Comment

Comment by Joan Denoo on January 31, 2013 at 8:35pm

Tom, you wrote, "A downside: growing up in a cut-throat capitalist economy with an oligarchical/plutocratic politics (with authoritarian religions) doesn't help Americans learn how to function in a democracy."
That is exactly correct. Our population doesn't know how to function in a democracy ... the good news, some can learn. Everyone benefits by self-responsibility in community. Not being a slave to corporations, or to a time-card-punch-in style of life.
I think we are coming to the end of dominance/obedience, control/acquiescence, and dualistic type thinking.
Religion teaches one to obey; the worst possible thing to achieve. It tells us to sacrifice; for what, to whom; who decides?
Optimism bubbles up in me; change is coming and it is good.

Comment by Tom Sarbeck on January 31, 2013 at 6:29pm

Triple Damn!!!

I survived 12 years in Catholic schools; in my teens I worked after school and weekends in a mom, pop and kids grocery store; I minored in economics; and for 40 years I've been doing serious politics. How did I only minutes ago find this discussion?

A woman asked me recently if I'm a socialist and I said I'm a collective capitalist: I want employees, not sociopaths, to own workplaces.

For multiple reasons I'm optimistic:

* A 1970s Harvard Business Review said companies owned by their employees are environmentally kinder and experience less employee thefts,

* Since the 1970s, federal tax law privileges founders of businesses who when they retire sell to their employees (perhaps via ESOPs); and

* A 2007 book says employees in America own more than eleven thousand workplaces. Some (i.e., Publix Markets in the southeast) are large companies.

A downside: growing up in a cut-throat capitalist economy with an oligarchical/plutocratic politics (with authoritarian religions) doesn't help Americans learn how to function in a democracy.

Comment by Joan Denoo on January 31, 2013 at 5:41pm

Wal-Mart, the behemoth from Bentonville, Ark., with its nationally destabilizing business model, dangerously undermines USA's local and national economies and middle class and exploits and manipulates workers in poor countries. Overseas workers often work in unsafe conditions, for very low wages, and many do not have a rise in their living standards. Some do not have access to health care or education. 

Bernie Sanders says Walmart heirs own more wealth than bottom 40 pe...

Six members of the Walton family appear on the Forbes 400 list of the wealthiest Americans.

No. 6: Christy Walton, $25.3 billion 

No. 9: Jim Walton, $23.7 billion

No. 10: Alice Walton, $23.3 billion

No. 11: S. Robson Walton, oldest son of Sam Walton, $23.1 billion

No. 103: Ann Walton Kroenke, $3.9 billion 

No. 139: Nancy Walton Laurie, $3.4 billion

That’s a grand total of $102.7 billion for the whole family.

Oh! you can promise to hire 100,000 returning war vets and are you also promising living wages for all Walmart employees?

Comment by Joan Denoo on January 31, 2013 at 5:21pm

USA population is now 315,249,680. How are we, as a nation, going to feed, house, provide health care, education, retirement, if there are not enough living-wage jobs in our economy? 

What are we going to do with those who can't find work? Should we be sending our unemployed men and women off to foreign lands to do their mischief just to get these people on a payroll? Why can't we put them on a payroll to stay home, tend to their communities and needs of their families. 

Sure someone has to pay and the wealthy seem to be well able to avoid paying taxes that will help cover all these needs.

Should we take the poor out to a ditch and shoot them? One bullet per human being should be enough. It wouldn't cost much and the wealthy wouldn't have to help pay for their care and every able bodied person could then work on a job for wages that do not support their family's basic needs. 

Just look at WalMart! The public has to help support their workers'  families, even as the WalMart family makes fortunes and enjoys the finer things in life, not even caring their underpaid workers can't feed, house, and care for their families. 

Capitalism is broken. Want more proof?

U.S. economic recovery leaving families behind

Comment by Joan Denoo on January 30, 2013 at 5:47pm

Grinning Cat, that is a great cartoon - and reflects the two sides of austerity. I'm passing it along. 

Comment by Joan Denoo on January 30, 2013 at 5:41pm

Annie (1982) [10/13] Tomorrow

Comment by Joan Denoo on January 30, 2013 at 5:20pm

Economy Contracted Unexpectedly in Fourth Quarter

Don't listen to the fast talking broker who wants to sell you some financial products during a downturn ,,, they are not talking to the small business owner or those working for wages or those out of work or those too old or too young or too sick to work. These people don't have extra dollars to invest and take advantage of markets. They, the financial brokers, speak to the top one or ten percent of people who have the bucks and can take advantage of the cheap prices and low interest rates. 

Daddy Warbucks  speaks again! 

Comment by Joan Denoo on January 29, 2013 at 2:19pm

Oh Ye! Consistency! Cognitive dissonance is one weak point of religious. You nailed it Grinning Cat!

Comment by Grinning Cat on January 29, 2013 at 1:27pm

Ideological consistency?

(from Nick Anderson)

Comment by Joan Denoo on January 28, 2013 at 1:09am

“My goal is to cut government in half in twenty-five years.” ~ Grov...

He says this even as the gap between rich and poor grows monthly.He can't get any more money from small businesses and wage earners. He'll have to go for the people with money. 

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