Dave Johnson: Plutocracy: GE Doesn't Pay Taxes -- Taxpayers Pay GE

Dave Johnson: Plutocracy: GE Doesn't Pay Taxes -- Taxpayers Pay GE

AT&T, T-Mobile: AT&T to buy T-Mobile, creating wireless giant - latimes.com

AT&T, T-Mobile: AT&T to buy T-Mobile, creating wireless giant - latimes.com

Obama faces growing criticism for Libya campaign

Obama faces growing criticism for Libya campaign

Principles of the People's Party

The following is an excerpt from an article posted March 10, 2011 at     dailymarkets.com

"Unlike the Tea Party, which has been coopted by the super-rich, the People’s Party represents the needs and aspirations of America’s vast working middle class.  

The People’s Party is dedicated to the truth that America is a rich nation – richer by far than any other, richer than it’s ever been. The People’s Party rejects the claims of plutocrats who want us to believe we can no longer afford to live decently – who are cutting the wages and benefits of most people, attacking unions, and squeezing public budgets. The People’s Party will not allow them to turn us against one another – unionized against non-unionized, public employee against private employee, immigrant against native born. Nor will the People’s Party allow the privileged and powerful to distract us from the explosive concentration of income and wealth at the top, the decline in taxes paid by the top, and their increasing and untrammeled political power.

We have joined together to reverse these trends and to promote a working people’s bill of rights. We are committed to:

1. Increasing the pay and bargaining power of average working people. We’ll stop efforts to destroy unions and collective bargaining rights. Protect workers who try to form unions from being fired. Make it easier for workers to form unions through simple up-or-down votes at the workplace.

2. Requiring America’s super-rich to pay their fair share. Increase top marginal tax rates and the number of tax brackets at the top. Treat income from capital gains the same as ordinary income. Restore the estate tax. Revoke the citizenship of anyone found to be sheltering income abroad.

3. Protecting and expanding government programs vital to the working middle class and the poor. These include Social Security, K-12 education, Pell Grants for disadvantaged students, public transportation, Medicare and Medicaid, and the Earned Income Tax Credit.

4. Ending corporate welfare and cutting military outlays. Trim defense spending. End special tax subsidies for specific corporations or industries – at both state and federal levels. Cut agricultural subsidies.

5. Saving Social Security while making it more progressive. Exempt the first $20,000 of income from Social Security taxes. Make up the difference – and any need for additional Social Security revenues – by raising the ceiling on income subject to the Social Security payroll tax.

6. Ending Wall Street’s dominance of the economy and preventing any future taxpayer-funded bailout. Break up Wall Street’s largest banks and put a cap their size. Link pay on the Street to long-term profits rather than short-term speculation. Subject all financial transactions to a one-tenth of one percent transactions tax.

7. Fully enforcing regulations that protect workers, consumers, small investors, and the environment. Raise penalties on corporations that violate them. Expand enforcement staffs. Provide more private rights of action.

8. Providing affordable health care to all Americans. The new health law isn’t enough. We’ll fight for a single payer – making Medicare available to all. End fee-for-service and create “accountable-care” organizations that focus on healthy outcomes.

9. Slowing and eventually reversing climate change. We’ll fight to limit carbon emissions. Impose a ceiling on emissions or a carbon tax on polluters. Return the revenues from these to the American people, in the form of tax cuts for the working middle class.

10. Getting big money out of politics. We’ll fight to appoint Supreme Court justices who will overrule Citizens United v. FEC. Require full disclosure of all contributions for or against any candidate. Provide full public financing for all presidential, gubernatorial, and legislative candidates in all general elections."

Considering this letter is a "first draft", most will agree that some of the ten principles need refining, and editing; nevertheless, what a great starting point! 

I look forward to any and all feedback.

The populist People's Party 2011

It finally happened; surely it was only a matter of time, odds would have it I'm actually late getting to the party.  Speaking of partyies, at the risk of sounding corny, I have found a legitimate answer to the Tea Party !   


Who'd a thought I'd find it, resisting, but inevitably grabbed around the throat by an evil Governor  and thrown into the national limelight; Madison, Wisconsin.  Home of the football fans that show up at stadiums wearing hats shaped like wedges of cheese; a place who's name conjures up images of Mayberry R.F.D., sleepy, idyllic ....the bridges of Madison County.....oops, where was I?  The Movement!


To my fellow liberals, progressives and anyone else interested in changing this country:  Robert Reich has written an article about the beginnings of a populist movement.  He shares with us a copy of an alleged "first draft" letter which outlines ten basic principles; or, as referred to in the article - the "people's bill of rights"; some need more tweaking than others, but still a great start!


GO TO:  http://www.dailymarkets.com/economy/2011/03/09/the-principles-of-the-peoples-party/