I wish the corporate leaders would listen to you. Unfortunately, immersed as they are in their over-the-top lavish lifestyles and ability to buy politicians, they can't see further than the next quarterly report. For them, life is good just the way things are. Of course, the corporate interests don't want the voting rights bill to pass, because it limits money in politics.
Lawrence O'Donnell, on his show last night, characterized Kyrsten Sinema's sanctimonious speech yesterday as giving a middle finger to the President of the United States, of her own party. He opined that the speech, which she clearly was reading verbatim, was written by her staff. I suspect it was actually written by corporate lobbyists. The same corporate campaign cash that Mitch McConnell uses to keep Republicans in line is being used to keep Sinema and Manchin in line.
Maybe Biden should start talking incessantly about corruption, in the Congress and the federal courts.
We the people really must engage in narratively, economically, and politically purposeful conflict with the dominant funders. Yes, that's more than voting. We need to stop business as usual. Yes, I am an old hippy, yes I was in the antiwar movement. We learned a lot of lessons. One of them is you can't vote your way to a better society. Ask the abolitionists, the civil rights movement leaders, the people who watched our leaders get murdered. Malcolm X, JFK, RFK, MLK. Yes, we are very likely to lose, and so is the planet. But if we don't do our part, it's a guarantee that we are all going to shorten the life of the planet for all its occupants, including the rich, the criminal, and the good. And the probability now is we are heading for a fascist takeover I won't live to see the end of. Nevertheless. Persist, even if you cry every day.
They are unwittingly killing the goose that lays the golden eggs. The American laborer has been the driver of the vast wealth here. Now, with outsourcing for cheap labor, we see the supply chain problems and unemployment issues. Homes are out of sight for most people. Our economy is a crap shoot for the humans, great for the 'people' ie corporations. Throw in the complete lack of concern for our ecosystem and we are heading for disaster. We need to reform the 'Supreme' court, and have real justice with term limits. We should root out representatives who do not honor their oaths of office, and jail those who had a part in the attack on the people's house; who were involved in the Sedition. from Citizens United to the Electoral College to the plans to take away our votes, we are in trouble. We need some remedies.
1. Corporations exist to maximize profits for their shareholders. Their officers are compensated based on this. Democrat party leaders realize they cannot pass campaign finance reform, and they cannot compete in elections if they don't pander to those who pay for their campaigns.
2. Sinema's refusal to consider a voting rights exception to the filibuster should have consequences. Schumer should "temporarily" and indefinitely remove her from all committee assignments so she can have "more time in AZ to spend with her constituents and hear their concerns".
Many lovely people who, at home, have families, are active in the community, recycle their waste, drive economical or electric vehicles, donate to charities and support progressive policies turn right around each morning when they go to work in their corporate jobs wherein they make decisions and take actions that perpetuate corporate dominance in the economy and public affairs. Each one of us is a miniature Senema or Manchin when we do corporate bidding in exchange for the pittance of our paychecks. And we are stuck. If anyone goes to work and opposes the mission of their employer, they certainly will not become more influential in that enterprise. This may only be some pathetic hand wringing on my part, but we have got to figure out the problem with capitalism and reform it. Trust busting and regulation are two of the best tools we have, but we need a government that EFFECTIVELY acts for the public good.
One of the tactics savvy autocrats use is to ally with the plutocrats and their major corporations to funnel capital to them through inflated defense contracts and other sweetheart deals. Add the revolving door between government policy-makers and industry and you have a well-oiled machine for moving money from the taxpayers to the contractors, and rewarding those who facilitate this. Part of the package of reforms needed to reverse this slide into feudalism is contract reform and more strict restrictions on the revolving door. Defense is a sad necessity in modern life, but it shouldn't be a dominant driver of our economy, or an undue influence on our governance.
Why in 2022 does any one expect corporate America who overall profited from both Trumpism and pandemic to support an honest, open, and public commitment to democracy and obedience to the laws and the Constitution? Or expect politically appointed judges or rampantly profiting politicians to try to limit them? No one! From Citizens United to PACs to self-promoting but dishonest full page ads in NYT--and the example of Manch-ema profiting wildly off their undemocratic grifting--to Big Tech--look at the leading examples.
Of course, the US will not follow the examples, incomplete as they may be, across the EU and elsewhere, to both regulate and self-regulate. The US has forgotten the first sentence of the Constitution, "we the people." Instead, we devolve into "some few of the people."
It is important to keep in mind that the constitution never refers to corporations or even uses the word "corporation". Corporate power comes not from the constitution, but from the courts. At the writing of the constitution, corporations existed only in the form enabled by the Crown or the charters of the 13 colonies. The only ones whose names we might recognize would be those like the East India Trading Company that was attacked in the Boston Tea Party. (Full disclosure: neither does it use the word "democracy". The Founders were afraid of any hint of populism that might threaten the interests of the slavers. Hence the Electoral College as a stop-gap buffer.) Corporations in the form that we know them became prominent in the 1800s as an outcome of the industrial revolution. That's when they started their persistent effort to infiltrate the courts with the claim that they were corporate "persons" who were included in the "We the People" clause in the constitution. Thereby they could lay claim to all of the rights and protections that apply to real people. The persistently pushed that claim to its eventual victory in "Citizens United" and beyond.
The answer to this is simple but difficult to achieve. Lobbying should still be illegal as it was in the original Constitution. Buying laws is not democracy.
We had it too good and unfortunately we need aggressive leadership to attack the threats against our democracy. I was disappointed Biden didn’t focus solely on protecting our democracy when elected. He refused to eliminate filibuster at that time. He said it would be too disruptive for Congress. But somehow traitors serving in Congress was no problem. He’s a day late and a dollar short with his efforts 14 months later. All the participants should be in prison and charged with treason. Biden would have sent a powerful message and brought Americans together. HANDS OFF OUR DEMOCRACY
A responsible citizen should compile a list of corporations that contribute to Trump, the Trump-led GOP, Manchin, Sinema, as well as individual GOP candidates for office. I would like to. boycott these companies.
I have been continously surprised that corporate leaders don't understand how bad despotic rule, and its attendant unpredictability and often chaos, would be for their enterprises. There are so many examples in history, including two world wars.
The Supreme Court's decision in the case "Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission" was constitutionally wrong! Congress needs to correct this horrible judicial error. Corporate law gives the corporate form of business basically three right: 1) indeterminate life 2) the right to own, rent , lease or sell real property 3) the right to sue and be sued. These rights are said to create a quasi-person. But quasi-persons do not have the right to vote and therefore do not have the right to participate in the election process. Moreover, corporations do not seek their shareholders' opinions before making corporate political donations. Spending funds owned collectively by the shareholders without permission on political parties and candidates instead of on corporate business, constitutes illegal use of owners' funds (theft), and aggrieved shareholders should file class action suits.
As I've banged on about for years, capitalism is every bit as inimical to democracy as communism. (Actually, Leninism, Stalinism, Maoism, or whatever is going on in Cuba that seems to have produced a pretty credible public health system.) Neither communists nor capitalists wish to be regulated in any way. They both >always< claim to fight for "freedom" in their hunger to be "free!" (Of course, that's why capitalists >like< everyone else to have a religion that advocates some kind of "submission." Reagan was all about "Christian" capitalism, while advocating that greed is good.)
As for Sinema, this article is worth the 8 minutes it takes, and includes some instructive background on her historic position on the filibuster: https://youtu.be/F1RbCnPoA7Q It surprised me enough to wonder who is holding what kind of blackmail over her. How has she come to be so corrupted - not that it matters? Maybe she's simply become overly impressed with herself and cynical. Nevertheless, it highlights how disingenuous her statement at the beginning really is.
This is the most thorough explanation of what is happening financially to our democracy that I have read. Thank you for laying it all out there. Knowledge is power. We are fast losing our somewhat stable capitalist-democratic society that we once had, to despotism. We are fast losing our democracy. I'm not sure it is salvageable at this point. We do need a pro-democracy movement. We are powerless to super-pacs and big monied interests in government. Republicans who don't know any better think that low wages are the fault of democrats. Those who do know better are setting the stage to win in the next election and I fear that they will succeed. I want to scream today's newsletter from the mountaintops. I remember the day in Walmart when I stocked up on peanut butter and pasta for the pandemic. I told the checker I was preparing for coronavirus. She asked, "What is coronavirus?" I had to explain it to her and tell her that it was a matter of when, not if, it was coming. I feel just as helpless today. If the dismantling of our democracy is anything like what happened with the threat of coronavirus becoming the pandemic it is today, with its variants and deaths and opposition to logic and safety, we are in big trouble. I am outraged and becoming cynical. Robert Reich, you are leading the pro-democracy movement as far as I'm concerned. CNN is out of touch with reality and so are most Americans. We must get the word out. Thank you for sharing your knowledge.
I wish the corporate leaders would listen to you. Unfortunately, immersed as they are in their over-the-top lavish lifestyles and ability to buy politicians, they can't see further than the next quarterly report. For them, life is good just the way things are. Of course, the corporate interests don't want the voting rights bill to pass, because it limits money in politics.
Lawrence O'Donnell, on his show last night, characterized Kyrsten Sinema's sanctimonious speech yesterday as giving a middle finger to the President of the United States, of her own party. He opined that the speech, which she clearly was reading verbatim, was written by her staff. I suspect it was actually written by corporate lobbyists. The same corporate campaign cash that Mitch McConnell uses to keep Republicans in line is being used to keep Sinema and Manchin in line.
Maybe Biden should start talking incessantly about corruption, in the Congress and the federal courts.
Voting is not enough.
We the people really must engage in narratively, economically, and politically purposeful conflict with the dominant funders. Yes, that's more than voting. We need to stop business as usual. Yes, I am an old hippy, yes I was in the antiwar movement. We learned a lot of lessons. One of them is you can't vote your way to a better society. Ask the abolitionists, the civil rights movement leaders, the people who watched our leaders get murdered. Malcolm X, JFK, RFK, MLK. Yes, we are very likely to lose, and so is the planet. But if we don't do our part, it's a guarantee that we are all going to shorten the life of the planet for all its occupants, including the rich, the criminal, and the good. And the probability now is we are heading for a fascist takeover I won't live to see the end of. Nevertheless. Persist, even if you cry every day.
They are unwittingly killing the goose that lays the golden eggs. The American laborer has been the driver of the vast wealth here. Now, with outsourcing for cheap labor, we see the supply chain problems and unemployment issues. Homes are out of sight for most people. Our economy is a crap shoot for the humans, great for the 'people' ie corporations. Throw in the complete lack of concern for our ecosystem and we are heading for disaster. We need to reform the 'Supreme' court, and have real justice with term limits. We should root out representatives who do not honor their oaths of office, and jail those who had a part in the attack on the people's house; who were involved in the Sedition. from Citizens United to the Electoral College to the plans to take away our votes, we are in trouble. We need some remedies.
1. Corporations exist to maximize profits for their shareholders. Their officers are compensated based on this. Democrat party leaders realize they cannot pass campaign finance reform, and they cannot compete in elections if they don't pander to those who pay for their campaigns.
2. Sinema's refusal to consider a voting rights exception to the filibuster should have consequences. Schumer should "temporarily" and indefinitely remove her from all committee assignments so she can have "more time in AZ to spend with her constituents and hear their concerns".
Many lovely people who, at home, have families, are active in the community, recycle their waste, drive economical or electric vehicles, donate to charities and support progressive policies turn right around each morning when they go to work in their corporate jobs wherein they make decisions and take actions that perpetuate corporate dominance in the economy and public affairs. Each one of us is a miniature Senema or Manchin when we do corporate bidding in exchange for the pittance of our paychecks. And we are stuck. If anyone goes to work and opposes the mission of their employer, they certainly will not become more influential in that enterprise. This may only be some pathetic hand wringing on my part, but we have got to figure out the problem with capitalism and reform it. Trust busting and regulation are two of the best tools we have, but we need a government that EFFECTIVELY acts for the public good.
One of the tactics savvy autocrats use is to ally with the plutocrats and their major corporations to funnel capital to them through inflated defense contracts and other sweetheart deals. Add the revolving door between government policy-makers and industry and you have a well-oiled machine for moving money from the taxpayers to the contractors, and rewarding those who facilitate this. Part of the package of reforms needed to reverse this slide into feudalism is contract reform and more strict restrictions on the revolving door. Defense is a sad necessity in modern life, but it shouldn't be a dominant driver of our economy, or an undue influence on our governance.
Why in 2022 does any one expect corporate America who overall profited from both Trumpism and pandemic to support an honest, open, and public commitment to democracy and obedience to the laws and the Constitution? Or expect politically appointed judges or rampantly profiting politicians to try to limit them? No one! From Citizens United to PACs to self-promoting but dishonest full page ads in NYT--and the example of Manch-ema profiting wildly off their undemocratic grifting--to Big Tech--look at the leading examples.
Of course, the US will not follow the examples, incomplete as they may be, across the EU and elsewhere, to both regulate and self-regulate. The US has forgotten the first sentence of the Constitution, "we the people." Instead, we devolve into "some few of the people."
It is important to keep in mind that the constitution never refers to corporations or even uses the word "corporation". Corporate power comes not from the constitution, but from the courts. At the writing of the constitution, corporations existed only in the form enabled by the Crown or the charters of the 13 colonies. The only ones whose names we might recognize would be those like the East India Trading Company that was attacked in the Boston Tea Party. (Full disclosure: neither does it use the word "democracy". The Founders were afraid of any hint of populism that might threaten the interests of the slavers. Hence the Electoral College as a stop-gap buffer.) Corporations in the form that we know them became prominent in the 1800s as an outcome of the industrial revolution. That's when they started their persistent effort to infiltrate the courts with the claim that they were corporate "persons" who were included in the "We the People" clause in the constitution. Thereby they could lay claim to all of the rights and protections that apply to real people. The persistently pushed that claim to its eventual victory in "Citizens United" and beyond.
The answer to this is simple but difficult to achieve. Lobbying should still be illegal as it was in the original Constitution. Buying laws is not democracy.
We had it too good and unfortunately we need aggressive leadership to attack the threats against our democracy. I was disappointed Biden didn’t focus solely on protecting our democracy when elected. He refused to eliminate filibuster at that time. He said it would be too disruptive for Congress. But somehow traitors serving in Congress was no problem. He’s a day late and a dollar short with his efforts 14 months later. All the participants should be in prison and charged with treason. Biden would have sent a powerful message and brought Americans together. HANDS OFF OUR DEMOCRACY
A responsible citizen should compile a list of corporations that contribute to Trump, the Trump-led GOP, Manchin, Sinema, as well as individual GOP candidates for office. I would like to. boycott these companies.
I have been continously surprised that corporate leaders don't understand how bad despotic rule, and its attendant unpredictability and often chaos, would be for their enterprises. There are so many examples in history, including two world wars.
Couldn’t agree more. That’s why I am turning my company over to a Purpose Trust and would encourage others to do so. Here’s a New Yorker article about how to create companies that are build for the greater good. https://www.newyorker.com/business/currency/can-companies-force-themselves-to-do-good
The Supreme Court's decision in the case "Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission" was constitutionally wrong! Congress needs to correct this horrible judicial error. Corporate law gives the corporate form of business basically three right: 1) indeterminate life 2) the right to own, rent , lease or sell real property 3) the right to sue and be sued. These rights are said to create a quasi-person. But quasi-persons do not have the right to vote and therefore do not have the right to participate in the election process. Moreover, corporations do not seek their shareholders' opinions before making corporate political donations. Spending funds owned collectively by the shareholders without permission on political parties and candidates instead of on corporate business, constitutes illegal use of owners' funds (theft), and aggrieved shareholders should file class action suits.
As I've banged on about for years, capitalism is every bit as inimical to democracy as communism. (Actually, Leninism, Stalinism, Maoism, or whatever is going on in Cuba that seems to have produced a pretty credible public health system.) Neither communists nor capitalists wish to be regulated in any way. They both >always< claim to fight for "freedom" in their hunger to be "free!" (Of course, that's why capitalists >like< everyone else to have a religion that advocates some kind of "submission." Reagan was all about "Christian" capitalism, while advocating that greed is good.)
As for Sinema, this article is worth the 8 minutes it takes, and includes some instructive background on her historic position on the filibuster: https://youtu.be/F1RbCnPoA7Q It surprised me enough to wonder who is holding what kind of blackmail over her. How has she come to be so corrupted - not that it matters? Maybe she's simply become overly impressed with herself and cynical. Nevertheless, it highlights how disingenuous her statement at the beginning really is.
This is the most thorough explanation of what is happening financially to our democracy that I have read. Thank you for laying it all out there. Knowledge is power. We are fast losing our somewhat stable capitalist-democratic society that we once had, to despotism. We are fast losing our democracy. I'm not sure it is salvageable at this point. We do need a pro-democracy movement. We are powerless to super-pacs and big monied interests in government. Republicans who don't know any better think that low wages are the fault of democrats. Those who do know better are setting the stage to win in the next election and I fear that they will succeed. I want to scream today's newsletter from the mountaintops. I remember the day in Walmart when I stocked up on peanut butter and pasta for the pandemic. I told the checker I was preparing for coronavirus. She asked, "What is coronavirus?" I had to explain it to her and tell her that it was a matter of when, not if, it was coming. I feel just as helpless today. If the dismantling of our democracy is anything like what happened with the threat of coronavirus becoming the pandemic it is today, with its variants and deaths and opposition to logic and safety, we are in big trouble. I am outraged and becoming cynical. Robert Reich, you are leading the pro-democracy movement as far as I'm concerned. CNN is out of touch with reality and so are most Americans. We must get the word out. Thank you for sharing your knowledge.