The Perfect Storm

[Octafish]

Robert Reich sounds the alarm. Where's the Press Corpse?

The Perfect Storm

Robert Reich, Robert Reich's Blog
18 October 10

It's a perfect storm. And I'm not talking about the impending dangers facing Democrats. I'm talking about the dangers facing our democracy.

First, income in America is now more concentrated in fewer hands than it's been in 80 years. Almost a quarter of total income generated in the United States is going to the top 1 percent of Americans.

The top one-tenth of one percent of Americans now earn as much as the bottom 120 million of us.

Who are these people? With the exception of a few entrepreneurs like Bill Gates, they're top executives of big corporations and Wall Street, hedge-fund managers, and private equity managers. They include the Koch brothers, whose wealth increased by billions last year, and who are now funding tea party candidates across the nation.

Which gets us to the second part of the perfect storm. A relatively few Americans are buying our democracy as never before. And they're doing it completely in secret.

CONTINUED...

http://readersupportednews.org/opinion2/279-82/3651-the-perfect-storm

It's not fascism when the plutocrats do it.

[SpiralHawk]

1. "More more more tax cuts for rich republicons." - Wage Slave Fox Baggers

[LWolf]

2. Government for sale while citizens suffer.

Here's the third part of the perfect storm. Most Americans are in trouble. Their jobs, incomes, savings, and even homes are on the line. They need a government that's working for them, not for the privileged and the powerful.

Yet their state and local taxes are rising. And their services are being cut. Teachers and firefighters are being laid off. The roads and bridges they count on are crumbling, pipelines are leaking, schools are dilapidated, and public libraries are being shut.

There's no jobs bill to speak of. No WPA to hire those who can't find jobs in the private sector. Unemployment insurance doesn't reach half of the unemployed.

Washington says nothing can be done. There's no money left.

Here's an old article that the author brought forward this week on another thread; I think it deserves a fresh look:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/articles/03/09/04_school.html

[pokercat999]

3. Damn Naomi Kline, everything she predicted is coming true.

It's all her fault!

[bobthedrummer]

8. Disaster capitalism kick n/t

[DCBob]

4. This problem started to get serious with Murdoch and the Fox News effect..

and its just going to get worse unless something is changed.

[bobthedrummer]

5. kick

[Uncle Joe]

6. On edit Kicked, but too late to recommend.

Thanks for the thread, Octafish.

[bobthedrummer]

7. kick + More Action in America from the Network of Billionaires (PR Watch.org)

Brendan Fischer submitted this to the Madison, Wisconsin based Center for Media and Democracy 10-20-2010.
http://www.prwatch.org/node/9537

[L0oniX]

9. At least we have enough money for our military so we can defend and spread freedom & democracy.

:evilfrown:

[bobthedrummer]

10. Sports Sunday kick