Sadly, most Americans have given up, are out of it, or are too brainwashed to act independently. That's about the state of the U.S. populace. And many are scared to death to speak up about anything.

Never thought I'd see this in my lifetime. Or the intentional, vicious gutting of our economy during the 2001-2008 years. And tens of millions of direct victims both let it happen and will let it happen again--and the next time may be fatal.

Learn Mandarin. You may need it.

Matt, Thanks for once again pointing out the absurdity of our current political condition. We have lost our way and most of our political and economic leaders are unwilling to help set us on a course to restore effective democracy and civic responsibility.

Thanks Matt. I went off yesterday on a mass email blaming illegal immigrants for our current financial crisis used many of the same points. your sources are newer that those I used so thanks for info!

It occurred to me that every time we have a national crisis or government legislation manipulation - we have a Wag the Dog diversion ...Martha Stewart, Bill Gates... even Whitewater and Monica Lewinsky.  The Murdock story is out there but I don't think Obama's producer is as good or his timing is off.

Call your Senators and make sure they understand that supporting this measure is a political liability for them.

That's how the teabaggers get their way.

It's quite simple, really. We are going on two generations which have been carefully trained not to think by the educational system. Then we have over a third of our population on psychiatric medications.

You will soon forget....you will soon forget....

We care. We're angry, but it doesn't seem to make a difference. The politicians aren't listening. We, the average citizens, don't count. Corporate opinion and their dollars count. I sent angry letters to my (Repugnant)reps stating how I didn't agree with them and received letters back thanking him for my support in what he was doing. We could descend on DC with protest signs, but honestly, I think we all have given up thinking they actually care about the people or this country.

I can't STAND it! Is there no END to the crimes? In this corporate age, a "good employee" seems to be one who has no conscience. These people are raking in money hand over fist and not losing any sleep while all the social safety nets are dismantled. It's not just that we'll be old, sick, and poor, but we will have all our hope, faith, and trust obliterated. And we won't even be able to afford big pharma's anti-depression drugs.

It's called "Corporate Socialism" (such a hated term if applied to the grassroots population) or as Greg Palast Christened it "The best Democracy money can buy".
Clinton really kicked it into the basement by cutting welfare for the truly needy and it's been downhill ever since. Much of the blame must go to the US mainstream media, FOX, Clear Channel and content-free programing which is basically stuffing between increasingly lengthy and vapid commercials, which now have THEIR OWN following.
As an illustration, even TV sitcoms, when I came to the US in the late 70's, were about regular working people ("Laverne and Shirley, "Alice", "Sanford and Son" and later "Roseanne" -get the drift?) and were actually quite funny and representative of a cross-section of average Americans, their hopes and daily lives. The words "Working Class" are almost unheard in the current political dialogue, perhaps because there has been a kind of demographic genocide since such jobs were shipped overseas and benefits eliminated. ALL work is now in danger so it logically follows that so many people are shit-scared about being unemployed permanently that they live in fear and toe the corporate line, absorb infotainment and electronic tripe as an escape from what they don't want to see. This is hardly productive of a mass protest scenario, what?

REPUGS WANT TAX CUTS/SAY JOBS WILL BE MORE/ARE THEY NUTS/NEVER WORKED BEFORE/TRICKLE DOWN FAILED/NOT ONE SINGLE DRIP/ECONOMY FLAILED/WE GOT ZIP

Please read this article:

U.S. needs to make progress on deficit, IMF warns
By Howard Schneider
January 27, 2011; 10:24 PM http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/01/27/AR2011012707000.html

"The U.S. has a lot of credibility. This does not imply their credibility can last forever," IMF fiscal affairs director Carlo Cottarelli said as he released the IMF study. It concluded that the United States is falling behind on a promise it made to other top economic countries to halve its budget deficit by 2013.
"This is a problem many years in the making and will take a concerted effort by Democrats and Republicans working together to find a solution," White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said in answer to a question about the IMF report.
He noted that President Obama called for a freeze on discretionary spending during this week's State of the Union address. IMF officials have welcomed the step but said that spending cuts in pension and health entitlement programs are also needed."

I think that DaveM ha it right. When have of our citizens cannot tell who the VP is, or what job Hillary has, we have a very serious problem. Not just us Dems are disturbed. We need to realize that the few few highly paid thousands on Wall Street a.) own our politicians, and 2.) are not all Rebub;s. Most small business people are Republicans, but they are also really disturbed with what is going on. The Fed has generated so much money and given it to Wall Street and kept the dollar so strong that we almost cannot manufacture anything here and sell it. People blame labor costs, and government intervention, and greedy bosses, but the simple case is the Fed is at fault. There is plenty of money, but business wants to earn a profit and in most cases that is easier to do somewhere else where they have lower wages and less regulation. The new banking bill will encourage the biggest banks to make even bigger and wilder gambles, because they now know that they are TOO BIG TO FAIL and we will bail them out.

If we do not rise to the pccasion and FORCE the thugs in DC to do the right thing for the majority of Americans then we deserve the same fate as the sheeple who went along with the Nazis. The only question will then be who will come to rule over us?

not our minds, just the ability to influence the outcome of anything in washington.

Don't just get angry...get effectively mobilized.

Persons like Bernie Sanders and Russell Feingold must be enlisted to challenge Obama in time for the upcoming 2012 elections. They must be convinced that the health of our nation requires that they enter the race. At bare minimum, that will get them and our demands more effectively before the electorate. Debates restricted to only Obama and the Republican choice will be a farce…and dialogue between the brain dead and the Trojan Horse cowardly lion.

Will-o-the-wisp Obama must be challenged during the nomination process. At this point, Obama is confident that he can ignore his base of support and weasel through the upcoming elections without being challenged by progressives. His cabinet is arsenic-laced with Wall Street cronies, and they must be replaced.

Since time is running out, we must get Sanders and Feingold to quickly commit themselves to running against Obama. Spread the word every way you can and inundate them with a call to arms for them to declare themselves to challenge Obama.

See the article "Banks pay back TARP funds by borrowing from Treasury". You will find that under the American Recovery and Re-investment Act (Obama's legislation) and the Small Business Lending Act authorizes the S.B.A. to borrow money at 1% interest from the FED and re-loan it to banks for the purpose of facilitating small business loans to the public. If banks do not wish to re-loan the money they can keep it as long as they pay higher interest rates of 7% after 2 years and 9 after 5. AT THE SAME TIME THE FED IS OFFERING 10% INTEREST TO BANKS TO PARK ALL CASH DEPOSITS AT THE TREASURY WHERE THEY ARE AVAILABLE FOR USE TO CONGRESS IN EXCHANGE FOR INTEREST BEARING NOTES TO THE PRIVATE OWNERS OF THE FEDERAL RESERVE. WHY WOULD A BANK LOAN YOU MONEY WHEN THEY CAN GET GUARANTEED MONEY DUE TO 10% INTEREST RATES TO PARK S.B.A. ALLOCATED FUNDS AT THE TREASURY? The American Recovery Act is yet ANOTHER fraudulent vehicle used to rip off American small business owners for the benefit of banks and their executives. The MSM wonders why their is ZERO lending for small businesses and no jobs being created? We have no money for main street, but we can fund Domino's 35 million dollar a year T.V. ad campaign to save the dairy industry from the recession to promote cheese sales? Only small business (the real job creators) should get zero interest loans

Matt Taibbi,

What are the consequences of a General Run, i.e. a general run on a specific bank or banks?

I've spoken my piece on this issue a number of times because the memories of the Great Depression are still with me as are the memories of the Johnson war that made "heroes" of over fifty eight thousand US soldiers, not to mention those maimed by combat, and not to mention their families, and not to mention the "enemy" families--yes, of men and women and babes and young people murdered in the Iron Triangle, and targeted throughout Vietnam. We marched, demonstrated, filled the streets of DC and major cities with our anger at the betrayals of our "leaders," yet crying at the same time for peace, for "us" and "them." And now we are the enemy of our "leaders," once again betrayed, once again arousing the voices of the real Americans like Matt Taibbi, and Krugman, and Chomsky, and Ralph Nader, and Howard Zinn through his works, et al. OK, what to do? Boycott: don't use the car, don't use electricity when possible, don't use gadgets--not even telephones (except....); don't patronize chain stores and restaurants, organize neigborhood marches, write an email a day to your least favorate "leader"; and add to the list of do and don't--publicly, if possible. In other words, we don't have to get together to be together.
" temade

Mr. Taibbi per usual nails the filth to the wall for those that wish to open their woolen covered eyes. I'm talking citizens bearing pitchforks & torches to drive this country back to some semblance of sanity. I shazit you not, I am at the point where I could spout something that could get me arrested for inciting riot. We NEED an American Spring served up hot & angry ala the Egyptians. Wake up America, our country is being destroyed by those that have & want yet even more.

I've said it before and I'll say it again. I'm not paying taxes to this government anymore if they are going to continue to give tax breaks and loopholes to corporations. Now, who's with me on this. If 100,000 of us start this they'll look at it. If 1,000,000 of us do this they start to listen. Unfortunately money is what runs this country now, not people or our elected officials. Let's take away their money and see how they like it.

My equal protection as written in the 14th amendment is being violated by the very people we the people elect to enforce these measures.
I will not allow my country to be hijacked by these political criminals & the criminal masters they serve.
Stand firm Mr. President & the majority of the country will have your back. Falter & cave, then all may be lost & we the people may have no other choice but to revolt with power. Wake up fellow Americans & smell our country being burned from the top down.

Wolfchen is right. President Obama should be seriously challenged in the primaries, a la Gene McCarthy's insurgent candidacy against LBJ in '68.

"No Fourth Term for Bush." We need a Democrat in the White House.

Sadly, I think the time of "representative" government in this country is long over. Oh, it's representative alright, just not of the people, or for the people, but of and for the corporations and those with truckloads of cash. There is no means for non-lobbyists to get the attention of our elected officials any longer. Politicians are so insulated by their own political apparati and 3rd party pollsters that what reaches their ears is far from the reality of what people actually want.

Why is it that we can tweet and Facebook to our hearts' content about the mundane trivialities of our lives, but there are NO effective means to deliver a message to our congress.

We have cleverly crafted a two-party political system that has no effective feedback mechanism when it comes to doing the public's will.

We need something more immediate than elections, something more robust and granular that allows people to get the attention of congress and the president these days and let them know what we actually think, and want. The lobbying noise is just too loud and pervasive to let our voices through. All we can do is keep trying...maybe someday one or two will try to listen for us through the cacophany.

How did we stop the Vietnam war? REVOLUTION... MILLIONS of people in the streets. How did we get CIVIL RIGHTS for ALL of us? REVOLUTION!!! How did workers get their rights? REVOLUTION!!!

What is the ONLY ANSWER to saving America? REVOLUTION!!!

ANY QUESTIONS?!?!?!

Where have all the flowers gone.? Forty years ago many of us stood up for our generation and the future, for women, minorities, for the young and old. Now, many of us are comfortable (enough), some from long hair to gray or no hair. Many still with heat and soul.
It is indeed time to stand tall - straighten up, stand up, rise up for our kids and grandchildren, for the old and young, for the main street families and our future.

It is a tough challenge awakening and mobilizing the 10s of millions of people to overcome (we shall) the billions of $ from the elite, Koch Brothers, Murdochs. We have 2 choices: Hang together or Hang separately
I prefer the former.
Interesting that the tea party - filled with angry people who have been duped into voting against themselves and their communities. Ignorance is bliss - I guess.
The right wing marches in lock step - those who try to understand
the complexity and nuance of the real world - herding cats.
Enough - talk is cheap.
Here's a specific action we can take. See ee how many people are really willing to take a next step:
Matt T - you set up a place where those interested can sign up - "I want to do something." See how many actually even do that- on facebook, linked in,somewhere. that even those over 55 can understand. Write a brief note on RSN this week - "Stand up People."

It's extortion plain and simple

We have a Negro President. The country's gone mad. The Dixiecrats (Today's Republicns) haven't had it so good since the 20's. The Country is preoccupied with having a Negrio President that all sorts of weird things are happening in DC . How can Canter go on TV and tell the citizens of Joplin that they can''t have relief until they give ou social Security? Osama is dead and we're still fighting in Afghanistan. Social Security is secure for the next 25 years and Canter is telling us that we have to get rid of it. Everybody alive now isgoingtoget very sick and need expensive medical care and the Dixiecrats and liberal,moderat e and conservative pundits are persuading white seniors that maybe they should end medicare when they age and go back to poverty and bankruptsy, which would be good for the country and seniors ae buying it. If rich people (and wewouldallbe rich if we worked harder at it jobs for allwill be created and we are buying it. Yes Matt" Having a Negro President has driven America crazy.

I think the author of this essay has forgotten that the purpose for education in America is to create a cadre of agents following the lead, not of practicing human responsibility. For more year than I can recall I have heard about civil rights and human right, but never human responsibility. That encompasses taking personal actions that have legitimate outcomes. Civil rights are about laws created by illegitimate social organs such as legislative bodies created by elites who are part of the status quo. We are getting exactly what Rupert Murdoch said he would give them-THE BIG LIE.

Hagan is bought by the NC banking interests. I've written her many times in the past few months. The responses have indicated that destroying entitlements is ok with her (and, clearly, her banking-base), cut spending before jobs, no interest in new technologies, pro-nuclear power expansion...the usual banker-babble. In the meantime, unemployment in NC is at 9.9% and climbing. Clearly Hagan's big-money-bank handlers have instructed her to abandon the middle class, the elderly, the disabled, the safety nets that keep hope alive.
My congressional representative was also petitioned for sanity and clear-minded direction. As a revered professor at a world-class university I encouraged the representative to take the lead in creating a sane and public presentation of the parameters of the present potential default challenge and the long-term economic goals. I received an e-mail telling me of government agencies that may be able to help me with medical care, temporary housing, applying for SSI.
This is our congress.
There is outrage...plenty of it! Insulated from real people by moneyed interests, the illusion that congressional members represent 'us' is shattered.
Government of the moneyed, by the moneyed, for the moneyed shall not perish!...just ask your senators and representatives ...

Corruption runs rampant in our legislature. They have no business governing their own house, raising their own salaries, ignoring crime within their own body, creating a healthcare system apart from the people, and lavishing benefits on themselves. When there are 10 lobbyist for each member in congress, and our Senators and Representatives leave the Congress and go directly to the corporations to become lobbyists and write laws for the corporations, we have to stop this insanity. We need term limits, and a complete rehaul of the rules and regulations governing our House and Senate. Especially regarding healthcare, crimes within the governing body, taking money from lobbyist, and the ability for them to give themselves raises. They're raping this country and NOT working for anybody but themselves. The people have NO voice. The corporate media sees to that. Their polls of what the American people think are phoney, and nothing that comes out of their mouths are the truth. It's only twisted political nonsense. The only chance we have is to ban together and force their hand. I write to the President, Vice President and my Congressman and Senators on a regular basis. This week the Senators mailboxes are full. My Congressman never responds. Maybe thats because his wife is in jail for fleecing money from Detroit. Only in America can this seem normal.

Quoting

Much of the blame must go to the US mainstream media, FOX, Clear Channel and content-free programing which is basically stuffing between increasingly lengthy and vapid commercials, which now have THEIR OWN following.
As an illustration, even TV sitcoms, when I came to the US in the late 70's, were about regular working people ("Laverne and Shirley, "Alice", "Sanford and Son" and later "Roseanne" -get the drift?) and were actually quite funny and representative of a cross-section of average Americans, their hopes and daily lives. The words "Working Class" are almost unheard in the current political dialogue, perhaps because there has been a kind of demographic genocide since such jobs were shipped overseas and benefits eliminated.

Funny How if Archie Bunker were alive today, he would be rather informed compared to most sheeple watching 30 minuted of cable news.

Our Congress is powerless! Sometimes I think it is all just a bunch of smoke and mirrors..they want you to think they are doing something to earn their salaries but it's odd nothing gets done and they just keep making things worse!......Carl Levin is my Senator and he talks and talks and talks about ending the wars....and yet they go on and on and on....like I say....nothing changes...only for the worse.

After Thomas Jefferson became president in 1800 Thomas Paine, T.J.'s best friend, made this observation of the one-term John Adams presidency known as the "Reign of Terror: "...faction [of Corporatecrafte rs united with Christiancrafte rs], acting in disguise, was rising in America; they had lost sight of first principles. They were beginning to contemplate government as a profitable monopoly, and the people as hereditary property. It is, therefore, no wonder that the "Rights of Man" was attacked by that faction, and its author [Paine] continually abused." ---First of Eight "Letters to the Citizens of the United States and Particularly to the Leaders of the Federal Faction" (1802-1803). In 1816, Thomas Jefferson advises and commands that "virtue and interest are inseparable. It ends, as might have been ecpected, in the ruin of its people, but this ruin will fall heaviest, as it ought to fall, on tha hereditasry aristocracy which has for generations been preparing for the catastrophe. I hope we shall take warning from the example and crush in its birth the aristocracy of our monied corporation which dare already to challenge our government to a trial of strength and bid defiance to the laws of our country." --T.J. Letter of November 12, 1816 to George Logan. The Constitution mandates a "Republican Form of Government" in direct opposition to the born-again Monarchy of today."

Look, the GOP is just keeping up its Bush adminstration era's fiscal responsibility. Deficits be damned, the rich must be protected from rapacious middle class and poor blackbeards who would force them to cut their overseas vacations short by a few hours.

Hear me roar Matt. Keep up the good work. Stop the glory daze now.

If you've had enough of supporting this crazy & corrupt debt based system
which means your hard earned dollars are stolen via the IRS and used to
fund WAR and pay massive INTEREST payments to wealthy international
bankers, you CAN opt out you know and STOP feeding this system.

To find out how check out: http://www.projectfreeman.com

This is a great, detailed "FREEMAN" site, the examples are relevant to the
"UK" but the same principles apply in the "US" because both countries are
"common law" jurisdictions.

Tax breaks for the richest while reducing health care options for the poorest. It's the republican way.