Stacia Haley in Seattle worked all her life and raised a child as a single parent. Yet she has no retirement income other than Social Security.
[Social Security] is all many of us will have, if we live long enough to retire.
Stacia is right. Some 64 percent of America's retirees rely on Social Security for 50 percent or more of their income.
Yet the man Wall Street wants to make speaker of the House supports raising the retirement age for Social Security, lowering the hammer even more on low- and middle-income Americans, who die earlier than the rich. (And what about that income gap? Well, never mind.)
This is just one of the extreme positions John Boehner holds while he salivates in the wings as House minority leader, angling for a Republican takeover of Congress bought and paid for by corporate America.
By now there should be no question that if Boehner becomes speaker, corporations will call the shots -- and the insurance companies, drug manufacturers and Wall Street firms have been busy paying big time for the privilege. Boehner's campaign to date has collected nearly $7.1 million. Putting that sum in perspective, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has received $2.9 million. Meanwhile, the "Boehner for Speaker" fundraising committee has racked up another $2 million.
Goldman Sachs, Citigroup, the American Bankers Association and Big Pharma are some of his biggest Wall Street backers, with the political action committees and employees of insurance firms alone giving nearly $426,000 to Boehner's campaign committees through June 30, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.
Boehner is so soaked in lobbyist dollars that his clique of friends and current and former staff members on Capitol Hill have even been given a name: Boehner Land.
New York Times columnist Bob Herbert offers a snapshot of Boehner's corporate backers who have:
contributed hundreds of thousands of dollars to his campaigns, provided him with rides on their corporate jets, socialized with him at luxury golf resorts and waterfront bashes and are now leading fund-raising efforts for his Boehner for Speaker campaign, which is soliciting checks of up to $37,800 each, the maximum allowed.
As the New York Times reported, one lobbyist in Boehner's club -- "after lauding each staff member in Mr. Boehner's office that he routinely calls to ask for help -- ticked off the list" of handouts to credit card companies, hedge fund execs and the oil industry for which he had sought Boehner's assistance.
Take a look at just some of Boehner's corporate agenda.
Boehner's agenda is nothing less than economic disaster for America's working families.
Boehner's backers are part of a massive infusion of corporate cash fueling campaigns: $911 million in hard money to date. That doesn't begin to count the corporate money pouring into unaccountable election front groups headed up by Karl Rove and others. Is it any wonder it's sometimes hard to hear the voices of working people?
It may seem quaint to say it, but buying lawmakers for the highest bidding is not what our democracy is about. And that's why we're working harder than we've ever worked to make a difference -- district by district, a few hundred votes, a few thousand votes. We're using our feet, our hands and our hearts -- walking door to door, leafleting worksites, talking to co-workers -- to rebuild our middle class, retirement security and a strong America for our children.
American capitalism a growing wealthy class, a weaker middle class and a burdensome population of jobless and homeless individuals. Since the housing bubble a drop of 36 % in the wealth of the median income, whereas the top 1 % of households has been only 11 %.
Top1% own 34.6 % of all privately held wealth. The next 19 % (managers, professionals ,small busines) own 50.5 %, only 20 % of Americans own 85 % of the wealth in this country. 15 % of the wealth for the bottom 80 % . In the U.S. capitalism not a generous system concerned for the greatest good for all, but one of greed where the shaddy successful use their proceeds to build more power, unethichal wealth. Repealing Bush’s tax cuts for the wealthy a step in the right direction.
Current administration was unsuccessful in providing a socialistic health care program for the nation in its inability to pass a single-payer system. Resulted from the congressional furor was a program strengthening the capitalistic agenda, that most tax dollars would be going to health care industries rather than to the public or health care providers.
I am inviting you today to
Vote for Your Economy, Now.
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When was the last time you were given that opportunity?
We don't intend to replace the prevalent system but to expend the number of your options.
We will add a significant amount of jobs, income and investment.
This is the only election in which the law of the majority is not binding on the minority.
If you don't participate you are still be making a choice:
the choice of relying exclusively on the prevalent system.
Vote Now for the Credit Free, Free Market Economy
Add Jobs, Revenues & Investments.
Prosperous, Fair, Stable & Peaceful.
http://post-crash.com
On September 10th at 10:00 AM EST
I will post a video on that site expalining the voting process.
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I am sure that the power of vested interests is vastly exaggerated compared with the gradual encroachment of ideas. Not, indeed, immediately, but after a certain interval; for in the field of economic and political philosophy there are not many who are influenced by new theories after they are twenty-five or thirty years of age, so that the ideas which civil servants and politicians and even agitators apply to current events are not likely to be the newest. But, soon or late, it is ideas, not vested interests, which are dangerous for good or evil.
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COME ON OHIO!!! YOU CAN DO IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Of course we need an effective military. But is that what we have? No...we have defense contracts with guaranteed excess profits, concerned more over spreading the work over Congressional districts to protect the programs, lobbyists and on and on.
I hope Secretary Robert Gates carries through with his ideas to cut the excess.
They'll fight him all the way.
That is where the budget can be balanced and the deficit controlled. Without this, the U.S. finishes the morph into banana republic.
They are not only crazy, but not too bright. We expect our money to be repaid.
Wall Street would rather have inflation than lower costs and yet they have no problem with people working $2.00 an hour.
The politicans sucked up the money!
The more corrupt the cities the poorer the people.
and as for social security,
http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/2005-03-15-benefits-reform-galveston_x.htm
you libs need to temper all that passion with an equal amount of reason
Stalinism ??? have you ever actually read a history book ?
I don't believe the article. I read about it 15 years ago and knew there was no way they would turn in any loss. If I wanted to trick people I would show profits every quarter. I would switch stocks to the winners also.
• Occasionally he stumbled over the truth, but hastily picked himself up and hurried on as if nothing had happened. Winston Churchill
1) Does the head of the AFL-CIO really believe the Democrats are going to do anything more for labor? BOTH parties are killing the Republic.
2) Why is the AFL-CIO not focusing on ensuring that every American is a member of either a labor union or a professional association?
3) Why does the head of the AFL-CIO not have a strategy or even a strategist? A good starting point would be my review, and then the book itself: State of the Unions: How Labor Can Strengthen the Middle Class, Improve Our Economy, and Regain Political Influence.
4) Why does the head of the AFL-CIO consider it extreme to raise the retirement age when everyone is now living twice as long? Would he not be better off thinking about how to integrate sabatticals all alone the way, ensure all high schoolers spent summers in the professions, and provide for life long education as a human right of all employees?
I agree the Republicans are bad for the Republic. Unfortunately, so are the Democrats. The author might be better off focusing on a strategy for labor and on getting all labor elements that listen to him to demand Electoral Reform. IMHO.
2) Because most people who aren't already are parts of big companines GOP policies have given the authority to ban the unionized, so people have to choose between getting their rights supported through unions or having jobs.
3) THAT is a very good question.
4) Considering people are still retiring at the same age or earlier, and are still living off of those benefits throughout their longer elderly years, it's only humane to insist the benefits start as soon as possible and provide as much support as is necessary, given that interest rates and the real cost of goods keeps rising while salary and benefits do not.
Since the government's parties will be VOTING on any electoral reform, it might be wise to get the support of the only party that has members able to stand up for what they believe and vote for such instead of stonewalling reform en masse like the GOP.
Currently, the options are to support the Democrats and urge them to do more of what is needed, or to end up with the GOP in power. There is not yet an alternative; make one.
"Progress" is not always good.