Yes. The SEC basically stopped regulating stock buybacks after Reagan became President (1982). This lack of regulation shelters income from taxation, and enriches the top 0.1% at the expense of everyone else. It also leads to much higher pay for CEOs. IMHO, we need:
1) Antitrust enforcement to prevent, say, Boeing merging with McDonnell Douglas.
Ah. Yeah, that makes sense. ronny and his later dementia is the only reason we had Dubbya or Bunkerboy. My suggestion? A twice-yearly aptitude test for OUR president! Can't pass it? YOU'RE FIRED as Bunkerboy had fun saying on the show he "hosted."
It's wasn't Reagan, Bush, or Trump, who are the problem. They are the dumb figureheads that the billionaires put in place to protect their power and wealth. Trump is necessary to bring in the voters who would never vote to give the rich more tax breaks, cut regulation, raise prices, lower wages, buy back stocks, and corrupt the system. But these people pay for Trump to do his dancing bear act and entertain the crowd.
America is no longer a leader, it has stagnated, and is in decline because of unchecked capitalism, corporations are people, and the ability to buy politicians. Boeing once a crown jewel, is so profit driven that it's employees will not fly on the planes they make. Intel which once was the premier chip maker, has ceded that status to Taiwan (another reason China wants Taiwan), and Taiwan's Foxconn, makes its cell phones in China, because they too are infected with the disease. And I country we decimated 79 years go hosts a corporation that is buying our largest steel maker.
Saudi Arabia, owns most of Exxon Mobil, and the largest oil refinery on the gulf coast.
The highest quality cars you can buy in America are made in Japan, and assembled in America.
Family farms are going extinct, as corporate farms are the major producers of animal and vegetable products.
Our health care providers, insurance and media are owned by private equity funds like Vanguard and Black Rock, question is who much of these funds are owned by sovereign funds, and foreign investors.
We are treading water and we have done it to ourselves, and it started with Santa Clara Count v. Southern Pacific, to Ford v Dodge,First National Bank of Boston v Belloti, then Buckley v Valeo, and finally Citizens United v FEC.and the judicial ruling that corporations are people and that money is speech.
I see that the EU is looking at certain international systems and agreements that put the US at the helm of things, and they are reworking the power dynamics to avoid disruption, in the event that Trump is elected again.
The very reality that the man WAS elected once has convinced the world that the US is no longer dependable. {They should have figured that out with Nixon — or at least Cheney — but those guys played the part of statesmen better than the Dufus does..}
The Power-Money Elite have done a pretty good job convincing struggling Americans that it’s coastal intellectuals they should blame for all their troubles, too. We hear that people on those once-family farms, and people earning a living in those once-Mom-and-Pop businesses in the “heartland” and the south — we hear they’re annoyed at being “ignored,” and they think coastal folks are ignoring them.
As if coastal folks had any power at all to make things happen.
Well, if we can overcome the voter suppression antics of the Republican Party, maybe we WILL have the power of our votes one more time, and if we USE it, we might even figure out a way to keep it.
No wonder Artifial Intelligence is confused It is made up of a fantasy vocabulary And we've done to ourselves . And we're still trying to \invent bigger better words .
I would like to rename the "MAGA Republicans" to "Putin's Republicans". Trump is Putin's enforcer/dancing bear in this country. I prefer to reduce the constant free PR Trump gets every time MAGA (Make America Great Again) Republicans is invoked. And isn't it just more accurate?
Pat Goudey OBrien ; Totally true! This is a message to get to the supporters of his "fantasy land" where "owning the libs" is fun and solves all their problems! The horse is wearing blinders, too, and thinks He is in power! The Emperor has no clothes!
Hey pal, no matter how old you are you certainly are not in the way in my opinion. Your comment is spot on, in this old man’s opinion (75 y.o. myself). The old saying “with age comes wisdom” applies, at least in your case.
That, too, is a sad truth, Michael. It was already in early stages, but he got away with it. Maybe his handlers weren’t entirely aware, but he was always watched over closely by his minions, and he was so aw-shucks diffident that it was glossed over.
Almost every problem we have now with corporate greed can be laid at Reagan's door. That is when the elimination of regulations that keep corporations honest and controlled started and it hasn't stopped since.
I want taxing Social Security ended. Reagan did that too. Re-regulate banks on our shores. No huge international banks. Foreign banks doing fraud and not following our laws are out.
G G Yes ; the practice of allowing our representatives and even high court judges to basically take bribes should be ended, too, along with allowing a guy who thumbs his nose at the emoluments clause and enrich himself and his family as President should not happen again, either. Make America Ethical Again!
Who is going to do that Laurie, when we have the best government money can buy. All parties and politicians are dependent on donor cash, and if they are pissed off and scared, they will spend millions to defeat and unseat you
"Who is going to do that Laurie, when we have the best government money can buy." It would help if it was actually illegal to take bribes, if there was a will. I just signed a letter to my representatives and senator telling them to support President Biden's Budget plan that calls for taxing the rich their fair share, and ending monopoly power. It was through Inequality Media Civics Action that I sent a small donation for getting this message sent out to them.. The letter reminds them that when I see them on a ballot, I am more likely to vote for them if they support this. If the obscenely wealthy are forced to share their wealth fairly, like the rest of US, they would not have the obscene amounts of money to bully and steal from US; It may cramp their style and limit the buying of seats and votes and even Supreme Court "justices"!
The problem there, William, is “voter education.” Those in office are chasing after dollars {and we’re all pissed off about all the requests we get for donations}, and the ones we HOPE will get elected are going after OUR DOLLARS, because they’re NOT getting the Oligarch money … but what do they want {or need?} money for?
They are not, for the most part, taking it home and fixing up the family room with it.
They are using it to buy advertising and access to the EYES AND EARS of citizens, to convince people to vote for them.
I have two points fighting in my head relevant to this reality.
ONE — Someone who thinks it’s more important to stay in office than to serve their constituency is scared to death to buck the leadership, because they’ll get primaried, andsomeone who’s more Party Line with challenge their seat.
That kind of legislator has NEVER been on our side. That kind of legislator takes Big Money money and spends it on ads and messaging that misleads voters about their positions, they lie about their opposition, and all they want is to stay in power
TWO — The other guy, the one we think we WANT in office, is getting less BIg Money money, but he or she is still trying to get the wherewithal to reach people with adds and information {let’s hope honest information?}, still hoping to get people’s votes. They’re the ones constantly asking us for $3, $5, $15.
What do ONE and TWO have in common?
They both need to get their MESSAGE OUT.
If we wanna hold onto our government, we have to help the better one get their message out.
And we have to hope that Democrats get a BETTER message to send out … !
Because that is where our election is right now — it’s all about access to voters’ EYES AND EARS, and reaching them with a convincing {hopefully true} messaging
If we can’t inform and educate voters to the realities of our situation, the Carnival Barkers will reel in the rubes. And, look around, there are plenty of rubes.
You won’t see everybody out there bothering to read the likes of HRC or Prof. Reich.
They’re going to get their message through ads and the popular media, and that’s where the Dems need to reach them with really good, clear, understandable and believable messaging.
I think two things are going to count in November — how successful the Left is at GETTING OUT THE VOTE.
And the quality of Democrats MESSAGING, so voters have the info they need to chose wisely.
Damn, they’re gonna keep asking me for $5, aren’t they?
What keeps me up at night is that 50 to 50% of the population are those rubes and another 25% are too preoccupied with self, their problems, earning a living, getting ahead, or just being entertained.
Rupert Murdoch has a monopoly on the eyes, ears, minds of half of the country, and all we are negotiating for is the other 50% which is not otherwise preoccupied with self.
There are actually more of us than there are of them. That’s why they’re purging voter rolls all over the country. Because they’re outnumbered {even in Electoral College tallies}, if people across the country actually show up and VOTE.
But getting people OUT to vote, and getting good messages to them about why they should VOTE BLUE … there’s the rub.
We’re in late stage regulatory capture. We need to start picking out the ideologue weeds that were planted in our regulatory agencies and staff them back up with Jack Smith types. We’ve had robust regulatory agencies in the past, distant though that may be, and we can do it again.
We need much more. Watch the CON which documents much US rape of ‘common good’ through bad mortgages funded by Wall Street who then created the investment bonds bought by pension funds. When the bonds failed, the pension holders, cities, etc. monthly payments dropped, even greater than 50%. At every level, we the people are stolen from.
We must eminent domain all the Robbers real estate, tax at 1950s level for the past 5 years back every type of income gained and every other creative option available to recoup these losses. We need a President to stand for ‘we the people’. Not to soak us further.
AT THE VERY LEAST, identify them as manipulative, and put limits on how much can be bought back in any one-year, five-year, and ten-year span — and make it HARDLY ANY.
Amazing that as we look back, the Reaganites are increasingly tagged as those responsible for laying the groundwork for most of our current 'troubles'. The 'behind the scenes' cabal of conservative puppet master elites had Reagan to manipulate back then. And, they certainly enjoyed using Trump to advance their agenda . They are now pulling out all the stops to get him elected again and are viewing this election as a unique chance to 'get their way'.
I will predict that, if they are successful, the first people to pick up pitchforks will be the very people they talked into blindly supporting them. History provides the clues.
There is only one problem with your prediction Bob, and that is that people are loathe to accept responsibility and blame themselves, what people do is find and use scapegoats, and the scapegoats will be liberals, Democrats, feminists, LGBT, POC.
That is exactly the messaging that their elected dictator(s) will deploy. Historically, it has taken a lot of misery to turn those blinded followers' opinion; lots of examples in the Hitler era..and now Putin, Orban etc. The growing global wealth gap is creating a larger impoverished and ignorant (=malleable) public. One of the solutions is to find a way to drown out the sound of the Pied Piper.Sadly, if it comes to violence, the scapegoats are, in general, less likely to resort to violence, and are literally out-gunned.
Reagan was a class B actor, interested only performing and reading a script. Easily manipulated, "Trump is a narcisstic, carnival barker, whose sole interest is fame, glory and self aggrandizement.
Both were perfect tools for the powers that be. Mussolini was of the same cloth, once he had control of the government, he staffed it's Chamber of Deputies (Parliament) with corporate exec's and reps.
Industrialists and financiers, funded Hitler, but instead of letting them have political power, he chose the most ruthless and loyal ideologues to help him control Germany, but the corporations still made out with production contracts from everything to Zyklon B to Cannons, Tanks, Airplanes, uniforms and munitions;
And with the helpof American Corporations and John Foster Dulles, they survived the war, and have since prospered.
Horrors! How could they cheat?!? How would it be enforced? We see how the government, through the DOJ, is handling one demagogue. They can't get out of their own way! He has stacked the Supreme Court, which has a majority that works for Him! they can't even lock him up long enough to prosecute easy, open and shut cases! the other branch, 'our' Congress is run by him, too. If only President Biden could invoke the Insurrection Act ! It looks like there is reason to do it! Are we really gong to wait until it's too late !!?? Even the FBI is running scared! "homeland Security" is a cruel joke! there is one last Branch ; the Executive ; to DO Something!
Then there will be no motivation to innovate, invest and build, there is a middle ground Karl. There is nothing more stagnant and oppressive than a society completely controlled by bureaucrats, it is the most conservative of all.
Aw, come on, Karl — many of us remember the many Mom & Pop small businesses that used to dominate the town centers of the USA and were forced out of existence by Big Business.
It's because 'Murica is run by obsolete, fossil fuel billionaires unfortunately. President Biden is the ONLY man, save his primary rival Mr. Sanders, that is man enough to take on those ghouls! (There are 5-10 women that could easily do this job too, but Hillary Clinton's time is blessedly over.)
The Biden Admin. is working to promote fair competition across our economy, including in agriculture. *They are encouraging antitrust agencies to focus on anti-competitive practices in agricultural markets.* They are working to secure the so-called “right to repair” so farmers can fix their own machinery and tractors, rather than being required to send them back to the manufacturer. They are making it easier for farmers to bring claims against exploitative poultry processors, and the American Rescue Plan has invested $1 billion to help smaller meat processors expand operations.
To ease rising costs, the Biden admin. is also investing $500 million in domestic independent fertilizer production and expanding crop insurance to support more farmers who are willing to risk double cropping.
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is rebuilding roads, bridges, railways & ports and is expanding broadband, particularly in rural areas, which will transform supply chains. The Inflation Reduction Act is investing a historic $40 billion in climate-smart agriculture and other programs that can help producers stay on their lands, including approx. $18 billion for conservation and easements and $3.1 billion in relief for distressed borrowers.
The enforcement of antitrust laws is crucial for holding companies accountable. Congress plays a big role in protecting consumers against unfair practices in our industry! It’s time they started doing their jobs and working together for the benefit of the people!
If, in the future, this country begins to produce its own vital production parts, at some point we might be able to make something here in own country. Wouldn't that be a kick.
@ Keith and Donald. This is deja vu for many of us. Nippon Steel is a proxy of the Japanese government. Black Monday, September 19, 1977. On that date, Youngstown Sheet and Tube, the 5th largest producer in the world closed. Japan, in effect did it to create a monopoly in seamless pipe.
The people ultimately screwed, Keith and Robert included 5,000 people out of work, the whole region, including my home town, New Castle Pa, went from being one of the wealthiest in the world to one of the poorest in the US. Youngstown already was "Murdertown USA" but crime accelerated and we became the suicide capitol, also. Consumers were screwed, but the consumers were not at wit's end. https://pittsburghquarterly.com/articles/what-happened-to-youngstown/
The community and even the Catholic Church tried to save the Mahoning Valley. Attached is a paper, Steelworkers and Bishops. https://www.jstor.org/stable/1385571
The federal; government could have saved us but refused to back up needed loans.
By the time that paper was written, I was long gone -- and so was MOST of the population. Today, 35.3% of the population (20.2k out of 57.3k people) live below the poverty line, compared to the national average of 12.6%.
Softbank (Japanese International) took over Sprint/Nextel and ran them into the ground so they would have to merge with another company. They merged with T-Mobile to become a low cost monopoly and John Legere promised the governement the wonders of modern 5G networks and lots of jobs. Softbank shareholders took over the running of T-Mobile and now Sprints assests are almost all gone, there have been 20k worth of layoffs (Jack Welsh Six Sigma). Customers now pay more for a crappy partially rolled out 5G expansion. Shareholders have benefited from large amounts of stock buybacks. Employees live paycheck to paycheck and keep their heads on a swivel for the next round of layoffs. Nippon steel taking over US steel will NOT make US Steel more modern (the promises are a lie to allow the merger to go through). It will make the steel industry more monopolized leading to yet more layoffs and yes yet again more stock buy backs.
The federal government regulators allowing the takeover of Sprint was a shoot yourselves in the foot moment. The federal government contracted with Sprint for cell services for federal employees with government agency issued cell phones. That’s why, in the middle of nowhere, if I was close to a military base, CBP location, FAA tower, anything federally owned, I had great cell service on Sprint when the AT&T and Verizon folks had one or no bars. After the takeover, the Feds dropped Sprint and told federal employees to use their own personal phones and get reimbursed or a monthly stipend. They didn’t like the additional paperwork and reimbursement wait and they really didn’t like the one bar service.
The Sprint signal was actually shut off. All Sprint sites that were not deemed usefull were abandoned. Only a small percentage were converted to T-Mobile signal sites. Some of the technology could have been repurposes to provide T-Mobile signal at the sites you mentioned. T-Mobile/Sprint obviously chose not to go that route due to the expense of the transport and switch offices that they would have to keep open to maintain those sites. Part of the Legere brokered deal with the Trump backed administration (Legere and his staff stayed at Trumps post office Hotel during negotiations) was the creation of a 4th carrier Dish Networks. Theres is such a mottled history of purchasing spectrum that they dont use and promising (and not deliverying) actual service. Full disclosure Dish has built out a rudimentary network. It has zero affect on the current triopoloy. Dish has made a lot of financial moves lately which lead some to speculate an impending bankruptctly filing. Obviously they arent a serious competitor.
Bill, I live on an island in the Salish Sea, and rural at that. I don't use cell but my wife does, for her phone and her tablet. We use T Mobile, because the only way to get Verizon bars is to step outside on the porch. We also use Dish network for TV, the only other choice is Direct TV, our ISP is a local provider
The problem with Dish or any satellite or cable service, is that they are dependent on contracts with corporations. Cox Communications bought up local (Pacific NW), over the air (thus free) services (NBC) and tried to charge Dish 1 billion dollars for access. Dish won't pay and I don't blame them, it is black mail, and Cox is losing or should lose advertising revenue, but doesn't care
Sounds about right. Most were eventually turned off. I was a government contractor at the time during work for DOD, DHS, and NPS. Very remote locations. Part of the planning to auctioning the high frequency spectrum used for 5G was moving federal agencies off of that spectrum and opening those frequency bandwidths for public access. There was overlap with the higher frequency and federal microwave tower transmission.
It's hard to click the "like" button to your post when it would be more accurate to have an "appreciate" or other grateful acknowledgement. Your post describes so much of what has happened in - and to - the U.S. for a wide variety of reasons, but almost all of them being founded in short-sighted profit making and greed.
Thinking too of another town that was once prosperous and robust but with a strong attachment to one major employer/manufacturer, Caterpillar, and that is Peoria, Illinois. Recent news items about Caterpillar show its corporate corruption but it had abandoned Peoria in many, many ways long before that revelation.
Same with Canton, Ohio, and many other similar steel towns in the region, as I'm sure you know, Daniel. Not sure the Timken plant where many of my relatives worked even produces bearings anymore. Yet Timken steel used be world famous.
Daniel, I think that Black Monday might have been 1987. Minor typo excused. What I wanted to add here is in the 1970’s when the trans-Alaskan pipeline was built, the oil source that was supposed to save us from Middle East oil, it was built with Japanese steel and was at the time the largest steel project in American history. All of those hundreds of miles of pipe and supports add up, more than a skyscraper. And for all of that national security domestic oil, at most above ground places along the pipeline, one can pull off to the side of the Dalton Highway, walk over and touch the pipe. No fence.
1977. In the 70s my brother and I represented the family of a local guy killed working on the pipeline. Under Reagan we sold the goose that laid the golden egg -- manufacturing to other countries through trade and tax policies.
It’s past time that the USA should look upon itself as an economic unit dedicated to “the general prosperity” instead of just a big free market dedicated to the prosperity of big business.
Stan, it looks to me more like a feudal battlefield than a free market. We live in an age of monopoly capitalism. The feudal lords sustain themselves by predating on the peasants (us). It is unsustainable.
Keith Olson ; Pigs will fly before this 'Congress' does anything worthwhile! The Supreme Court is working with the MAGAs who can't be removed even though they are disqualified! they made sure of that when they scrapped the 14th amendment, section 3. working for the oligarchs behind the "hindmost"!
What if te states are run by those who arecrlection deniers? The language in the Constitution is clear. Retired Judge J Michael Luttig. Is a conservatives conservative. He is a Constitutional scholar. He says the 14th amendment, section 3 is clear. Also. Professor Lawrence Tribe of Harvard is a Constitutional Scholar like judge Luttig. And they both agree that the remedy should be applied across the Nation. Not a patchwork of states. No conviction is necessary. There is ample evidence of insurrection.it is wrong to allow tRump to continue to spread lies and threaten prosecutors, witnesses, judges and their families etc. He should be in jail until trials are done!
Judge J. Michael Luttig said that the court cases should be done before the election. It is wrong to allow this disabled unqualified man to run for President. His track record speaks for itself! I think delaying the Election would make more sense! He should be required to clear his name, like anyone else, to be on any ballot!
I never could understand the logic behind subsidizing industries that routinely report HUGE Profits. If they are making that much Profit, why do they _need_ subsidies? (Other than bought legislators steering taxpayer dollars to their puppetmaster "campaign contributors.)
It is bribing them to do what they should want to do as Americans, but won't because they are too greedy. Bring back tough regulations on corporations or nationwize them!
Thomas, you don't negotiate with your boss--unless you are unionized. Also, keep in mind that the bosses are well organized and in control of the political process.
Nationalization doesn't work Margaret. Where countries have nationalized. there has been a brain drain, and bureaucratic inefficiencies. What has worked was the middle ground, a mixed economy, where there is a regulated profit motive.
The commons should be publicly owned, per the constitution which provides for the General Welfare (mentioned twice), a prime example are the airways, public roads, utilities. States that have sold off their utilities to private equity funds, have experienced obscene rates and a decline in service, like California's PG&E, Washington's PSE, and Texas . A Spanish company purchased the interstate in Texas and Illinois, charged tolls and run the roads into the ground, not performing rudimentary maintenance and then after extracting profit, and the roads no longer usable, walked away leaving the taxpayer to pick up the maintenance and repair tab.
The nation runs on bribery Margaret. Price wars are bribery to get customers to buy their product. The tax code is bribery. We are bribed by deductions and credits into engaging n certain behaviors.
You probably aren't old enough to remember when all interest, revolving charge, car loans, credit cards were tax deductible, but once people became addicted to credit cards and car loans, the interest deduction was dropped, but they kept the mortgage interest deduction, and under Trump the mortgage interest deduction was dropped, except for landlords, who use it as a business expense.
This is also for all the posters down the line. "Bring back tough regulations" and nationalizing corporations -- of which AmTrak is NOT one; it was essentially built, owned, and is operated by the US government much like the USPS -- will NEVER happen under the current system of government. Because to do those things requires "Our" legislators to vote to make it happen. But since the majority of "Our" legislators have been bought and paid for by the Wealthy and legions of generous lobbyists, "Our" legislators are disinclined to make such a bold move that is adverse to their puppetmasters. And this being a democracy, "Majority rules!" So, ain't never gonna happen.
For decades we have been fed overt and covert messages that business is good, government is bad, that the best-- and only way-- to promote the common good is to let business do what is best for business. Since so many good jobs ended up in other countries, we are now becoming kind of "woke."
Nationalization run by bureacrats is even more inefficient than the profit motive.
There is a middle ground, a mixed economy, which made America the arsenal of democracy,thanks to FDR, but that has been neutered by corporations buying politicians and regulatory capture.
The problem is and always has been money in politics. Even in autocracies, money buys favoritism in the form of government. Hitler lived large because of Thyssen and industry, Orban did not achieve power without the help of donors, Putin robs the people with the help of oligarchs
Medicare is the most efficient health insurance in the US. Some fraud, but it is far less than in private industry.
The worst problem is that many domestic corporations, like Exxon Mobil, are controlled by foreign interest, like Saudi, that fix prices through OPEC.
When people buy foreign products, the profit goes overseas. In the world market, countries like Japan, S. Korea, Germany, even Sweden, subsidize their own, to their benefit and to our detriment -- as consumers and workers. Corruption exists in the government but it pales compared to corruption is trade, and in interlocking corporate boards.
Deutschland, a major competitor of the US, requires that labor have positions on corporate boards.
William -- I seriously disagree with your opening sentence. Besides the efficiency and service provided by Medicare and Medicaid, there is is the USPS and Amtrak. While the latter two are criticized for losing money, those entities are NOT mention to reap huge Profits. They're supposed to operate as close to breakeven as possible in order to provide the most affordable service to the public. Even with Trump-appointee DeJoy running the USPS and trying to sabotage it from within, the USPS is _still_ the cheapest way to to get a letter from one Coast to the other. (Consider the contrast between a Forever Stamped letter's cost compared to FedEx's or UPS's cheapest service?)
Once you eliminate those HUGE salaries and annual bonuses for the Upper Managements of for-profit private enterprise, government-run businesses are MUCH more efficient.
You read my first sentence, were inflamed and hit the reply You missed the part about a mixed economy, which means party for profit with regulations and partly government run the common good,;. Maybe if you had read my other posts, bout the common welfare, being mentioned twice in the Constitution as general welfare, you might not have so strenuously objected. Nationalized corporations are not efficiently run, they become ossified by bureaucracy and that includes especially the defense department as they also become money pits for Congress..
Every congress critter has at least one defense related business or base in their district.. by design, by corporations, be it a sole proptietor who makes honey comb cardboard as shock absorber for air dropped equipment, or cock pit handles for fighter jets or manufacturers of aircraft and tanks., not to mention the hundreds of military and space installations.
Medicare is efficient, but it too has been privatized, at least it's billing function (contracted out to CMS)
No Kudos to the USPS, because it's Postmaster General is a Trump Humper, and owns stock in Oshkosh in Wiisconsin, and DeJoy canceled the EV contract, and ordered new vehicles from Oshkosh.
DeJoy tried to throw the election to Trump in 2020, by trashing sorting machines, without replacement, because Trump was bitching that mail in ballots favored the Democrats.
Only the board of governors can fire the PM General, and the board is evenly split between Repubs and Dems. Biden had a chance to rectify that problem in 2021 when two seats came open, but chose to replace them with a Dem and a Republican thus maintaining the balance, Two more seats came up in Dec 2022, and Biden has not filled them leaving them, open, thus protecting Dejoy as he sets about privatizing the USPS.
Anyway, USPS, Parks, and Medicare serve the commons, which fits well within the constitutional purpose of providing for the general wealth, on the other hand the government has no business being in the shoe, clothing, toy and auto manufacturing business. Even those items produced in our national defense are made by private companies, and a good thing too. If manufactured by the government, they would be of WWI style.
The M 16 is an example, a sorry ass weapon. Though produced initially by Ford. The Generals like it because it's high velocity .223 caliber (5.56 mm) round could punch a hole in a steel plate, but it was easily deflected by leaves and branches in the jungle, and it's headspace built up with carbon and caused it to jam, lots of G.I.s lost their lives, until they came up with a fix The forward assist. I was issued the M-14 when I arrived, and shortly thereafter had to turn it in for an M-16, minus the forward assist, which though added in 1964, didn't show up on the battlefield in great numbers until late in 1967, bureaucracy. The Marines kept their M-14's, at least until I rotated in 1968.
By the way, this sentence of yours is a non sequitur: Once you eliminate those HUGE salaries and annual bonuses for the Upper Managements of for-profit private enterprise, government-run businesses are MUCH more efficient."
I am as much of an advocate for eliminating bonuses, and buybacks, for CEO"s, CFO,s COO's, as any informed liberal, but eliminating them has nothing to do with government run business.
You do not want your toothpaste, razors,computers, tablets, cellphones, shoes and clothing made by a government run business.
Government is very conservative, adverse to risk. I know, I am a retired special ops officer, and have managed a department that was staffed by civilians, at the end of my career.
The official authorized military gear was heavy and cumbersome, designed to be delivered to the front by truck and jeep, we needed light weight gear, and boots that could withstand the wet cold muck, as well as carry you over mountains.
I had to jump through hoops to acquire specialized gear that was available on the market for civilians,including tents, boots, ATV's,and ski doo's
You are mixing government _departments_ with government-managed businesses. The Department of Defense is NOT a business; it is what it is named: a _department_ of government. (One with a bottomless piggy bank, thanks to Conservatives in Congress.) And it does NOT manufacture its own war material. ALL material is farmed out as sweetheart deals with military contractors who use their lobbyists to buy the necessary support for anything and everything that keeps the Pentagon's toys the latest-and-greatest -- at any price. Those are government bureaucracy boondoggles.
Government-run businesses -- USPS, AmTrak, Medicare, etc. -- run just as efficiently (if not better) than most for-profit enterprises performing similar function -- **without** the need to bleed off working capital to pay dividends and bloated salaries:
I agree the USA would be sooooo much better if DeJoy got sacked, but obviously, political strings have obviously been to keep him in that job. But as a business, given that Dejoy was NOT in the picture, just what would be so bad about the USPS? If a business is staggering because of sabotage, do you blame the business, or the saboteur?
In Russia, it is the other way around: the oligarchs rob the people with Putin's consent, and Putin can do this because he has the backing of the Russian Church and the national security establishment. Trump has made it clear that he intends to follow Putin's example.
The oligarchs support Putin and Putin supports the oligarchs.
The oligarchs came to power when Yeltsin sold off the trusts that ran ran (owned) Russia, at pennies on the dollar to basically KGB agents, Putin was a Major, subsequently promoted to Lt Col in the KGB.
The Russian orthodox church was an arm of the KGB, as were its Metropolitan and priests.
Inter dependencies, all around. Power to get the money, money to keep the power. Putin rose to the top as Caporegime, and is not only the most powerful, but the wealthiest of them all..
Maximizing Shareholder Value , Mergers and Stock Buybacks offer nothing for society, and eventually rots out the core of these corporations. Just look at what is happening with Boeing. I live near Seattle and am increasingly nervous when these airborne junks pass overhead. We get the jets being tested out of Everett and are on the much lower approach path to Boeing Field. The "Aluminum Overcast" guppy planes that carry entire plane bodies used to fly overhead.
I was thinking about these Maxing Shareholder crap today in the context of the Nuclear Power Industry. Thei industry cheerleaders all say that the legacy wastes can and will be recycled and used for the new fuel for these fancy modular nukes. They say this will happen any day now! Meanwhile I see absolutely no evidence that this is happening and this promise joins their saying that a waste repository is just around the corner any day now, and the power will be Too Cheap to Meter. Lies.
They put the wastes into casks that the engineers designed for a 100 year lifespan. The leaking tanks at Hanford were also supposed to last that long and in both cases we are still in the first round of real world testing of these storage scenarios. Meanwhile some of these casks are approaching 40-50 years old. Willthey be telling is in another 50 that these actually were designed for 2 centuries? I have a hard time with that given that these things are literally hot to the touch and inside the metal and concrete has been blasted for years by intense radiation and is likely falling apart.
So instead of making good on their promises the owners sell or merge to other owners, buying back stocks oir shorting themselves and at the end of the day there is nothing left for putting their happy words into action. If they do, one of the things that they will need lots of is high quality steel that meets a difficult ASTM standard. I don;t see this happening any time soon - unless these storage containers start leaking and failing. There are about 103 such piles of waste or more in the US alone. Most of these are outside and can be seen on Google Earth and have already been considred as potential terrorist targets. One of the 9/11 planes flew over Indian Point and there was data found on one of Osama et al's laptops considering this as a target.
As a retired Nuclear Engineer, I agree with most of your comment. It is not the fault of the Utilities that there is no nuclear waste repository. They were promised one by the federal government. They have sued the government over failure to provide one. The government has been working to open the Yucca Mountain Nuclear Waste Repository since 1978! The problem is the state and people of Nevada don't want it in their backyard and have successfully blocked opening it for decades. I agree that this problem needs to be resolved ASAP before there is an accident with the casks, spreading radioactive contamination into the environment!
And who do you think is going to pick up the tab for the cleanup from any accident? You and me. Just like we picked up the tab in 2008 for the housing bubble burst.
Well said. Yet another symptom of unaccountability from big corporations, in this case Utilities that promise all and deliver almost nothing. It concerns me that nuclear fission is still being considered as an alternative source of "clean" energy. Fabulously expensive, and kind of like installing a toilet without a waste pipe, except that the waste is mind bendingly poisonous.
Dana, and all what for? So that we can build more mansions? Fly more private jets? Build more sprawl? Anything but changing our way of life, which, incidentally, our armed forces are now required to protect.
Someone please help me better understand. We the people subsidize Big Pharma in the name of R&D. We subsidize Big Oil and Gas companies. We subsidize gigantic chip makers. Each of the major players in these Industries make 10's of Billions of dollars in profit every year. In return the US citizens are price gouged paying the highest prices in the world for Pharma drugs. Oil companies gouge during Covid and inflationary times at the pumps. Why are we giving our hard earned tax dollars to subsidize big, fat, rich companies and executives when they prove to make enough profit on their own?
Craig, subsidies definitely need to be looked into.
Recently I came across a couple of different sources on the internet (Hoover Institute & Cato Institute) confirming we give roughly $100 BILLION A YEAR, EVERY YEAR, in subsidies to businesses and corporations—aka “corporate welfare.” These welfare recipients aren’t “welfare queens,” elderly, poor or sick—they are corporations and businesses.
What subsidies are meant to do is assist things
like: developing new tech, encourage economic development, or advance national objectives like subsidies for the renewable energy sector. They
are meant to be a way for the government to encourage the market to provide a benefit to all-
like renewable energy- that the market wouldn’t otherwise provide.
The most important thing about subsidies is this—without appropriate guidelines & disclosures,(and there are none I’m aware of) subsidies can grow to be ridiculously large. Why? Because members of Congress get “perks” (gifts) from the recipients.
In a nutshell, members of Congress take our money we pay in the form of taxes, give it away and in return they receive gifts. We get zip.This is straight-up corruption—It weakens democracy, hampers economic development and further exacerbates inequality, poverty & social division.
In light of the fact that republicans are threatening
to cut social security and medicare, what we need
to do is force Congress to legislate & implement required guidelines & disclosures for subsidies and
Thank you and perfectly written Susan. Let's add that Social Security and Medicare are not subsidized - They are paid for by the tax payer as direct debit to their paychecks over their entire work life. That's like each pay check, depositing 20% into a bank account and when you go to withdraw it at retirement, congress says 'Yeah, we're gonna keep that money.'.
The logic at one time was government subsidies for new and starting technologies and industries until well established. Big Oil and Gas, been around since that 1850 or 70 something gusher in Pennsylvania. That still qualifies as new and starting?
1,955 public universities. Of those 1,955, a total of 1,626 of them are degree-granting. Public universities are typically founded and operated by the state government.
Yes, for a long time they were affordable and accessible. Then Republicans reduce funding and weaponized Affirmative Action. It has worked well for them.
Why doesn't this surprise me? Cheap labor for Mar A Lago - after all the labor giving beings aren't even "human beings" but "animals" according to Trump. His hypocrisy needs to be screamed far and wide.
American corps will not start acting in America's interest until they can no longer buy politicians who only serve themselves and those who bribe them via "campaign cash."
There may be a need for more elected politicians like Bernie Sanders to reform the law on corporations to compel them to treat stakeholders affected by their activity as important as shareholders, to take away their fictional personhood, apart from anti-monopoly and pro-union legislation.
Corporations have been damaging America's citizens, workers, and businesses since the Gilded Age of the late 19th century. America needs to move aggresively toward Socialism; that is, toward employee-owned businesses. Two examples I know of are Bob's Red Mill and King Arthur Flour. I try to buy all the products I need from companies like Bob's and King Arthur. My purchases directly support America and America's Workers, not corporations whose only motives are gouging for profit, share buybacks, and employee stagnation. America needs to stop giving corporations tax-breaks that feed their greed and damage workers.
I would like to see their names on our elected officals--truth in advertising.
Rep. Ann Wagner MO 2CD-- wholly owned and operated by Edward Jones and the National Banking Trust Assoc. Just like those race car drivers with corporate badges stiched into their uniforms.
Steve, great idea! However, race car drivers don't deserve to be compared to corrupt politicians. Our politicians are supposed to be public servants. They should reveal all possible conflicts of interest.
Substantially none of what Mr. Reich describes is reported in the mainstream or any other media, which means that the story is not being communicated to the public, which desperately needs to know. And at this point, Reich/Inequality Media stand virtually alone in telling the story, in particular in compelling ways. It is critical that this voice be amplified onto a platform that has a broader base.
You have your finger on the central problem with both US and global economics. It is not Trump, it is the corporate smoke screen of farts he emits. Corporations have no ethics, just a profit motive, which was released from any kind of boundaries by the Chicago School of Economics (Milton Friedman and Co) in their neoclassical/neoliberal bias by Reagan and his team. Their basic ethic is that the only responsibility of a corporation is the return on investment of their shareholders, and stock buy backs make themselves the largest shareholders. Thus we have billionaires and their fake charities defending the status quo and destroying the planet because we have reached the planetary boundaries of sustainability, even crossing them with nitrogen pollution, extinctions, deforestation, ocean health, and rapidly expanding poverty pockets. Restraining corporations should be the goal, not Americanizing them. A tougher Teddy Roosevelt is needed, with a modern twist of DEI. (That would delightfully twist Trump's shorts into a knot.)
So let's place the emphasis on the government to work the problem. CEO and corporations are doing what they have been incentived to do for the most part. It is crystal clear that capitalism that is fossil fuel dependent will be the death of us all. The capacity of people to rationalize is unbounded unfortunately. We are out of time to escape major calamity due to climate change. But it is never too late to limit the size and duration of catastophe.
So we'll put, it is good the Biden administration is making sure that these corporations put American workers first and enact new legislation to curb shareholder interest.
Why hasn’t Trump been charged with violating the LOGAN ACT?
“Trump is conducting his own foreign policy, and it runs dead against what the administration, the Pentagon, and a majority of senators and representatives think is best for the nation.”
I think someone needs to wake up Merrick Garland. All I can think is they are so grossly understaffed, they cannot keep up with the level of his criminality. It’s kind of like how parents have to pick their fights carefully with rebelling teenage children. You choose how to interface with them in the best way that produces the best results.
Garland was an Orrin Hatch pick for Obama who was terrified a liberal would be butchered by Congress. Garland is from the Federalist Camp as is Chris Wray, director of the FBI. Drag their feet, miss the treasonous document passing at maralargo, behave like do nothings. Just Wonderful. Biden still thinks he lives in a 'bipartisan world' , while we the people go down the drain.
There was a time when stock buy backs weren't allowed, shouldn't we be able to bring that back?
Yes. The SEC basically stopped regulating stock buybacks after Reagan became President (1982). This lack of regulation shelters income from taxation, and enriches the top 0.1% at the expense of everyone else. It also leads to much higher pay for CEOs. IMHO, we need:
1) Antitrust enforcement to prevent, say, Boeing merging with McDonnell Douglas.
2) Firm regulation of stock buybacks.
Ah. Yeah, that makes sense. ronny and his later dementia is the only reason we had Dubbya or Bunkerboy. My suggestion? A twice-yearly aptitude test for OUR president! Can't pass it? YOU'RE FIRED as Bunkerboy had fun saying on the show he "hosted."
It's wasn't Reagan, Bush, or Trump, who are the problem. They are the dumb figureheads that the billionaires put in place to protect their power and wealth. Trump is necessary to bring in the voters who would never vote to give the rich more tax breaks, cut regulation, raise prices, lower wages, buy back stocks, and corrupt the system. But these people pay for Trump to do his dancing bear act and entertain the crowd.
Yes, Trump is TOTALLY only sitting on the horse — the horse is in charge, and its name is “Oligarch.”
America is no longer a leader, it has stagnated, and is in decline because of unchecked capitalism, corporations are people, and the ability to buy politicians. Boeing once a crown jewel, is so profit driven that it's employees will not fly on the planes they make. Intel which once was the premier chip maker, has ceded that status to Taiwan (another reason China wants Taiwan), and Taiwan's Foxconn, makes its cell phones in China, because they too are infected with the disease. And I country we decimated 79 years go hosts a corporation that is buying our largest steel maker.
Saudi Arabia, owns most of Exxon Mobil, and the largest oil refinery on the gulf coast.
The highest quality cars you can buy in America are made in Japan, and assembled in America.
Family farms are going extinct, as corporate farms are the major producers of animal and vegetable products.
Our health care providers, insurance and media are owned by private equity funds like Vanguard and Black Rock, question is who much of these funds are owned by sovereign funds, and foreign investors.
We are treading water and we have done it to ourselves, and it started with Santa Clara Count v. Southern Pacific, to Ford v Dodge,First National Bank of Boston v Belloti, then Buckley v Valeo, and finally Citizens United v FEC.and the judicial ruling that corporations are people and that money is speech.
NOT liking this.
Agreeing with it.
I see that the EU is looking at certain international systems and agreements that put the US at the helm of things, and they are reworking the power dynamics to avoid disruption, in the event that Trump is elected again.
The very reality that the man WAS elected once has convinced the world that the US is no longer dependable. {They should have figured that out with Nixon — or at least Cheney — but those guys played the part of statesmen better than the Dufus does..}
The Power-Money Elite have done a pretty good job convincing struggling Americans that it’s coastal intellectuals they should blame for all their troubles, too. We hear that people on those once-family farms, and people earning a living in those once-Mom-and-Pop businesses in the “heartland” and the south — we hear they’re annoyed at being “ignored,” and they think coastal folks are ignoring them.
As if coastal folks had any power at all to make things happen.
Well, if we can overcome the voter suppression antics of the Republican Party, maybe we WILL have the power of our votes one more time, and if we USE it, we might even figure out a way to keep it.
Let’s hope.
Let’s VOTE BLUE.
William ; All true!
The "Supreme" Court is bought and paid for...
No wonder Artifial Intelligence is confused It is made up of a fantasy vocabulary And we've done to ourselves . And we're still trying to \invent bigger better words .
I would like to rename the "MAGA Republicans" to "Putin's Republicans". Trump is Putin's enforcer/dancing bear in this country. I prefer to reduce the constant free PR Trump gets every time MAGA (Make America Great Again) Republicans is invoked. And isn't it just more accurate?
Mango Mussolini is really Brown Bear!
Pat Goudey OBrien ; Totally true! This is a message to get to the supporters of his "fantasy land" where "owning the libs" is fun and solves all their problems! The horse is wearing blinders, too, and thinks He is in power! The Emperor has no clothes!
Hey pal, no matter how old you are you certainly are not in the way in my opinion. Your comment is spot on, in this old man’s opinion (75 y.o. myself). The old saying “with age comes wisdom” applies, at least in your case.
Oldandintheway ; Well said!
Ronny was a useful idiot. By the way, he was already demented when he became President.
That, too, is a sad truth, Michael. It was already in early stages, but he got away with it. Maybe his handlers weren’t entirely aware, but he was always watched over closely by his minions, and he was so aw-shucks diffident that it was glossed over.
If the Boeing/McDonnel merger had been prevented, then Boeing may have remained the quality company it was.
Almost every problem we have now with corporate greed can be laid at Reagan's door. That is when the elimination of regulations that keep corporations honest and controlled started and it hasn't stopped since.
I want taxing Social Security ended. Reagan did that too. Re-regulate banks on our shores. No huge international banks. Foreign banks doing fraud and not following our laws are out.
Always the Republicans, right? The so-called party of fiscal responsibility. Smh!
G G Yes ; the practice of allowing our representatives and even high court judges to basically take bribes should be ended, too, along with allowing a guy who thumbs his nose at the emoluments clause and enrich himself and his family as President should not happen again, either. Make America Ethical Again!
Who is going to do that Laurie, when we have the best government money can buy. All parties and politicians are dependent on donor cash, and if they are pissed off and scared, they will spend millions to defeat and unseat you
William Farrar ; "
"Who is going to do that Laurie, when we have the best government money can buy." It would help if it was actually illegal to take bribes, if there was a will. I just signed a letter to my representatives and senator telling them to support President Biden's Budget plan that calls for taxing the rich their fair share, and ending monopoly power. It was through Inequality Media Civics Action that I sent a small donation for getting this message sent out to them.. The letter reminds them that when I see them on a ballot, I am more likely to vote for them if they support this. If the obscenely wealthy are forced to share their wealth fairly, like the rest of US, they would not have the obscene amounts of money to bully and steal from US; It may cramp their style and limit the buying of seats and votes and even Supreme Court "justices"!
The problem there, William, is “voter education.” Those in office are chasing after dollars {and we’re all pissed off about all the requests we get for donations}, and the ones we HOPE will get elected are going after OUR DOLLARS, because they’re NOT getting the Oligarch money … but what do they want {or need?} money for?
They are not, for the most part, taking it home and fixing up the family room with it.
They are using it to buy advertising and access to the EYES AND EARS of citizens, to convince people to vote for them.
I have two points fighting in my head relevant to this reality.
ONE — Someone who thinks it’s more important to stay in office than to serve their constituency is scared to death to buck the leadership, because they’ll get primaried, andsomeone who’s more Party Line with challenge their seat.
That kind of legislator has NEVER been on our side. That kind of legislator takes Big Money money and spends it on ads and messaging that misleads voters about their positions, they lie about their opposition, and all they want is to stay in power
TWO — The other guy, the one we think we WANT in office, is getting less BIg Money money, but he or she is still trying to get the wherewithal to reach people with adds and information {let’s hope honest information?}, still hoping to get people’s votes. They’re the ones constantly asking us for $3, $5, $15.
What do ONE and TWO have in common?
They both need to get their MESSAGE OUT.
If we wanna hold onto our government, we have to help the better one get their message out.
And we have to hope that Democrats get a BETTER message to send out … !
Because that is where our election is right now — it’s all about access to voters’ EYES AND EARS, and reaching them with a convincing {hopefully true} messaging
If we can’t inform and educate voters to the realities of our situation, the Carnival Barkers will reel in the rubes. And, look around, there are plenty of rubes.
You won’t see everybody out there bothering to read the likes of HRC or Prof. Reich.
They’re going to get their message through ads and the popular media, and that’s where the Dems need to reach them with really good, clear, understandable and believable messaging.
I think two things are going to count in November — how successful the Left is at GETTING OUT THE VOTE.
And the quality of Democrats MESSAGING, so voters have the info they need to chose wisely.
Damn, they’re gonna keep asking me for $5, aren’t they?
Totally agree Pat.
What keeps me up at night is that 50 to 50% of the population are those rubes and another 25% are too preoccupied with self, their problems, earning a living, getting ahead, or just being entertained.
Rupert Murdoch has a monopoly on the eyes, ears, minds of half of the country, and all we are negotiating for is the other 50% which is not otherwise preoccupied with self.
5
There are actually more of us than there are of them. That’s why they’re purging voter rolls all over the country. Because they’re outnumbered {even in Electoral College tallies}, if people across the country actually show up and VOTE.
But getting people OUT to vote, and getting good messages to them about why they should VOTE BLUE … there’s the rub.
Good question!
Also, Make Lying Wrong Again!
We’re in late stage regulatory capture. We need to start picking out the ideologue weeds that were planted in our regulatory agencies and staff them back up with Jack Smith types. We’ve had robust regulatory agencies in the past, distant though that may be, and we can do it again.
We need much more. Watch the CON which documents much US rape of ‘common good’ through bad mortgages funded by Wall Street who then created the investment bonds bought by pension funds. When the bonds failed, the pension holders, cities, etc. monthly payments dropped, even greater than 50%. At every level, we the people are stolen from.
We must eminent domain all the Robbers real estate, tax at 1950s level for the past 5 years back every type of income gained and every other creative option available to recoup these losses. We need a President to stand for ‘we the people’. Not to soak us further.
AT THE VERY LEAST, identify them as manipulative, and put limits on how much can be bought back in any one-year, five-year, and ten-year span — and make it HARDLY ANY.
Amazing that as we look back, the Reaganites are increasingly tagged as those responsible for laying the groundwork for most of our current 'troubles'. The 'behind the scenes' cabal of conservative puppet master elites had Reagan to manipulate back then. And, they certainly enjoyed using Trump to advance their agenda . They are now pulling out all the stops to get him elected again and are viewing this election as a unique chance to 'get their way'.
I will predict that, if they are successful, the first people to pick up pitchforks will be the very people they talked into blindly supporting them. History provides the clues.
There is only one problem with your prediction Bob, and that is that people are loathe to accept responsibility and blame themselves, what people do is find and use scapegoats, and the scapegoats will be liberals, Democrats, feminists, LGBT, POC.
That is exactly the messaging that their elected dictator(s) will deploy. Historically, it has taken a lot of misery to turn those blinded followers' opinion; lots of examples in the Hitler era..and now Putin, Orban etc. The growing global wealth gap is creating a larger impoverished and ignorant (=malleable) public. One of the solutions is to find a way to drown out the sound of the Pied Piper.Sadly, if it comes to violence, the scapegoats are, in general, less likely to resort to violence, and are literally out-gunned.
Wanna make them cry?
Trump hates dogs.
Trump stole from kids with cancer.
Reagan was a class B actor, interested only performing and reading a script. Easily manipulated, "Trump is a narcisstic, carnival barker, whose sole interest is fame, glory and self aggrandizement.
Both were perfect tools for the powers that be. Mussolini was of the same cloth, once he had control of the government, he staffed it's Chamber of Deputies (Parliament) with corporate exec's and reps.
Industrialists and financiers, funded Hitler, but instead of letting them have political power, he chose the most ruthless and loyal ideologues to help him control Germany, but the corporations still made out with production contracts from everything to Zyklon B to Cannons, Tanks, Airplanes, uniforms and munitions;
And with the helpof American Corporations and John Foster Dulles, they survived the war, and have since prospered.
At least limit them!
Yes!!!!
We know how that worked out - badly. How about strict regulation and anti trust laws and taxation.
Horrors! How could they cheat?!? How would it be enforced? We see how the government, through the DOJ, is handling one demagogue. They can't get out of their own way! He has stacked the Supreme Court, which has a majority that works for Him! they can't even lock him up long enough to prosecute easy, open and shut cases! the other branch, 'our' Congress is run by him, too. If only President Biden could invoke the Insurrection Act ! It looks like there is reason to do it! Are we really gong to wait until it's too late !!?? Even the FBI is running scared! "homeland Security" is a cruel joke! there is one last Branch ; the Executive ; to DO Something!
It’s time to give them a taste of their own medicine.
We can’t just sit back like we’re helpless because we abide by laws, norms & rules and they don’t.
NO!!!!!
No! government should not run all businesses!
Then there will be no motivation to innovate, invest and build, there is a middle ground Karl. There is nothing more stagnant and oppressive than a society completely controlled by bureaucrats, it is the most conservative of all.
Aw, come on, Karl — many of us remember the many Mom & Pop small businesses that used to dominate the town centers of the USA and were forced out of existence by Big Business.
Wrong, and I suspect that you are a right wing troll.
Even the manufacturers of Faberge eggs, Stradiverius violins, and Vionic sandals?
Your handle exposes you as a troll. This post guarantees it
It's because 'Murica is run by obsolete, fossil fuel billionaires unfortunately. President Biden is the ONLY man, save his primary rival Mr. Sanders, that is man enough to take on those ghouls! (There are 5-10 women that could easily do this job too, but Hillary Clinton's time is blessedly over.)
Daniel, the major shareholder in Exxon is Saudi Arabia, which also owns the largest and news refinery in America, located in the Texas gulf coast.
How was that allowed Abbott?
That's my line!
Exactly Daniel, and I hope you don't mind me stealing it. it needs maximum exposure. From now on I will credit you.
Absolutely Janet I agree with you there. These high cost student loans also minimise the opportunity for students who may be less fortunate.
Why’d you do that?
Yup
The Biden Admin. is working to promote fair competition across our economy, including in agriculture. *They are encouraging antitrust agencies to focus on anti-competitive practices in agricultural markets.* They are working to secure the so-called “right to repair” so farmers can fix their own machinery and tractors, rather than being required to send them back to the manufacturer. They are making it easier for farmers to bring claims against exploitative poultry processors, and the American Rescue Plan has invested $1 billion to help smaller meat processors expand operations.
To ease rising costs, the Biden admin. is also investing $500 million in domestic independent fertilizer production and expanding crop insurance to support more farmers who are willing to risk double cropping.
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is rebuilding roads, bridges, railways & ports and is expanding broadband, particularly in rural areas, which will transform supply chains. The Inflation Reduction Act is investing a historic $40 billion in climate-smart agriculture and other programs that can help producers stay on their lands, including approx. $18 billion for conservation and easements and $3.1 billion in relief for distressed borrowers.
Ooo, I'm going to have a look at that book. Thanks!
'Unfortunately, this 'ad' for that book is via AMAZON.com,,, one of the largest and most egregious corps in the country (IMO) and the world.
Ex: here in WA state, the gov't reps were going for a "tax the rich" personal and corporate, platform, at which
point Jeff Bezos subsequently announced he (family ? corporation(s)) were relocating to Miami FL. I wonder why ? Corp tax free (???)
The major corps seem to - relocate to 'tax less or free' regions - because they can ~
The enforcement of antitrust laws is crucial for holding companies accountable. Congress plays a big role in protecting consumers against unfair practices in our industry! It’s time they started doing their jobs and working together for the benefit of the people!
If, in the future, this country begins to produce its own vital production parts, at some point we might be able to make something here in own country. Wouldn't that be a kick.
@ Keith and Donald. This is deja vu for many of us. Nippon Steel is a proxy of the Japanese government. Black Monday, September 19, 1977. On that date, Youngstown Sheet and Tube, the 5th largest producer in the world closed. Japan, in effect did it to create a monopoly in seamless pipe.
The people ultimately screwed, Keith and Robert included 5,000 people out of work, the whole region, including my home town, New Castle Pa, went from being one of the wealthiest in the world to one of the poorest in the US. Youngstown already was "Murdertown USA" but crime accelerated and we became the suicide capitol, also. Consumers were screwed, but the consumers were not at wit's end. https://pittsburghquarterly.com/articles/what-happened-to-youngstown/
The community and even the Catholic Church tried to save the Mahoning Valley. Attached is a paper, Steelworkers and Bishops. https://www.jstor.org/stable/1385571
The federal; government could have saved us but refused to back up needed loans.
By the time that paper was written, I was long gone -- and so was MOST of the population. Today, 35.3% of the population (20.2k out of 57.3k people) live below the poverty line, compared to the national average of 12.6%.
Softbank (Japanese International) took over Sprint/Nextel and ran them into the ground so they would have to merge with another company. They merged with T-Mobile to become a low cost monopoly and John Legere promised the governement the wonders of modern 5G networks and lots of jobs. Softbank shareholders took over the running of T-Mobile and now Sprints assests are almost all gone, there have been 20k worth of layoffs (Jack Welsh Six Sigma). Customers now pay more for a crappy partially rolled out 5G expansion. Shareholders have benefited from large amounts of stock buybacks. Employees live paycheck to paycheck and keep their heads on a swivel for the next round of layoffs. Nippon steel taking over US steel will NOT make US Steel more modern (the promises are a lie to allow the merger to go through). It will make the steel industry more monopolized leading to yet more layoffs and yes yet again more stock buy backs.
The federal government regulators allowing the takeover of Sprint was a shoot yourselves in the foot moment. The federal government contracted with Sprint for cell services for federal employees with government agency issued cell phones. That’s why, in the middle of nowhere, if I was close to a military base, CBP location, FAA tower, anything federally owned, I had great cell service on Sprint when the AT&T and Verizon folks had one or no bars. After the takeover, the Feds dropped Sprint and told federal employees to use their own personal phones and get reimbursed or a monthly stipend. They didn’t like the additional paperwork and reimbursement wait and they really didn’t like the one bar service.
The Sprint signal was actually shut off. All Sprint sites that were not deemed usefull were abandoned. Only a small percentage were converted to T-Mobile signal sites. Some of the technology could have been repurposes to provide T-Mobile signal at the sites you mentioned. T-Mobile/Sprint obviously chose not to go that route due to the expense of the transport and switch offices that they would have to keep open to maintain those sites. Part of the Legere brokered deal with the Trump backed administration (Legere and his staff stayed at Trumps post office Hotel during negotiations) was the creation of a 4th carrier Dish Networks. Theres is such a mottled history of purchasing spectrum that they dont use and promising (and not deliverying) actual service. Full disclosure Dish has built out a rudimentary network. It has zero affect on the current triopoloy. Dish has made a lot of financial moves lately which lead some to speculate an impending bankruptctly filing. Obviously they arent a serious competitor.
Bill, I live on an island in the Salish Sea, and rural at that. I don't use cell but my wife does, for her phone and her tablet. We use T Mobile, because the only way to get Verizon bars is to step outside on the porch. We also use Dish network for TV, the only other choice is Direct TV, our ISP is a local provider
The problem with Dish or any satellite or cable service, is that they are dependent on contracts with corporations. Cox Communications bought up local (Pacific NW), over the air (thus free) services (NBC) and tried to charge Dish 1 billion dollars for access. Dish won't pay and I don't blame them, it is black mail, and Cox is losing or should lose advertising revenue, but doesn't care
Sounds about right. Most were eventually turned off. I was a government contractor at the time during work for DOD, DHS, and NPS. Very remote locations. Part of the planning to auctioning the high frequency spectrum used for 5G was moving federal agencies off of that spectrum and opening those frequency bandwidths for public access. There was overlap with the higher frequency and federal microwave tower transmission.
It's hard to click the "like" button to your post when it would be more accurate to have an "appreciate" or other grateful acknowledgement. Your post describes so much of what has happened in - and to - the U.S. for a wide variety of reasons, but almost all of them being founded in short-sighted profit making and greed.
Thinking too of another town that was once prosperous and robust but with a strong attachment to one major employer/manufacturer, Caterpillar, and that is Peoria, Illinois. Recent news items about Caterpillar show its corporate corruption but it had abandoned Peoria in many, many ways long before that revelation.
Same with Canton, Ohio, and many other similar steel towns in the region, as I'm sure you know, Daniel. Not sure the Timken plant where many of my relatives worked even produces bearings anymore. Yet Timken steel used be world famous.
Daniel, I think that Black Monday might have been 1987. Minor typo excused. What I wanted to add here is in the 1970’s when the trans-Alaskan pipeline was built, the oil source that was supposed to save us from Middle East oil, it was built with Japanese steel and was at the time the largest steel project in American history. All of those hundreds of miles of pipe and supports add up, more than a skyscraper. And for all of that national security domestic oil, at most above ground places along the pipeline, one can pull off to the side of the Dalton Highway, walk over and touch the pipe. No fence.
1977. In the 70s my brother and I represented the family of a local guy killed working on the pipeline. Under Reagan we sold the goose that laid the golden egg -- manufacturing to other countries through trade and tax policies.
It’s past time that the USA should look upon itself as an economic unit dedicated to “the general prosperity” instead of just a big free market dedicated to the prosperity of big business.
Stan, it looks to me more like a feudal battlefield than a free market. We live in an age of monopoly capitalism. The feudal lords sustain themselves by predating on the peasants (us). It is unsustainable.
Yes, Victor, when I use the term “free market” what I mean is “jungle.”
Stan--I see your point, but our current system is what got us to this point, it has to possess some degree of redeeming qualities.
Keith Olson ; Pigs will fly before this 'Congress' does anything worthwhile! The Supreme Court is working with the MAGAs who can't be removed even though they are disqualified! they made sure of that when they scrapped the 14th amendment, section 3. working for the oligarchs behind the "hindmost"!
Laurie, allowing states to have jurisdiction over federal offices is what Confederates want. SCOTUS was right this time.
Actually, this remedy , the 14th amendment. Section 3, was drawn up to keep Confederates from doing insurrection.
What if te states are run by those who arecrlection deniers? The language in the Constitution is clear. Retired Judge J Michael Luttig. Is a conservatives conservative. He is a Constitutional scholar. He says the 14th amendment, section 3 is clear. Also. Professor Lawrence Tribe of Harvard is a Constitutional Scholar like judge Luttig. And they both agree that the remedy should be applied across the Nation. Not a patchwork of states. No conviction is necessary. There is ample evidence of insurrection.it is wrong to allow tRump to continue to spread lies and threaten prosecutors, witnesses, judges and their families etc. He should be in jail until trials are done!
Hopefully Trump's trial will start long before November.
Judge J. Michael Luttig said that the court cases should be done before the election. It is wrong to allow this disabled unqualified man to run for President. His track record speaks for itself! I think delaying the Election would make more sense! He should be required to clear his name, like anyone else, to be on any ballot!
Yet nearly half of the electorate intends to vote for him. Only an open trial can disqualify him.
I never could understand the logic behind subsidizing industries that routinely report HUGE Profits. If they are making that much Profit, why do they _need_ subsidies? (Other than bought legislators steering taxpayer dollars to their puppetmaster "campaign contributors.)
It is bribing them to do what they should want to do as Americans, but won't because they are too greedy. Bring back tough regulations on corporations or nationwize them!
Nationalize!!!!
That’s going a bit far. “Negotiate”, as Mr. Reich says, is the better course. And strengthen regulatory laws and the agencies that enforce them.
Thomas, you don't negotiate with your boss--unless you are unionized. Also, keep in mind that the bosses are well organized and in control of the political process.
Nationalization doesn't work Margaret. Where countries have nationalized. there has been a brain drain, and bureaucratic inefficiencies. What has worked was the middle ground, a mixed economy, where there is a regulated profit motive.
The commons should be publicly owned, per the constitution which provides for the General Welfare (mentioned twice), a prime example are the airways, public roads, utilities. States that have sold off their utilities to private equity funds, have experienced obscene rates and a decline in service, like California's PG&E, Washington's PSE, and Texas . A Spanish company purchased the interstate in Texas and Illinois, charged tolls and run the roads into the ground, not performing rudimentary maintenance and then after extracting profit, and the roads no longer usable, walked away leaving the taxpayer to pick up the maintenance and repair tab.
In effect, companies like AMTRAK are nationalized industries. Variations like TVA work.
Not a bad word actually. “Nationwize”. If only.
The nation runs on bribery Margaret. Price wars are bribery to get customers to buy their product. The tax code is bribery. We are bribed by deductions and credits into engaging n certain behaviors.
You probably aren't old enough to remember when all interest, revolving charge, car loans, credit cards were tax deductible, but once people became addicted to credit cards and car loans, the interest deduction was dropped, but they kept the mortgage interest deduction, and under Trump the mortgage interest deduction was dropped, except for landlords, who use it as a business expense.
This is also for all the posters down the line. "Bring back tough regulations" and nationalizing corporations -- of which AmTrak is NOT one; it was essentially built, owned, and is operated by the US government much like the USPS -- will NEVER happen under the current system of government. Because to do those things requires "Our" legislators to vote to make it happen. But since the majority of "Our" legislators have been bought and paid for by the Wealthy and legions of generous lobbyists, "Our" legislators are disinclined to make such a bold move that is adverse to their puppetmasters. And this being a democracy, "Majority rules!" So, ain't never gonna happen.
For decades we have been fed overt and covert messages that business is good, government is bad, that the best-- and only way-- to promote the common good is to let business do what is best for business. Since so many good jobs ended up in other countries, we are now becoming kind of "woke."
The Republican dominated courts will never permit nationalization at any level.
Nationalization run by bureacrats is even more inefficient than the profit motive.
There is a middle ground, a mixed economy, which made America the arsenal of democracy,thanks to FDR, but that has been neutered by corporations buying politicians and regulatory capture.
The problem is and always has been money in politics. Even in autocracies, money buys favoritism in the form of government. Hitler lived large because of Thyssen and industry, Orban did not achieve power without the help of donors, Putin robs the people with the help of oligarchs
Medicare is the most efficient health insurance in the US. Some fraud, but it is far less than in private industry.
The worst problem is that many domestic corporations, like Exxon Mobil, are controlled by foreign interest, like Saudi, that fix prices through OPEC.
When people buy foreign products, the profit goes overseas. In the world market, countries like Japan, S. Korea, Germany, even Sweden, subsidize their own, to their benefit and to our detriment -- as consumers and workers. Corruption exists in the government but it pales compared to corruption is trade, and in interlocking corporate boards.
Deutschland, a major competitor of the US, requires that labor have positions on corporate boards.
William -- I seriously disagree with your opening sentence. Besides the efficiency and service provided by Medicare and Medicaid, there is is the USPS and Amtrak. While the latter two are criticized for losing money, those entities are NOT mention to reap huge Profits. They're supposed to operate as close to breakeven as possible in order to provide the most affordable service to the public. Even with Trump-appointee DeJoy running the USPS and trying to sabotage it from within, the USPS is _still_ the cheapest way to to get a letter from one Coast to the other. (Consider the contrast between a Forever Stamped letter's cost compared to FedEx's or UPS's cheapest service?)
Once you eliminate those HUGE salaries and annual bonuses for the Upper Managements of for-profit private enterprise, government-run businesses are MUCH more efficient.
You read my first sentence, were inflamed and hit the reply You missed the part about a mixed economy, which means party for profit with regulations and partly government run the common good,;. Maybe if you had read my other posts, bout the common welfare, being mentioned twice in the Constitution as general welfare, you might not have so strenuously objected. Nationalized corporations are not efficiently run, they become ossified by bureaucracy and that includes especially the defense department as they also become money pits for Congress..
Every congress critter has at least one defense related business or base in their district.. by design, by corporations, be it a sole proptietor who makes honey comb cardboard as shock absorber for air dropped equipment, or cock pit handles for fighter jets or manufacturers of aircraft and tanks., not to mention the hundreds of military and space installations.
Medicare is efficient, but it too has been privatized, at least it's billing function (contracted out to CMS)
No Kudos to the USPS, because it's Postmaster General is a Trump Humper, and owns stock in Oshkosh in Wiisconsin, and DeJoy canceled the EV contract, and ordered new vehicles from Oshkosh.
DeJoy tried to throw the election to Trump in 2020, by trashing sorting machines, without replacement, because Trump was bitching that mail in ballots favored the Democrats.
Only the board of governors can fire the PM General, and the board is evenly split between Repubs and Dems. Biden had a chance to rectify that problem in 2021 when two seats came open, but chose to replace them with a Dem and a Republican thus maintaining the balance, Two more seats came up in Dec 2022, and Biden has not filled them leaving them, open, thus protecting Dejoy as he sets about privatizing the USPS.
Anyway, USPS, Parks, and Medicare serve the commons, which fits well within the constitutional purpose of providing for the general wealth, on the other hand the government has no business being in the shoe, clothing, toy and auto manufacturing business. Even those items produced in our national defense are made by private companies, and a good thing too. If manufactured by the government, they would be of WWI style.
The M 16 is an example, a sorry ass weapon. Though produced initially by Ford. The Generals like it because it's high velocity .223 caliber (5.56 mm) round could punch a hole in a steel plate, but it was easily deflected by leaves and branches in the jungle, and it's headspace built up with carbon and caused it to jam, lots of G.I.s lost their lives, until they came up with a fix The forward assist. I was issued the M-14 when I arrived, and shortly thereafter had to turn it in for an M-16, minus the forward assist, which though added in 1964, didn't show up on the battlefield in great numbers until late in 1967, bureaucracy. The Marines kept their M-14's, at least until I rotated in 1968.
By the way, this sentence of yours is a non sequitur: Once you eliminate those HUGE salaries and annual bonuses for the Upper Managements of for-profit private enterprise, government-run businesses are MUCH more efficient."
I am as much of an advocate for eliminating bonuses, and buybacks, for CEO"s, CFO,s COO's, as any informed liberal, but eliminating them has nothing to do with government run business.
You do not want your toothpaste, razors,computers, tablets, cellphones, shoes and clothing made by a government run business.
Government is very conservative, adverse to risk. I know, I am a retired special ops officer, and have managed a department that was staffed by civilians, at the end of my career.
The official authorized military gear was heavy and cumbersome, designed to be delivered to the front by truck and jeep, we needed light weight gear, and boots that could withstand the wet cold muck, as well as carry you over mountains.
I had to jump through hoops to acquire specialized gear that was available on the market for civilians,including tents, boots, ATV's,and ski doo's
You are mixing government _departments_ with government-managed businesses. The Department of Defense is NOT a business; it is what it is named: a _department_ of government. (One with a bottomless piggy bank, thanks to Conservatives in Congress.) And it does NOT manufacture its own war material. ALL material is farmed out as sweetheart deals with military contractors who use their lobbyists to buy the necessary support for anything and everything that keeps the Pentagon's toys the latest-and-greatest -- at any price. Those are government bureaucracy boondoggles.
Government-run businesses -- USPS, AmTrak, Medicare, etc. -- run just as efficiently (if not better) than most for-profit enterprises performing similar function -- **without** the need to bleed off working capital to pay dividends and bloated salaries:
Amtrak salaries -- https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?4,3296393
For-profit salaries -- https://www.erieri.com/blog/post/top-10-highest-paid-ceos-in-transportation.
I agree the USA would be sooooo much better if DeJoy got sacked, but obviously, political strings have obviously been to keep him in that job. But as a business, given that Dejoy was NOT in the picture, just what would be so bad about the USPS? If a business is staggering because of sabotage, do you blame the business, or the saboteur?
In Russia, it is the other way around: the oligarchs rob the people with Putin's consent, and Putin can do this because he has the backing of the Russian Church and the national security establishment. Trump has made it clear that he intends to follow Putin's example.
The oligarchs support Putin and Putin supports the oligarchs.
The oligarchs came to power when Yeltsin sold off the trusts that ran ran (owned) Russia, at pennies on the dollar to basically KGB agents, Putin was a Major, subsequently promoted to Lt Col in the KGB.
The Russian orthodox church was an arm of the KGB, as were its Metropolitan and priests.
Inter dependencies, all around. Power to get the money, money to keep the power. Putin rose to the top as Caporegime, and is not only the most powerful, but the wealthiest of them all..
Call government subsidies to businesses by their real name: Corporate Welfare.
It's called "Trickle Down." Our tax dollars trickle down to giant corporations.
Ken, they don't trickle down, they shoot up in an endless stream.
Yes, Captain Patch neither can I
Maximizing Shareholder Value , Mergers and Stock Buybacks offer nothing for society, and eventually rots out the core of these corporations. Just look at what is happening with Boeing. I live near Seattle and am increasingly nervous when these airborne junks pass overhead. We get the jets being tested out of Everett and are on the much lower approach path to Boeing Field. The "Aluminum Overcast" guppy planes that carry entire plane bodies used to fly overhead.
I was thinking about these Maxing Shareholder crap today in the context of the Nuclear Power Industry. Thei industry cheerleaders all say that the legacy wastes can and will be recycled and used for the new fuel for these fancy modular nukes. They say this will happen any day now! Meanwhile I see absolutely no evidence that this is happening and this promise joins their saying that a waste repository is just around the corner any day now, and the power will be Too Cheap to Meter. Lies.
They put the wastes into casks that the engineers designed for a 100 year lifespan. The leaking tanks at Hanford were also supposed to last that long and in both cases we are still in the first round of real world testing of these storage scenarios. Meanwhile some of these casks are approaching 40-50 years old. Willthey be telling is in another 50 that these actually were designed for 2 centuries? I have a hard time with that given that these things are literally hot to the touch and inside the metal and concrete has been blasted for years by intense radiation and is likely falling apart.
So instead of making good on their promises the owners sell or merge to other owners, buying back stocks oir shorting themselves and at the end of the day there is nothing left for putting their happy words into action. If they do, one of the things that they will need lots of is high quality steel that meets a difficult ASTM standard. I don;t see this happening any time soon - unless these storage containers start leaking and failing. There are about 103 such piles of waste or more in the US alone. Most of these are outside and can be seen on Google Earth and have already been considred as potential terrorist targets. One of the 9/11 planes flew over Indian Point and there was data found on one of Osama et al's laptops considering this as a target.
As a retired Nuclear Engineer, I agree with most of your comment. It is not the fault of the Utilities that there is no nuclear waste repository. They were promised one by the federal government. They have sued the government over failure to provide one. The government has been working to open the Yucca Mountain Nuclear Waste Repository since 1978! The problem is the state and people of Nevada don't want it in their backyard and have successfully blocked opening it for decades. I agree that this problem needs to be resolved ASAP before there is an accident with the casks, spreading radioactive contamination into the environment!
And who do you think is going to pick up the tab for the cleanup from any accident? You and me. Just like we picked up the tab in 2008 for the housing bubble burst.
Tim, would you offer your backyard? How much would you charge?
Why isn't containers made of lead, surrounded by steel and concrete not used for nuclear waste, like at Hanford.
Well said. Yet another symptom of unaccountability from big corporations, in this case Utilities that promise all and deliver almost nothing. It concerns me that nuclear fission is still being considered as an alternative source of "clean" energy. Fabulously expensive, and kind of like installing a toilet without a waste pipe, except that the waste is mind bendingly poisonous.
Dana, and all what for? So that we can build more mansions? Fly more private jets? Build more sprawl? Anything but changing our way of life, which, incidentally, our armed forces are now required to protect.
Someone please help me better understand. We the people subsidize Big Pharma in the name of R&D. We subsidize Big Oil and Gas companies. We subsidize gigantic chip makers. Each of the major players in these Industries make 10's of Billions of dollars in profit every year. In return the US citizens are price gouged paying the highest prices in the world for Pharma drugs. Oil companies gouge during Covid and inflationary times at the pumps. Why are we giving our hard earned tax dollars to subsidize big, fat, rich companies and executives when they prove to make enough profit on their own?
May we should call them bribes instead of subsidies.
You got it!
Craig, subsidies definitely need to be looked into.
Recently I came across a couple of different sources on the internet (Hoover Institute & Cato Institute) confirming we give roughly $100 BILLION A YEAR, EVERY YEAR, in subsidies to businesses and corporations—aka “corporate welfare.” These welfare recipients aren’t “welfare queens,” elderly, poor or sick—they are corporations and businesses.
What subsidies are meant to do is assist things
like: developing new tech, encourage economic development, or advance national objectives like subsidies for the renewable energy sector. They
are meant to be a way for the government to encourage the market to provide a benefit to all-
like renewable energy- that the market wouldn’t otherwise provide.
The most important thing about subsidies is this—without appropriate guidelines & disclosures,(and there are none I’m aware of) subsidies can grow to be ridiculously large. Why? Because members of Congress get “perks” (gifts) from the recipients.
In a nutshell, members of Congress take our money we pay in the form of taxes, give it away and in return they receive gifts. We get zip.This is straight-up corruption—It weakens democracy, hampers economic development and further exacerbates inequality, poverty & social division.
In light of the fact that republicans are threatening
to cut social security and medicare, what we need
to do is force Congress to legislate & implement required guidelines & disclosures for subsidies and
a review process that’s available to taxpayers.
Thank you and perfectly written Susan. Let's add that Social Security and Medicare are not subsidized - They are paid for by the tax payer as direct debit to their paychecks over their entire work life. That's like each pay check, depositing 20% into a bank account and when you go to withdraw it at retirement, congress says 'Yeah, we're gonna keep that money.'.
The logic at one time was government subsidies for new and starting technologies and industries until well established. Big Oil and Gas, been around since that 1850 or 70 something gusher in Pennsylvania. That still qualifies as new and starting?
In 1862 Abraham Lincoln signed the Land Grant College Act. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Land-grant_university
1,955 public universities. Of those 1,955, a total of 1,626 of them are degree-granting. Public universities are typically founded and operated by the state government.
States have been decreasing their funding. This is as of 2019 but pretty sure hasn't gotten better. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/education/most-americans-dont-realize-state-funding-for-higher-ed-fell-by-billions
https://www.brookings.edu/articles/the-disinvestment-hypothesis-dont-blame-state-budget-cuts-for-rising-tuition-at-public-universities/
And a first and for a long time they were affordable
Yes, for a long time they were affordable and accessible. Then Republicans reduce funding and weaponized Affirmative Action. It has worked well for them.
Well, we all know one American company that doesn't care one bit about helping America and Americans: The Trump Company.
Check out the staff at Mar a Lago and the Doral. Trump uses temporary visa workers to displace Americans.
And why the hell isn't that being broadcast loud & clear by the Biden camp?????
Why doesn't this surprise me? Cheap labor for Mar A Lago - after all the labor giving beings aren't even "human beings" but "animals" according to Trump. His hypocrisy needs to be screamed far and wide.
The Org . . Trumping All . . .. An Alternative Reality
American corps will not start acting in America's interest until they can no longer buy politicians who only serve themselves and those who bribe them via "campaign cash."
It is back to the root cause of a lot of our problems: we need to get rid of Citizen's United.
True but it was bad before Citizens United, so getting rid of it would just be a start.
There may be a need for more elected politicians like Bernie Sanders to reform the law on corporations to compel them to treat stakeholders affected by their activity as important as shareholders, to take away their fictional personhood, apart from anti-monopoly and pro-union legislation.
And Elizabeth Warren.
when you get such a candidate just don't insist that they not take any "tainted" big money. You have to use the system to defeat itself, sometimes.
You might enjoy Tahir Shah's novel "Casablanca Blues". Corruption is an important theme in it.
Corporations have been damaging America's citizens, workers, and businesses since the Gilded Age of the late 19th century. America needs to move aggresively toward Socialism; that is, toward employee-owned businesses. Two examples I know of are Bob's Red Mill and King Arthur Flour. I try to buy all the products I need from companies like Bob's and King Arthur. My purchases directly support America and America's Workers, not corporations whose only motives are gouging for profit, share buybacks, and employee stagnation. America needs to stop giving corporations tax-breaks that feed their greed and damage workers.
We also need to stop subsidizing sports stadiums instead of investing in our public schools.
I agree! It angers me that Corporations have their names on all sport stadiums.
I would like to see their names on our elected officals--truth in advertising.
Rep. Ann Wagner MO 2CD-- wholly owned and operated by Edward Jones and the National Banking Trust Assoc. Just like those race car drivers with corporate badges stiched into their uniforms.
Steve, great idea! However, race car drivers don't deserve to be compared to corrupt politicians. Our politicians are supposed to be public servants. They should reveal all possible conflicts of interest.
Kansas City just said no to a new stadium for the Chiefs I believe.
The people have been brain washed when it comes to "Socialism"!
The workers at U S Steel should have the opportunity to match Nippon Steels bid.
Maybe the CEO could afford to, but I doubt any of the workers could!
WRONG! See my comments above. Ecumenical coalition! USW! Learn from Youngstown!
The TOXICITY of the Corporatoxicracy is poisoning our economy!
A corporatocracy of dunces!
Substantially none of what Mr. Reich describes is reported in the mainstream or any other media, which means that the story is not being communicated to the public, which desperately needs to know. And at this point, Reich/Inequality Media stand virtually alone in telling the story, in particular in compelling ways. It is critical that this voice be amplified onto a platform that has a broader base.
Most people don't read anymore and if they do it is short paragraphs of news. Sad times!
Yes, and it appears that most Gen z get their current events through social media, sigh.
well they aren't alone but yes it doesn't get enough publicity esp. from the big information "retailers".
You have your finger on the central problem with both US and global economics. It is not Trump, it is the corporate smoke screen of farts he emits. Corporations have no ethics, just a profit motive, which was released from any kind of boundaries by the Chicago School of Economics (Milton Friedman and Co) in their neoclassical/neoliberal bias by Reagan and his team. Their basic ethic is that the only responsibility of a corporation is the return on investment of their shareholders, and stock buy backs make themselves the largest shareholders. Thus we have billionaires and their fake charities defending the status quo and destroying the planet because we have reached the planetary boundaries of sustainability, even crossing them with nitrogen pollution, extinctions, deforestation, ocean health, and rapidly expanding poverty pockets. Restraining corporations should be the goal, not Americanizing them. A tougher Teddy Roosevelt is needed, with a modern twist of DEI. (That would delightfully twist Trump's shorts into a knot.)
So let's place the emphasis on the government to work the problem. CEO and corporations are doing what they have been incentived to do for the most part. It is crystal clear that capitalism that is fossil fuel dependent will be the death of us all. The capacity of people to rationalize is unbounded unfortunately. We are out of time to escape major calamity due to climate change. But it is never too late to limit the size and duration of catastophe.
Right! Not to mention, these corporations, lobbies, and industry groups are writing our laws!
So we'll put, it is good the Biden administration is making sure that these corporations put American workers first and enact new legislation to curb shareholder interest.
Too little, too late!
Why hasn’t Trump been charged with violating the LOGAN ACT?
“Trump is conducting his own foreign policy, and it runs dead against what the administration, the Pentagon, and a majority of senators and representatives think is best for the nation.”
~ Heather Cox Richardson
https://open.substack.com/pub/heathercoxrichardson/p/april-2-2024?r=24p296&utm_medium=ios
I think someone needs to wake up Merrick Garland. All I can think is they are so grossly understaffed, they cannot keep up with the level of his criminality. It’s kind of like how parents have to pick their fights carefully with rebelling teenage children. You choose how to interface with them in the best way that produces the best results.
Garland was an Orrin Hatch pick for Obama who was terrified a liberal would be butchered by Congress. Garland is from the Federalist Camp as is Chris Wray, director of the FBI. Drag their feet, miss the treasonous document passing at maralargo, behave like do nothings. Just Wonderful. Biden still thinks he lives in a 'bipartisan world' , while we the people go down the drain.
there is something to be said for the high animal spirits of the young