS of dollars from the American taxpayers in the guise of “trickle down” economics.  The truth is, the trickle down “theory” should be called “trickle up” because since Reagan was in office the tax burden in America has shifted dramatically away from the “rich” and toward the “middle class,” and the wealth of this nation has “trickled” dramatically UP!  I’m not going to go into great detail about what’s in Johnston’s book (I would recommend you read it if you haven’t – it was published in 2005) but the middle class taxpayers have “taken it in the shorts” in almost every facet of the tax system.  The end result is the HUGE budget shortfalls that these same republicans are always complaining about (at least, now that Bush is out of office they’re complaining about it – it didn’t seem too important to them when he was president), less ability for America’s consumer class (the middle class) to consume – that puts a downward force on the economy, more cash in the hands of the “rich” and large corporate interests, and – probably most disgusting to me – a HUGE number of “American” corporations who have “relocated” into tax havens – you guessed it, created by and supported by our republican congress (and, not blocked by democrats) – many of them not only not paying ANY taxes, but actually receiving TAX REFUNDS!  These are the same corporations whose CEO’s were at the forefront of complaining about our “welfare state” when Reagan first came into office.

“Perfectly Legal” isn’t the only book I’ve read which makes it clear that the “welfare” problem in America isn’t with the poor ripping off the system (yes, that happens, but on a small scale) – it’s America’s corporate THIEVES taking tax dollars by the BILLIONS out of the system – dollars which have to be replaced by middle class workers or dollars which become more of the national debt that the republicans have somehow FINALLY become worried about.  (You’re right, you didn’t hear a whimper from them as Reagan and the two Bush’s were ramping up the federal budget deficit exponentially!)  What the book does is give a long list of specific details on how the tax system has become rigged in favor of the rich and more and more of the “burden” being put on the “poor.”  I’ll give a couple of examples.

First, I’m sure you’re aware of the FACT that republicans have been trying to undermine the American bureaucracy since the days of Reagan (and before).  George W Bush was the epitome of this strategy – putting people in charge of various government bureaus with the express wish to close them down or reduce their effectiveness.  And, in many instances, the congress has been willing to go along with the scheme (republicans have been in control of congress for much of the time since the early 90’s).  One area they’ve succeeded in is reducing the effectiveness of the IRS.  The reality is that most middle class and poorer taxpayers do their best to pay whatever the tax that is due – yes, that’s not always the case, but in a vast majority of cases it’s true.  The statistics of IRS audits for taxpayers who make less than $50,000 is that many errors made are inadvertent.  Also, it’s true that there are many taxpayers who make well into the six and seven digits for their income who don’t even file tax returns or pay NO TAXES as the result of being able to afford hiring a lawyer or accounting firm who specialize in tax loophole schemes – many of which are total frauds.  Yet, the lower income taxpayers are 8 times as likely to be audited as the higher income taxpayers due to congress’ protection of what they consider their “donor class.”  That is people who are able to “buy” their congress people’s “attention” rarely ever get audited.  Johnston points out several instances where people earning in excess of one million dollars per year actually taking out full page adds in major newspapers BRAGGING about not paying ANY taxes and STILL not being audited by the IRS.  Some of the explanation for that is reduced funding for the agency along with legislation written to protect politician’s “friends” from IRS scrutiny.  I could explain that better, but if it gets your interest to know about this, get the book and read it.

Another example is the result of a former Oregon Senator, Bob Packwood, who was the head of the Senate Finance Committee in the 1980’s (of course, now he’s a prominent tax LOBBYIST) proposing – and getting passed – a bill that essentially allows corporate executives to RIP OFF America’s taxpayers EVERY time they fly in the PRIVATE JETS!  Johnston uses the example of the CEO of GE flying with his wife to Paris for a vacation.  The CEO is required by this law to report the cost of a first class ticket on his/her taxes which amounts to something around $2000.  At the same time, the CEO’s corporation is allowed to deduct the actual cost of flying the plane from their taxes – in this case, the cost being around $70,000.  Therefore, the taxpayers are subsidizing the CEO’s trip to the tune of around $22,500 ($70,000 divided by the 35% corporate tax rate less the $2,000 reported).  This is just one of a HUGE number of ways the “1%” are entitled to rip of America’s middle class – who must make up the difference for the $22,500.  The other day I started looking at this in a way that hadn’t crossed my mind before.

If you’ve read Naomi Klein’s “Shock Doctrine” (If you haven’t, you should!) and John Perkins’ “Confessions of an Economic Hitman” (another “must read” in my view) you would understand America’s history of “lending money” to “third world countries” knowing they would be unable to repay and subsequently going in and establishing their own “rules” after default which all American corporations to rip off the natural resources of that country.  Much of this happened in the 70’s and 80’s in South American countries, which have since “wised up.”  Huge amounts of wealth were extracted from places like Chile, Venezuela, Argentina, etc.  Crises were created and led to a “solution” which greatly benefited the moneyed interests of the United States.  America’s corporations caused these countries to create HUGE amounts of debt, and then put the “squeeze” on them when they couldn’t pay their bills.  Well, look what’s going on in America right now.  We are frantically borrowing from who knows where and if we follow the path of the republican party it’s just a matter of time until we can’t conceivably “repay.”  I believe the “squeeze” is already “on” from the republican point of view.  When you look closely at how the tax system is set up and you look at what are now the overt interests of republicans (I mean, they don’t hide their allegiance to the “1%” at all anymore) you can see how they are participating in a plan to “squeeze” as much wealth out of America as they can before they simply leave the scraps for those of us in the “99%.”  The reports of the amounts of CASH that America’s corporate “heads” and the top earners in America are “sitting” on is staggering – it’s in the TRILLIONS.  And, due to their control of the “liberal media” most Americans haven’t a clue what’s happening to them.  They are frustrated, but they don’t know where to turn – AND they don’t know who’s behind the thievery that’s taking place.

More and more people are discovering that Fox “news” is nothing more than a front for the republican party and this ripping off of America’s middle class, but it’s even hard to figure out how to get information to get beyond the B___Sh___.  The other day when I was in Barnes and Nobel looking for books, it finally dawned on me that all these right wing pundits who’ve established their names on Fox are working with “ghost writers” who are part of the propaganda scheme to flood the market with books that are designed to further the republican “talking points.”  So, you have to be careful of what you read, and you have to accept the premise that the republicans are operating on the theory of Joseph Goebbels who was the Nazi chief of propaganda that “if you tell a lie over and over enough, people will start to believe it’s true.”  What makes the challenge of overcoming these people more daunting is the effect of the “Citizens United” Supreme Court decision which not only thrust unlimited amounts of corporate cash into our election process, but shows the importance of getting the right wing judges who’ve been appointed to the court since the days of Reagan off the court.  Should President Obama lose in 2012, the thought of a couple more “conservatives” on the bench makes me feel very uneasy for my children and grandchildren’s future.

So, the bottom line here is that corporate America has turned it’s greedy head right back on the American people which made it (the corporations)  powerful in the first place.  It was the working class of America which turned this country into the envy of the rest of the world, and it was the ideals America stood for which led to her status as the “leader of the free world.” (for example, the idea of torture is repugnant to the values I grew up with)  However, it has been the greed of corporations “run amok” that stands to take America back into second class status – although, I believe the actions of the good people of Wisconsin and all the young people at the forefront of the “Occupy” movement will ultimately prevent that from happening.  All this being said, I feel the 2012 election is the most significant election of my lifetime and if those of us in the “99%” band together, there’s a chance we can overcome the BILLIONS which are likely to be spent as the result of the Citizens United fiasco. (and trust me, despite the ugly face of Justice Sam Alito at Barrack Obama’s suggestion that foreign money will be infused into our electoral process because of that decision, there’s going to be substantial foreign money in this next election).  2012 basically boils down to US (the “99%”) vs. Corporations (republicans) and America’s future hangs in the balance!