Hi all,
Concerning the spread of the present protests, shouldn't we also ask WHY
did the basically non-existent Wisconsin budget problem become such a
problem in the first place?
Could it have anything to do with the privatization schemes being
sneaked in through the back door all over the United States?
For example there is that pesky addendum to Walker's so-called budget
bill calling for the privatization of power plants:
http://www.onthecommons.org/wisconsin-governor-walkers-secret-privatization-agenda
- and there is a similar Illinois bill proposed by Rep Connelly or some
such. Seems the issue has for a while been on the PIRG radar screen (and
not a few Chicagoans who suffered mightily when the parking meters, paid
for by taxpayers were sold for a song to a consortium led by Morgan
Stanley):
https://www.illinoispirg.org/home/reports/report-archives/stop-taxpayer-giveaways/stop-taxpayer-giveaways/privatization-and-the-public-interest
- but why hasn't it been on the radar screen of all those protesters?
Just who do these privatization schemes benefit? Certainly not we the
people, who would most likely raise our voices in strong opposition if
they knew the scope of this effort - which extends not only to parking
meters and power plants but to pension plan privatization. Conversion of
public pension systems to individual 401K accounts would certainly be
yet another cash cow for Wall Street, but given the history of Enron
etal, maybe not such a good idea for everyone else.
Things will only get worse, much worse, especially for those not
connected to Wall Street. The problem is systemic and has to do with the
manner in which our "money" is created as "credit" - that is to say debt.
There is a better way: the NEED Act:
http://www.monetary.org/hr6550bill.pdf which will pay off the ENTIRE
national debt within 20 to 30 years, and which reduce States current
borrowing costs by 2/3's, all while adding no debt and reducing taxes
substantially.
This is easily the most important bill of our time, and all time -
because from money flows all other things.
I hope you will help spread the word,
geri p
On 2/27/11 10:17 AM, Dan Stafford wrote:
> *** SENT THROUGH PDI MAILING LIST ***
> Here's just another series of examples of what corporate media is reporting.
>
> If you want to know about the NATION-WIDE protests, take a good look around http://www.rawstory.com This morning. They even have a blog full of photos from people AT the rallies. Even Texas and Alaska turned out.
>
> Dan
>
>
>
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> Yahoo! Daily News Digest: Sunday, February 27, 2011 8:01 AM PST
> Signs of progress in averting government shutdown
> http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=519&e=1&u=/ap/us_congress_spending
> AP - Sat, 26 Feb 2011 06:49 am PST
>
> Lawmakers appear to be moving closer to a compromise that would prevent a government shutdown, at least for now.
> Largest crowds since Vietnam War march in Wisconsin
> http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=564&e=2&u=/nm/us_wisconsin_protests
> Reuters - Sat, 26 Feb 2011 09:03 pm PST
>
> A crowd estimated at more than 70,000 people on Saturday waved American flags, sang the national anthem and called for the defeat of a Wisconsin plan to curb public sector unions that has galvanized opposition from the American labor movement.
> Obama: It's time for Libya's Gadhafi to go
> http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=519&e=3&u=/ap/us_us_libya
> AP - Sun, 27 Feb 2011 05:42 am PST
>
> President Barack Obama has called on Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi to leave power immediately, saying he has lost the legitimacy to rule with his violent crackdown on his own people.
> Tea party uses Ariz. summit to scope out 2012 role
> http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=548&e=4&u=/ap/us_tea_party_summit2012
> AP - Sat, 26 Feb 2011 02:59 pm PST
>
> Tea party supporters packed a Phoenix convention center Saturday to hear from two possible contenders for next year's Republican presidential nomination an election the conservative populist movement is determined to shape after helping the GOP to big gains in the midterm elections.
> Trump says presidential bid isn't a publicity stunt
> http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=3882&e=5&u=/yblog_theticket/trump-says-presidential-bid-isnt-a-publicity-stunt
> The Ticket - Fri, 25 Feb 2011 11:37 am PST
>
> It's hard to take a prospective presidential candidate seriously when he has no political experience, and when his current claim to public renown is a reality TV franchise involving more than a little self-parody. But Donald Trump suggests he's going to have the last laugh when he announces a bid. Politico's Mike Allen reports that [...]
> Georgia congressman condemns question about shooting president
> http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=3881&e=6&u=/yblog_theticket/georgia-congressman-condemns-question-about-shooting-president
> The Ticket - Fri, 25 Feb 2011 01:42 pm PST
>
> Rep. Paul Broun (R-Ga.) said Friday he was "stunned" that someone asked him "who's going to shoot Obama?" at a town hall earlier this week. Blake Aued of the Athens Banner-Herald reported Wednesday that the question elicited laughter and provoked a sympathetic response from Broun: "I know there's a lot of frustration with this president. [...]
> Why Isn't the GOP Learning From Chris Christie?
> http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=3732&e=7&u=/atlantic/whyisntthegoplearningfromchrischristie7141
> The Atlantic Wire - Fri, 25 Feb 2011 02:21 pm PST
>
> Daunted by the bitter budget battle in Wisconsin, GOP leaders in "several states" are softening their positions on public employee unions, reports the Associated Press. In Indiana, Gov. Mitch Daniels (R) implored GOP legislators to abandon a "right to work" bill. In Ohio, GOP senate leaders have watered down a bill prohibiting collective bargaining rights for public employees. Michigan's and Florida's GOP governors have agreed to take a "conciliatory approach" to union groups. The question that should come to mind for Republican strategists is why now? Whether one considers the fight against public unions an example of malicious Republican scapegoating or genuine budgetary problem-solving is beside the point. Politically, there's a strong argument to make that union-bashing has never been a more popular issue. In his cover story in The New York Times Magazine, Matt Bai makes precisely that argument in his assessment of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's recent successes: Not only are public employees' contracts no longer untouchable for any politician who wants to stay in office, but it turns out that the opposite is true; taking the fight to the unions is a good way to bolster your credentials as a gutsy reformer with voters who have been losing faith for years in public schools and government bureaucracies. This, more than anything else, is the lesson that Chris Christie has impressed on his contemporaries.
> Right now sees FLOTUS as fair game
> http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=3227&e=8&u=/politico/50155
> Politico - Thu, 24 Feb 2011 04:43 pm PST
>
> Except for an ill-advised trip to an expensive Spanish resort last summer, Michelle Obama has escaped much of the criticism that has been directed at her husband, keeping a relatively low-profile while primarily focusing on childhood obesity, military families and the arts.
> Decision time for Newt
> http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=3256&e=9&u=/politico_rss/20110226/rss_politico_mostpop/http___www_politico_com_news_stories0211_50257_html
> Politico - Sat, 26 Feb 2011 03:47 pm PST
>
> It's clear that Newt Gingrich is just days away deciding what to do next about a presidential run.
> Shutdown veterans of '95: 'Don't do it'
> http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=3256&e=10&u=/politico_rss/20110226/rss_politico_mostpop/http___www_politico_com_news_stories0211_50226_html
> Politico - Sat, 26 Feb 2011 03:31 pm PST
>
> Senate Dems and House Republicans seem willing to negotiate at least a two-week measure.
> US citizen recalls 'humiliating' post-9/11 arrest
> http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=519&e=11&u=/ap/20110227/ap_on_re_us/us_supreme_court_ashcroft_lawsuit
> AP - Sun, 27 Feb 2011 06:47 am PST
>
> Handcuffed and marched through Washington's Dulles International Airport in his Muslim clothing, the man with the long, dark beard could only imagine what people were thinking.
> Govs to feds: Avoid causing states any more pain
> http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=519&e=12&u=/ap/20110227/ap_on_re_us/us_governors_economy
> AP - Sat, 26 Feb 2011 05:51 pm PST
>
> Their states on the brink of financial catastrophe, governors pleaded Saturday for the divided federal government to avoid doing anything that would hamper the tenuous economic recovery back home.
> Boy stuck 2 years in Ukraine arrives in Belgium
> http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=518&e=14&u=/ap/20110226/ap_on_re_eu/eu_france_stranded_baby
> AP - Sat, 26 Feb 2011 02:56 pm PST
>
> A baby trapped more than two years in Ukraine by bureaucratic hurdles has arrived in Brussels with his parents, a pair of legally married Belgian men, ending the couple's long legal battle to bring their son home.
> Obama says Kadhafi must 'leave now': WHouse
> http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1506&e=15&u=/afp/20110227/ts_alt_afp/libyaunrestpoliticsus
> AFP - Sun, 27 Feb 2011 12:12 am PST
>
> President Barack Obama has called on Moamer Kadhafi to "leave now," declaring that the Libyan leader had lost his right to rule after attacking his own people to put down a popular uprising.
> Lawmakers Come Under Rocket Fire in Iraq, Claim They Weren't Scared
> http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=3732&e=16&u=/atlantic/20110225/cm_atlantic/lawmakerscomeunderrocketfireiniraqclaimtheywerentscared7142
> The Atlantic Wire - Fri, 25 Feb 2011 03:18 pm PST
>
> Five members of Congress came under rocket fire while visiting a military base in Iraq Friday, Politico's Marin Cogan reports. They were herded into a bunker and guarded by soldiers while they listened to the explosions. But don't worry folks--they weren't scared, not for a minute.
> Former Rep. Chris Lee may have been searching for transgender women on Craigslist
> http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=3792&e=17&u=/dailycaller/20110226/pl_dailycaller/formerrepchrisleemayhavebeensearchingfortransgenderwomenoncraigslist
> Daily Caller - Sat, 26 Feb 2011 09:39 am PST
>
> The Craigslist cruising of former New York Republican Rep. Chris Lee may have been more expansive than first reported.
> No shutdown after all? Senate Dems 'encouraged' by GOP short-term funding plan
> http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=3792&e=18&u=/dailycaller/20110225/pl_dailycaller/noshutdownafterallsenatedemsencouragedbygopshorttermfundingplan
> Daily Caller - Fri, 25 Feb 2011 02:02 pm PST
>
> Senate Democrats suggested Friday that the upper chamber could come to a short-term agreement to extend government funding with House Republicans after all, which would put off the threat of a government shutdown for at least two more weeks.
> Mulling 2012 run, Pawlenty hits "union-coddling" Obama
> http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=615&e=19&u=/nm/20110226/pl_nm/us_pawlenty
> Reuters - Sat, 26 Feb 2011 02:07 pm PST
>
> Not known as a hard-hitting conservative, former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty got a standing ovation from Tea Party activists on Saturday as he praised small government, the U.S. Constitution and took a swing at "union-coddling" President Barack Obama.
> Angry rallier screams about 'uneducated' Tea Party [VIDEO]
> http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=3792&e=20&u=/dailycaller/20110225/pl_dailycaller/angryrallierscreamsaboutuneducatedteapartyvideo
> Daily Caller - Fri, 25 Feb 2011 11:47 am PST
>
> A livid public union supporter rants during a Feb. 22 anti-Scott Walker rally, shrieking about the Tea Party and in favor of unions, which he says the country is based upon.
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