HALF
OF ALL JOBS IN CALIFORNIA ARE HELD BY ILLEGAL USING STOLEN SOCIAL SECURITY
NUMBERS. CA PUTS OUT $20 BILLON PER YEAR IN WELFARE TO ILLEGALS. LOS ANGELES
COUNTY ALONE PUTS OUT $600 MILLION PER YEAR IN WELFARE TO ILLEGALS, AND LA RAZA
ENDORSED GOV JERRY BROWN JUST SIGNED INTO LAW A BILL MAKING IT ILLEGAL FOR
EMPLOYERS TO USE E-VERIFY, CLEARING THE WAY FOR EVEN MORE OF HIS LA RAZA PARTY
BASE OF ILLEGALS TO TAKE OUR JOBS!
*
http://mexicanoccupation.blogspot.com/2011/10/portrait-of-america-in-decline-as-power.html
*
A portrait of America in decline
31 October 2011
A series of reports over the
past ten days—on poverty, wages, income inequality and social mobility—have
painted a portrait of America starkly at odds with the official mythology of
the United States as the land of unlimited economic opportunity, the country
with the world’s highest standard of living.
The World
Socialist Web Site has naturally drawn attention to these reports, but
Marxist critics and opponents of American capitalism did not collect this data.
On the contrary, the figures come from US government agencies like the General
Accounting Office, the Congressional Budget Office, the Social Security
Administration, the Bureau of the Census and the Federal Reserve Bank of New
York.
That makes
the picture of the real state of affairs in the America of 2011 all the more
damning. Even agencies controlled by political representatives of the financial
aristocracy are compelled to admit that the conditions of life for the vast
majority of the American people are disastrous.
These
figures demonstrate that America is a country of mounting social disparities,
in which those who labor and produce all the wealth have less and less to show
for it, while those who collect the profits of this labor, while playing a
parasitic, destructive and thoroughly reactionary role, see their wealth
accumulate to astonishing levels.
Two
reports frame the dramatic social polarization in America, not so much between
the rich and the poor, as between the rich and the entire rest of society.
According
to figures published by the Social Security Administration on October 20, the
median income for American workers in 2010 was $26,364, not much more than the
official poverty level of $22,025 for a family of four. Given that a family
making even twice the official poverty level faces real hardship and
insecurity, it is no exaggeration to say that the SSA report shows that the
“poor,” by any reasonable definition, constitute the absolute majority of the
American people.
On
the other side of the spectrum, a Congressional Budget Office study released
October 25 shows that the richest 1 percent of US households saw a 275 percent
increase in their income between 1979 and 2007 and more than doubled their
share of the national income. While the income of this layer nearly tripled,
the income of the middle 60 percent of the population rose only 40 percent over
28 years, and the income of the poorest 20 percent rose by only 18 percent.
Some
other revealing statistics:
The
unemployment rate for workers aged 55 or older has doubled since 2007, and the
average period spent jobless has tripled. One third of employed workers 65 and
older make less than $11 an hour, while the rates of poverty and food stamp
dependence have increased sharply for this sector of the population.
The
dollar amount of student loans taken out in 2010 topped $100 billion, the
largest ever total for a single year, and total student loan debt has passed
the $1 trillion mark in 2011, exceeding the total of credit card debt. Students
are borrowing twice as much as they did only ten years ago to pay for their
college education.
Geographical
mobility in America has fallen to the lowest level reported since 1948, one
reflection of the loss of opportunity particularly for the young. People cannot
sell their homes or buy new ones, and the majority of young college graduates
are being compelled to move back in with their parents because they cannot find
work that pays enough to set up on their own.
The
Gallup poll found that three times as many American workers are worried about
being able to feed themselves or their families, 19 percent of the population,
compared to only 6 percent of Chinese workers with similar concerns. Gallup’s
measure of access to basic social necessities showed that American workers were
finding it more and more difficult to obtain food, adequate shelter and decent
medical care.
What
these figures demonstrate is both a profound social crisis, and an immense
historical transformation. The United States has gone from leading the world in
most social indices, including working-class living standards, to a new status
as the leader, at least among the industrialized countries, in condemning the
majority of its population to conditions of deprivation and misery.
The decline
of American capitalism is shown in the decay of its once powerful industrial
base, the crumbling of roads, bridges and other social infrastructure, and the
closing of schools, libraries, hospitals and other public services. It is no
wonder that more than 80 percent of the American people, according to most
recent polls, feel that the country is on the wrong track.
Presiding
over this decline is a financial aristocracy whose relationship to the rest of
society recalls the ancien régime of pre-revolutionary France.
The
reports and the portrait they provide of American society are a particularly
damning indictment of the Obama administration and all those who presented the
election of Obama as a transformative event in American politics. The real
content of the past three years has been a colossal redistribution of wealth,
overseen and encouraged by Obama, from the working class to the finical elite.
And it only continues.
The
overriding political necessity is for the working class to grasp the source of
the social and economic decline. It is capitalism that has failed in the United
States, and on a world scale. The system of production for profit has indeed
produced record profits for the tiny minority at the top, but it has become a
dead end for the working people who comprise the vast majority.
The
working class must advance its own program in defense of jobs, decent
education, a secure retirement and other basic social rights. This is only
possible by breaking free from the grip of the official trade unions and the
Democratic Party, which uphold the interests of the banks and corporations,
while falsely claiming to defend the workers.
The
growing opposition to inequality and corporate control of the entire political
system underlies the rise of the Occupy Wall Street movement and the mass
support it has won in less than two months. But this is only an initial
expression of what is to come.
The
answer to the crisis of capitalism is a bold attack on the capitalists. The
working class must fight for socialist demands: the expropriation of the
billionaires and the entire ruling financial oligarchy, the public takeover of
the major banks and corporations, and using the vast wealth produced by working
people to meet social needs, not private profit.
The
decisive issue in carrying forward this struggle is the building of a new,
revolutionary leadership in the working class—the Socialist Equality Party. We
urge young people and workers who are entering political struggle today to join the SEP and fight for this perspective in the international working
class.
Patrick
Martin
The
author also recommends:
Record low
mobility reflects US social crisis
[29 October 2011]
[29 October 2011]
Government report
says richest 1 percent doubled their share of US national income
[27 October 2011]
[27 October 2011]
Majority in US
earn near-poverty wages
[22 October 2011]
[22 October 2011]
Michelle
Malkin
No Shady Banking Buddy Left Behind
First
Lady Michelle Obama's latest overseas jaunt is getting all the headlines. But
President Obama's money-grubbing junket to Chicago may cost taxpayers far more
in the long run. With his Gaultier-clad wife sashaying around the Spanish
seaside, the lonely fundraiser-in-chief returned to Illinois to take care of
some birthday-week business. Job One: Filling the Senate campaign coffers of
his corruption-tainted political protege Alexi Giannoulias.
Mission
accomplished. Obama's Thursday afternoon campaign event for Giannoulias, the
beleaguered state treasurer of Illinois, reportedly raked in $1 million.
Lagging behind his GOP opponent, liberal Republican Rep. Mark Kirk, Giannoulias
has coveted one-on-one, grip-and-grin time with Obama for months. In addition
to the cash, photo-ops and video of the Obama fundraising event that
Giannoulias will milk from now until Election Day, the White House has
dispatched Vice President Joe Biden, White House senior adviser David Axelrod
and White House campaign management guru David Plouffe to boost Giannoulias'
bid. Plouffe proclaimed Democrats "all in" for Giannoulias, whom he
described as "a great progressive champion."
Obama
gave his own personal seal of ethical approval, telling deep-pocketed donors
this week: "I appreciate his strong sense of advocacy for ordinary
Americans. You can trust him -- you can count on him." Uh-huh. And I've
got a bridge to Hope and Change to sell you.
What
would Giannoulias know about "ordinary Americans"? Giannoulias, 34,
befriended Obama during pickup basketball games with an elite group that also
included Michelle Obama's brother, Craig; Chicago edu-crat Arne Duncan (now
Education Secretary); and hedge fund manager John Rogers (the ex-husband of the
Obamas' ex-White House social secretary, Desiree Rogers). He spread his wealth
and influence around early and often to support Obama's fledgling political
career. He pitched in $7,000 in 2003-2004 to Obama's Illinois State Senate
bids. He hosted fundraisers for Obama's U.S. Senate campaign in 2004 and for
his presidential campaign in 2007.
Where'd
the cash come from? Giannoulias' Greek immigrant family founded Chicago-based
Broadway Bank, a now-defunct financial institution that loaned tens of millions
of dollars to convicted mafia felons and faced bankruptcy after decades of
engaging in risky, high-flying behavior. It's the place where Obama parked his
2004 U.S. Senate campaign funds. And it's the same place where a mutual friend
of Obama and Giannoulias -- convicted Obama fundraiser/slum lord Tony Rezko --
used to bounce nearly $500,000 in bad checks written to Las Vegas casinos. This
week, the Chicago Sun-Times revealed an additional $22.75 million Broadway Bank
loan to a Rezko-owned business in 2006. Giannoulias held an ownership stake in
the bank at the time.
Giannoulias
served as Broadway Bank vice president and senior loan officer for four years.
According to the Chicago Tribune, during Giannoulias' tenure, some $27 million
of Broadway Bank's funny money went to mob crooks Michael "Jaws"
Giorango and Demitri Stavropoulos. Giorango is a hustler who fronted a
nationwide prostitution ring and was sentenced to six months in prison;
Stavropoulos is behind bars for operating a multistate bookmaking ring.
Giorango ran the $400-an-hour call girl operation out of high-rise luxury
apartments in Chicago with the infamous "Gold Coast Madam," Rose
Laws. Giorango and Stavropoulos used their Broadway Bank loans to start their
own risky lending business for nontraditional borrowers unable to secure
traditional bank financing.
Despite
Giorango's criminal record exposed by the Tribune in 2004, Broadway Bank
approved massive mortgages for him. Giannoulias' brother, Demetris, explained
that as a "relationship bank," Broadway wouldn't just throw someone
under the bus because of a "bad article." Instead, the bank went
ahead and rubber-stamped a September 2005 loan for $3.4 million to buy a
32-unit Los Angeles apartment complex. The application falsely stated that the
borrower, Giorango, had "not been convicted of a felony." Giannoulias
oversaw the servicing of such shady loans totaling $11 million. Remember: He
was no low-level staffer. He was, as he reminded supporters when he needed to
deflect attention away from his youth, top management at Broadway Bank.
In
January 2010, the bank entered a consent decree with federal and Illinois state
regulators. It required Broadway Bank "to raise tens of millions in
capital, stop paying dividends to the family without regulatory approval, and
hire an outside party to evaluate the bank's senior management." The
city's former inspector general blasted Giannoulias and his family for tapping
$70 million worth of dividends in 2007 and 2008 as the real estate crash
loomed. Broadway Bank was sitting on an estimated $250 million in bad loans. In
late April, federal regulators shut it down. Cost to taxpayers: an estimated
$390 million. Giannoulias refused to drop out of the race -- and instead used
the company failure to argue that it made him (SET ITAL) more (END ITAL)
qualified to serve in office: "I have a renewed vigor and a new
perspective on just how horrible it is out there for so many people."
President
Obama agrees: Abysmal failure should be rewarded with promotion. He's leaving
no shady banking buddy behind.
*
Obamanomics:
How Barack Obama Is Bankrupting You and Enriching His Wall Street Friends,
Corporate Lobbyists, and Union Bosses
BY TIMOTHY P
CARNEY
Editorial Reviews
Obama Is Making
You Poorer—But Who’s Getting Rich?
Goldman
Sachs, GE, Pfizer, the United Auto Workers—the same “special interests” Barack
Obama was supposed to chase from the temple—are profiting handsomely from
Obama’s Big Government policies that crush taxpayers, small businesses, and
consumers. In Obamanomics, investigative reporter Timothy P. Carney digs
up the dirt the mainstream media ignores and the White House wishes you
wouldn’t see. Rather than Hope and Change, Obama is delivering corporate
socialism to America, all while claiming he’s battling corporate America. It’s
corporate welfare and regulatory robbery—it’s Obamanomics.
Congressman
Ron Paul says, “Every libertarian and free-market conservative needs to read Obamanomics.”
And Johan Goldberg, columnist and bestselling author says, “Obamanomics
is conservative muckraking at its best and an indispensable field guide to the
Obama years.”
If
you’ve wondered what’s happening to America, as the federal government swallows
up the financial sector, the auto industry, and healthcare, and enacts deficit
exploding “stimulus packages,” this book makes it all clear—it’s a big scam.
Ultimately, Obamanomics boils down to this: every time government gets bigger,
somebody’s getting rich, and those somebodies are friends of Barack. This book
names the names—and it will make your blood boil.
*
Obama Is Making You Poorer—But Who’s Getting Rich?
Goldman
Sachs, GE, Pfizer, the United Auto Workers—the same “special interests” Barack
Obama was supposed to chase from the temple—are profiting handsomely from
Obama’s Big Government policies that crush taxpayers, small businesses, and
consumers.
Investigative
reporter Timothy P. Carney digs up the dirt the mainstream media ignores and
the White House wishes you wouldn’t see. Rather than Hope and Change, Obama is
delivering corporate socialism to America, all while claiming he’s battling
corporate America. It’s corporate welfare and regulatory robbery—it’s
Obamanomics. In this explosive book, Carney reveals:
* The
Great Health Care Scam—Obama’s backroom deals with drug companies spell
corporate profits and more government control
* The Global Warming Hoax—Obama has bought off industries with a pork-filled bill that will drain your wallet for Al Gore’s agenda
* Obama and Wall Street—“Change” means more bailouts and a heavy Goldman Sachs presence in the West Wing (including Rahm Emanuel)
* Stimulating K Street—The largest spending bill in history gave pork to the well-connected and created a feeding frenzy for lobbyists
* How the GOP needs to change its tune—drastically—to battle Obamanomics
* The Global Warming Hoax—Obama has bought off industries with a pork-filled bill that will drain your wallet for Al Gore’s agenda
* Obama and Wall Street—“Change” means more bailouts and a heavy Goldman Sachs presence in the West Wing (including Rahm Emanuel)
* Stimulating K Street—The largest spending bill in history gave pork to the well-connected and created a feeding frenzy for lobbyists
* How the GOP needs to change its tune—drastically—to battle Obamanomics
If
you’ve wondered what’s happening to our country, as the federal government
swallows up the financial sector, the auto industry, and healthcare, and enacts
deficit exploding “stimulus packages” that create make-work government jobs, this
book makes it all clear—it’s a big scam. Ultimately, Obamanomics boils down to
this: every time government gets bigger, somebody’s getting rich, and those
somebodies are friends of Barack. This book names the names—and it will make
your blood boil.
*
Praise for Obamanomics
Praise for Obamanomics
“The
notion that ‘big business’ is on the side of the free market is one of
progressivism’s most valuable myths. It allows them to demonize corporations by
day and get in bed with them by night. Obamanomics is conservative
muckraking at its best. It reveals how President Obama is exploiting the big
business mythology to undermine the free market and stick it to entrepreneurs,
taxpayers, and consumers. It’s an indispensable field guide to the Obama
years.”
—Jonha Goldberg, LA Times columnist and best-selling author
—Jonha Goldberg, LA Times columnist and best-selling author
“‘Every
time government gets bigger, somebody’s getting rich.’ With this astute
observation, Tim Carney begins his task of laying bare the Obama
administration’s corporatist governing strategy, hidden behind the president’s populist
veneer. This meticulously researched book is a must-read for anyone who wants
to understand how Washington really works.”
—David Freddoso, best-selling author of The Case Against Barack Obama
—David Freddoso, best-selling author of The Case Against Barack Obama
“Every
libertarian and free-market conservative who still believes that large
corporations are trusted allies in the battle for economic liberty needs to
read this book, as does every well-meaning liberal who believes that expansions
of the welfare-regulatory state are done to benefit the common people.”
—Congressman Ron Paul
—Congressman Ron Paul
“It’s
understandable for critics to condemn President Obama for his ‘socialism.’ But
as Tim Carney shows, the real situation is at once more subtle and more
sinister. Obamanomics favors big business while disproportionately punishing
everyone else. So-called progressives are too clueless to notice, as usual,
which is why we have Tim Carney and this book.”
—Thomas E. Woods, Jr., best-selling author of Meltdown and The Politically Incorrect Guide™ to American History
—Thomas E. Woods, Jr., best-selling author of Meltdown and The Politically Incorrect Guide™ to American History
*
·
Hardcover: 256 pages
·
Publisher: Regnery Press (November 30,
2009)
·
Language: English
·
ISBN-10: 1596986123
·
ISBN-13: 978-1596986121
*
ARE AMAZED AT HOW UTTERLY BRAZEN THESE CORPORATE OWNED
POLITICIANS ARE?
GET THIS BOOK!
Culture of Corruption: Obama and His Team of Tax Cheats,
Crooks, and Cronies
by Michelle Malkin
Editorial Reviews
In her shocking new book, Malkin digs deep into the records
of President Obama's staff, revealing corrupt dealings, questionable pasts, and
abuses of power throughout his administration.
From the Inside Flap
The era of hope and change is dead....and it only took six
months in office to kill it.
Never has an administration taken office with more inflated
expectations of turning Washington around. Never have a media-anointed American
Idol and his entourage fallen so fast and hard. In her latest investigative
tour de force, New York Times bestselling author Michelle Malkin delivers a
powerful, damning, and comprehensive indictment of the culture of corruption
that surrounds Team Obama's brazen tax evaders, Wall Street cronies, petty
crooks, slum lords, and business-as-usual influence peddlers. In Culture of
Corruption, Malkin reveals:
* Why nepotism beneficiaries First Lady Michelle Obama and
Vice President Joe Biden are Team Obama's biggest liberal hypocrites--bashing
the corporate world and influence-peddling industries from which they and their
relatives have benefited mightily
* What secrets the ethics-deficient members of Obama's
cabinet--including Hillary Clinton--are trying to hide
* Why the Obama White House has more power-hungry,
unaccountable "czars" than any other administration
* How Team Obama's first one hundred days of appointments
became a litany of embarrassments as would-be appointee after would-be
appointee was exposed as a tax cheat or had to withdraw for other reasons
* How Obama's old ACORN and union cronies have squandered
millions of taxpayer dollars and dues money to enrich themselves and expand
their power
* How Obama's Wall Street money men and corporate lobbyists
are ruining the economy and helping their friends In Culture of Corruption,
Michelle Malkin lays bare the Obama administration's seamy underside that the
liberal media would rather keep hidden.
• Publisher:
Regnery Publishing (July 27, 2009)
• Language:
English
• ISBN-10:
1596981091
• ISBN-13:
978-1596981096
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