Man Does To Banks What Banks Usually Do To Other People | Conscious News Media

Man Does To Banks What Banks Usually Do To Other People | Conscious News Media:

 "They said what usually their borrowers say in court: 'We have not read it,'” Agarkov's lawyer said. The shoe's on the other foot now, eh?"

Protesters Expose Secret Negotiations » CounterPunch: Tells the Facts, Names the Names

WFTO Fair Trade Organization Mark (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Protesters Expose Secret Negotiations » CounterPunch: Tells the Facts, Names the Names:


 "We decided to expose these secret negotiations by going right to their national office and plastering the Office of the US Trade Representative with messages that let them and the public know what they are doing. We took over their office building today, and plan to continue to escalate tactics in Congress and wherever we see opportunities to expose the TPP, stop the undermining of democracy through Fast Track and have a real debate over whether the US wants rigged trade for big transnational corporations or fair trade that puts people and the planet before profits."


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Nixon & Shultz on Unions and Planning for Phase II Wage Controls - YouTube

Nixon & Shultz on Unions and Planning for Phase II Wage Controls - YouTube: ""



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Robert Reich’s Plan for Fixing America’s Economy | Moyers & Company | BillMoyers.com

Robert Reich’s Plan for Fixing America’s Economy | Moyers & Company | BillMoyers.com:

 "Turns out, Reich has a clear plan of action — which he lays out in this video — to ensure there is “upward mobility again, in our society and in our economy.” He also believes that political engagement by all Americans will help “change the rules” that created the widening income gap between the top one percent and everyone else, and contributed to the Great Recession. Reich has set up a “take action” area on the film’s website, where he is promoting actions we can take to improve the future health of America’s economy."



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▶ A Dollar Aint a Dollar Anymore - YouTube

▶ A Dollar Aint a Dollar Anymore - YouTube: ""



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How Detroit went broke: The answers may surprise you — and don't blame Coleman Young | Detroit Free Press | freep.com

English: Detroit Free Press logo (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

How Detroit went broke: The answers may surprise you — and don't blame Coleman Young | Detroit Free Press | freep.com:

 "How Detroit went broke: The answers may surprise you - and don't blame Coleman Young"

For this report, the Free Press examined about 10,000 pages of documents gathering dust in the public library’s archives. Since most of those documents have never been digitized, the Free Press created its own database of 50 years of Detroit’s financial history. Reporters also conducted dozens of interviews with participants from the last six mayoral administrations as well as city bureaucrats and outside experts.

Related articles

• A laurel for the Detroit Free Press
• How Detroit went broke: The answers may surprise you
• Detroit's Bankruptcy: It Took Decades of Bad Decisions
• There Are Two Kinds of Articles about Detroit's Bankruptcy

▶ Bill Hicks on Marketing - YouTube

▶ Bill Hicks on Marketing - YouTube: ""

Jerry Brown, lawmakers poised to hike California’s minimum wage to $10 - Gov. Jerry Brown - The Sacramento Bee

English: Photo of California Attorney General (and former California Governor) Jerry Brown (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Jerry Brown, lawmakers poised to hike California’s minimum wage to $10 - Gov. Jerry Brown - The Sacramento Bee:


 "“The minimum wage has not kept pace with rising costs,” Brown said in a statement. “This legislation is overdue and will help families that are struggling in this harsh economy.”"




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▶ CNBC Squawk Box: Sen. Warren Leads Charge to Break Up Big Banks - YouTube

▶ CNBC Squawk Box: Sen. Warren Leads Charge to Break Up Big Banks - YouTube: ""



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Joe Stiglitz: The People Who Break the Rules Have Raked in Huge Profits and Wealth and It's Sickening Our Politics | Alternet

Cropped picture of Joseph Stiglitz, U.S. economist. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Joe Stiglitz: The People Who Break the Rules Have Raked in Huge Profits and Wealth and It's Sickening Our Politics | Alternet:

 "We created this inequality—chose it, really—with laws that weakened unions, that eroded our minimum wage to the lowest level, in real terms, since  the 1950s, with laws that allowed CEO's to take a bigger slice of the corporate pie, bankruptcy laws that put Wall Street’s toxic innovations ahead of workers. We made it nearly impossible for student debt to be forgiven. We underinvested in education. We taxed gamblers in the stock market at lower rates than workers, and encouraged investment overseas rather than at home."

Related articles

• "A World of Radical Inequality Doesn't Work"
• Joe Stiglitz: '95% of the gains from 2009 to 2012 went to the upper 1%.'
• Stiglitz: We Created This Inequality
• Economics Daily Digest: Labor for healthier politics
• Joe Stiglitz: The People Who Break the Rules Have Raked in Huge Profits and Wealth and It's Sickening Our Politics
• Joe Stiglitz: The People Who Break the Rules Have Raked in Huge Profits and Wealth and It's Sickening Our Politics

U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren talks up organized labor, calls Supreme Court 'pro-corporate' at AFL-CIO convention | masslive.com

U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren talks up organized labor, calls Supreme Court 'pro-corporate' at AFL-CIO convention | masslive.com:

""Five years ago, experts said the banks had to be bailed out because there was too much concentration in banking and one failure would bring down the entire economy. Now the four biggest banks are 30% larger than they were five years ago. The five largest banks now hold more than half of all banking assets in the country. Because investors know they are too big to fail, those big banks get cheaper borrowing, which, according to one study, adds up to an annual $83 billion subsidy from taxpayers—another benefit of being Too Big to Fail," Warren said."

IBM Moves Retirees to Insurance Exchange as Costs Rise - Bloomberg

IBM Moves Retirees to Insurance Exchange as Costs Rise - Bloomberg:

 "BM had projected that with its current plans, costs for retirees would triple by 2020. Most of that would affect retirees’ premiums and out-of-pocket costs.
IBM said the new arrangement puts the retirees in a bigger pool of beneficiaries, spreading risk and lowering cost.

Reuters reported the change yesterday.

“IBM didn’t make this change to save money -- it does not reduce our costs,” Shelton said, noting that IBM’s subsidies were capped in the 1990s."

Verizon Plans $20 Billion Debt Sale - WSJ.com

Verizon Plans $20 Billion Debt Sale - WSJ.com:

 ""My view is the whole sector's going to get hit with that much coming in, but Verizon's going to take the worst of it," said Mary Talbutt, portfolio manager and trader at Bryn Mawr Trust Co. Still, Ms. Talbutt said she planned on holding on to the Verizon bonds currently in client accounts, noting that most of bonds mature in three years or less. She said she would consider buying the new Verizon bond."

The Unemployment Rate Is Less Relevant Than Ever | Economic Policy Institute

The Unemployment Rate Is Less Relevant Than Ever | Economic Policy Institute:

 "After hitting its low of the downturn in July, the public sector added 17,000 jobs in August. This is an important step in the right direction—job losses in the public sector have been an enormous drain on the recovery. However, it’s useful to keep in mind just how big a public-sector jobs hole we are in. Since the recovery began in June 2009, the public sector has lost roughly three-quarters of a million (754,000) jobs. However, public-sector employment should naturally grow as the population grows. To keep up with population growth over this period, public-sector employment should have increased by around 700,000. That means the total gap in public-sector employment today is 1.45 million jobs.1"

Robert Reich (Obama's Political Capital and the Slippery Slope of Syria)

Robert Reich (Obama's Political Capital and the Slippery Slope of Syria):

 "Time and again we have seen domestic agendas succumb to military adventures abroad — both because the military-industrial-congressional complex drains money that might otherwise be used for domestic goals, and because the public’s attention is diverted from urgent problems at home to exigencies elsewhere around the globe."

Trans-Pacific Partnership talks hit roadblock over anti-smoking policies - The Globe and Mail

Trans-Pacific Partnership talks hit roadblock over anti-smoking policies - The Globe and Mail:

 "The Trans-Pacific Partnership debate over tobacco became heated over the weekend, after U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman announced a new position that would allow legal challenges against a country’s anti-smoking policies. Mr. Froman said the change was inspired by extensive consultation with Congress and U.S. stakeholders, and the U.S. Department of Health said it was an important step forward for public health.

But critics said the change was a victory for tobacco lobbyists, because it reversed the original U.S. position of creating a “safe harbour” in the TPP so countries could adopt anti-tobacco measures without fear of legal reprisal.

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Why a minimum-wage hike would help Wal-Mart- MSN Money

Why a minimum-wage hike would help Wal-Mart- MSN Money:

 "It's a "misconception is that raising the minimum wage will lead to another person's loss," Catherine Ruetschlin, a policy analyst at Demos, told MSN moneyNOW. Low-wage earners "are the people most likely to spend 100% of their paycheck. Raising the minimum wage, especially in periods of weak consumer demand like now, is actually a stimulus.""


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Laid-Off Workers: Ken Cuccinelli's Campaign Tricked Us Into Appearing in GOP Attack Ad | Mother Jones

Laid-Off Workers: Ken Cuccinelli's Campaign Tricked Us Into Appearing in GOP Attack Ad | Mother Jones:

 "The filmmakers asked Goehring several times about McAuliffe and the money he made off the company. "I said I don't really know anything about Terry McAuliffe," Goehring told Mother Jones. "He was not involved in day-to-day operations in any way that I saw. As far as I'm concerned, he was like me, a stockholder, and he was able to make money at it. More power to the man. Good for him.""

John Kitzhaber tells organized labor he'll fight Oregon measure aimed at public employee unions | OregonLive.com

John Kitzhaber tells organized labor he'll fight Oregon measure aimed at public employee unions | OregonLive.com:

""A right-to-work state means you have a right to work for less without a voice in the workplace," Kitzhaber told the labor crowd.  "A right-to-work state means you have a right to be exploited and ripped off and work at unsafe jobs and low wages and no benefits."

The governor charged that anti-union forces are targeting Oregon "because this is where labor is strongest."  He cited organized labor's role in passing the nation's second highest minimum wage law and noted that Oregon's largest union -- Service Employees International Union -- has been able to reverse the general trend in declining union membership by organizing home health care workers."


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Trans Pacific Partnership trade negotiations in Brunei wrap-up - Terri Hall

Trans Pacific Partnership trade negotiations in Brunei wrap-up - Terri Hall:

 "According to Citizens Trade Campaign, these corporate interests are seeking new access to cheap labor (Vietnamese workers are paid one-third that of Chinese workers), the ability to skirt environmental laws, longer drug patents (delaying the production of low-cost generic drugs), financial de-regulation (preventing regulations that could stave off ‘too big to fail’ bailouts), caps on food safety protections (ie – limit liability for pesticides and genetically modified foods), concentration and hence control of global food supplies (making ‘buy local’ initiatives harder), and tax advantages.

First implemented under President Richard Nixon, fast track “trade promotion authority”  is a trade negotiation and approval process designed to keep the terms of trade agreements out of the hands of the public and its elected representatives and into the hands of an un-elected trade representative and private corporations. This will allow the TPP to be signed before the public can see or scrutinize it. Fast track rules allow such trade agreements to be rushed through Congress and bypass normal Congressional review."

Love for Labor Lost - NYTimes.com

Love for Labor Lost - NYTimes.com:

 "In particular, there are evidently a lot of wealthy people in America who consider anyone who isn’t wealthy a loser — an attitude that has clearly gotten stronger as the gap between the 1 percent and everyone else has widened. And such people have a lot of friends in Washington."




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All Work and No Pay: The Great Speedup | Mother Jones

All Work and No Pay: The Great Speedup | Mother Jones:

 "You: doing more with less. Corporate profits: going strong. The dirty secret of the jobless recovery."

Overworked America: 12 Charts That Will Make Your Blood Boil | Mother Jones

Overworked America: 12 Charts That Will Make Your Blood Boil | Mother Jones:

 "Want more rage? We've got eleven charts that show how the superrich spoil it for the rest of us.

In the past 20 years, the US economy has grown nearly 60 percent. This huge increase in productivity is partly due to automation, the internet, and other improvements in efficiency. But it's also the result of Americans working harder—often without a big boost to their bottom lines. Oh, and meanwhile, corporate profits are up 20 percent."

▶ Celebrate Labor on Labor Day - YouTube

▶ Celebrate Labor on Labor Day - YouTube: ""



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