"Government Repression"

Tunisia and Us by Karen Kwiatkowski

Money quote of article:

Today, Americans choose their news like we choose our comfort foods. We are predictably uninterested in the global empire we fund and pursue. We are predictably unaware of the unfree, economically shriveled, and conflict-ridden world that the US reaction to 9/11 has helped foster and grow. We are predictably unsympathetic to desperately poor people, particularly if they are Muslim...  Do what you are told, say the majority of Americans, to the world, and to each other as we struggle weakly and not at all against our pupating fascism. And as Lew Rockwell succinctly noted a few years ago,

But what is fascism? It is a real ideology, not just an epithet. It is characterized by belligerent nationalism, militarism, aggressive war, suppression of civil liberties, use of religion in the service of the state, exaltation of the executive, opposition to free markets domestically and internationally, corporatism, welfarism, domestic spying, torture, and detestation of the Other, in this case Muslims and Arabs.

letter sent to elected representatives by Jim Babka of DownsizeDC

I would like to applaud the fact that the Constitution was read in the House of Representatives last week. But instead I must CONDEMN the fact that most House members didn't stick around to HEAR the reading.

What good does it do to read something if the people who need the information aren't there to HEAR IT!

And you guys desperately DO NEED TO KNOW what the Constitution says.

That way perhaps one of you would have noticed immediately that a whole page was being skipped during the reading.

After this display of incompetence do you really expect me to have confidence when you assert the right and the power to do more complicated things?

Needless to say, I have no confidence in the House's new "read the bill" rule. I do NOT believe that any member of the House will use the 3-day waiting period that rule requires to do any reading of any legislation. Most of you couldn't even sit still to hear the Constitution read!

This is why I will continue to pressure you to pass DownsizeDC.org's "Read the Bills Act." THAT would be a real reform because it requires . . .

* A quorum to be present while every word of every bill is read

* You to sign an affidavit that you have read, or heard read, every word of the bill before you cast an affirmative vote

* That courts hold citizens blameless against any legislation passed in violation of these requirements

Please, quit with the meaningless symbolism. Be responsible for a change. Do something real. Introduce DownsizeDC.org's "Read the Bills Act."

Jim Babka

President

DownsizeDC.org, Inc.

Hiding A Depression: How The US Government Does It By Daniel R. Amerman, CFA

NIA Economic News Update - January 12, 2011

NIA's Top 10 Predictions for 2011

From article:

The National Inflation Association is pleased to announce its top 10 predictions for 2011.

1) The Dow/Gold and Gold/Silver ratios will continue to decline.

2) Colleges will begin to go bankrupt and close their doors.

3) U.S. retailers will report declines in profit margins and their stocks will decline.

4) The mainstream public will begin to buy gold.

5) We will see a huge surge in municipal debt defaults.

6) We will see a large decline in the crude oil/natural gas ratio.

7) The median U.S. home will decline sharply priced in silver.

8) Food inflation will become America's top crisis.

9) QE2 will disappoint and the Federal Reserve will prepare QE3.

10) Sarah Palin will announce she is running for President as a Republican.

College Bubble Set to Burst in 2011