Wednesday, October 14, 2015

Citizens United


In January 21, 2010 the campaign finance case came through the Supreme Court: Citizens United v. Federal Election Commissio. The ruling on the case opened the flood gates of corruption. The Supreme Court, in a 4 to 5 decision, basically said that corporations and labor unions can spend as much as they want to convince people to vote for, or against a candidate.

". . . corporations have no consciences, no beliefs, no feelings, no thoughts, no desires. Corporations help structure and facilitate the activities of human beings, to be sure, and their 'personhood' often serves as a useful legal fiction. But they are not themselves members of “We the People” by whom and for whom our Constitution was established."
             ~Supreme Court Justice Stevens, January 2010


There was a part that stated that corporations could not give money directly to a candidate so PAC's were created. PAC's are Political Action Committees that are set in place to help fuel the election process. Corporations are permitted to give the large sums of money to a third party who shells out the money to the politicians and legally bribe them into making political decisions for the 1% opposed to the entire United States.



I will use the Koch brothers as my example. The Koch family has the second largest privately owned company in the United States and their net worth is about 100 Billion. In 1977 they founded CATO which is a libertarian Think-Tank dedicated to funding other entities, laboratories, media and candidates to influence and sway our people and government under a political guise of "Freedom". Freedom for them to cut their business taxes, strip the workers of healthcare, living wages, pension and give to CEO's without prosecution.






This Wonderful and Informative Graphic is from the Washington Post. 
Click the graphic to be linked!








Sunday, October 11, 2015

Big Money Owns Our Government, How?



I placed this under Acts and Legislation because the people and their positions directly relate to the decisions and policies being made for our country. 
Bernie Sanders calls for a Political Revolution where we do not blindly follow but lead by passion and knowledge. 
It is our responsibility as citizens to research, understand, discuss and Vote candidates in that are looking out for the people not the money. 

Educate. Research. Discuss. Become Involved. 
VOTE










Glass-Steagall Act





I want to bring forward various Acts and Legislations that have been set into law that have directly and negatively impacted our citizens. Policies that are extremely visible and being felt by todays mellinials.  
I want to bring you and show you the injustice that is being done in a way that makes sense, uses reason, fact and numbers backed by reputable sources...so that you can form an educated and compassionate opinion .
 Sometimes that is by sharing with you, albeit embarrassing at times - real stories I have experienced and dealt with first hand. 



I would like to start off by telling you a little bit about my first and true “Ah-Ha!” moment. 

The Glass-Steagall act of 1933 , is actually four provisions to the US banking Act that limited commercial banking securities from being mixed in with commercial banks and security firms. Basically this Act separated risky speculation banking from normal banking. 

Now you maybe asking, “Why in the world did we even need Glass-Steagall Act to begin with?’ 
I’ll tell you… it was an enacted as an emergency response to the failure of nearly 5,000 banks during the Great Depression. 
It boils down to the fact that the Glass-Steagall Act was enacted so that we would not have another great depression. 
That was our safety wall... that was our safeguard.... that was our net.

In 1999 under the Clinton administration,  Bill Clinton and Republicans led by Sen. Phil Gramm repealed Glass-Steagall at the insistence of the big banks. The repeal of this act is directly related to the toxic mortgage situation of 2008. 
We were right back in the 20’s again, banks using insured depositories to underwrite private securities and then hand over to their clients, and ridiculous financing with bankers selling corrupt securities and we - let me be frank - didn’t learn a DAMN THING from 1933. 

My mother is one of the hard working single mothers who lost everything seemingly overnight. My brother and I were so, so, so lucky to have a strong bond with our paternal grandmother, and great grandmother & great grandfather that they helped my mother raise us. Some women don’t have supportive (no-so-ex) In-laws like we did. Her house note tripled over night and one thing led to another and everyone gets that sense of doom when all the bills are due at once and you have children to feed. 

My mothers house was part of the illegal US Bank / Home Mortgage foreclosures that took place. After $100,000 lost, a foreclosure, repossession, completely ruined credit...and all of her life savings depleted, you know what else she received? 
A Slap In The Face. 
US Bank and Home Mortgage along with other banks lost the settlement case and were ordered to pay people back....My mother got a letter that said, “Sorry.” and a check for $500.



Glass-Stegall is just one of the heartless examples of how the government has turned their back on the middle class and if it isn't changed ...will lead to yet another form of Great Depression. 

Were you or a loved one affected by the repeal of Glass-Stegall? Or were impacted another way?
If so tell me in the comment section. 

WARNING: This page has adopted Bernie Sanders' "No Negative Campaign" model because I respect the concept, I respect him, and I respect you.
 I expect you all, as adults to keep a civil and non-hateful tone. 
It is OKAY to disagree, we are only human. 
Everyones Thoughts, Views, and Values are important and valid.
Please, if it isn't terribly to much to ask, be sure facts /ideals are from reputable sources.
  All hateful comments will be deleted.

“It is easy to go out and talk to people who agree with you, It’s harder, but more important, to try to find common ground with people with whom you disagree." 
                                                                                             --Bernie Sanders Liberty University









Oligarchy


Democracy


Progressive


Capitalism


Socialism




Politics Matter



Politics matter because they’re affecting Everyone. 
Politics affect me.. my family, my friends, veterans, mentally ill, seniors, middle class, our neighbors. With everything that I have learned the last few months tirelessly researching and relearning..is that we need discussion. 

I feel morally responsible to help others come to an informed opinion and to get involved in the political process. I have become painfully aware that so many people are unaware of things our government is doing, and has done. It is become blatantly clear that people have lost faith, interest, and passion in politics and have become apathetic ...and the bad guys are winning now. So many people are throwing critical thinking out the window and there is nothing more jarring than adults refusing to look at a hard core fact and dismiss it for fiction. It is almost terrifying. That means those were our teachers... who taught us how to learn....refusing blatant fact. Or people are so hung up on stereotypes that they can't see the forrest for the trees. We have to grow together and be more accepting more open and less critical if we want this ship to stay floating.

 The time has come where now we have kids, we are straddled with student loan debt, we are the ones making an average of $4000 dollars less yearly since 1999, we are chasing our tails monthly, our parents are getting older, our world is being abused, our government is corrupt, we don't know if our jobs will keep their benefits or if we will have a job with benefits when we start working, we want our small business to thrive, we want to send our kids to college, we want to go to the hospital without going bankrupt, we are the ones doing the adulting. 

We need to understand how our government works and understand who is working for who, and influencing our country.

 I am no longer blind and am able to see that the decisions that have been made for us - and sometimes without our knowledge - were not in everyone’s best interest. 

 I want to bring forward various Acts and Legislations that have been set into law that have directly and negatively impacted our citizens. Policies that are extremely visible and being felt by todays mellinials.  
I want to bring you and show you the injustice that is being done in a way that makes sense, uses reason, fact and numbers backed by reputable sources...so that you can form an educated and compassionate opinion .
 Sometimes that is by sharing with you, albeit embarrassing at times - real stories I have experienced and dealt with first hand. 

I want to calm the flames of the hate parading around in sheep's clothing. 
Sometimes people, for no nice reason at all,  use other people- or certain groups of people to place their blame. It it a tactic known by many, and called out by few. Those people have no moral conscious and they knew just exactly what they were doing when they did it. 
I want to shed light on Hot Topic issues like Planned Parenthood, Immigration, Institutionalized Racism and bring to you facts, numbers, scientific and governmental statistics for you to form Your Own opinions on. 
Don't fight and commit to a idealogy that you learned from someone elses opinion. 
Humans lie, Science and Numbers do not.  

I'm not done, I want to take it a step further and shed light on politicians, organizations, and corporations who were behind the deceitful manipulation of emotional issues, issues you care about - that are important to you, ...to pursue their own agenda. That in all reality you would honestly find morally reprehensible ...and that is not morally acceptable, or right, or JUST for the leaders of our county to do, or any human for that matter.

 I want you to see the impact of others decisions on American lives so that you can fully understand why I feel it is important that we STAND UP and FIGHT for what we believe in.

There is on candidate out there that will fight for what is right and just and he is Bernie Sanders. I hope you will listen to some of his ideals and help fight this corporate greed battle. Bernie wants us to vote and wants us to become involved in our government because he is For. The. People.

"I'll tell you something no other candidate will tell you! NO. President. Not Bernie Sanders, not ANY Presidential Candidate can do this alone! I don't just Need you to Get To The White House, I Need. You. The. Day. After! Only together can we get what needs to be done, done!"                                      --Bernie Sanders


Feminism