Ayn Rand Hits the Fan, or What the Hell Happened to American Businesses

In 1963 Alan Greenspan said,

“Capitalism is based on self-interest and self-esteem; it holds integrity and trustworthiness as cardinal virtues and makes them pay off in the marketplace, thus demanding that men survive by means of virtue, not vices. It is this superlatively moral system that the welfare statists propose to improve upon by means of preventative law, snooping bureaucrats, and the chronic goad of fear.” (1)

What I hear Mr. Greenspan, a devout follower of the Ayn Rand god, saying is that if government (the inherent evil) would just leave the capitalists alone, their virtues, not vices would prevail and their companies would succeed. Of course per AynRandism if corporations succeed everyone would benefit (all boats rise...yada yada). Well, Saint Greenspan would be in for a shock in 2008. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. 

 

Some excerpts from an article from "I, Cringely" (3)

“In American business, especially, one key theory says that the purpose of corporate enterprise is to “maximize shareholder value.” Some take this even further and claim that such value maximization is the only reason a corporation exists.”

“It’s not even a very old theory, in fact, only dating back to 1976. That’s when Michael Jensen and William Meckling of the University of Rochester published in the Journal of Financial Economics their paper Theory of the Firm: Managerial Behavior, Agency Costs and Ownership Structure. (3)”

“Their theory, in a nutshell, said there was an inherent conflict in business between owners (shareholders) and managers, that this conflict had to be resolved in favor of the owners, who after all owned the business, and the best way to do that was to find a way to align those interests by linking managerial compensation to owner success. Link executive compensation primarily to the stock price, the economists argued, and this terrible conflict would be resolved, making business somehow, well, better.” (3)

Link management compensation to stock price and all will be good, right? We all know that stock prices are a direct reflection of the strength of the company, right? Not really. Managers are masters of manipulating their companies stock prices and know full well how to personally profit from those actions. 

 

Back to the article:

“Maximizing shareholder return has given us our corporate malaise of today when profits are high (but are they real?) stocks are high, but few investors, managers, or workers are really happy or secure. Maximizing shareholder return is bad policy both for public companies and for our society in general. That’s what Jack Welch told the Financial Times in 2009, once Welch was safely out of the day-to-day earnings grind at General Electric: “On the face of it,” said Welch, “shareholder value is the dumbest idea in the world. Shareholder value is a result, not a strategy… your main constituencies are your employees, your customers, and your products. Managers and investors should not set share-price increases as their overarching goal. … Short-term profits should be allied with an increase in the long-term value of a company.” “(3)

But the problem is that if you take the suggestions of Jensen and Meckling to the end, you get corruption when -

“management just cooks the books and lies. And so shareholder value maximization gave us companies like Enron (Jeffrey Skilling in prison), Tyco International (Dennis Kozlowski in prison), and WorldCom (Bernie Ebbers in prison). “(3)

So where are we. In 2008 “Alan Greenspan, former chairman of the Federal Reserve, finally took some responsibility (sort of) for the crisis. He told Congress:

"Those of us who have looked to the self-interest of lending institutions to protect shareholder's equity – myself especially – are in a state of shocked disbelief…”

Translated, in my opinion he means he did not think bank bosses (or corporate CEO's) were so greedy as to drive their companies into bankruptcy for personal gain, but he admits he was wrong. Ayn Rand's John Gault was just a fantasy.

And whether irony or just corrupt stupidity, in 2008 those that worshiped Ayn Rand and demanded that the government stay out of their businesses, were begging for a bail out. If Ms. Rand were truly a god, lightening would have struck these weasels that thought they were the mighty capitalist John Gault. They had to bow to the gods of socialism and accept their hand-outs.

(1) The Assault on Integrity, 1963

(2) http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/analysis-and-features/quotes-of-2008-we-are-in-a-state-of-shocked-disbelief-1220057.html

(3) http://www.cringely.com/2015/06/24/the-u-s-computer-industry-is-dying-and-ill-tell-you-exactly-who-is-killing-it-and-why/

Obama’s Push for Corporate Rule: A Moment of Opportunity

"Only a few months ago, President Barack Obama was at loggerheads with Republican members of Congress intent on destroying his administration. With bewildering speed, Obama has since turned against his own political base to form an alliance on trade issues with those same Republican members of Congress."

"The goal of Obama’s surprise alliance is to finalize a series of international agreements—the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP), the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), and the Trade in Services Agreement (TiSA)—each of which will strengthen corporate rights at the expense of human rights, democracy, economic justice, peace, and the healing of Living Earth."

"The distinction between democracy and corporate rule is the issue that underlies most other issues. The task before us is to recognize and act on the potential for a momentous political realignment that can make our government truly “of the people.”"

The above is from an excellent article in YES! Magazine (link below)

Yes Virginia, it's a conspiracy. In this article and his book, “When Corporations Rule the World”, David Korten explains how major corporations are conspiring to take control of the world.  The TPP is an important step along this bipartisan journey into global corporate rule where democracy has no place. The advances we've made for social justice soon would be lost in a corporate run government.

Mr. Korten explains how “corporate interests have managed to define the political choice in America as between small government Republicans and big government Democrats. It was a clever misdirection.” A misdirection that we see people buy into every day.

Mr. Korten goes on to say there is hope (and not Obama hope) because it has become evident that there is a Populist Movement emerging. Senator Sanders is a key figure in this movement.

Above text in bold is my emphasis.

http://www.yesmagazine.org/obamas-push-for-corporate-rule-a-moment-of-opportunity?utm_source=YTW&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=20150626

An Ironic Twist for H. Clinton or Have You Changed Your Mind About Citizens United?

The Citizens United SCOTUS decision revolved around the documentary Hillary: The Movie, which was produced by Citizens United, intended to be a hit piece. Basically the SCOTUS ruling struck down provisions of the McCain-Feingold Law regulating how much corporations can spend on supporting (or Swiftboating) candidates.

Good Democrats, of course, objected to the ruling because the ruling would break open the flood gates for corporations to financially control elections.

But ahh, the sweet irony. The ruling in the case allowed the corporate attack on H. Clinton (via the documentary), but in a not surprising turn of events, it looks like it may be a boon for H. Clinton in 2016 as it is expected that upwards of a billion dollars may be raised by the Clinton campaign.

So where do the good Democrats stand today re. The Citizens United ruling? Looks to me like the Progressive Wing of the Party still objects to the ruling, but the Non-progressive Wing seems to have changed their minds and are ready to embrace the ruling.

How do you feel today about the Citizens United ruling?

Want to Ignore Politics? Maybe a Bridge Falling on Your Neighbors Will Change Your Mind

Most Americans are too busy with their daily lives for politics. But maybe when a bridge falls killing their neighbors it will wake them up. A crumbling infrastructure is coming to a bridge or gas line near you. You can't hide.


You Can't Have a Functioning Democracy Without High Quality Infrastructure

Earlier this week, Josh and Vanessa Ellis and their 8-month-old son Hudson were killed after debris from a highway overpass in Bonney Lake, Washington fell onto their pickup truck as they were driving through.
According to authorities, a large piece of concrete barrier fell from the overpass onto the Ellis' truck. The overpass was undergoing a construction project at the time.
The tragic deaths of Josh, Vanessa and Hudson Ellis are yet another reminder that US infrastructure is literally crumbling.

Take our nation's bridges and tunnels for example.
Right now, there are over 600,000 bridges in the US that have been labeled as "structurally deficient."

In 2013, a bridge on I-5 in Washington State collapsed, sending three people plunging into a river.

More here: http://www.truth-out.org/opinion/item/30267-you-can-t-have-a-functioning-democracy-without-high-quality-infrastructure

How long will we allow our government to spend on redundant military equipment and boondoggles or give the wealthy tax breaks while ignoring our crumbling infrastructure.

If you think your safety and our national security is important, think infrastructure.

It's Time for Real Change

I think we've come to a point in our history where we are going to have to make a big decision.

For 30 years the corporatists and conservatives have run rough-shod over the middle and lower classes. I don't think any of us here will disagree. Where we disagree is when are we going to stop retreating into poverty and tyranny and stand and fight?

Sadly we have posters here that will argue that things aren't so bad and we can continue down the path for a little while longer. The child poverty rate is only 22%. This is the rational that I see used to justify the support of H. Clinton.

In 2008 people recognized that H. Clinton, the apparent “claimer of the throne”, would not provide the change we needed and a relatively unknown easily defeated her with the promise of change. Whether or not Obama wanted change and failed with his promises or he never was that hot about change is another debate. But here we are faced with the need for change and guess who is once again "the claimer of the throne".

The Democratic Party grassroots should have learned from 2008 and also 2000. In 2000 the DLC/Conservative Wing ran Gore which looked to many as a continuation of the status quo. Gore failed in 2000 and Clinton failed in 2008.

The American people are ready for change and Clinton v. Bush doesn't offer that change.

We need a candidate that is willing to take a chance and fight for change.  

The Government’s TPP Rhetoric (code for bullshit)

The definition of rhetoric is – “Language designed to have persuasive or impressive effect, but which is often regarded as lacking in sincerity or meaningful content”. (www.oxforddictionaries.com/)

Or just a fancy way of saying “bullshit”. Rhetoric is very common in politics so it shouldn’t be surprising to find the government’s website that explains the Trans-Pacific Partnership or TPP choked full of it.
(https://ustr.gov/trade-agreements/free-trade-agreements/trans-pacific-partnership/tpp-chapter-chapter-negotiating-5)

This site is a tremendous example of empty rhetoric. Let’s look at some:

Pertaining to the environment:
“Specifically, in the TPP we are seeking:

Strong and enforceable environment obligations, subject to the same dispute settlement mechanism as other obligations in TPP;

Commitments to effectively enforce domestic environmental laws, including laws that implement multilateral environmental agreements, and commitments not to waive or derogate from the protections afforded in environmental laws for the purpose of encouraging trade or investment; “

Pertaining to Labor:

“Specifically, in the TPP we are seeking:

Requirements to adhere to fundamental labor rights as recognized by the International Labor Organization, as well as acceptable conditions of work, subject to the same dispute settlement mechanism as other obligations in TPP;

Rules that will ensure that TPP countries do not waive or derogate from labor laws in a manner that affects trade or investment, including in free trade zones, and that they take initiatives to discourage trade in goods produced by forced labor;”

This is empty rhetoric. It is “lacking in sincerity or meaningful content”

It does not say that the agreement will include any of these wonderful things, only that they will “seek” them.

Will they insist that these good things be included before it’s signed, HELL NO.

Let me know when you can assure me that the agreement will protect the environment, labor, and all of our concerns.

There are 63,000 structurally deficient bridges in the United States.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/04/24/1294382/-Scary-and-sad-There-are-63-000-structurally-deficient-bridges-in-the-U-S#

The expected cost to upgrade all of our bridges is about one trillion dollars.  While this is expensive, it won’t get any better by postponing repairs.  And if you are looking for funding, cut back on some of the multi-billion dollar defense bungles. 

Fixing our crumbling infrastructure would put a lot of Americans to work.  It would also increase the nation's security.

And it isn’t just our bridges that are vulnerable but also the nation’s electrical grid.  From a 2012 article in USA Today: 

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2012/11/14/power-grid-vulnerable-terrorism/1704803/

“a long-delayed federal study Wednesday says the U.S. power grid is also vulnerable to terrorist attacks that could cause months of blackouts and billions in economic damages.”

This is because the grid is old, not secured, and without backup replacement parts.  

"Damn the TPP" - We can't say too much about the dangers of the TPP.

Here is my letter to my Senators. 

Those that have seen portions of the TPP say it is a very dangerous document. It is much more than a mere trade agreement. I shouldn't have to list all the ways that it will damage the 99%. I have yet to see ANYONE provide information to show otherwise. 

I wrote you before about this and you sent me a response full of rhetoric. You said it would help some industries in WA. I want to know HOW it will help people. Helping industries doesn't always trickle down to the people. And what are the costs? Is this "help" worth the price? You also included something about the government would train those that lose their jobs. Sounds like an admission that there will be job losses. And instead of those getting the benefits from the TPP paying for the damage, THE TAXPAYERS will be required to pay? The taxpayers will train those that will lose their jobs but for what work? If there are no jobs, what good does training do? 

The Fast Tracking this "Agreement" is a separate issue. It appears that the desire to "Fast Track" or ram the "Agreement" thru the Senate is because those pushing the bill (the major corporations), don't want the 99% to be able to see the bill in time to express their opinions to their ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES. Fast Track will not allow debate. How does that fit into a representative democracy? 

As my elected representative, I am still pretending that we still have a representative democracy, please explain to me how the TPP will help the 99% of this country. And as a separate issue, please explain how the Fast Track fits into our representative democracy. And, if I might, please limit the rhetoric.

We in the 99% have few tools to fight the Ruling Oligarchy. We must get our elected representatives on our side. Please take the time to write your senators. 
Your letter doesn't have to be long, simply, "Damn the TPP" would do. 

Find your Senator here: https://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm 

We must continue to fight

Sen Sanders Says No to TPP – Why Do Conservatives Say Yes?

The Trans-Pacific Partnership, currently being written by major international corporations, appears to be very damaging to the 99%.  Parts have been revealed to Congress and parts have been leaked.  The majority, most likely the worst parts, have been kept secret. The President and the Oligarchy want to Fast Track this so-called "agreement" thru the Senate without allowing debate.  Here are a few of Senator Bernie Sanders concerns:

1. TPP will allow corporations to outsource even more jobs overseas.

2. U.S. sovereignty will be undermined by giving corporations the right to challenge our laws before international tribunals.       

 3. Wages, benefits, and collective bargaining will be threatened.    

4. Our ability to protect the environment will be undermined.

5. Food Safety Standards will be threatened.    

6. Buy America laws could come to an end.      

7. Prescription drug prices will increase, access to life saving drugs will decrease, and the profits of drug companies will go up.        

8. Wall Street would benefit at the expense of everyone else.           

9. The TPP would reward authoritarian regimes like Vietnam that systematically violate human rights.           

10. The TPP has no expiration date, making it virtually impossible to repeal.  

Yes Virginia, Torture Does Work

Torture has been used effectively for centuries so why do liberals claim it doesn’t work?  Well typical of liberals they are a bit picky; specifically meaning that torture doesn’t work to obtain meaningful intelligence.  But of course, we all know that, even the blackest-hearted conservative knows.  So why is torture so popular with despots?  Let’s look at the different reasons for torturing humans:

1. Cheney and The Torturers (on their off hours they play at the Triple Door in Seattle) quickly rounded up over a hundred suspects in the immediate aftermath of 9/11 and commenced torturing them. They weren’t too picky who got included in the round up because one purpose of the round up was to show the public that they were actively pursuing those responsible for the attack.  And the torture can be effective in weeding out suspects, or at least getting some confessions, giving the impression of success.

2.  As the Torture Report clearly shows, Cheney had people tortured, not to gain worthwhile intelligence, but to get information that could be used to justify their vision of invading Iraq.  The Torturers were ordered to continue with the torture until they got information that connected al Qaeda to Saddam Hussein.  They actually never succeeded in getting that information. 

3.  Torture is used to terrorize the enemy attempting to scare the enemy into capitulating.  Actually it’s really not that effective, seems it usually bolsters an enemies resolve.

4.  Torture is used by people in power because they can.  Some have psychopathic tendencies while others just get off on the power.  I would say this probably applies to Cheney and some of his guys.

5.  But the most effective use for torture is for leaders to control their own populations.  Arbitrarily torturing members of the public is very effective for getting cooperation and capitulation and has been used for centuries. 

I hope this clears up some questions.  Just don’t ask who Virginia is? 

Damn the Release of the Torture Report

Now we, as a nation, have to look at it square in the eyes.  No more denial, we tortured some folks.  Sorry Mr. President but we brutally tortured many people, many innocent people and for what?  

Now we must decide who we are as a nation.  Now we must admit we are not the world’s “Good Guys”.  We, all of us, are responsible for this horrendous blight on our national soul.  We all stood by as a cabal took control of our government.  They manipulated our election process and had it authorized by a corrupted Supreme Court.  This coup was accomplished without any noticeable resistance from our elected representatives.  Many representatives approved and most of the rest acquiesced.  Few spoke out.  

The public isn’t without blame but having been treated as lemmings for decades they/we went right off the cliff like good little authoritarians.  

The “News” Media, or more like the propaganda arm of the new Reich, instead of fulfilling their democratic function of keeping our government honest, put on a parade for the new Reich, willing shills for the new Corporatism, or dare I use the “F” word, Fascism?  Now I know you’re saying to yourself, no, no not in my America.  I vote therefore I am free.  But “Fascism is like a fog that comes in the night, which you will not see until the mourning(sic) light, …” *   “Fascism is capitalism in decay” Vladimir Lenin and our capitalism is definitely in decay.

If you still are hiding in your denial bubble, I suggest you read:  They Thought They Were Free: The Germans, 1933-45, by Milton Mayer, if you haven’t already.

So what will we do about it?  We will growl and shake our heads and then scoot off to catch that sale on imported backscratchers at Walmart.  We are a country of authoritarians that blindly support our leaders and rationalize away clear violations of our Constitution.  And there are far too many of us that, not only accept the yoke of corporate slavery, but outwardly are antagonistic toward those that are fighting the creeping fog of fascism.

*I don’t have a source this quote.  

Are You Upset Because the Torture Report Was Released Just Before Christmas?

Whoopi Goldberg is.  On The View she expressed her disappointment that this nasty (my word) report was brought out at this time.  And I’m betting she isn’t the only one.  How dare we let reality ruin our Christmas.  This is the attitude that is crushing our democracy.   

Shame on those that are disappointed at the timing, but actually, the question of why at this time is a great question.  Whoopi and others won’t look deep enough to find the answer.   

It appears to me that the timing was aimed at getting the report released when the American public was most distracted.  A Friday night news dump wasn’t good enough.  This is a Christmas news dump. 

So what is Whoopi so upset about?  The facts that reveal that we, the supposedly “Good Guys” used techniques that we associate with the evil fascists?  Or because the information might bring us down at this happy time of year? 

We let this happen.  Are we going to let it be normalized?  The question is rhetorical, of course we are.

Senator Sanders Unveils a 12 Point Economic Plan

Sanders detailed a 12-point economic program to break the Oligarch’s strangle hold on our economy and the neck of the middle class.   

From:    http://www.politicususa.com/2014/12/02/bernie-sanders-unveils-12-point-economic-plan-break-koch-oligarchs.html

- Invest in our crumbling infrastructure with a major program to create jobs by rebuilding roads, bridges, water systems, waste water plants, airports, railroads and schools.

– Transform energy systems away from fossil fuels to create jobs while beginning to reverse global warming and make the planet habitable for future generations.

– Develop new economic models to support workers in the United States instead of giving tax breaks to corporations which ship jobs to low-wage countries overseas.

– Make it easier for workers to join unions and bargain for higher wages and benefits.

– Raise the federal minimum wage from $7.25 an hour so no one who works 40 hours a week will live in poverty.

– Provide equal pay for women workers who now make 78 percent of what male counterparts make.

– Reform trade policies that have shuttered more than 60,000 factories and cost more than 4.9 million decent-paying manufacturing jobs.

– Make college affordable and provide affordable child care to restore America’s competitive edge compared to other nations.

– Break up big banks. The six largest banks now have assets equivalent to 61 percent of our gross domestic product, over $9.8 trillion. They underwrite more than half the mortgages in the country and issue more than two-thirds of all credit cards.

– Join the rest of the industrialized world with a Medicare-for-all health care system that provides better care at less cost.

– Expand Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and nutrition programs.

– Reform the tax code based on wage earners’ ability to pay and eliminate loopholes that let profitable corporations stash profits overseas and pay no U.S. federal income taxes.

My comment – The Republicans counter with their plan that hinges on cutting taxes on the wealthy and services to the lower 99%.

Lack of Voter Turnout Isn’t the Problem

Lack of votes in and of itself is not our problem.

In 2000 when the Republicans and SCOTUS stole the election, lack of votes wasn’t the problem.

In gerrymandered districts, more votes won’t change the outcomes. For example, if a district is 90% Democrats and the Democrats always win; more votes won’t change a thing. In a district that is split 60% Republican and 40% Democrats, and the Republicans win 60 – 40, more votes would not change the results.

The problem is the lack of Progressive Votes.

Our voting system is set up to disenfranchise and discourage Progressive Democrats from voting and/or render Democratic votes meaningless.

A bad analogy would be to assume our voting system is one big giant DieBold voting machine. No matter who you want to win, the results are what the Oligarchs want. Shoving more votes into the machine won’t change what comes out the other side.

So what are the real problems?

The basic problem is that we get too few Progressive votes.

And one big reason is that our voting system is corrupted. Until that’s fixed, getting more people to vote won’t solve our problem.

Also, the voters are mislead by the Corp-Media. We must figure out how to counter that. If we don’t fix this, the “more votes” we get may be for Conservatives.

Another reason we don’t get more Progressive votes is that we have too few Progressive candidates at the national level and the candidates we have won’t speak out against Conservatism loud enough to convince the public that there is a different between the parties.

If you want to get more Progressive Democrats to vote, work on solving the above problems. Simply complaining about lack of turnout is counter productive.

GOP Want to Reduce Corporate Taxes - Can You Say Quid Pro Quo?

The following is from Robert Reich's facebook page:  https://www.facebook.com/RBReich?fref=nf

Corporate tax "reform" is high on the Republican agenda because the GOP's corporate patrons are demanding payoff from their investments in the 2014 election. Watch your wallets. Here are the four biggest right-wing whoppers about corporate taxes:

1. The U.S. corporate tax rate of 35% is one of the highest among advanced countries. True but misleading. The effective corporate income-tax rate – what corporations actually pay after all deductions, credits, and loopholes – is 27.7%, close to the average of all rich countries (27.2%).

2. Today's corporate tax rate is high by historic standards. Baloney. In the 1950s it was over 50%.

3. The corporate tax reduces corporate profits, which makes it harder for corporations to hire. Wrong. Corporate profits today are the highest they've been since World War II as a percentage of the economy.

4. Lowering the corporate income-tax would spur economic growth. Baloney. There's no relation between corporate tax rates and growth. In the 1950s and 60s, when the corporate tax was over 50%, the economy grew faster (at an annual average rate of 3.9%) than it has since the rate was reduced.

Don't let the right get away with their whoppers about corporate taxes. Spread the truth. 

When corporations paid their fair share, the national economy thrived and we built the greatest middle class the world has ever known.  Reducing taxes on corporations has turned our nation into an oligarchy and killing the middle class. 

Once Again President Obama Chooses a Fox to Guard the Henhouse.

President Obama’s pick to be Treasury Under Secretary for Domestic Finance is Antonio Weiss. His new job would be to oversee the domestic financial system—including the implementation of the Dodd-Frank financial-reform act, and consumer protection.  He is currently the global head of investment banking at Lazard Ltd, a firm that has put together several major inversion deals.  Why is this significant? 

“Since 2003, more than thirty-five American companies have dodged taxes through similar deals, which are known as “corporate inversions.””

A number of progressive Senators, lead by Sen Warren have reservations.   "Warren has a number of problems with Weiss. The first is the fact that his career has been focused on international transactions. “Neither his background nor his professional experience makes him qualified to oversee consumer protection and domestic regulatory functions at the Treasury,” she wrote. The second is that he’s tied up in the corporate-inversion trend, which, as she notes, the Obama administration has criticized and tried to stop."

Sen Warren further stated, “It’s time for the Obama administration to loosen the hold that Wall Street banks have over economic policy making.”

Sen Warren’s third concern is “about the fox guarding the henhouse. She ticked off a long list of people with close ties to the financial industry who now serve in high-level economic-policy positions in the Obama administration, including Treasury Secretary Jack Lew and US Trade Representative Michael Froman. Letting former Wall Streeters roost in top government perches “tells people that one—and only one—point of view will dominate economic policymaking. It tells people that whatever goes wrong in this economy, the Wall Street banks will be protected first,” she wrote.”

Read more at The Nation Magazine - http://www.thenation.com/blog/191289/next-big-fight-between-progressives-and-wall-street-dems

Obama Continues the Bush Policies of Secrecy

Some of us naively thought during the terrible Bush decade that if we could replace the heavy handed Security State of the Republican administration by electing a Democratic president and that we could reestablish our tattered democracy.  In hindsight how foolish we were.  We thought that Obama, who campaigned on government transparency and rolling back the Patriot Act would end the dominating control of the most powerful NSA/CIA Security State made strong by 8 years of zero oversight and an unlimited budget.  We were wrong.  How could we think that those in power would relinquish that power just because a new president was inaugurated?   Sadly, some here in DU think that’s exactly what happened in spite of the evidence otherwise.

In “The Nation” magazine of Oct 27, there is a good article, “The Government’s War on Whistleblowers.”  
http://www.thenation.com/article/173521/obamas-crackdown-whistleblowers

“To date, the Obama administration has charged nine people with violating the …… Espionage Act – far more that all other administrations combined.”

As bad as that sounds, that is the tip of the iceberg.  Many others have undergone Espionage Act “investigations” that didn’t result in prosecutions, but most likely destroyed careers.  Some see this as heavy-handed intimidation.  

“In its 2011 Domestic Investigations and Operations Guide, the FBI formally authorized the use of national-security letters to obtain the call records of journalists who are witnesses to a crime. (NSLs are secret orders that the FBI can issue with no judicial review. Recipients are prohibited from telling anyone they’ve received such an order.)”

The article goes on to detail how Obama’s DOJ used subpoenas to gather records of 100 journalists exposing their sources whether or not the sources were relevant to the justification for the subpoenas.

It is apparent that our powerful NSA/CIA Security State, via the DOJ, has declared war on whisleblowers and investigative journalists.

When Obama became president he inherited a very powerful Security State from the Bush/Cheney administration that operated with an unlimited budget, carte blache authority and zero oversight.  It appears that Security State has grown even more powerful under President Obama.  This threat to our democracy should be obvious to all but those living in a state of denial.  And those that applaud the president for the gains we’ve made must realize that without democracy those gains can disappear quickly.  

Majority Say Brennan Violated Checks and Balances, and Must Go

Posted by Dan Froomkin Oct. 1, 2014 on “The Intercept”

https://firstlook.org/theintercept/2014/10/01/majority-say-brennan-violated-checks-balances-must-go/

“According to a new poll, a sizeable majority of American voters believe CIA officials violated the constitutional system of checks and balances when they hacked into computers being used by Senate staffers investigating torture.”

“And by a two-to-one margin (54 percent to 25 percent, with 22 percent not sure) they believe that CIA Director John Brennan should resign on account of the misleading statements he made about the incident.”

“The poll found overwhelming public support for release of a long-completed report by the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. The report is said to disclose abuse that was more brutal, systematic and widespread than generally recognized, and to expose a pattern of deceit in the Bush administration’s descriptions of the program to Congress and the public.”

“Calls for Brennan’s ouster emerged quickly after Feinstein’s floor speech in March, describing a blatant violation of the principle that Congress conducts oversight over the executive branch, not vice versa. Brennan quickly issued an angry denial whose qualifications were widely overlooked. A CIA Inspector General’s report, whose conclusions were made public in July, confirmed Feinstein’s allegations.”

Some might believe that Brennan has a higher pay grade than the President. Just sayin'.

In One Of The World’s Richest Countries, 17.5 Million Families Struggled To Afford Food Last Year

A recent study revealed that in 2013 17.5 million households in the USofA were food insecure.  This meant that they had difficulty at some time during the year providing enough food for all the household members.  Of that number 6.8 million households had very low food security. 

These numbers continue to grow every year.  We need a little "Hope and Change".

Read more at:  http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2014/09/03/3478328/food-insecurity-report/

See the study at this link:  http://www.ers.usda.gov/media/1565415/err173.pdf

Obamacare helps slash hospital charity costs in state (Washington)

"Washington hospitals provided nearly $154 million less in charity care in the first half of this year than in the first half of 2013, in many cases boosting the hospitals’ bottom lines."

"Hospitals attributed the plunge in charity care — about 30 percent — to the Affordable Care Act’s focus on reducing the number of uninsured patients."

"This year, for the first time, low-income and uninsured patients whose care was previously covered under hospitals’ charity-care programs were able under the ACA to qualify for Medicaid coverage or subsidized private insurance."

"Together, hospitals reported a 66 percent gain in total margin — the figure nonprofit hospitals report instead of profit — over the first half of 2013. For the first half of 2014, the aggregate margin for all hospitals reporting was nearly $720 million, compared with $435 million for the same period in 2013."

Read the article here:  http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2024542340_acacharitydropxml.html