"Republicans' promotion of 'right-to-work' laws, designed to undermine basic union functions, is pure ideological vendetta"

"Is Obama's 'economic populism' for real?

"GDP growth disappointing in the last quarter of 2011"

"Romney may have paid zero taxes in 2009"

"Banks weren't meant to be like this"

"Colombia remains violent for trade unionists, even after US free trade deal"

"The Iranian oil embargo blowback"

What about the role of union busting and so called free trade in helping to create the rampant, massive inequality in this country?

That's a question Roger Bybee at In These Times asks since most liberal mainstream politicians and pundits' inequality narrative deliberately excludes those issues.<< MORE >>

More smoke and mirrors: "There's already a financial fraud task force"

"Obama's faux populism sounds like Bill Clinton"

"State of the Apple (Rotten)"; as its profits skyrocket, workers die at its plants"

"State of the Union address barely mentions unions"

Britain faring worse under Conservative austerity, than it did during the Great Depression

Yes, the rich are definitely different from you and me:  "Romney gave $100 million to his sons and paid no gift tax

"The president can thank Occupy for making his new economic populism possible. But will it be enough, come November?"

"Getting stuck on America's economic ladder"

President's speech highlighted an "agenda focused on mostly symbolic measures of populist appeal; but no call for urgent action on jobs; as for taking on banks, taxing the rich, investing in our future, reviving manufacturing, the president was putting out markers rather than calling for initiatives at the scale of our challenges."

"Best actor nominee dedicates his Oscar nod to undocumented immigrants"

"The Obama administration's economic blueprint was fatally flawed: it led to a weak stimulus and premature deficit reduction."

"Corporate rule breeding 'global class war' "

"Obama trying to pull another fast one: financial fraud unit designed to fail......grease skids for grievously flawed foreclosure settlement"

"Unions say choice of Daniels for State of the Union response is scary"

"Troublesome passages for progressives in Obama's State of the Union"

"Dirty laundry"

"President Obama: 'Government should do for people only what they cannot do for themselves, and no more.'  Really?"

President Obama's State of the Union address was woefully lacking in any imperative action about the ongoing massive jobless crisis.

As Robert Borosage Campaign for America's Future commented: "...his agenda focused on mostly symbolic measures of populist appeal......but no call for urgent action on jobs.......as for taking on banks, taxing the rich, investing in our future, reviving manufacturing, the president was putting out markers rather than calling for initiatives at the scale of our challenges."  

Regarding the continuing jobs crisis, Jonathan Tasini at Working Life points out:"Politicians bickering over private equity's impact on jobs and how to bring down the high unemployment rate are entirely missing the point about the crisis facing working Americans. The predicament we face isn't simply that there are too few jobs; it's also that an increasing number of workers don't have the kind of job that can pay the bills.

"The rest of this point is here in my op-ed for The Los Angeles Times."

"The Washington-Wall Street revolving door just keeps spinning along"

"An ugly surprise from big oil"

"Rules of American justice: a tale of three cases"

GOP hypocrisy: "Delivering the GOP rebuttal to President Obama’s State of the Union, Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels is hailed as a “fiscal conservative,” but his actual record as George W. Bush’s budget director was one of fiscal recklessness, taking America from surpluses to massive deficits"

No surprise: Willard, the gazillionaire, "pays lower taxes than average American." and this captures the hypocrisy and lack of integrity of Willard, who with government collusion, maintains the inequality and unfairness in this country.

If you need more information about the foreclosure fraud settlement and the Obama White House's plans for a less than satisfactory monetary amount and fails to hold bankers accountable, head over to Campaign for America's Future and its "No Sweetheart Deal for Big Banks" which explains it all.

The segment asks Obama to "ditch the deal with the banks" and invites readers to email Obama with the message: "No sweetheart deals in the State of the Union for big banks. "

Here's just an example of what you'll find<< MORE >>

"Obama to use pension funds of ordinary Americans to pay for bank mortgage 'settlement' "Again, Obama favors a "slap on the wrist" for his big money controllers"

"The next housing bailout aka Geithner’s sordid concoction designed to take John Q. Public to the cleaners one more time."

"Reagan's hand in Guatemala's genocide"

"Expect more arrests in Scott Walker corruption probe"

"America's class divide"

"Working and poor in the USA....what ever happened to a fair day's pay for a fair day's work"

"We must stop this corporate takeover of American democracy"

"Bush tax cuts increased income inequality"

This is no surprise since Obama's Clintonites/Rubinites just like GOP:: "Reuters discovers that AG Holder deeply linked to big banks" as the 1% protect the 1%.

"Bad bankers, bad fraud deals, and the president's 'Great Gatsby' problem"

After massive online protests, PIPA and SOPA bill delayed.

"Surveillance city:  New body scanners head to NYC"

You get who/what you vote for: "[Rahm] Emanuel's protest squashing 'sit down and shut up' ordinance passes in Chicago"

"After ten years of war, sex crimes, domestic abuse and suicides on the rise for US soldiers"

"Memo to Supremes: Got ethics?"

Sometimes it takes labor leaders much longer to grasp what many of the rank and file understand from the git go. Some of them never comprehend the obvious, even though their union members do, yet they are in these so called "leadership" positions.

From abandoning EFCA to creating a travesty called a Jobs Council dominated by corporate executives headed by Jeffrey Immelt, CEO of GE that sends American jobs overseas and pays little in taxes, this corporatist DINO president continues to deceive working class Americans. << MORE >>

"US recovery hasn't done much for employment"

"Obama rejects giant Keystone Pipeline scheme"; however, the key word is 'now' because what Obama did do is leave open the possibility of authorizing the construction of a pipeline any time in the future,and a warning about GOP claims: "oil companies, not green alternatives, are making a killing from the government" 

"An unprecedented wave of online opposition to the Sopa and Pipa bills before Congressshows the power of a free internet"

"The US-GCC fatal attraction"

"Blood on whose hands?"

"For the US Navy to put dolphins in harm's way in the Persian Gulf is a form of speciesist enslavement we should be ending"

And now a dose of reality about the terrible unemployment in this country.<< MORE >>

"Obama administration’s new budget for fiscal year 2013 (begins October 2012) is apparently going to be so bad they have decided to start warning some liberals ahead of time."

"Time is on our side: the future of Social Security"

Willard doesn't live under the same tax rules as the rest of us

"The GOP's race problem"

"Who are the victims of civil liberties assaults and Endless War"

"Walker recall effort delivers more than 1 million signatures"

"In a signal to Israel, US delays war games"

Chronic high unemployment with a 4 to 1 job seekers ratio for nearly three years, stagnant wages, continuing housing foreclosures and other dire news dominate the grim economic picture for many of the 99% have nots struggling to stay afloat. Unfortunately, almost half the people in the United States live in poverty or near poverty.

Yet, GOP and DINO administrations during the last thirty years caused or helped maintain destructive policies that changed government of, by, and for the people into government of, by, and for the wealthy few. << MORE >>

"Many Americans gave up hope last year----2012 will be worse"

Heading towards another oilpocalypse?  "Shell's Arctic drilling plans move forward"

Another bank bailout:  "The only thing we know for sure is that the “fix is in” and that Bernanke will do what he always does when the banks are in a pinch. Throw them a lifeline."

"It's easy to cut public education funding when your kids go to private school."

"The Fed guilty of disastrous incompetence"

The media's "selective stenography".

As we observe Martin Luther King, Jr. Day on Monday, there will be numerous articles about the civil rights/human rights leader. Here is a piece that you should read that is on target for 2012.

The following are excerpts from Richard (RJ) Eskow at Campaign for America's Future'spiece: "Today's visionary: Dr. King's insights for a 21st century movement.<< MORE >>

"Poverty in America likely to get worse, report finds"

"State legislatures attack jobless workers rather than create jobs"

",,,,a classic example of revolving-door politics took place in Washington......from top futures regulator to top futures lobbyist"

"A new bill in Congress would make you pay if you want to read the published results of the biomedical research that your own tax dollars paid for...."

"NLRB: workers have a right to class action lawsuits against bosses"

"A military-first policy on a destabilizing planet"

"The GOP's blatant racism"

"The enduring shame of Guantanamo and on its tenth anniversary---- by the numbers

"Uranium mining projects banned around the Grand Canyon but US trade partners pursuing responsible stewardship may face corporate lawsuits?

"America's top ten polluters.....EPA database for greenhouse gas polluters"

Corporate tentacles controlling government aren't just limited to Washington, but reach into state capitols throughout this country.

Some Davids representing the 99% are trying to fight the inequality and unfairness that the Goliaths, the rich corporations among the 1%, are inflicting on rest of the people in the US, making government of, by, and for the people a shameful mockery.<< MORE >>

"Tumultuous times for democracy compelled Moyer's return to TV"

"Occupiers target 'Mayor 1% Emanuel's anti-protest ordinance"

"America's lost decade"

"Fracking linked to earthquakes"

"Access to contraception is an economic issue"

"Austerity for dummies..."

"GAO attacks 'TARP worked' meme"

Same old song: military myopia costs taxpayers plenty, again

On Friday, I wrote the following: "Last month, 200,000 jobs were added, according to the Labor Department. And today mainstream media hopped to their role as corporate cheerleaders with descriptive phrases like upbeat jobs report, jobs picture brightened, economic recovery gains momentum and other misleading drivel masking the still grim reality of massive unemployment in this country.<< MORE >>

"Now, about that foreclosure fraud settlement", Mr. President (but he shouldn't be congratulated for finally doing his job and in the case of the NLRB appointments taking 14 months to do it....unfortunately, it's primarily this DINO's throwing a bone for labor's vote in an election year.)

"Fracking will poison New York's drinking water, critics warn"

"Wall Street, we can hold YOU hostage"

"A recent 2009 GAO study showed that the safety of the sites under the [OSHA] Voluntary Protection Program was not much better than sites that OSHA was continuing to inspect."

"WalMart blacklisted by major pension fund over poor labor practices"

"The US-Iran economic war"

"Ron Paul's strange bedfellows mainly ignore the fact that his anti-interventionist positions can't salvage a reactionary philosophy"

Are they delusional, illogical or deliberately stupid? Their Little Mary Sunshine happy talk can sicken any thinking person.

Last month, 200,000 jobs were added, according to the Labor Department. And today mainstream media hopped to their role as corporate cheerleaders with descriptive phrases like upbeat jobs report, jobs picture brightened, economic recovery gains momentum and other misleading drivel masking the still grim reality of massive unemployment in this country.<< MORE >>

"Obama waited 14 months to make recess appointments to the NLRB.....Is it enough for an AFL-CIO endorsement?"

"A nightmare on Wall Street"

"Tea Party House members even wealthier than other GOP lawmakers"

"Indiana workers call for hearings on right to work for less"........the phony claims about right to work laws which don't confer any right to work and are anti-union.

This is a surprise?  Americans enjoy less economic mobility than their peers in Canada and Western Europe.

"The Pentagon's biggest overrun: way too many generals"

"The Rick Santorum that America doesn't know"

"What Romney's unreleased tax returns certainly hide"

Montana Supreme Court "opinion takes aim at Citizens United decision"....meanwhile California lawmakers introduce legislation to overturn Citizens United.

"America's skimpy minimum wage and the bogus case against minimum wage hike"

"Iowa: the meaningless sideshow begins the official presidential race"

"Obama tries to distance US from any Israeli attack on Iran"

"Nordic whoring: US workers get cheap"

"Report says ALEC wields 'disturbing level of influence' in Virginia"

Before congratulating President Obama for exhibiting the minimum of expected leadership with his impending recess appointment of Richard Cordray to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau read the following and remember that this is an election year for this DINO president.<< MORE >>

80% of Americans share only 7% of the wealth in America.   How much longer can they hand on?

"Shoveling America's wealth to the top"

"Deficit hawks try to scare us about the debt we're leaving. That's economic nonsense – unlike the costs of global warming"

Tired of Iowa and especially of the hype of "tawdry, ignorant or repellent" GOP candidates

"The NDAA;s historic assault on American liberty"

Virginia GOP channels Joe McCarthy

Obama's expansion of the drone program raises more concerns about a legally muddled program.

"Obama's only friend left?"

On this third day of the new year, the media is still chattering ad nauseum about the GOP Iowas caucuses----4% of the population of Iowa, less than 120,000 people, participated in the last GOP caucuses---and it speaks volumes about the state of the media and the circus in Iowa centered around illogical, anti-common good, ignorant, prevaricating GOP candidates.

There are other more important issues out there such as the following from Jon Ryan at New Deal 2.0 about FDR style proposals to solve our big problems.<< MORE >>

"10 reasons why labor unions are going to win"

"...the rumbling throughout the globe is just beginning--and the 2012 elections won't change much..."

"New manufacturing jobs feature lower wages"

"US at bottom of the heap in social justice"

"How banks cheat taxpayers"

"Anatomy of the 1%"

As 2011 comes to a close, there are timely reminders that the economy is still ailing and far from a recovery for the struggling many of the 99%, especially almost half the population living in poverty and near poverty.

The Economic Policy Institute features eleven charts that focus on "on the issues of unemployment, wealth, income, budgets, and public investment." It's called the 2011 economy illustrated.

Here's an example: << MORE >>

"Because Barack Obama has adopted so many core Republican beliefs, the US opposition race is a shambles"

".....for America’s healthcare consumers, the bad times got worse."

"ALEC's influence in Virginia is exposed" 

The FDA announced it had "essentially given up any pretense of regulating antibiotic abuse on factory farms...."

"The Pentagon and its sock puppets"

"The Spam factory's dirty secret" 

"The new German colossus"

"Austerity economics died in 2011. But it can still do a lot of harm in 2012. "

"Half of America is in poverty?  The facts say it's true."

"You don't get the payroll tax 'cut' "

"Shedding light on immigration"

Michigan governor exhibits typical destructive mind set of GOP officials

A new organization in Latin America

I've written about the elected millionaires on Capitol Hill a number of times.

The American electorate continues to elect rich candidates and incumbents who are part of the wealthy few 1% who have no consideration or empathy for the struggling people of the 99%. Given the right wing Supreme Court's glorification of corporate personhood, and corporate control of those in Congress, elected office seems to have become the sole property of the rich.<< MORE >>

Best Wishes This Holiday Season!

From all of us at ProgressiveDem

New weapons for the police state: "riot shields designed to suffocate protesters with sound waves"

"The corporations that occupy Congress"

"Will public outrage finally force the president to prosecute outlaw bankers?"

"1% billionaires bemoan criticism by 'imbeciles' "

"Gingrich just the latest Republican to threaten judges"

"Pvt. Manning and the imperative of truth"

"Unbelievably, in 2011 this question has not yet been settled in the courts of the United States:Do private military contractors have impunity to torture?"

"The president could have rescued the economy by pushing for more stimulus. Not doing so was an error of epic proportions"

"Republicans declare on the working class" and the "NLRB fight shows how far we've fallen"

"Every effort must be made to thwart those who seek to embellish and distort America's lamentable legacy in Iraq;"  , like using this "lie by lie timeline of how we got into Iraq" 

"The coldest cut of all"

"And the bankster crooks get away with a slap on the wrist, again"

"The drone that fell from the sky"

Having been laid low with a cold for the last few days (which accounts for the light postings this past week), I found the following piece interesting.

From John Aravosis at Americablog: "Seriously gross article about how easy it is to catch a cold or flu on a plane."

Informative especially for those who travel by air.

However, since I already have the cold, this posting, also by Aravosis, was much entertaining and has a "cute" rather than a gross "yuck" factor.

It's a video called "Monkey Dishwasher"  

This is unethical and unnecessary:  Marines promote inflated story for Medal of Honor recipient.

"US exit from Iraq":  in with an illegal bang, out under the shadow of the ambivalence of the Iraqi people; "What was intended to be a demonstration of power turned into the most costly boomerang in history, in both blood and treasure

"The prosecution of the whistleblower and alleged WikiLeaks source Bradley Manning is an exercise in intimidation, not justice"

"Their bread, our circus.....the perpetual campaign"

"Are there any adults left in the Democratic Party?"  In additon, why are they so dumb as to join with the GOP in killing the common good?

"Obama to sign indefinite detention bill into law"....but that should be no surprise given Obama's twisted view of American exceptionalism.......it seems that there goes the republic.

"3.3 million would lose unemployment insurance under GOP bill"

"Arpaiao cited by DOJ for unconstitutional policing"

"After Hershey scandal, State Dept. to review work visa program, but advocates want more."

It is certainly not a very happy holiday season in this country.

The US is in the grip of a 21st century Great Depression thanks to thirty years of anti-common good, pro-wealthy few GOP policies and Democrats forsaking their common good principles and allowing DINOs, mimicking Republicans, to take over the party. The result: the tsunami of economic inequality and joblessness battering many of the 99% and the plight of almost half the people in this country struggling in poverty or near poverty. << MORE >>

"Land of the free, home of the hungry"

"Bankers are the dictators of the West"

Study confirms Gingrich's GOP anti-common good guiding principle: protect and strengthen the unequal and unfair power and wealth of the rich few and corporations; and would add $1.3 trillion to the deficit and not stimulate the economy; meanwhile his foreign policy assertions threaten to blow two decades of Middle East diplomacy to pieces.

"Top economists call for higher taxes on the mega-rich"

"Protestors occupy ports in Oakland and beyond"

"The Blackwater Files:  "Tales of the contractors' rampage through Iraq"

"If America's largest banks and non-financial companies would just loosen their death-grip on a chunk of the $3.6 trillion in cash they're hoarding and move it into productive investments instead, the report estimates that about 19 million jobs would be created in the next three years, lowering the unemployment rate to under 5 percent."

"The Koch brother, ALEC, and the savage assault on democracy"

"Poverty and punitive funding formulas drive America’s education problems."

"Hillary Clinton's hypocrisy about Internet freedom"

"Walmart heirs have the net worth equal to the combined net worth as the bottom 30 percent of Americans and spend their fortune lobbying to cut their taxes."

"Europe's deadly transition from social democracy to oligarchy"

"Who died and made Barack Obama daddy in charge of teenage girls?"

I'm sure many people were appalled by the recent news story about the Air Force disposing of the incinerated partial remains of American troops in a Virginia landfill.

And if that wasn't horrible enough the following contained in the Washington Post article showed the egregious disdain and disrespect the Air Force apparently had for these soldiers and their families:<< MORE >>

Politics trumps women's reproductive health as HHS overrules FDA for the first time ever (andObama controls the executive at all levels) as Obama supports overruling proven science on Plan B.

"The US national security smokescreen"

"Occupy the police state"

"Tis the season to be jolly on Wall Street, still"

VT Senator Sanders "calls for constitutional amendment to protect democracy from Citizens United"

"Massey mine explosion settlement doesn't address company's anti-unionism"

DINO President Obama continues to speechify but his actions or lack of effective actions speak louder than his words as he apparently thinks well said is better than well done.

As Occupy Wall Street protesters nationwide are pepper sprayed, mistreated, beaten, and arrested by the one percent's militarized police (aided and abetted by the federal government), Obama's Justice Department "has decided that holding Wall Street executives criminally accountable is too difficult a task."

Massive economic inequality, unfairness, and unemployment has become the norm in this country. It's the OWS movement that has spotlighted these realities. But this center right administration and Democratic Party have ignored or downplayed these realities which has exacerbated the suffering of struggling regular Americans, the result by thirty years of GOP administrations' protection of the wealthy few and corporations and Democratic administrations acting like Republicans.<< MORE >>

70 years later, "WWII veterans look back on Pearl Harbor."

"Massey Energy's owner makes a $209m settlement, but safety violations that killed 29 miners in West Virginia go unpunished"

"The military spending fairy"

"Income inequality: all talk, no action"

Needs to be repeated (Dems are their own worst enemies): payroll tax cut endangers Social Security

On this 70th anniversary of Pearl Harbor, a couple of Roosevelt Institute "braintrusters" offer comments about how FDR responded to the attack on December 7, 1941, and how those lessons can be applied to the challenges facing us today.<< MORE >>

"NAACP is petitioning the UN over what it sees as a concerted efforted to disenfranchise black and Latino voters ahead of next year's presidential election by state legislatures across the US."

"America's conscience is on the streets"

"Sacrificing us to save Wall Street"

"....America's police departments have been moving toward more aggressive, force-first, militaristic tactics and their accompanying mindset for 30 years."

"Meet Scott Walker, sultan of Wisconsin"

"A new cold war in Asia?"

"Workers challenge big food"

It appears that under this DINO administration and the tax-cuts-for-the-rich and privatization-of-government GOP on Capital Hill, and the Postmaster General and the USPS board, are determined to kill the United States Postal Service.

I included the following in FYII on September 7: "Is the government conspiring to kill the Post Office or the postal unions, or both? Since 2006, Bush's Republican Congress deliberately created a poison pill to destroy the Post Office and postal unions.<< MORE >>

"Invisible Americans: the overlooked millions inside those job numbers"

"The other 99% fare much worse in the United States than in any other developed country"

"Occupy Wall Street is right – a rash of bites showed me how private healthcare keeps Americans cowed and compliant"

"Restore democracy to the people with the 28th Amendment"

"The blindingly obvious about the proposed fiscal union in Europe"

"Occupy Production: A vision for democracy at work"

"The greatest hoax in the history of money:  the Fed, the banks, the lies"

"Five ways to make banks pay for their secret $7 trillion free ride"

"US labor leaders have 'Stockholm syndrome' "

About those eurozone 1%, authoritarian incompetents: here, here and here.

"Fukushima fubar" or nuclear industry continuing to create nuclear wastelands and threats to global public health; "enough is enough"

"Pakistan orders troops to return fire if attacked on Afghan border" and the recent border attack "big loss for US war policy."

Yeah, yeah, yeah......

The Bureau of Labor Statistics says 120,000 jobs were added in November and the unemployment rate dropped to 8.6%.

Hold off on the celebration. << MORE >>