The Oligarchy Wins Again : Palermo

The Oligarchy Wins Again

A forty-vote Republican minority in the United States Senate controls the destiny of all legislation aimed at addressing the nation's most pressing needs after eight miserable years of Republican misrule and malfeasance. Welcome to California, America! Here in Sacramento, only thirteen Republican state senators control legislation relating to the state's finances. In Washington it's the filibuster; in Sacramento it's the two-thirds rule. In either case an unpopular right-wing minority gets to dictate to the majority what is to be done and what is not to be done. In either case the Republicans win!

In the nation, as in California, the Republicans are unpopular, hence, their minority status. And their policies are even more unpopular. But since they're so interconnected to the corporate oligarchy they somehow get to rule even when they're in the minority.

Sweet for them, isn't it? 

And in both Washington and Sacramento the Republicans get to blame the Democratic "majority" for not getting anything done even as the hapless Dems face obstructionism of historic proportions. You can see it in the watered down health "reform" bill winding its way out of the Senate. And you can see it in the precipitous rise in the stock prices of health insurance companies. You can see it in the wholesale sell-off and privatization of the state of California amidst the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. You can see it in the foreign wars and bloated military budgets.

Read the entire post at:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/joseph-a-palermo/the-oligarchy-wins-again_b_400138.html

Christmas cheer and health care

Leftist, Liberals and social change

This article is permanently archived at: http://www.inthesetimes.com/main/article/5314/ Leftists, Liberals—and Losers? How and why progressives must unite for real change. By G. William Domhoff December 21, 2009 As President Barack Obama's first year in office draws to a close, perhaps most In These Times readers feel the same way I do--more disappointed in the new administration and the Democratic Congress than I expected to be, even as I recognize dramatic changes since the Bush administration departed. Yet, I am even more disappointed that we on the left (progressives, socialists, anti-corporate capitalists) seem to be missing opportunities to change the direction of our country. Those of us who seek progressive social change in the United States have made few advances in recent decades. This dearth of progress comes after a wealth of earlier successes: the organization of industrial unions, the creation and triumphs of the civil rights movement, and the successes of the feminist, environmentalist, LGBT and living-wage movements. One cause of our current lack of accomplishments is an impasse between the two main political forces working for social change--Democratic liberals and leftist progressives--who differ in both goals and strategies. Liberals support gradual changes through education, lobbying and elections to curb the worst excesses of our capitalist system and provide greater social benefits through government. Leftists argue for more radical changes to the status quo.

Desperate mission of Right Wing propaganda and falsehood

Trumka: Senate Health Care bill must change

The health care bill being considered by the U.S. Senate is inadequate and too tilted toward the insurance industry, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka said today.

In recent days, as the Senate has debated health care reform, small numbers of senators have held health care hostage by threatening to block a vote. The new proposal by the Senate puts the interests of insurance companies—and senators who would rather look out for the insurance companies—ahead of real reform.

Trumka said the top priority now is to fight over the rest of the legislative process to fix the bill and make sure we can pass real health care reform:

The labor movement has been fighting for health care for nearly 100 years and we are not about to stop fighting now, when it really matters. But for this health care bill to be worthy of the support of working men and women, substantial changes must be made. The AFL-CIO intends to fight on behalf of all working families to make those changes and win health care reform that is deserving of the name.

The absolute refusal of Republicans in the Senate to support health care reform and the hijacking of the bill by defenders of the insurance industry have brought us a Senate bill that is inadequate: It is too kind to the insurance industry.

Genuine health care reform must bring down health costs, hold insurance companies accountable, assure that Americans can get the health care they need and be financed fairly.

Keith Olberman: This is not health care reform

Howard Dean; The Senate Bill does more harm than good

Now that health care reform has been tailored to the demands of Sen. Joe Lieberman, there’s real debate among progressives about whether it’s worth doing at all. Former DNC chairman and presidential candidate Howard Dean writes: “Any measure that expands private insurers’ monopoly over health care and transfers millions of taxpayer dollars to private corporations is not real health-care reform.”

Dean concludes that, “as it stands, this bill would do more harm than good to the future of America.” But he holds out hope that the measure can be improved before it is made into law.