Titanic Post

George Washington, 57, elected the first president of the United States by a unanimous vote of the electoral college, takes the oath of office at Federal Hall in New York City, April 30, 1789. In his inaugural address—which he reads, appearing “agitated and embarrassed” by one account— he tells Congress to look to the Constitution for their priorities and to consider the public good when altering it, as the “sacred fire of liberty” depends on American democracy. After two terms, he refuses a third and leaves office in 1797.

One of the tenants of capitalism is that the free market will regulate prices for a commodity. I personally don’t think that health should be a commodity, but some do, maybe even yourself.

If consumers get together in the “free market” and decide to start a health insurance cooperative and influence the price of health to the consumers’ advantage by initiating a new payment system, isn’t that capitalism in action?

And if health consumers decide that it would be to their advantage to enlist the aid of government in getting this new payment system in place and making it the law of the land, shouldn’t that be ok and within the functions of capitalism.

This is, by the way what the corporate health insurance lobby did when they wanted government help in deregulating their business.  Shouldn’t we be able to do this too? Please excuse my ignorance, but shouldn’t we be allowed to implement a health care payment system that is to our advantage?

Why our political system remains corrupt

It is said that our government is subject to a revolution every two years with a new congress, but this is an illusion.  The reality is that the House and Senate are a high stakes poker game with an enormous entrance fee.

“Pay to play” is the death of our democracy and is endemic in our political system. Few politicians can resist the temptation to accept money or favors in exchange for a vote. No politician within this system is likely to risk trying to change the system.

Thomas Jefferson said that every government needs a revolution every once in a while. Our last revolution was the return to a laissez faire or a free market economy in the early 80s. Its failure, the second in 80 years, was predictable.

The New Deal worked for everybody but the robber barons and it is time we gave it another chance.  It is time for citizens to hold their elected official’s collective feet to the fire.

by Paul B. Farrell

Global Research, November 7, 2008

ARROYO GRANDE, Calif. (MarketWatch) — Yes, we’re dummies. You. Me. All 300 million of us. Clueless. We should be ashamed. We’re obsessed about the slogans and rituals of “democracy,” distracted by the campaign, polls, debates, rhetoric, half-truths and outright lies. McCain? Obama? Sorry to pop your bubble folks, but it no longer matters who’s president.

Why? The real “game changer” already happened. Democracy has been replaced by Wall Street’s new “disaster capitalism.” That’s the big game-changer historians will remember about 2008, masterminded by Wall Street’s ultimate “Trojan Horse,” Hank Paulson. Imagine: Greed, arrogance and incompetence create a massive bubble, cost trillions, and still Wall Street comes out smelling like roses, richer and more powerful!

Yes, we’re idiots: While distracted by the “illusion of democracy” in the endless campaign, Congress surrendered the powers we entrusted to it with very little fight. Congress simply handed over voting power and the keys to trillions in the Treasury to Wall Street’s new “Disaster Capitalists” who now control “democracy.”Why did this happen? We’re in denial, clueless wimps, that’s why. We let it happen. In one generation America has been transformed from a democracy into a strange new form of government, “Disaster Capitalism.” Here’s how it happened: (more…)