[156815] in Zephyr_Bugs
North Dakota's Economic "Miracle" - It's Not Oil
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (t r u t h o u t)
Fri Sep 2 16:19:11 2011
Message-ID: <628719786.-304896813@org2.org2DB.mail.democracyinaction.org>
Date: Fri, 2 Sep 2011 16:19:06 -0400 (EDT)
From: t r u t h o u t <messenger@truthout.org>
Reply-To: messenger@truthout.org
To: zephyr-bugs@mit.edu
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: multipart/alternative;
boundary="----=_Part_8749963_124032123.1314994746186"
Envelope-From: <628719786-1176158-org2-org2DB@bounces.salsalabs.net>
------=_Part_8749963_124032123.1314994746186
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
t r u t h o u t | 09.02
North Dakota's Economic "Miracle" - It's Not Oil
http://www.truth-out.org/north-dakotas-economic-miracle-its-not-oil/1314969693
Ellen Brown, YES! Magazine: "North Dakota's money and banking reserves are being kept within the state and invested there. The BND's loan portfolio shows a steady uninterrupted increase in North Dakota lending programs since 2006. According to the annual BND report: 'Financially, 2010 was our strongest year ever. Profits increased by nearly $4 million to $61.9 million during our seventh consecutive year of record profits. Earnings were fueled by a strong and growing deposit base, brought about by a surging energy and agricultural economy. We ended the year with the highest capital level in our history at just over $325 million. The Bank returned a healthy 19 percent ROE, which represents the state's return on its investment.' A 19 percent return on equity! How many states are getting that sort of return on their Wall Street investments?"
Obama's FEMA: First Look at How It Worked
http://www.truth-out.org/part-five-obamas-fema-first-look-how-it-worked/1314898655
Dina Rasor, Truthout: "In this final part of the series, I examine how Obama's FEMA did with the preliminary help on Hurricane Irene, the Obama administration's first major, multistate disaster. It will take many months to see if the current FEMA has the ability and political will and finances to finish the clean-up and restoration after a hurricane that swept through so many states with damaging winds and heavy floods. There are two areas of interest in examining this new FEMA; one, how the agency did its role effectively in real time on the ground of this hurricane; and, two, how the FEMA administrator, the head of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the president stayed on top of the problem despite criticism in this highly charged political year."
The Lessons of the Chinese Invasion
http://www.truth-out.org/lesson-chinese-invasion/1314979142
David Sirota, Truthout: "Thanks to a spate of mind-blowing headlines, we are learning that the Chinese invasion isn't just a distant possibility - it's happening right now. First, in February, ABC News reported that almost every Americana-themed trinket sold in the Smithsonian Institute is made in China. Then news hit that San Francisco is importing its new bay bridge from China. Then came the New York Times dispatch about the Big Apple awarding Chinese state-subsidized firms huge taxpayer-funded contracts to 'renovate the subway system, refurbish the Alexander Hamilton Bridge over the Harlem River and build a new Metro-North train platform near Yankee Stadium.' Astounding as all of that is, it was quickly topped by news last week reminding us that the new Martin Luther King monument in Washington was designed by a Chinese government sculptor and assembled by low-wage Chinese workers."
On the News With Thom Hartmann: Twenty-Five Percent of Money Raised by Romney Came Straight From Banksters, and More
http://www.truth-out.org/news-thom-hartmann-twenty-five-percent-money-raised-romney-came-straight-banksters-and-more/13149783
In today's On the News segment: Zero new jobs created in America last month, funding for the Federal Aviation Administration will run out again, Federal Housing Finance Agency filing suit against more than a dozen of the biggest banks for misrepresenting junk mortgages, BP oil spill still leaking large amounts of crude in Gulf of Mexico, 25 percent of money raised by Mitt Romney came straight from the banksters, and more.
Zero Job Growth for August as Unemployment Remains Stable
http://www.truth-out.org/zero-job-growth-august-unemployment-rate-remains-stable/1314976982
Dean Baker, Center for Economic and Policy Research: "The Labor Department reported that there was no growth in jobs in August, while it revised down its job growth numbers for the prior two months by 58,000. Job growth over the last three months has now averaged 35,000, well below the 90,000 needed to keep pace with the growth of the labor force."
Obama Pulls Back Proposal to Tighten Clean Air Rules
http://www.truth-out.org/obama-pulls-back-proposal-tighten-clean-air-rules/1314982845
John M. Broder, The New York Times News Service: "The Obama administration is abandoning its plan to immediately tighten air-quality rules nationwide to reduce emissions of smog-causing chemicals after an intense lobbying campaign by industry, which said the new rule would cost billions of dollars and hundreds of thousands of jobs, officials said Friday."
Five GOP Presidential Candidates Have Proposed Eliminating Capital Gains Tax, a $1 Trillion Giveaway to the Rich
http://www.truth-out.org/five-gop-presidential-candidates-have-proposed-eliminating-capital-gains-tax-1-trillion-giveaway-ric
Pat Garofalo, ThinkProgress: "Republicans have proven time and again that they really love tax cuts for the wealthy, but completely eliminating the capital gains tax is nothing but a pure handout to the ultra-rich. At the moment, the richest 0.1 percent of Americans pay 44 percent of the capital gains tax, and 68.3 percent of the tax is paid by the richest 1 percent. The bottom 95 percent of Americans pay just 10 percent of capitals gains taxes. But the tax still brings in a substantial amount of revenue. Complete repeal, using data from the Congressional Budget Office, would cost about $1 trillion over 10 years."
Obama's Jobs Plan: Will He Offer Policy Miniatures, or Give 'Em Hell?
http://www.truth-out.org/obamas-jobs-plan-will-he-offer-policy-miniatures-or-give-em-hell/1314983507
Robert Reich, Robert Reich's Blog: "Next Thursday President Obama will unveil his jobs plan. He'll choose either Plan A or Plan B. Plan A would be big enough to restart the economy (now barely growing) and reduce unemployment (which continues to grow). That means spending another trillion dollars over the next two years - rebuilding the nation's infrastructure, creating a new WPA and Civilian Conservation Corps, and lending money to cash-starved states and cities.... Plan B would be a bunch of policy miniatures that would have almost no effect on the economy or employment but would nonetheless be good things to do (extending the Social Security tax cut, extending unemployment benefits, reauthorizing the highway building trust fund, giving employers a tax incentive to hire the long-term unemployed, ratifying trade agreements)."
Turkey Expels Israel Ambassador Over Flotilla Raid
http://www.truth-out.org/turkey-expels-israeli-ambassador-over-flotilla-raid/1314972492
Sebnem Arsu and Alan Cowell, The New York Times News Service: "Turkey said on Friday that it was downgrading its diplomatic and military ties with Israel and expelling its ambassador in a display of anger at Israel's refusal to apologize for a commando raid last year on a Turkish protest flotilla bound for Gaza in which nine people died."
US Is Set to Sue a Dozen Big Banks Over Mortgages
http://www.truth-out.org/us-set-sue-dozen-big-banks-over-mortgages/1314971855
Nelson D. Schwarz, The New York Times News Service: "The federal agency that oversees the mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac is set to file suits against more than a dozen big banks, accusing them of misrepresenting the quality of mortgage securities they assembled and sold at the height of the housing bubble, and seeking billions of dollars in compensation. The Federal Housing Finance Agency suits, which are expected to be filed in the coming days in federal court, are aimed at Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase, Goldman Sachs and Deutsche Bank, among others...."
Anna Hazare and the Gandhian Ideal
http://www.truth-out.org/anna-hazare-and-gandhian-ideal/1314978488
Mitu Sengupta, Dissent Magazine: "In the past week, the world has been captivated by the bitter confrontation between the Indian government and a short, bespectacled seventy-four-year-old man named Anna Hazare, a self-styled anti-corruption crusader.... As an admirer of Gandhi's, I have found the ceaseless comparisons of Hazare with Gandhi - propagated by the media, Hazare's supporters, and Hazare himself - troubling and inappropriate. I am not alone in my reservations about Hazare, who is not a popular figure within left and progressive circles in India. His movement has been portrayed, so far accurately, as a narrow, middle-class, upper-caste phenomenon that is dangerously tinged with authoritarianism and Hindu nationalism."
Ukraine Loses Its Way
http://www.truth-out.org/ukraine-loses-its-way/1314970139
Vaclav Havel, Desmond Tutu and Richard von Weizsacker, Project Syndicate: "Since the election of President Viktor Yanukovych in 2010, Ukraine has experienced a significant and alarming deterioration in its democratic framework. Fundamental tenets of a democratic society, such as freedom of expression, freedom of assembly, and freedom of the press are increasingly coming under pressure. And the prosecution of opposition members, which has now culminated in the arrest and detention of former Prime Minister Yuliya Tymoshenko - during an ongoing trial that most of the West has deemed political - seems to confirm that the rule of law is being brushed aside."
Regulations, Taxes Aren't Killing Small Business, Owners Say
http://www.truth-out.org/regulations-taxes-arent-killing-small-business-owners-say/1314981150
Kevin G. Hall, McClatchy Newspapers: "McClatchy reached out to owners of small businesses, many of them mom-and-pop operations, to find out whether they indeed were being choked by regulation, whether uncertainty over taxes affected their hiring plans and whether the health care overhaul was helping or hurting their business. Their response was surprising. None of the business owners complained about regulation in their particular industries, and most seemed to welcome it."
TRUTHOUT'S BUZZFLASH DAILY HEADLINES
If progressives, who for the most part pretty much advocate for democracy and a level playing field for the economy, are going to be accused of being radical socialists, why not have at it and restrict individual acquisition of wealth in the US to one billion dollars?
Now, already you can hear the outraged squawking from the right-wing media echo chamber about how treasonous and un-American such a proposal would be. But as a recent commentary (http://motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2011/08/why-do-conservatives-get-pass) pointed out in Mother Jones, the right wing gets away with proposing wholesale changes in the Constitution, the suppression of voting rights, the end of the direct election of senators etc., and the candidates proposing such radical extremist measures are still regarded by the media as "serious" contenders.
Yet, if an American advocates for increased pay for workers and more manufacturing and less Wall Street manipulation of financial "paper," they are labeled as followers of Lenin.
So, take a look at the latest Forbes list (http://www.forbes.com/wealth/forbes-400) of the 400 wealthiest Americans. The top ten include Bill Gates, Warren Buffet, the Koch brothers, the Walton (Wal-Mart) family and Michael Bloomberg (with a measly $18 billion in net worth).
So, if progressives who simply advocate democracy, compassion and economic fairness are going to be called fringe ideologues - while right-wing John Birchers on steroids are now considered within the mainstream - then maybe it's time to push the edge of the envelope.
Maybe the counterpoint to a Rick Perry or Michele Bachmann or Eric Cantor is to put on the table limiting individuals to the accumulation of no more than $1 billion in personal assets. Any funds beyond that would be fully taxed and used to underwrite a national infrastructure, job training and an alternative energy development bank run by the US Department of the Treasury.
If Perry can advocate secession for Texas from the US, then it's about time to formally propose that wealth and greed should have its limits in order to help America move forward.
Mark Karlin
Editor, BuzzFlash at Truthout
==============
Pew: Americans Say Wars in Iraq, Afghanistan Haven't Made US Safer
Read the Article at Talking Points Memo
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/09/pew-americans-disagree-that-wars-in-iraq-afghanistan-have-lessened-the-chance-of-another-terror-atta.php
Why the Right-Wing Bible Thumpers Are Betting Against America's Future
Read the Article at BuzzFlash
http://blog.buzzflash.com/node/12978
Glenn Greenwald on the Shameless Priorities of the Corporate Mainstream Media
Read the Article at Salon
http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2011/08/31/media?source=newsletter&utm_source=contactology&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Salon_Daily%2520Newsletter%2520%2528Not%2520Premium%2529_7_30_110
Why Do Conservatives Get a Pass on Radical Extremism?
Read the Article at Mother Jones
http://motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2011/08/why-do-conservatives-get-pass
Perry Pushed Bill That Could Be a Financial Windfall for Doctor Pal
Read the Article at MSNBC
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44291973/ns/politics-decision_2012/#.TmEUMKhp4g0
WikiLeaks Cable: Massacre of Iraqi family by US Troops in 2006
Read the Article at McClatchy Newspapers
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2011/08/31/122766/cable-massacre-of-iraqi-family.html#ixzz1Womrk9pa
Hurricane Eric: Democrats See Opening in Cantor's Disaster Aid Offset Talk
Read the Article at Talking Points Memo
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/09/hurricane-eric-democrats-see-opening-in-cantors-disaster-aid-offset-talk.php
Click here for more BuzzFlash headlines: http://www.buzzflash.com/
-----------
Support Truthout with a tax-deductible donation by clicking here: https://members.truth-out.org/donate
To ensure you receive our messages please add the following address to your email address book: messenger@truthout.org
If you are having trouble with this, read our guide: http://www.truthout.org/whitelisting
Thank you!
_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/
Click to UNSUBSCRIBE -> https://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/6694/unsubscribe.jsp?Email=zephyr-bugs@mit.edu&email_blast_KEY=1176158&organization_KEY=6694
Go directly to our home page: http://www.truthout.org
Click to SUBSCRIBE -> http://www.truthout.org/content/subscribe
Our Privacy Policy -> http://www.truthout.org/privacy
------=_Part_8749963_124032123.1314994746186
Content-Type: text/html; charset="utf-8"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
<html dir="ltr">
<head>
<title></title>
</head>
<body>
<center>
<table width="85%" cellspacing="3">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>
<p></p>
<center><a href="http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=iwtVlRyZZj6oPem4IZ871jyvba0VHlZN"><font color="#cc0000"><img border="0" src="http://www.truth-out.org/sites/default/files/circlet.jpg" alt="" /></font></a></center><br />
<!-- TemplateBeginEditable name="content" --><p>Friday 02 September 2011</p>
<font><strong>North Dakota's Economic "Miracle" - It's Not Oil</strong></font><br />
Ellen Brown, YES! Magazine: "North Dakota's money and banking reserves are being kept within the state and invested there. The BND's loan portfolio shows a steady uninterrupted increase in North Dakota lending programs since 2006. According to the annual BND report: 'Financially, 2010 was our strongest year ever. Profits increased by nearly $4 million to $61.9 million during our seventh consecutive year of record profits. Earnings were fueled by a strong and growing deposit base, brought about by a surging energy and agricultural economy. We ended the year with the highest capital level in our history at just over $325 million. The Bank returned a healthy 19 percent ROE, which represents the state's return on its investment.' A 19 percent return on equity! How many states are getting that sort of return on their Wall Street investments?"
<br /><a href="http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=WOEfVUGmMOQbTtH%2BGr6xPDyvba0VHlZN"><font color="#cc0000">Read the Article</font></a>
<br /><br />
<font><strong>Obama's FEMA: First Look at How It Worked</strong></font><br />
Dina Rasor, Truthout: "In this final part of the series, I examine how Obama's FEMA did with the preliminary help on Hurricane Irene, the Obama administration's first major, multistate disaster. It will take many months to see if the current FEMA has the ability and political will and finances to finish the clean-up and restoration after a hurricane that swept through so many states with damaging winds and heavy floods. There are two areas of interest in examining this new FEMA; one, how the agency did its role effectively in real time on the ground of this hurricane; and, two, how the FEMA administrator, the head of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the president stayed on top of the problem despite criticism in this highly charged political year."
<br /><a href="http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=9DHVPfLteaYzC5CrEmu2Jjyvba0VHlZN"><font color="#cc0000">Read the Article</font></a>
<br /><br />
<font><strong>The Lessons of the Chinese Invasion</strong></font><br />
David Sirota, Truthout: "Thanks to a spate of mind-blowing headlines, we are learning that the Chinese invasion isn't just a distant possibility - it's happening right now. First, in February, ABC News reported that almost every Americana-themed trinket sold in the Smithsonian Institute is made in China. Then news hit that San Francisco is importing its new bay bridge from China. Then came the New York Times dispatch about the Big Apple awarding Chinese state-subsidized firms huge taxpayer-funded contracts to 'renovate the subway system, refurbish the Alexander Hamilton Bridge over the Harlem River and build a new Metro-North train platform near Yankee Stadium.' Astounding as all of that is, it was quickly topped by news last week reminding us that the new Martin Luther King monument in Washington was designed by a Chinese government sculptor and assembled by low-wage Chinese workers."
<br /><a href="http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=b%2Fe95HrMYG4e4KliDfAgkZQsYI%2BhbQlf"><font color="#cc0000">Read the Article</font></a>
<br /><br />
<font><strong>On the News With Thom Hartmann: Twenty-Five Percent of Money Raised by Romney Came Straight From Banksters, and More</strong></font><br />
In today's On the News segment: Zero new jobs created in America last month, funding for the Federal Aviation Administration will run out again, Federal Housing Finance Agency filing suit against more than a dozen of the biggest banks for misrepresenting junk mortgages, BP oil spill still leaking large amounts of crude in Gulf of Mexico, 25 percent of money raised by Mitt Romney came straight from the banksters, and more.
<br /><a href="http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=%2FoMdi296j6BA5iyzYWx1oJQsYI%2BhbQlf"><font color="#cc0000">Watch the Video and Read the Transcript</font></a>
<br /><br />
<font><strong>Zero Job Growth for August as Unemployment Remains Stable</strong></font><br />
Dean Baker, Center for Economic and Policy Research: "The Labor Department reported that there was no growth in jobs in August, while it revised down its job growth numbers for the prior two months by 58,000. Job growth over the last three months has now averaged 35,000, well below the 90,000 needed to keep pace with the growth of the labor force."
<br /><a href="http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=bkkZZJoqOsmEcWyEjldXVTyvba0VHlZN"><font color="#cc0000">Read the Article</font></a>
<br /><br />
<font><strong>Obama Pulls Back Proposal to Tighten Clean Air Rules</strong></font><br />
John M. Broder, The New York Times News Service: "The Obama administration is abandoning its plan to immediately tighten air-quality rules nationwide to reduce emissions of smog-causing chemicals after an intense lobbying campaign by industry, which said the new rule would cost billions of dollars and hundreds of thousands of jobs, officials said Friday."
<br /><a href="http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=cZl2xvKnbUitDh15c1IdNjyvba0VHlZN"><font color="#cc0000">Read the Article</font></a>
<br /><br />
<font><strong>Five GOP Presidential Candidates Have Proposed Eliminating Capital Gains Tax, a $1 Trillion Giveaway to the Rich</strong></font><br />
Pat Garofalo, ThinkProgress: "Republicans have proven time and again that they really love tax cuts for the wealthy, but completely eliminating the capital gains tax is nothing but a pure handout to the ultra-rich. At the moment, the richest 0.1 percent of Americans pay 44 percent of the capital gains tax, and 68.3 percent of the tax is paid by the richest 1 percent. The bottom 95 percent of Americans pay just 10 percent of capitals gains taxes. But the tax still brings in a substantial amount of revenue. Complete repeal, using data from the Congressional Budget Office, would cost about $1 trillion over 10 years."
<br /><a href="http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=Ois1tb1h3m3HJHiXPX8vmDyvba0VHlZN"><font color="#cc0000">Read the Article</font></a>
<br /><br />
<font><strong>Obama's Jobs Plan: Will He Offer Policy Miniatures, or Give 'Em Hell?</strong></font><br />
Robert Reich, Robert Reich's Blog: "Next Thursday President Obama will unveil his jobs plan. He'll choose either Plan A or Plan B. Plan A would be big enough to restart the economy (now barely growing) and reduce unemployment (which continues to grow). That means spending another trillion dollars over the next two years - rebuilding the nation's infrastructure, creating a new WPA and Civilian Conservation Corps, and lending money to cash-starved states and cities.... Plan B would be a bunch of policy miniatures that would have almost no effect on the economy or employment but would nonetheless be good things to do (extending the Social Security tax cut, extending unemployment benefits, reauthorizing the highway building trust fund, giving employers a tax incentive to hire the long-term unemployed, ratifying trade agreements)."
<br /><a href="http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=ltqnXRgYk3IgxPx%2BEw3nATyvba0VHlZN"><font color="#cc0000">Read the Article</font></a>
<br /><br />
<font><strong>Turkey Expels Israel Ambassador Over Flotilla Raid</strong></font><br />
Sebnem Arsu and Alan Cowell, The New York Times News Service: "Turkey said on Friday that it was downgrading its diplomatic and military ties with Israel and expelling its ambassador in a display of anger at Israel's refusal to apologize for a commando raid last year on a Turkish protest flotilla bound for Gaza in which nine people died."
<br /><a href="http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=ql4xMnP6C2v3v4vju9nTMzyvba0VHlZN"><font color="#cc0000">Read the Article</font></a>
<br /><br />
<font><strong>US Is Set to Sue a Dozen Big Banks Over Mortgages</strong></font><br />
Nelson D. Schwarz, The New York Times News Service: "The federal agency that oversees the mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac is set to file suits against more than a dozen big banks, accusing them of misrepresenting the quality of mortgage securities they assembled and sold at the height of the housing bubble, and seeking billions of dollars in compensation. The Federal Housing Finance Agency suits, which are expected to be filed in the coming days in federal court, are aimed at Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase, Goldman Sachs and Deutsche Bank, among others...."
<br /><a href="http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=5yn6cGNxTvzaFznFuoSC%2BDyvba0VHlZN"><font color="#cc0000">Read the Article</font></a>
<br /><br />
<font><strong>Anna Hazare and the Gandhian Ideal</strong></font><br />
Mitu Sengupta, Dissent Magazine: "In the past week, the world has been captivated by the bitter confrontation between the Indian government and a short, bespectacled seventy-four-year-old man named Anna Hazare, a self-styled anti-corruption crusader.... As an admirer of Gandhi's, I have found the ceaseless comparisons of Hazare with Gandhi - propagated by the media, Hazare's supporters, and Hazare himself - troubling and inappropriate. I am not alone in my reservations about Hazare, who is not a popular figure within left and progressive circles in India. His movement has been portrayed, so far accurately, as a narrow, middle-class, upper-caste phenomenon that is dangerously tinged with authoritarianism and Hindu nationalism."
<br /><a href="http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=Ez8nUXj099OCMy0wj6HUVzyvba0VHlZN"><font color="#cc0000">Read the Article</font></a>
<br /><br />
<font><strong>Ukraine Loses Its Way</strong></font><br />
Vaclav Havel, Desmond Tutu and Richard von Weizsacker, Project Syndicate: "Since the election of President Viktor Yanukovych in 2010, Ukraine has experienced a significant and alarming deterioration in its democratic framework. Fundamental tenets of a democratic society, such as freedom of expression, freedom of assembly, and freedom of the press are increasingly coming under pressure. And the prosecution of opposition members, which has now culminated in the arrest and detention of former Prime Minister Yuliya Tymoshenko - during an ongoing trial that most of the West has deemed political - seems to confirm that the rule of law is being brushed aside."
<br /><a href="http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=pDOeymmIkcMrSv4kH7e%2FAzyvba0VHlZN"><font color="#cc0000">Read the Article</font></a>
<br /><br />
<font><strong>Regulations, Taxes Aren't Killing Small Business, Owners Say</strong></font><br />
Kevin G. Hall, McClatchy Newspapers: "McClatchy reached out to owners of small businesses, many of them mom-and-pop operations, to find out whether they indeed were being choked by regulation, whether uncertainty over taxes affected their hiring plans and whether the health care overhaul was helping or hurting their business. Their response was surprising. None of the business owners complained about regulation in their particular industries, and most seemed to welcome it."
<br /><a href="http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=gHyPdI4Lz9n20XHtTgUL5Tyvba0VHlZN"><font color="#cc0000">Read the Article</font></a>
<br /><br />
</p>
<p><a target="_blank" href="http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=Yv626Wtex%2F6lVvNu0cfwmTyvba0VHlZN"><font color="#cc0000"><em>Click here for more Truthout articles</em></font></a></p>
<p></p>
<div align="center">
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td align="left" valign="bottom">
<div align="left"><strong><em>BUZZFLASH DAILY HEADLINES</em></strong></div>
</td>
<td></td>
</tr>
<tr bgcolor="#336699">
<td colspan="2" height="3"></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</div>
<i><p>If progressives, who for the most part pretty much advocate for democracy and a level playing field for the economy, are going to be accused of being radical socialists, why not have at it and restrict individual acquisition of wealth in the US to one billion dollars?</p>
<p>Now, already you can hear the outraged squawking from the right-wing media echo chamber about how treasonous and un-American such a proposal would be. But as a <a target="_blank" href="http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=NE%2BEyOLQz25zkSCsI7z4UDyvba0VHlZN"><font color="#cc0000">recent commentary</font></a> pointed out in Mother Jones, the right wing gets away with proposing wholesale changes in the Constitution, the suppression of voting rights, the end of the direct election of senators etc., and the candidates proposing such radical extremist measures are still regarded by the media as "serious" contenders.</p>
<p>Yet, if an American advocates for increased pay for workers and more manufacturing and less Wall Street manipulation of financial "paper," they are labeled as followers of Lenin.</p>
<p>So, take a look at the latest <a target="_blank" href="http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=tU9XSjzKaWi1rjzshzV1MTyvba0VHlZN"><font color="#cc0000">Forbes list</font></a> of the 400 wealthiest Americans. The top ten include Bill Gates, Warren Buffet, the Koch brothers, the Walton (Wal-Mart) family and Michael Bloomberg (with a measly $18 billion in net worth).</p>
<p>So, if progressives who simply advocate democracy, compassion and economic fairness are going to be called fringe ideologues - while right-wing John Birchers on steroids are now considered within the mainstream - then maybe it's time to push the edge of the envelope.</p>
<p>Maybe the counterpoint to a Rick Perry or Michele Bachmann or Eric Cantor is to put on the table limiting individuals to the accumulation of no more than $1 billion in personal assets. Any funds beyond that would be fully taxed and used to underwrite a national infrastructure, job training and an alternative energy development bank run by the US Department of the Treasury.</p>
<p>If Perry can advocate secession for Texas from the US, then it's about time to formally propose that wealth and greed should have its limits in order to help America move forward.</p>
<p>Mark Karlin<br />
Editor, BuzzFlash at Truthout</em></p></i>
<p><strong>Pew: Americans Say Wars in Iraq, Afghanistan Haven't Made US Safer<br />
</strong><a target="_blank" href="http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=vspYYYxideyMwM236VP9SDyvba0VHlZN"><font color="#cc0000">Read the Article at Talking Points Memo</font></a><br />
</p>
<p><strong>Why the Right-Wing Bible Thumpers Are Betting Against America's Future<br />
</strong><a target="_blank" href="http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=us3EEb6owwFI%2F1NbWZtZ%2BTyvba0VHlZN"><font color="#cc0000">Read the Article at BuzzFlash</font></a><br />
</p>
<p><strong>Glenn Greenwald on the Shameless Priorities of the Corporate Mainstream Media<br />
</strong><a target="_blank" href="http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=dvJod9okUl0oMBaIdIxPZTyvba0VHlZN"><font color="#cc0000">Read the Article at Salon</font></a><br />
</p>
<p><strong>Why Do Conservatives Get a Pass on Radical Extremism?<br />
</strong><a target="_blank" href="http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=Sd4NQCIQ1A5PPHctdeapnTyvba0VHlZN"><font color="#cc0000">Read the Article at Mother Jones</font></a><br />
</p>
<p><strong>Perry Pushed Bill That Could Be a Financial Windfall for Doctor Pal<br />
</strong><a target="_blank" href="http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=pH6Osfv0zpE8kMb90bPhmzyvba0VHlZN"><font color="#cc0000">Read the Article at MSNBC</font></a><br />
</p>
<p><strong>WikiLeaks Cable: Massacre of Iraqi family by US Troops in 2006<br />
</strong><a target="_blank" href="http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=sodySdOHDeDz2lHl5epZhzyvba0VHlZN"><font color="#cc0000">Read the Article at McClatchy Newspapers</font></a><br />
</p>
<p><strong>Hurricane Eric: Democrats See Opening in Cantor's Disaster Aid Offset Talk<br />
</strong><a target="_blank" href="http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=5GhpbZ74fJQHVXQSM%2FKMwTyvba0VHlZN"><font color="#cc0000">Read the Article at Talking Points Memo</font></a><br />
</p>
<p><a href="http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=x3TcaAIKtYtR7pPHbAgC0Tyvba0VHlZN"><b><font color="#cc0000"><em>Click here for more BuzzFlash headlines</em></font></b></a></p>
<p> </p><!-- TemplateEndEditable -->
<meta charset="utf-8"><a href="http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=fa8EPfQ8uil8J1M3MK%2ByRjyvba0VHlZN"></a><br />
----------<br />
<strong><font><strong><em>Support Truthout with a tax-deductible donation by clicking <a href="http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=J98zvlysnPd8gc%2F4FIo64Tyvba0VHlZN"> <font color="#cc0000">here</font></a>.</em></strong></font></strong> </meta>
</p>
<p>
<meta charset="utf-8"><br />
<em>To ensure you receive our messages please add the following address to your email address book: <a href="mailto:messenger@truthout.org"><font color="#cc0000"><strong>messenger@truthout.org</strong></font></a></em><strong><font><strong><br />
</strong></font></strong> </meta>
</p>
<p><strong> <strong><font><strong><small><br />
Click here to <strong><a href="http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=C%2B2TPnxqms5qdZ8CNS5HmTyvba0VHlZN"><font color="#cc0000">Subscribe</font></a></strong><br />
Our <strong><a href="http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=01QT49l58j2iSwv6judVujyvba0VHlZN"><font color="#cc0000">Privacy Policy</font></a></strong></small></strong></font></strong></strong><strong><strong><font><strong><small><strong><a href="http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=k7s19XaF%2BPpnS4grqUzdA5QsYI%2BhbQlf"></a></strong> <br />
Click here to </small></strong></font></strong><strong><font><strong><small><a href="http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=pu7r7jedF7QHaoqrx0Ry4Dyvba0VHlZN"><font color="#cc0000">Unsubscribe</font></a><br />
</small> </strong></font></strong></strong></p>
<p></p>
<center>
<p><img src="http://archive.truthout.org/files/images/Newspaper_Guild_SM.jpg" alt="The Newspaper Guild - Communications Workers of America" /><br />
Truthout is a proud member of the Newspaper Guild/CWA, Local 36047</p>
</center> <strong><hr />
</strong>
<p></p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</center>
</body>
</html><img width=1 height=1 src="http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/TrackImage?key=628719786"><diaEmailID='628719786' thread=1569 />
------=_Part_8749963_124032123.1314994746186--
