The Progressive Budget Plan: Emergency Jobs to Restore the American Dream Act

[FayeforCure]

A rephrasing of guiding statements to reflect a more complex society rather than the primitive society we had when the constitution was written (remember mega corporations didn't really exist back then):

Now let's translate the Founders (doing a simple word change):


A corporation, even in its best state, is but a necessary evil; in its worst state, an intolerable one. -- Thomas Paine
It is error alone which needs the support of the corporate media. Truth can stand by itself. -- Thomas Jefferson

If ever time should come, when vain and aspiring men shall possess the highest seats in our corporations, our country will stand in need of its experienced patriots to prevent its ruin. -- Samuel Adams

Like fire, the corporation is a dangerous servant and a fearful master. -- George Washington

When you understand who today's powerful elite really is, many of the Tea Party's favorite Founder-quotes don't need any translation:

The issue today is the same as it has been throughout all history, whether man shall be allowed to govern himself or be ruled by a small elite. -- Thomas Jefferson
All men having power ought to be distrusted to a certain degree. -- James Madison

There are more instances of the abridgment of the freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments of those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations. -- James Madison

So true, James. Little by little we are losing our privacy, our access to information, and even our political system to the corporations.
And in spite of the economic collapse Wall Street's machinations have brought upon us, how do we explain the market-worship we see all over the corporate media? The 19th-century French economist Frederic Bastiat had that one nailed:


When plunder becomes a way of life for a group of men living together in society, they create for themselves in the course of time a legal system that authorizes it and a moral code that glorifies it.

I got that from the Venango County Tea Party Patriots. Again, no translation is necessary once you know which way to look.
But that's the real problem with the Tea Party rank-and-file: Like the guns of Singapore, they're facing the sea when the attack comes over land. They know they're under somebody's thumb, but they're confused about whose thumb it is. So when they strike back, they swing at the wrong guys.

If any Tea Partiers have read this far, I'm sure they think I'm the one who has it backwards. But I ask you, as you run free and clear towards the goal line: Whose goal line is that? Look up in the stands and see who's cheering for you: The billionaires. The CEOs. The traders on the floor of the big exchanges. The investment bankers.

Isn't that just a little strange? Have they all suddenly started rooting for everyday middle-class Americans?

Or are you running the wrong way?

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/08/15/1007145/-One-Word-Turns-the-Tea-Party-Around?via=siderec

Now we can all be on the same page, and blame government primarily for their role in enabling the abject power of mega corporations that is destroying the American way of life.

[BridgeTroll]

dailykos 

[BridgeTroll]

Thank you! 

[Garden guy]

I have an idea...to put us back in good standing with the american people..we need jobs right?..how about a phased out time period of 10 years without imports...any imports...then a phasing back of world trade. Not until we start buying and using things produced here will we be a self sustained entity...we bitch and moan about our economy yet i see corporations filling the isles of everystore in america with chinese goods..I say stop the whole damn system for 10 or 20 years....maybe if we made what we used things would be better. The american dream is gone..there is no middle class and the wealthy have taken us down a very dark road. If those tax breaks were to have been put to work here maybe they'd be worth it..but...alas...nothing.

[KuroiKetsunoHana]

I have an idea...to put us back in good standing with the american people..we need jobs right?..how about a phased out time period of 10 years without imports...any imports...then a phasing back of world trade. Not until we start buying and using things produced here will we be a self sustained entity...we bitch and moan about our economy yet i see corporations filling the isles of everystore in america with chinese goods..I say stop the whole damn system for 10 or 20 years....maybe if we made what we used things would be better. The american dream is gone..there is no middle class and the wealthy have taken us down a very dark road. If those tax breaks were to have been put to work here maybe they'd be worth it..but...alas...nothing.

i agree with you in spirit, but i'm not willing to give up my japanese booze and sodas.

[Garden guy]

It makes sense but i'm sure the rest of the world would fall apart if we cut them all off...but a good diet from imports will help...rations? no oil imports? could we live?..everyone is talking about a radical approach to our economic woes....i'd say a ban on all imports for 15 years would do it...

[BridgeTroll]

What about exports?

[Garden guy]

As much as possible...everything but jobs.....zero...that's means zero jobs sent off shores...

[BridgeTroll]

Soooo... you want to ban imports... but think the countries we are banning imports from will allow our exports??  This is clearly your "most special" suggestion yet...

[Garden guy]

Well whatever they want to think...this is one of our many issue...we need to stop worrying about others so much and start doing something about our own problems...if it hurts others for a while...oh well....extreme measure must be taken in order to right this ship called america that has been tossed to the depths by the republican party...it's time to heal...they caused a big gash..it's going to take many many years to heal this wound...remember? Al Gore told us all of this doo doo was going to happen.

[BridgeTroll]

Nothing like a trade war to stimulate the economy...

[Garden guy]

usually any kind of war will stimulate an economy except one that makes no sense..was unfounded...and a complete waist of money....but a trade war...why not...maybe more countries will start standing on thier own two feet.

[KuroiKetsunoHana]

i'm sure the rest of the world would fall apart if we cut them all off

what the hell do we export that's so precious and can't be made elsewhere?

[Garden guy]

ummm.....ummm....jack daniels?

[danem]

My two cents in list form:

--I sure hope these "jobs" created by this plan aren't like those stimulus jobs that came up in 2010. Those were a joke, especially for the reason there was a rule that only people with children could apply.

--One could interpret the Constitution as saying that certain laws promote the general welfare and regular commerce. Commerce these days in our "nonprimitive" society is about more than moving truckloads of stuff over state lines. Sometimes it's folks sitting at computers clicking away.

--I think it's true that we had a Republican government do some very embarrassing things against the Constitution.  I would welcome a government of any party reversing that crap.

--I think it's a joke the notion that Republicans want "smaller government". Maybe they do when a Democrat is president! Whenever any politician says "Government is not the solution, it's the problem!" I wonder why they are running for office in that same government.

--I think our imports are a lot more than "Chinese crap" for Wal-mart shelves. There's a lot of raw materials that we import here to make other things that we export elsewhere. One can dream though. 

--In my views, I feel like that the government only exists to protect people in the society from harm. Sadly harm comes from a lot more than getting mugged in the street.