Who Owns Your Congressman?

From Masters in Accounting:

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Israel Lobbyist/Economist Suggest False Flag to Start War with Iran.

In the video below, Patrick Clawson, former economist for the International Monetary Fund (IMF), former senior economist for the World Bank, and currently the Director for Research at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy and senior editor of “Middle East Quarterly“ references “false flag” attacks that led to the Spanish American War (USS Maine), Civil War (Fort Sumter attack), WWI (Lusitania), WWII (Pearl Harbor), and Vietnam (Gulf of Tonkin), suggests that a "false flag" is needed to start a war with Iran.

"So if in fact, the Iranians aren't going to compromise, it would be better if somebody else started the war...I mean, look people, Iranian submarines periodically go down. Some day one of them might not come up. Who would know why?...We are in the game of using covert means against Iranians. We could get nastier." -- Patrick Clawson

See Clint Richardson's Reality Blog for a lot more information on Patrick Clawson and the Israel lobby

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ALEC: Ghostwriting Law For Corporate America for Decades

Who or what is ALEC? The American Legislative Exchange Council?

Well, ALEC, founded in 1973, is a secret private association that  sets up Republican lawmakers with pro-business corporate-written ghost-written bills and sends them off to  legislatures all across the country to benefit the corporate structure, often at the expense of the consumer, and America. In 2009, thanks to ALEC,  826 bills were introduced in the states, 115 were enacted into law. ALEC's self described mission is "unite the public and private sector in a dynamic partnership to support policy development".

On July 13, 2011, the Center for Media and Democracy unveiled this trove of over 800 "model" bills and resolutions secretly voted on by corporations and politicians through the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). These bills reveal the corporate collaboration reshaping our democracy, state by state.

Under ALEC’s published by-laws, legislators who are ALEC “state chairmen” have a “duty” to get the model bills introduced in their state legislatures. However, when ALEC legislation is introduced in state houses, it is under the name of the sponsoring legislator rather than ALEC itself, with no mention that the bill was pre-voted on by corporations through ALEC or even connecting the bill to ALEC. The task forces obscure how “corporations [get] access and influence for which they'd otherwise be publicly scrutinized." Nick Penniman, "Outing ALEC: The Most Powerful Lobby You've Never Heard Of," The American Prospect, Volume 13, Issue 12, July 1, 2002, p. 12

Some ALEC "Model" bills:

Through ALEC, Bank of America has written legislation that says seniors should be forced to give up their homes, signing over their homes through a reverse mortgage, in order to qualify for the state benefit, Medicare.

ALEC was behind the deregulation of utilities back when Enron was pulling $5 trillion out of the economy….transfer of wealth….

ALEC crafted model legislation designed to ban a Canadian-style, single-payer healthcare system: Freedom of Choice in Health Care Act.

The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) has a history of using its web of state legislative connections to drive national debate, quietly pushing the agenda of its corporate backers [see Kusnetz, "Where Bad Bills Come From," June 28]. With its model legislation, the Freedom of Choice in Health Care Act, ALEC is encouraging state legislators to begin chipping away at the central components of the Obama administration's healthcare reform before it's fully implemented. What's more, ALEC and its allies have already contributed to a growing legal challenge that could give the conservative Supreme Court an opportunity to overturn the legislation even if Congress does not.

Here’s a partial list of ALEC politicians who promote anti-union legislation, prison privatization, pension fund destabilization, deregulation of workplace and environmental safety, etc.

Wisconsin: Scott Walker
Florida: Rick Scott
Michigan: Rick Snyder
New Jersey: Chris Christie
Pennsylvania: Tom Corbett
Kansas: Sam Brownback
South Carolina: Niki Haley
Arizona: Jan Brewer
Maine: Paul LePage

Holdovers include:
Louisiana: Piyush Jindal
Mississippi: Haley Barbour
Indiana: Mitch Daniels

Links:

Ghostwriting the Law for Corporate America

ALEC Exposed

ALEC funding

Publicopoly Exposed How ALEC, the Koch brothers and their corporate allies plan to privatize government.

Prison Economics Help Drive Ariz. Immigration Law

Koch/ALEC Cabal - a Smoking Gun for financial connections and control...

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Bank of America's Dead Drop to Rick Perry and Goldman Sachs VP Changes Name to Lobby From Inside.

Bank of America is cutting 3,500 jobs this quarter according to an internal memo, as the biggest U.S. bank grapples with its $1 trillion problem-loan portfolio and growing economic concerns. Upon wider review, at least 10,000 jobs are likely to be eliminated in total.

Meanwhile, from Zero Hedge:

Right after Texas Governor and Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry spoke at a Politics and Eggs breakfast in Bedford, New Hampshire, an unknown gentlemen approaches a casual Perry like an Ian Flemming character, and proceeds to dead drop the following: "Bank of America... We will help you out"... and silently moves on. At least we know now who is funding what, and whose interests potential future president Perry will be paid to defend.



Full event can be found here. Before someone pulls it, that is.

Then, come to find out that a former Goldman Sachs VP, named Peter Simonyi (who previously worked for the SEC) changed his name to Peter Haller to lobby Congress from the inside. He ended up working as a top staffer for Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) on the Oversight Committee, and went on to argue against regulations on Wall Street.

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Congress Touring Israel for Free.

Despite the fact that accepting free trips from lobbyists is illegal for Congress members under US anti-graft and corruption laws, the American Israel Educational Foundation - affiliate of the largest Zionist lobby in the US: the American Israel Public Affairs Committee with its a tax-exempt 501(c)(4) organization with two donors - is sponsoring an all-expenses-paid, week-long junkets to Israel. The top congressional leaders of both parties are leading the trips.

Unlike the far more numerous nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations, which have to continually “means test” that they have a wide public funding base in order for contributor donations to be tax-deductible, contributions to 501(c)(4) organizations such as AIPAC (which actively lobbies Congress, the executive, and numerous government agencies) are not tax-deductible. There are no contribution limits to 501 (c)(4) nonprofit groups. Individuals, foreign nationals, partnerships, associations, and other organizations may contribute whatever amount they like to a 501(c)(4).

81 congressional representatives - 55 Republicans and 26 Democrats - from all over the country, led by Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer and House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, are traveling to Israel this month. Most are freshmen congressmen, and the group includes half of all the freshmen Republicans voted into office in 2010.

Don't you think the $3 billion in direct aid and $3 billion in indirect aid provided to Israel each year by the US Congress would be better spent reviving the declining US economy?



Israel-Palestine Missing Headlines

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As the Revolving Door Spins.

Not even months ago, Republican, Meredith Attwell Baker, a top telecommunications regulator from the FCC voted to approve the merger of Comcast and NBC, creating the very company that she’ll be lobbying for later this summer, as senior vice president of government affairs for NBCUniversal. That's right. This "public servant"  is cashing in on her vote.

Comcast, the nation's largest cable TV company, bought a controlling interest in NBCUniversal after the FCC and the Justice Department approved the deal with conditions following a year-long review. The FCC's vote was 4-1.

Of course, this type of behavior is nothing new coming from an agency that conducts much of its business off the record and away from public view.  Plenty of FCC commissioners have gone on to work for multinational media conglomerates, propped up with inside knowledge of the regulatory and lobbying industry. However, what's more surprising is just how blatant this move was.

The Obama administration’s ethics rules will prevent Baker from lobbying the FCC directly for the next two years, but she is free to lobby Congress whenever she wants to start ensuring Comcast can continue to monopolize the market in order to keep Americans paying ever increasing amounts for  telecommunication services. Craig Aaron, head of the public interest group Free Press, called the move an example of "business as usual in Washington — where the complete capture of government by industry barely raises any eyebrows." 

According to one former Comcast employee:

"Right after Comcast finalized that deal to buy NBC they let over 1000 employees go and I was one of them...nice way to say thank you for over 11 years of hard work to be kicked to the curb and we were told we were NOT allowed to say anything negative about Comcast either or they would come after us.

What is required of  Comcast?  Well, in lieu of more than 80 million Americans still going without broadband Internet service at home, Comcast has stepped up to the plate to substantially increase broadband adoption in low-income homes throughout Comcast’s service area.   

"In households in Comcast’s service areas with annual incomes below $20,000, broadband adoption rates are at approximately 40 percent. More than a quarter of those homes include students who are eligible for free lunches under the National School Lunch Program (“NSLP”), a commonly accepted indicator of need. (Qualifying homes have annual incomes of less than 130 percent of the poverty level.)"

In the end, the revolving door between the official entities that are supposed to regulate the various industries and the lobbying companies continue to spin on behalf of industry, and gratuitous tax giveaways to the wealthiest go on without interruption.  Meanwhile the erosion of the support structure for American citizens carries on, as those with all the authority to effect policy go unchecked.



Links:

FCC Looks to Revise Ex Parte Rules - How Much Public Disclosure is Necesary When Lobbying the FCC?

FCC Proposes Changes to Ex Parte Lobbying Rules

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Great Depression For Low Income Workers.

Total unemployment has more than doubled over the past two years, and the number of underemployed; i.e., those persons working part time for economic reasons, has also more than doubled. In addition, the nation’s labor force shrunk by nearly one million over the past year rather than rising by 1.5 million as earlier projected by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

However, no one has addressed the question, "Which American workers suffer the most from the deep deterioration in labor markets?" Until now, that is.

A new unemployment study reports that low income groups face unemployment on a massive and unprecedented scale --unemployment levels over 30%. At the same time, America's top income brackets are experiencing lower than average unemployment rates of anywhere from 3-4%. As if things weren't bad enough, underemployment and hidden unemployment (individuals who have given up) rates are also at record levels for lower income groups with rates at the 16% for those at the bottom, and 1-1.5% at the top.

If you break it down, professional employment is up 2%, management down 3%, clerical work down 10%, and construction and production work is down 22%. Although, if you depend on the mainstream media for your information, you would think things are reversed as they tend to portray atypical examples of the unemployed...financial managers, professionals and Wall Street employees.

Meanwhile, back at the Beltway, the U.S. Senate prepares to hold a vote on the $15 billion jobs bill (will need 60 votes to pass) aimed at spurring job creation (est. 180,000 new jobs) when lawmakers return Monday. The centerpiece of the bill includes a payroll tax break for employers who hire new workers, unemployed more than 60 days. It also includes measures aimed at improving access to capital for small businesses, an extension of the current federal subsidy formula for road and bridge repairs carried out by states, and a modest expansion of federally subsidized bonds to help local governments raise funds for infrastructure projects.

However, just last week, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D., Nev.) replaced a bipartisan job- creation bill with a more streamlined version of the legislation because, as sources said, McConnell would not agree to bring the bipartisan jobs bill to the floor quickly and Reid became concerned McConnell would drag out the process and the bill would ultimately fail.

So, is this a case of Republicans publicly calling for a jobs bill, but privately working to derail it?

According to Roll Call, Republican Senate leaders told more than 100 lobbyists yesterday that they plan to oppose the bill because of the process -- not because of the actual policy.

"The feeling is they aren't going to say anything in opposition to the bill, except to say it's incomplete," a lobbyist who attended the meeting said. "They are not opposed to the bill, they just believe their rights as the minority have been abridged."

Is it me, or are the Republicans acting like a bunch of school girls?

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Republican Health Care Reform: Don't Get Sick and Die Quickly

When lobby firms are spending millions ($380 million in the last few months) fighting Obama healthcare reforms, and considering there are six lobbyists for every member of Congress, I'm afraid propriety and protocol just won't do.

Finally, a Democrat with guts, who doesn't sound like he will cave to special interests, stood up to the Republicans regarding health care reform. Alan Grayson, a Democrat with guts Harvard educated attorney and former businessman from Florida, took to the floor of the House of Representatives with a set of cards that demonstrated his interpretation - based on a recent Harvard study that concluded the US health care crisis is costing more than 44,000 lives each year and that uninsured, working-age Americans have a 40% higher risk of death than their insured counterparts - of the Republican Health care plan.

The first card stated that step one of the Republican health care plan was “Don’t get sick”. Step two stated: “And if you do get sick...”. Step three stated: “Die quickly”.

When Republicans demanded an apology, Grayson issued an apology to the dead:

"In the face of demands for an apology from the House GOP, he went back to the floor on Wednesday and offered an apology -- not to the GOP, but "to the dead," people who've died for a lack of health insurance. "I apologize that we haven't voted sooner to end this holocaust in America," he said. On CNN, he called Republicans "foot-dragging, knuckle-dragging Neanderthals."

Later, Grayson issued another apology, but again, not the Republicans, but to the Anti-Defamation League, saying, “In no way did I mean to minimize the Holocaust… I regret the choice of words, and I will not repeat it."

America's healthcare industry has spent hundreds of millions of dollars to block the introduction of public medical insurance and stall other reforms promised by Barack Obama. The campaign against the president has been waged in part through substantial donations to key politicians.

Supporters of radical reform of healthcare say legislation emerging from the US Senate reflects the financial power of vested interests ‑ principally insurance companies, pharmaceutical firms and hospitals ‑ that have worked to stop far-reaching changes threatening their profits.

The industry and interest groups have spent $380m in recent months influencing healthcare legislation through lobbying, advertising and in direct political contributions to members of Congress. The largest contribution, totalling close to $1.5m, has gone to the chairman of the senate committee drafting the new law.

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Seizing the Critical Moment Before it Gets Away.

Critical "moments" are brief intervals of time in any event, when the outcome is either decided, or to a lesser extent, transfers the momentum and advantage from one side to another, whether that event is sports, politics, war, or as simple as a game of poker.

Competing athletes, in order to succeed, must be able to identify and exploit the critical moment, because in that instant, is opportunity. Let that moment go and chances are good that desired change will not occur.

That "moment" is here and we cannot afford to let it go. Electing Barack Obama is only the beginning. We cannot assume that soon-to-be President Obama will be able to read our minds. We the taxpayers need a bullhorn to make sure our voice is heard loud and clear in order to restore our influence over our legislature. Who is our opponent? The answer: the corporate lobbyists. How do we defeat them? Do whatever it is they are doing and do it better.

We already know how successful the lobbyist is in achieving its goals. There is no reason taxpayers cannot do the exact same thing. Some may say we don't have the money, the power, the will, etc. that corporations have. No, that's because we have more...much more!

We pay taxes to support the infrastructure that is supposed to provide for the needs of the people. Not the needs of corporations, not the needs of a few elitists, not the needs of an insatiable the war machine... but the needs of every single one of us. That money is our money. As long as we stay within the constitutional framework that our founding fathers created, we can use that money and the power that it produces to take back our government.

Why can't we fund full-time taxpayer lobbyists? Their main function is to keep our legislators accountable to all of us, making sure full disclosure and transparency takes place in order to combat media bias. They must answer to the people and only the people. As naive and simplistic as this may sound, an idea like this could work if enough people get behind it.

Our goal should be a responsible and efficient government that lives within its means and serves us and only us.

Links:
Campus Activism
Citizens Against Government Waste
Credo Action - e-campaigns.
e-the people is a public forum for a new democracy conversation.
Email Congress
Modest Needs - "works to stop the cycle of poverty BEFORE it starts for the low-income workers whom conventional philanthropy has forgotten".
The Progress Report
Progressive Portal - easy online activism.

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Family Fun?

A planned Republican fundraiser in New Hampshire aims to promote gun ownership in America by letting supporters fire powerful military-style weapons -- from Uzi submachine guns to M-16 rifles.
The Manchester Republican Committee is inviting party members and their families to a "Machine Gun Shoot" where, for $25, supporters can spend a day trying out automatic weapons, said organizer Jerry Thibodeau.
"It's a fun day. It's a family day," said Thibodeau of the August 5 event. "It's quite exciting."
Local Democrats say the event is in poor taste amid a spike in violent crime in Manchester and seeks to glorify the use of machine guns for political gain. The right to own guns has come under heightened scrutiny since the April shooting at Virginia Tech where a gunman killed 32 people.
"It is downright offensive," Chris Pappas, the Manchester Democratic party chairman, told the Union Leader newspaper.
Thibodeau said he invited all the Republican candidates in the 2008 presidential race to the event at Pelham Fish and Game Club outside of Manchester, the state's largest city, but he said they declined. He said all shooters would undergo training.
Buying a gun in New Hampshire, whose official motto is "Live Free or Die," is relatively easy.
The state does not require buyers to obtain a handgun license or undergo safety training before buying a handgun, according to the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, a gun-control lobby group.

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