The emperor isn’t wearing any clothes

$350 billion dollars has already been distributed to insurance and financial services companies - not to mention another $7T in guarantees. Yet, for just $142.73B we could have built a light rail running from Los Angles, to New York, and then down to Miami (4,078 miles at $35M per mile). And with the other half we could have gotten a great start on a national superinfrastructure.

What if we had done that? Do you think you would have noticed? Wouldn’t you have  seen a reduction in transportation and utility costs? Wouldn’t you have seen related private development? Maybe someone building energy efficient housing close to the light rail stations? Maybe someone working on new broadband applications to help consumers reduce the cost of daily living? Would more people be telecommuting?

So why don’t you see even a hint of the money that’s already been dolled out to the banking and insurance companies? Why can’t you get a straight answer on what’s being done with each dollar of the money? How are you getting equal protection of the law when corporations are being supported and insulated from the economy, while you are not?

By funding the failed schemes of the rich and their corporate shells, the government undermines the efforts of the vast majority of Americans. Today, 90% of America’s citizens make less than $80,000 per year. A government that would preoccupy itself with the difficulties of the rich cannot effectively address the difficulties of the people it purports to serve.

If I told you that I had abandoned my diet to save my weight loss program, would you think I was full of BS? After all, how delusional does one have to be in order to convince their self of something so absolutely absurd? It’s like telling you I abandoned my child to save my family. It’s so ridiculous you wouldn’t even consider it. More likely you’d size me up as a terrible parent making pathetic excuses for child neglect.

Well, if you can imagine government as a parent with a free market system as its child, then you can understand the absurdity and deep significance of George Bush’s recent statement, “I’ve abandoned free market principles to save the free market system.” This is official confirmation that the free market system has collapsed - and not just financially, but philosophically as well.

But without their principles, who are Americans?

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There’s been no shortage of people asking this question, but I’ve yet to hear the most obvious answer: integrity. Better yet, integrity that’s beyond reproach. Or how about integrity that’s beyond reproach and a personal network that facilitates and multiplies the influence of the seat? But wait, how about integrity that’s beyond reproach, a personal network that  facilitates and multiplies the influence of the seat, and a lifetime of living with the loss of a father murdered in the service of his country?

Oh that’s right, you don’t need any of that stuff! All you have to do is be 30 years of age or older, live in the state you are representing and have been a US citizen for at least 9 years. Gee, I’m pretty sure she’s qualified. I wonder what would motivate someone to question her qualification.

Obama seems to be saying all the right things, so it will be interesting to see what they mean to him. For example, an infrastructure project on the scale of the federal interstate system would get the economy going - maybe even long enough to develop a longer term direction. But not if it actually is the federal interstate system. I’m guessing that’s where the 2.5 million jobs come into the picture - especially since there was the suggested alternative that the jobs would be “saved” instead of created.

Interstate and other existing infrastructure repairs do need to be completed; they’re years behind in maintenance. But an electric, natural gas, and fiber optic superinfrastructure seems, to a layman, like something that will be needed. In any future where Americans are trying to leave a smaller footprint and maximize the utilization of domestic energy sources, you’ll need an industrial strength network across the country.

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Caroline Kennedy in the Senate - now that sounds like a refreshing change; we could use more citizens of that caliber in Congress. It’s pretty awesome that she would sacrifice part of her life (and lifestyle) to serve America. And what better example of the need for real leaders than the recent events in Illinois. Even as cynical and skeptical of integrity as I am, the outright selling of a Senate seat was as surprising as it was disappointing.

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Maybe it’s time for a U.S. Department of Ideas and U.S. Department of Ethics. We could use some of both right now.

Imagine $66,379.31 per American household. That’s more than $66K for each of the 116 million households across the country. That’s more than $25K for every man woman and child citizen - more than $66K for every house, apartment, and mobile home in your city, in your state, in the entire nation - that’s what 7.7 trillion dollars is.

7.7 trillion dollars is also the latest tally of government loans and guaranties provided to the “financial services industry” in the past 90 days. Now take just a moment and reflect upon what you’ve seen in your neighborhood that looks like $66K per American household. Anything even close? Or, are you experiencing your own foreclosure or the foreclosure of neighbor homes dragging down your property values?

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Welcome to UnionBusting.com

I heard Hoffa talk about it when I was young, I saw Regan do it with PATCO, and today Congress is trying to do it to the UAW. This section of the website is planned as an examination of the practice of union busting.

Before our family gathers to give thanks for our personal blessings, I wanted to take the opportunity to thank government leaders, both past and present, for things done right. There are many for sure.

Generations of citizens have worked and fought to create a country where I can safely sit in my home until it is foreclosed upon; a country where I can communicate my feelings and beliefs without too much fear of being dragged off into the night to be imprisoned or tortured to death; a country where my wife and I were the ones that decided whether we would have more than one child; a country that recognizes every man is created equal and yet dispenses justice with a blindfold.

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Think of the phrase “extra salt” for a few seconds and try to visualize a volume of salt that the phrase represents. Now, imagine your life depended on your ability to quantify that volume. If you’re like me, all of a sudden you’re wanting to know if we’re talking about a baked potato or an icy interstate system.

Without context, we are lost.

I can’t find data on the percentage of U.S. citizens knowledgeable in regard to the current amount of our national debt, but whatever the percentage, I assure you not one of them can tell you the value of all U.S. government assets. The government is quick to remind you what you owe, but noticeably quiet on what you own. Frankly, I’m not sure the government could produce an accurate debt-to-asset ratio since our currency has no relationship to any physical asset.

That’s what I call a context scam.

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If you’re a citizen this is for you:

“We know this won’t be easy, and it won’t happen overnight“  Obama

If you’re Citigroup or similarly connected business, disregard the previous and refer to the following:

“We have made these kind of decisions in the past, made one last night, and if need be we’re going to make these kind of decisions to safeguard our financial system in the future.”  Bush

I know, right?

Within just 60 days the government backs banks to the tune of $7.7 trillion - while the working class citizen is relegated to some undefined two-year plan. And on the day the President-Elect says it won’t happen overnight, it literally did happen overnight for Citigroup.

What the…? 

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The President-Elect is laying out a blueprint, but it sounds like pages are missing. We’re not building a watch here, the parts are much, much bigger. With a half million jobless claims this month and more than a million jobs lost this year, two and a half million jobs over two years doesn’t sound nearly aggressive enough. And on the subject of jobs, the whole Thomas Friedman green jobs thing sounds good on paper, but what keeps those jobs from being shipped to Taiwan if there isn’t a change in trade policy?

We may have risen above our smallest of divisions, but we’re talking about a glacial cracks here. While corporations are slamming our markets with Chinese imports, the federal government is busy funneling billions into banks to cover the cost of foreclosing on homeowners.

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Today I was thinking about how domain names have been like a breadcrumb trail or a scrapbook of my thoughts and ideas.  I remember when I got the idea for a national network of newspapers and state and local governments; I remember how excited I was to register UnitedStatesOfAmerica.com.

I remember watching “news” outlets change election results from Gore to Bush as I was registering FloridaRecount.com; I remember the uneasy feeling of watching Jeb Bush and Katherine Harris as I registered SomethingSmellsFishy.com; and I’ll never forget how disappointed I was when I registered iThoughtWeHadABetterPlan.com.

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What ever happened to equal protection of the law? I mean, what exactly are the qualifications for a bailout? How do I apply? How can I be assured my application is being judged equally?  Why are only certain industries included in the chosen ones? Are the repayment terms the same for everyone? These are questions that might normally be asked of a government program bestowing benefits.

But not with bailouts!

There’s a reason that nothing is being done according to a normal process or procedure - it’s a rip off.  The government is being looted and Congress is doing everything except helping citizens.

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I just received a letter from Troy Clarke, President, GM North America, wherein he asked me to contact my representatives in support of a bailout for GM. He must be kidding.

If any company deserves to fail it’s GM. Too many government dollars have already been wasted trying to help this company. Even while they pretend to be committed to manufacturing energy efficiency vehicles they are busy pushing the 556 horsepower CTS-V. What an insult to the citizens they are begging for cash. What do you think that thing gets? 10 MPG? 12 MPG?

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Dear Mr. President-Elect:

Congratulations on your victory for all citizens.  Almost everyone seems excited to experience real change.  Too long has the will of America’s majority has been diluted by the power of the few.

For many Americans your election represents the beginning of the end for the manipulation of democracy; I am one such citizen.  And while I wouldn’t expect you to accept policy and direction from Joe the Admin, I am driven to reduce to writing my unschooled views on such matters and hope you forgive the indulgence.

If I were content to reduce my communication to an easily digestible bumper sticker phrase, it would be simply, “Change cannot be the same.” In more exhaustive fashion, here’s what that means to me…

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Selective capitalism is un-American.

The capitalist ruling class dominate and exploit the working class for the surplus value of their labor.  When the fruits of this process are used to accumulate even more power for the ruling class - as has historically been the case - the working class becomes weaker as a group and individually find improving their lives to be more difficult.

Labor unions were once believed to be the answer to this imbalance of power in the economy, but through the reduction of citizen representation and purchased influence in Washington, the capitalist ruling class have all but destroyed the labor unions in this country. They should be restored.

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The U.S. financial system should be completely nationalized.

Economic opportunity has been America’s calling card and it should be restored.  Equal access to economic opportunity depends largely on access to capital.  Under the current financial system the criteria for access to capital have been obscured and lack uniform application.

By nationalizing the financial system the government can realize equality in economic opportunity for all its citizens. Until our currency and monetary policy are fully under government control, equal protection of the law cannot occur in access to opportunity.

It’s time we based America’s currency on her assets instead of the manipulations of international bankers. Our currency has not relied on precious metals for its basis in many years.  Now is an appropriate time to abandon outsourcing the control of our currency to the private Federal Reserve Bank.  That model is broken and it is not America’s job to repair it for them.

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Globalization

Today’s globalization represents little more than an unregulated extension of capitalist ruling class power.  Corporations tell us globalization raises people out of poverty.  Yet globalization today is based almost entirely on price and, in reality, the helping hand of price-based globalization is difficult to hold on to.

In America, price is not supposed to be the only consideration.  For example, American consumers understand the hidden costs to society that are associated with receiving stolen property.  We understand that even though one doesn’t personally steal a product, purchasing a stolen product provides an unjust enrichment to the criminal and costs society in other ways.  To confront those ills, we as a society criminalized the knowing consumption of stolen property so a bargain on stolen goods is no bargain at all.

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