The Libertarian Koch brothers and the NY Times

    Amy Chozick in her New York Times article of April 21, 2013 describes the billionaire Koch brothers as supporters of libertarian causes. I don’t think that the Koch brothers are interested in individual liberty. I see them as supporters of their own interest and in the profits and power of their own class.

    Ms. Chozick points out that the Koch brothers held a seminar three years ago with wealthy donors to develop a strategy to shift the country to smaller government with less regulation and taxes. She goes on to state that the Koch brothers now want to buy up major newspapers in this country to spread their laissez-faire ideas. I would like to inform Ms. Chozick that control of the media by the Koch brothers has nothing to do with laissez-faire ideas. The ideology of the Koch Brothers has more to do with monopoly rule.

          

Budget Debate NY Times

    In reading Michael D. Shear’s 1/6/13 New York Times article on the budget debate I was reminded of a book I once read, The Symbolic Uses of Politics, a book that analyzes political language. It seems Mr. Shear has read it, too. He is sure to call attention to anyone who is a liberal in the budget debate. For example, he refers to the group, “Strengthen Social Security Coalition,” as a group of unions and left-leaning organizations who oppose Social Security cuts. Furthermore, he states that only Liberals are balking against any proposals to cut Social Security made by President Obama. Mr. Shear even identifies Ms. Anna Galland as the Executive Director of the liberal group MoveOn.org.     

   Yet when Mr. Shear portrays House Majority Leader Eric Cantor of Virginia and speaker of the House John Boehner as distrustful of the President and his seriousness when it comes to spending cuts, i.e. Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, I couldn’t find any references to the word conservative. They get a pass on their political leanings?

     Mr. Shear really misses the mark on Maya MacGuineas. Ms. MacGuineas is the President of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget. She is portrayed as an objective advocate for a sound budget agreement. Mr. Shear mentions that Ms. MacGuineas has praised the president for trying to find a way to get a fiscal agreement between the administration and Congressional leaders on the debt.  But what Michael Shear doesn’t point out in his article is that the Maya MacGuineas represents millionaires and billionaires whose main goal is to make cuts to social programs in the name of deficit reduction. She is also the nominal head of the corporate group, Fix the Debt, a group of former and present government officials and Wall Street CEO’s who oppose any tax increases on the wealthy.

    Clearly, Mr. Shear has no problem mentioning and identifying left-leaning organizations and their liberal executive directors. But what’s so hard about identifying right-leaning groups and their conservative leaders? This misrepresentation sounds to me like the politics of corporate austerity and the corruption of our political language.

 

Occupy Freedom Movement

     On January 17, I attended the Occupy Congress demonstration in Washington DC. There were about five hundred people gathered there to express their displeasure with the current direction our country is headed in. It was a beautiful, sunny day as I walked around the occupied park adjacent to the White House. At times, I would stop and listen to the speakers addressing the economic problems most Americans are facing today. I was feeling a little uneasy, despite all the positive energy that was swirling around me. It seemed to me that something was missing. That the OWS movement needed a larger stage to convey their message. So, in my humble opinion, this is what I feel needs to be done.                                  
     Let me start by saying that we all owe a great debt of gratitude to the people of Occupy Wall Street. The OWS movement has dramatically affected the political conversation within this country with the simple phrase, "We are the 99%!" The corporate media has been forced to address the issue of economic inequality in this country. The political pundits were forced to stopped talking about the Federal Debt and to start paying attention to the people who were responsible for crashing the U.S. economy; namely, the bankers and the 1%.
     How can we move forward in our fight for economic justice? I say mass protest. Let's learn from the historical lessons of the Civil Rights and Anti-Vietnam War struggles. Right now the amateurs in the news media are doing their best to ignore what the Occupiers are doing across the nation. They would love to see us all just fade away and go back to their profits and the tired, old corporate cliches about the 1% being the job creators. A million people in the street protesting the growing income inequality in this country would go a long way in exposing this myth. We can't let billionaires and their cronies in the media and in the Congress control the message. A mass movement is difficult to hide.
       I would like to add that the movement needs leaders who can clearly define the message of OWS. Leaders like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who gave a face to the fight for civil rights. We could also use some big names in the music industry. Imagine the impact of a huge demonstration in Washington DC when Green Day shows up to play? And we could accept politicians and celebrities who share our goals. Nothing like good communicators, music, and Hollywood to bring us all together for change.
   If OWS is to be successful moving forward, they must establish close ties to labor, community groups, educators, progressive politicians and business people who don't see "the people" as the enemy. And most of all, we have to reach out to all who are part of the 99%. To do otherwise would be detrimental to a mass movement. I remember an old Zen saying, "Water that is too pure has no fish." We need the fish to support our struggle for economic justice. As the weather gets warmer, OWS should be planning to put together  mass rallies across the country. This is an election year and we can pressure President Obama and the Democrats not to ignore the 99%. The Republican leadership? Forget it, they live in the shadows of the 1% and the 19th Century.
      And what about a third party? It would be great if we had a truly independent third party representing the true interest of the American people. We have far too many Republicans and Democrats taking their orders from the corporate lobbyists. But, we do have to be realistic about the political realities of today. A Republican in the White House would be a total disaster. And despite the major weaknesses of Obama and company, the thought of Nowhere Man Mitt Romney and Bain Capital in the White House, keeps me up at night. Who knows? Maybe a mass people's movement can lead to the serious discussion and the start of a non-corporate independent party.
      Let's develop good leaders to spread the clear message of the 99%. And let's use the best of both worlds; mass demonstrations across this great country bringing our message to the people, as well as the continuing occupation of this land that belongs to you and me. And in the true spirit of Democracy, anyone and everyone in the 1% is free to join us.

Can't Be This Way, Everywhere!

 What's going on? I thought the Democrats were on the side of the people, not the 1%. Why does the President and the Democratic leadership in Congress consistently fold against any Republican opposition? No tax increases on the 1%? Let's cut art! Maybe, the Keystone pipeline is not a bad idea for the planet after all. Love that dirty oil! Let's pass the National Destruction of America Act! Who cares about the Bill of Rights!
  We must remember that the Democratic leadership responds only to pressure from the 99%. That is why the Occupy Wall Street movement is so important. I would include the Republicans, but they're from the planet of Supply Side Economics. Where outdated ideas live with the old ghost of Ronald Reagan. The Republicans and the useful idiots from the Democratic Party practice class warfare from the top down.
   It's time for opposition from the ground up. We must keep the heat on the Democrats and expose the 1% Republican puppets for what they are. We must work towards a viable people's party to oppose the corporate 1% and their stooges. Economic justice for the 99%.   

Super PACS Are WAC

     Here are some of the names for the Political Action Committees run by right wing conservatives. Americans for Prosperity! This PAC is run by the billionaire Koch brothers, David and Goliath. Sorry, the other brother is Charles. Citizens for a Greater America? This group is run by Mike Toomey, Rick Perry's best 55 million dollar friend. American Action Network: Funny, this group only supports Republicans. No place for Democrats and progressives in America?  Crossroads GPS!!! Group formed by Karl Rove. Need I say more?
     Just one last fact. The corporate media will tell you that the Democrats are raising more money then the Republicans for the 2012 Presidential and Congressional campaigns. What the elites forget to talk about is PAC money. Just for your own knowledge, all these Republican front groups will raise in excess of 300 million dollars. Tip of the corporate, super PAC iceberg!