Another send-up of our financial system

The Bankers’ Bank | Foundation for Economic Education: "No one familiar with the origins of the Fed, or the other Progressive Era reforms, should be surprised. Those who have not studied the Progressive Era in any depth, however, are likely to believe those reforms were imposed by enlightened politicians to end abuses by big business. That is one of many fairy tales we learn in school. It’s not so, but it serves its purpose, which is to protect the left and right wings of the ruling party from the radical laissez-faire alternative. Those reforms, though of course cheered on by European-educated American intellectuals attracted to power and ambitious Progressive politicians, were in fact the brainchildren of the corporate elite. Its members disliked the vigorous market competition of the late nineteenth century because it cost them market share, and their efforts to stifle competition through mergers had failed miserably. So the elite turned to the state for protection. (See Roy Childs’s classic “Big Business and the Rise of American Statism” here.)"

'via Blog this'

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The Conclusion of A Long Article on Doing In The FED

Why the State Demands Control of Money - Hans-Hermann Hoppe - Mises Daily: "But what's a little crisis to you? Even if your path to riches is through repeated crises, brought about by your paper-money regime and central-bank policies, from your point of view — from the viewpoint as the head of state and chief of the central bank — this form of print-and-loan wealth redistribution in your own and your banker friends' favor, while less immediate than that achieved with a simple print-and-spend policy, is still much preferable, because it is far more difficult to see through and recognize for what it is. Rather than coming across as a plain fraud and parasite, in pursuing an easy-credit policy you can even pretend that you are engaged in the selfless task of "investing in the future" (rather than spending on present frivolities) and "healing" economic crises (rather than causing them)"

'via Blog this'

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A Pledge Is The Quickest Way To End The Buying Of Politics

An INTENSE moment of TRUTH with MAINSTREAM Media - YouTube:

Politicians Pledge - I will place all political contributions above $100 (from individual donors) in escrow pending passage of a binding public elections bill which will fund all campaigns and provide equal opportunity to all who wish to run for office.

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Individual Accountability Versus Constitutional Amendments

Occupy Wall Street Must Occupy Congress, AG offices | The Big Picture:

Individual accountability us a shortcut to achieving goals

that might be worth a Constitutional Amendment to enshrine as default practice. The Right has been effective in getting legislators to cotton to a no taxes pledge, an onerous demand which will bite the signers. This piece advocates a constitutional amendment to get money out of politics. That would take ages to do. But we could immediately create a pledge that would be enforceable. The pledge would be to put all political contributions above a certain amount (say $100) in escow pending legislation which mandates public financing of all campaigns. Something like this would enable media to determine, using Maplight.com and other watchdog sites, compliance. Candidates who refused to do this would suffer at the polls.

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I love America for This Reason Too

ShortFormContent at Blogger: I love America save for these three things:

I love America because we seem to have enough fortitude

in the face of a political system that is skewed to serve

the wealthiest and the most powerful,

to gather as the the people

- a tiny group - called Occupy Wall Street and

within a few weeks

kindle a massive addition to the global democratic revolution

that we associate with Tahrir.

I love the fact that we have helped to spawn

the structure of the future,

the resurgence of face to face community,

the reclamation of space as public in balance with private,

 the sense of life as progress not stasis and

the affirmation of spirit beyond all creeds.

This is the America Walt Whitman saw at

in his highest moments.

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British Window on Occupy (Permafrost)

BBC News - 'Occupy' is a response to economic permafrost: "Who were they? This is not yet as demographically wide as the indignado camps in Madrid or Syntagma were when they first started. Nor is it as "mainstream" as Occupy Wall street - yet. Not a single mainstream British politician attempted to appear at the protest; not a single MP, not a single famous author or film-maker. Helen John, the Greenham Common veteran, spoke, as did Peter Tatchell, but the biggest response - indeed it was a rock-star like response - was for Julian Assange. He was acclaimed by 9/10ths of the crowd and barracked in ribald language by the others."

Cap tip Amy


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Football and Auto Races and Conscious Lethality

I was going to throw in bullying tooA fiery fifteen car crash in Vegas A popular driver killedBreaks of the gameNo Conscious lethalityI turn the page and think an article is about this but noIt's a football death this timeThis is a season of conscious sports lethalityIt is a holdover from primitive barbaric timesIt pits power against lethal powerAnd subjects the soul to the grisly conformity of bullyingSanctioned bullyingOr in the case of car racesSanctioned suicideWhen our skewed system of values turns toNon-idolatry democracy tolerance and helpfulnessConscious lethality will not go awayBut there will be fewer deaths before the madding crowd
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