Friday, October 28, 2011

Occupy Wall Street

The Occupy Wall Street movement is calling attention to the hypocrisy of the free-market capitalist class that has enriched itself by privatizing profits and socializing loss. Our financial system is now nothing but a virtual casino wherein hardworking citizens are seen as rubes to be relieved of their savings through a process of investment legerdemain that makes Three-card Monte look like a Knights of Columbus parlor game.

Today, the signature of modern American capitalism is.... predation—a system wherein the rich have come to feast on decaying systems built for the middle class. James K. Galbraith, The Predator State

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Gov Rick Perry

Gov Perry says he can do for the United States what he did for the state of Texas. Yea right!!! Check the state-by-state statistics for child poverty, families without health insurance, percentage of working poor, student performance, school dropout rate, unwed mothers, or any other statistic that measures the success of a state government in assisting its citizens. You'll find that Texas consistently ranks towards the bottom in most areas critical to fostering a successful and healthy citizenry.

Perry's claim that he created a Texas job boom is just so much bullshit! There are plenty of jobs in Texas - a right to work state - but few that would provide more than minimum wage earnings with no health care.

N.B. Gov Perry, in a blatant appeal to garner the fringe right vote, has rekindled the Obama birth certificate fiasco. This cracker barrel cowboy has the audacity to assume that he has the intellectual resources to lead this great country.

"The big trouble with dumb bastards is that they are too dumb to believe that there is such a thing as being smart." Kurt Vonnegut

"Texas is run by the rich and the righteous, and the result is a state of piracy and piety that puts the medieval papacy to shame." Bill Moyers