Tomorrow: Washington DC Keystone XL rally and hearing 6OKT11

UPDATE on the rally at the ronald reagan building in D.C. I will be there, hoping for a big turnout and a huge impact on the Obama administration in the struggle to stop the keystone xl pipeline. This from Credo / Tar Sands Action....
Just a reminder that the rally and State Department hearing on the Keystone XL pipeline are tomorrow/Friday in Washington.

This is a crucial final opportunity to call-out the state department's biased handling of this process and urge the State Department and President Obama to reject this devastating project.

Here are the Details:
Noon Rally outside the State Department Hearing  (12 pm - 1 pm)
350 14th St. NW (Between Pennsylvania Ave. and Constitution Ave.)
Washington, DC 20230

Hundreds are expected to be there - help make it as big as possible. If you work downtown, invite your friends and co-workers to come with you!

The Hearing will take place inside the Ronald Reagan Building in Atrium Hall
It will last from 10 am - 2 pm.
Speaking spots will be available on a first come first served basis (signup at the entrance to the hearing) and will fill up quickly. You will likely need to arrive by 8 am if you would like to speak.


Here are a few talking points if you would like to speak:

**The State Department has maintained a clearly biased process, including improper ties with TransCanada officials and lobbyists.
SOURCE: http://thinkprogress.org/green/2011/10/03/334166/new-keystone-xl-emails-expose-corrupt-process/
SOURCE: http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/transcanada-pipeline-lobbyist-works-all-the-angles-with-former-colleagues/2011/09/16/gIQAYq3BnK_story.html

**It is a stunning conflict of interest that the State Department allowed CARDNO Entrix, a company employed by TransCanada, to conduct the environmental review and public hearing processes.
SOURCE: http://thinkprogress.org/green/2011/09/28/330047/state-department-keystone-xl-hearings-run-by-transcanada-contractor/


**The Keystone XL Pipeline Endangers American communities
Canadian tar sands oil is especially toxic, dangerous, and difficult to transport in pipelines. A tar sands pipeline built last year has already spilled 12 times - even the pipeline company admits spills are inevitable.
SOURCE: http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/aswift/the_first_keystone_tar_sands_p.html

**The Keystone XL Pipeline threatens vital water supplies and other resources
This pipeline threatens the the Ogallala aquifer - our nation's largest underground water source - and major rivers, ranch land and habitat across the 1,700 mile route.
SOURCE: http://www.foe.org/keystone-xl-pipeline

**The Keystone XL Pipeline will speed global warming
Burning tar sands oil is responsible for three times the carbon emissions of burning conventional oil and the Keystone XL will double production of the tar sands oil fields, speeding the dangerous effects of global warming which just this year have brought record floods, fires, droughts and storms. Keystone XL will be "essentially game over" for our efforts to stabilize a livable climate, according to NASA's leading climate scientist.
SOURCE: http://www.tarsandsaction.org/spread-the-word/key-facts-keystone-xl/


**The Keystone XL Pipeline WILL NOT be a significant source of jobs. Less than 1,000 local jobs will be created.
--The State Department's final environmental impact report states:
"Construction of the proposed Project, including the pipeline and pump stations, would result in hiring approximately 5,000 to 6,000 workers over the 3 year construction period. As indicated above, it is expected that roughly 10 to 15 percent of the construction workforce would be hired from local labor markets, thus 500 to 900 local workers throughout the entire region of influence would be hired."
--This small number of jobs will not be permanent, and will only last through the 3 year duration of the project.
-- Investing in clean energy would be a far better way to create lasting jobs, without threatening our future or risking significant environmental damage
SOURCE: http://www.nwf.org/~/media/PDFs/Global%20Warming/Tar-Sands/Keystone_XL_Jobs_11-09-10.ashx
SOURCE: http://thinkprogress.org/romm/2011/09/19/322288/national-solar-jobs-census-100000-work-in-solar-industry/

** The Keystone XL WILL NOT increase national security or reduce our demand for foreign oil.
This pipeline is being built primarily to export tar sands oil to other countries - so for all the risk it won't increase our national security or reduce reliance on oil from overseas. Incredibly, this pipeline will in fact help Saudi Arabia, as of the gulf refineries is half-owned by Saudi government.

The most effective way to reduce or reliance on foreign oil and increase national security is to reduce our demand for oil.
SOURCE: http://www.tarsandsaction.org/spread-the-word/key-facts-keystone-xl/


Thank you for taking this incredibly important action to tell the State Department that this pipeline is not in our national interest.

Elijah Zarlin
CREDO Action
 

OKTOBER IS BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH..TOP CHARITIES LIST from CHARITY NAVIGATOR 6OKT11

OKTOBER is Breast Cancer Awareness month. Here is a list of breast cancer charities and their ratings from Charity Navigator. Click on the charity name to go to their page for rating details on Charity Navigator, there will be a link to take you to the charity website. Please make a donation to one of the top rated charities if you can, and share with others.

Charities Working to Prevent and Cure Breast Cancer

Breast Cancer Charities	Rating
Susan G. Komen for the Cure
National Breast Cancer Coalition Fund
The Rose
Breast Cancer Connections
Young Survival Coalition
Living Beyond Breast Cancer
Breastcancer.org
National Breast Cancer Foundation, Inc.
American-Italian Cancer Foundation
Breast Cancer Fund
SHARE
The Breast Cancer Relief Foundation
American Cancer Society
Y-Me National Breast Cancer Organization
Breast Cancer Research Foundation
Prevent Cancer Foundation
Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
John Wayne Cancer Institute
United Breast Cancer Foundation
Walker Cancer Research Institute
American Breast Cancer Foundation

Although breast cancer receives the most attention during Breast Cancer Awareness month each October, charities work all year long to raise funds for the prevention, treatment, and cure of this devastating disease. All throughout the year people have the opportunity to participate in various walks, runs, and other special events raising money to fight breast cancer. The pink ribbon has become the symbol for awareness of the disease and can be found adorning everything from soda cans to sneakers.  But how many of us stop to examine those pink ribbon charities soliciting our support?

At Charity Navigator we've done the work for you. We've reviewed the financial health of over 20 of the largest charities working to fight and prevent breast cancer in America. Although these charities have been very successful at generating support, together raising nearly $1.7 billion annually in contributions, the disparity in their financial health is enormous.

The good news is that several of these charities efficiently utilize donations to pursue their mission of curing and preventing breast cancer. However, others will astound donors with their inefficient operations and low marks for Accountability & Transparency. For example, one charity spends less than 2% of its budget on fundraising expenses, while another spends more than 58%. Many of these charities spend at least 80% of their budgets on programs and services, while three spend less than 50%. And while more than half of them earn high ratings for their commitment to Accountability & Transparency, three of them earn just 1-star in this area.

Click on the links to the right to learn more about the breast cancer charities soliciting your support.

H.R. 4646 THE ONE PERCENT SOLUTION & OCCUPY WALL STREET MOVEMENT

Here is a vicious oldie but goodie still circulating, meant to deflect attention away from the Occupy Wall Street protest spreading across the nation....repiglican / tea-bagger propaganda that I first posted on my blog on 1NOV10....but here it is again....

H.R. 4646 THE ONE PERCENT SOLUTION

Here is the real story on this from Snopes and GovTrack.US. It is one of those pieces of legislation that is introduced by it's sponsor year after year but has no chance of passage and in this instance is not supported by Pres. Obama or House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Some people just like to keep things stirred up... BUT if one has to resort to lies and deception to make their case then how trustworthy are they? By the by the Snopes link on the original  e mail just goes to the Snopes main page, I have included the actual URL and the Snopes article.

The One Percent Solution

Claim:   The U.S. government is proposing a 1% tax on debit card usage and/or banking transactions.

MIXTURE OF TRUE AND FALSE INFORMATION

Examples:   [Collected via e-mail, July 2010]

The Transaction Tax! WHAT THE HELL IS THIS??

President Obama's finance team and Nancy Pelosi are recommending a 1% transaction tax on all financial transactions.
It is true. The bill is HR-4646 introduced by US Rep Peter deFazio D-Oregon and US Senator Tom Harkin D-Iowa.
Their plan is to sneak it in after the November election to keep it under the radar.
See what Nancy has to say about this wonderful idea!
http://tinyurl.com/24dn5ud
It's only 1%! This is a 1% tax on all transactions to or from any financial institution i.e. Banks, Credit Unions, Mutual funds, Brokers, etc.
Any deposit you make will have a 1% tax charged.
Any withdrawal you make, 1% tax.
Any transfer within your account, a transfer to or from savings and checking, will have a 1% tax charged.
Any ATM transaction, withdrawal or deposit, 1% tax.
If your pay check or your Social Security is direct deposited, 1% tax.
If you carry a check to your bank to deposit, 1% tax.
If you take cash in to deposit, 1% tax.
If you receive any income from a bond or a dividend from stock, 1% tax.
Any Real Estate Transaction, 1% tax.
This is from the man who promised that if you make under $250,000 per year, you will not see one penny of new tax! Remember, he is completely honest and trustworthy.
Keep your eyes and ears open.

Folks, Nancy says this would be a minimal tax on the people, but 1 percent every time you pay a bill or make a deposit is not minimal. This would no doubt tax investment transactions as well as bank account transactions.
This woman is nuts!!!
If you know someone in California get this to them!
 

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While at the checkout of Wal-mart in Greeneville, TN I heard that in the future the government may be planning to place a 1% tax on people using debit cards at the check out.
 

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I have heard discussion and seen on emails the fear that the Obama administration is going to pass a 'banking tax' that will take 1% of each deposit and 1% of every transaction out of a bank account.

 

Origins:   Some members of Congress have what might be termed "hobby horse" issues: concepts about which they introduce legislation in Congress after Congress, although their bills never come close to passing, or even clear committee to be put to votes in the first place. The hobby horse of Representative Chaka Fattah of Pennsylvania is the notion of eliminating all federal taxes on individuals and corporations and replacing them with a revenue-generating system based on transaction fees (a concept he originally called the "Transform America Transaction Fee" and now refers to as the "Debt Free America Act").

In 2004 Rep. Fattah presented a bill calling on Congress to fund a study regarding the replacement of the federal tax code with a transaction fee-based system (H.R. 3759), he introduced a similar bill in 2005 (H.R. 1601), again in 2007 (H.R. 2130), and again in 2009 (H.R. 1703). None of these bills was ever put to a vote, and only one of them had so much as a single co-sponsor.

In 2010, Rep. Fattah moved beyond proposing studies and submitted the Debt Free America Act (H.R. 4646), a bill calling for the implementation of a scheme to pay down the national debt and eliminate federal income tax on individuals by imposing a 1% fee on specified financial transactions:

One idea for raising taxes to pay down the debt is the bill introduced this February [2010] by Rep. Chaka Fattah (D-Pa.). His "Debt Free America Act" (H.R. 4646) would impose a 1 percent "transaction tax" on every financial transaction — whether paid by cash, credit card or any form of financial transfer, the only exception being transactions involving the purchase or sale of stock. Theoretically, everyone would pay one cent on the dollar for every such transaction in America every day — whether $3 million on a $300 million business acquisition, $300 on the purchase of a $30,000 car, or $5 on a $500 ATM withdrawal.

Specifically, the text of the bill states that:

The purpose of [the transaction fee] is to establish a fee on most transactions. Such [a] fee:

1. is different than a sales tax in that a sales tax is charged only on sales to the final consumer, [while] the transaction fee would apply to intermediate users as well as end users
2. is different than a value added tax (VAT), commonly used in European and other countries, in that a VAT is imposed only on a portion of a transaction's value (roughly the difference between an item's selling price and its cost), [while] the transaction fee would apply to the entire amount of the transaction
3. is intended to raise sufficient revenue to eliminate the national debt, which was $10.6 trillion in January 2009, during a period of 7 years, and to phase out the income tax on individuals.

[This bill would] impose on every specified transaction a fee in an amount equal to 1 percent of the amount of such transaction.


The term 'specified transaction' means any transaction that uses a payment instrument, including any check, cash, credit card, transfer of stock, bonds, or other financial instrument.


The term 'transaction' includes retail and wholesale sales, purchases of intermediate goods, and financial and intangible transactions.


Persons become liable for the fee at the moment the person exercises control over a piece of property or service, regardless of the payment method.

(The bill provides for individuals earning $125,000 or less to receive a credit equal to 1% of their income against the tax, and it gives the Treasury Department discretion to exempt certain transactions on which lower-income people disproportionately rely.)

Like Rep. Fattah's other Congressional efforts along these lines, his Debt Free America Act has no sponsors other than himself, has been languishing in committee ever since it was introduced, and has about as much chance of passing as a snowball does of surviving hell. Thus, although e-mailed warnings about a "1% transaction tax" do reference a real piece of proposed legislation, the amount of attention those warnings have garnered vastly, vastly outstrips any real possibility that such legislation will actually be enacted.

Moreover, some of the additional details contained with such e-mailed warnings are erroneous:

• Neither "President Obama's finance team" nor Nancy Pelosi is "recommending a 1% transaction tax." The proposal for the Debt Free America Act is purely the effort of a single congressman, with no outside support.
• Neither Representative Peter DeFazio of Oregon nor Senator Tom Harkin of Iowa introduced the Debt Free America Act, co-sponsored it, or has publicly supported it.
• The included link that supposedly shows Nancy Pelosi endorsing the Debt Free America Act antedates the introduction of that bill to Congress; her comments actually refer to a different, earlier transaction tax proposed in December 2009 by Rep. Peter DeFazio. That bill, known as the "Let Wall Street Pay for the Restoration of Main Street Act" (H.R. 4191), called for the funding of investment in middle class jobs by levying small percentage value taxes on the buying and selling of stocks, futures, swaps, options and other securities. (Although Rep. DeFazio's bill had 31 co-sponsors, it too has since languished in committee without being brought to a vote.)

Last updated:   7 October 2010

The URL for this page is http://www.snopes.com/politics/taxes/debtfree.asp

H.R. 4646:

Debt Free America Act

http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h111-4646

Congressional Research Service Summary

The following summary was written by the Congressional Research Service, a well-respected nonpartisan arm of the Library of Congress. GovTrack did not write and has no control over these summaries.

2/23/2010--Introduced.

Debt Free America Act - States as purposes of this Act the raising of sufficient revenue from a fee on transactions to eliminate the national debt within seven years and the phasing out of the individual income tax. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to impose a 1% fee, offset by a corresponding nonrefundable income tax credit, on transactions that use a payment instrument, including any check, cash, credit card, transfer of stock, bonds, or other financial instrument. Defines "transaction" to include retail and wholesale sales, purchases of intermediate goods, and financial and intangible transactions. Establishes in the legislative branch the Bipartisan Task Force for Responsible Fiscal Action to review the fiscal imbalance of the federal government and make recommendations to improve such imbalance. Provides for expedited consideration by Congress of Task Force recommendations. Repeals after 2017 the individual income tax, refundable and nonrefundable personal tax credits, and the alternative minimum tax (AMT) on individuals. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to: (1) prioritize the repayment of the national debt to protect the fiscal stability of the United States; and (2) study and report to Congress on the implementation of this Act.

Subject: FW: H. R. 4646   What do you think of this   True according to Snopes...

Check out www.snopes.com

 Subject: H. R. 4646

One percent transaction tax is proposed

President Obama's finance team is recommending a transaction tax. His plan is to sneak it in after the November election to keep it under the radar. This is a 1% tax on all transactions at any financial institution i. e. Banks, Credit Unions, etc.. Any deposit you make, or move around within your account, i. e. transfer to, will have a 1% tax charged. If your pay check or your social Security or whatever is direct deposit, 1% tax charged. If you hand carry a check in to deposit, 1% tax charged, If you take cash in to deposit, 1% tax charged. This is from the man who promised that if you make under $250,000 per year, you will not see one penny of new tax. Keep your eyes and ears open, you will be amazed at what you learn.
Some will say aw it's just 1%... remember once the tax is there they can raise it at will.

Just think, if you deposit $5,000.00 into your checking account or savings account the bank has to take out 1% or $50.00 of that money and send it to Washington . Then, any checks or cash you take out of your bank they will deductr savings account the bank has to take out 1% or $50.00 of that money and send it to Washington . Then, any checks or cash you take out of your bank they will deduct 1% from ......what is still in the bank and send it to Washington . Total YOU put in the Bank $5,000.00.   $100.00  ( 1% ) of that you give to Washington .

This bill, spells it out that everyone will pay the Government 1% of their gross income.Page 9 states the House and Senate shall convene not later than November 23, 2010 and Page 11 states the vote on passage shall occur not later than December 23, 2010.
SEND THIS TO EVERYONE YOU KNOW AND EVERYONE NEEDS TO CONTACT THEIR CONGRESSMAN AND SENATOR AND TELL THEM TO VOTE NO ON THIS BILL.

If you don't know who your Congressman or Senator is, go to Google, type in "(your state) Congressman email address". When it comes up, click on "Complete E-mail address for Congress/House, Senate, Governors and get both e-mail and FAX info.

The bill is HR-4646 introduced by US Rep Peter DeFazio D-Oregon and US Senator Tom Harkin D-Iowa. It is now in committee and will probably not be brought out until after the Nov. elections. Suggest that you pass this along and also to your state senator and representative and US Congressman and Senators.

http://www.standard.net/node/44797

OCCUPY WALL STREET & Follow the Money: Behind Europe's Debt Crisis Lurks Another Giant Bailout of Wall Street 5OKT11

THE OCCUPY WALL STREET movement is spreading across the nation, especially since the mass arrest on the Brooklyn Bridge in NYC on 1OKT11. Here is the policy statement from the http://www.october2011.org website. One course of action everyone can take is to move their money to smaller local and regional banks, financial institutions that are more likely to invest in the local economy and create jobs. Following the statement is a warning from Robert Reich on the real possibility of a second wall street bailout due to the European financial crisis, the kind of bailout the Occupy Wall Street movement is opposed to without a massive restructuring of the financial institutions and corporate America that own our government....

A Call to Action - Oct. 6, 2011 and onward
October 2011 is the 10th anniversary of the invasion of Afghanistan and the beginning of the 2012 federal austerity budget. It is time to light the spark that sets off a true democratic, nonviolent transition to a world in which people are freed to create just and sustainable solutions.
We call on people of conscience and courage—all who seek peace, economic justice, human rights and a healthy environment—to join together in Washington, D.C., beginning on Oct. 6, 2011, in nonviolent resistance similar to the Arab Spring and the Midwest awakening.
A concert, rally and protest will kick off a powerful and sustained nonviolent resistance to the corporate criminals that dominate our government.
Forty-seven years ago, Mario Savio, an activist student at Berkeley, said, "There's a time when the operation of the machine becomes so odious—makes you so sick at heart—that you can't take part. You can't even passively take part. And you've got to put your bodies upon the gears and upon the wheels, upon the levers, upon all the apparatus, and you've got to make it stop. And you've got to indicate to the people who run it, to the people who own it, that unless you're free, the machine will be prevented from working at all."
Those words have an even greater urgency today. We face ongoing wars and massive socio-economic and environmental destruction perpetrated by a corporate empire which is oppressing, occupying and exploiting the world. We are on a fast track to making the planet unlivable while the middle class and poor people of our country are undergoing the most wrenching and profound economic crisis in 80 years.
"Stop the Machine! • Create a New World!" is a clarion call for all who are deeply concerned with injustice, militarism and environmental destruction to join in ending concentrated corporate power and taking direct control of a real participatory democracy. We will encourage a culture of resistance—using music, art, theater and direct nonviolent action—to take control of our country and our lives. It is about courageously resisting and stopping the corporate state from destroying not only our inherent rights and freedoms, but also our children’s chance to live, breathe clean air, drink pure water, grow edible natural food and live in peace.
As Mother Jones said, "Someday the workers will take possession of your city hall, and when we do, no child will be sacrificed on the altar of profit!"
We are the ones who can create a new and just world. Our issues are connected. We are connected. Join us in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 6, 2011, to Stop the Machine.
***************************************************************************************
Take the pledge and sign up to attend here. Let America know you are coming to make history and a new world!
"I pledge that if any U.S. troops, contractors, or mercenaries remain in Afghanistan on Thursday, October 6, 2011, as that occupation goes into its 11th year, I will commit to being in Freedom Plaza in Washington, D.C., with others on that day with the intention of making it our Tahrir Square, Cairo, our Madison, Wisconsin, where we will NONVIOLENTLY resist the corporate machine to demand that our resources are invested in human needs and environmental protection instead of war and exploitation. We can do this together. We will be the beginning ."

Pledge

"I pledge that if any U.S. troops, contractors, or mercenaries remain in Afghanistan on Thursday, October 6, 2011, as that occupation goes into its 11th year, I will commit to being in Freedom Plaza in Washington, D.C., with others on that day or the days immediately following, for as long as I can, with the intention of making it our Tahrir Square, Cairo, our Madison, Wisconsin, where we will NONVIOLENTLY resist the corporate machine by occupying Freedom Plaza to demand that America's resources be invested in human needs and environmental protection instead of war and exploitation. We can do this together. We will be the beginning."

You do not have to sign up or log-in to Facebook in order to take the pledge or register with october2011.org.
The Facebook form is only a convenience for current Facebook users.

Follow the Money: Behind Europe's Debt Crisis Lurks Another Giant Bailout of Wall Street

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-reich/europe-debt-crisis_b_996528.html
Today Ben Bernanke added his voice to those who are worried about Europe's debt crisis.
But why exactly should America be so concerned? Yes, we export to Europe -- but those exports aren't going to dry up. And in any event, they're tiny compared to the size of the U.S. economy.
If you want the real reason, follow the money. A Greek (or Irish or Spanish or Italian or Portugese) default would have roughly the same effect on our financial system as the implosion of Lehman Brothers in 2008.
Financial chaos.
Investors are already getting the scent. Stocks slumped to 13-month low on Monday as investors dumped Wall Street bank shares.
The Street has lent only about $7 billion to Greece, as of the end of last year, according to the Bank for International Settlements. That's no big deal.
But a default by Greece or any other of Europe's debt-burdened nations could easily pummel German and French banks, which have lent Greece (and the other wobbly European countries) far more.
That's where Wall Street comes in. Big Wall Street banks have lent German and French banks a bundle.
The Street's total exposure to the euro zone totals about $2.7 trillion. Its exposure to to France and Germany accounts for nearly half the total.
And it's not just Wall Street's loans to German and French banks that are worrisome. Wall Street has also insured or bet on all sorts of derivatives emanating from Europe -- on energy, currency, interest rates, and foreign exchange swaps. If a German or French bank goes down, the ripple effects are incalculable.
Get it? Follow the money: If Greece goes down, investors start fleeing Ireland, Spain, Italy, and Portugal as well. All of this sends big French and German banks reeling. If one of these banks collapses, or show signs of major strain, Wall Street is in big trouble. Possibly even bigger trouble than it was in after Lehman Brothers went down.
That's why shares of the biggest U.S. banks have been falling for the past month. Morgan Stanley closed Monday at its lowest since December 2008 -- and the cost of insuring Morgan's debt has jumped to levels not seen since November 2008.
It's rumored that Morgan could lose as much as $30 billion if some French and German banks fail. (That's from Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council, which tracks all cross-border exposure of major banks.)
$30 billion is roughly $2 billion more than the assets Morgan owns (in terms of current market capitalization.)
But Morgan says its exposure to French banks is zero. Why the discrepancy? Morgan has probably taken out insurance against its loans to European banks, as well as collateral from them. So Morgan feels as if it's not exposed.
But does anyone remember something spelled AIG? That was the giant insurance firm that went bust when Wall Street began going under. Wall Street thought it had insured its bets with AIG. Turned out, AIG couldn't pay up.
Haven't we been here before?
Republicans and Wall Street executives who continue to yell about Dodd-Frank overkill are dead wrong. The fact no one seems to know Morgan's exposure to European banks or derivatives -- or that of most other giant Wall Street banks -- shows Dodd-Frank didn't go nearly far enough.
Regulators still don't know what's happening on the Street. They have no clear picture of the derivatives exposure of giant U.S. financial institutions.
Which is why Washington officials are terrified -- and why Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner keeps begging European officials to bail out Greece and the other deeply-indebted European nations.
Several months ago, when the European debt crisis first became apparent, Wall Street banks said not to worry. They had little or no exposure to Europe's problems. The Federal Reserve said the same. In July, Ben Bernanke reassured Congress the exposure of U.S. banks to European nations in trouble was "quite small."
Now we're hearing a different tune.
Make no mistake. The United States wants Europe to bail out its deeply indebted nations so they can repay what they owe big European banks. Otherwise, those banks could implode -- taking Wall Street with them.
One of the many ironies here is some badly-indebted European nations (Ireland is the best example) went deeply into debt in the first place bailing out their banks from the crisis that began on Wall Street.
Full circle.
In other words, Greece isn't the real problem. Nor is Ireland, Italy, Portugal, or Spain. The real problem is the financial system -- centered on Wall Street. And we still haven't solved it.
Robert Reich is the author of "http://www.amazon.com/Aftershock-Next-Economy-Americas-Future/dp/0307592812" target="_hplink">Aftershock: The Next Economy and America's Future, now in bookstores. This post originally appeared at RobertReich.org.

Class Action Lawsuit Filed in Brooklyn Bridge Mass Arrest 5OKT11

SHARE with anyone who may have been arrested during this protest on the Brooklyn Bridge on Saturday, 1OKT11.

		JusticeOnline.org Subscribe Class Action Lawsuit Filed in Brooklyn Bridge Mass Arrest Partnership for Civil Justice Fund Files Federal Constitutional Rights Class Action Dear Craig, Photo: Sophia Marsh Attorneys from the Partnership for Civil Justice Fund (PCJF) on Oct. 4 filed a class action lawsuit against Mayor Bloomberg, Police Commissioner Kelly and the City of New York, charging mass violations of constitutional rights in the trap and detain mass arrest of 700 demonstrators on the Brooklyn Bridge this past Saturday, October 1, 2011. The lawsuit charges that "the NYPD engaged in a premeditated, planned, scripted, and calculated effort to sweep the streets of protestors and disrupt a growing protest movement in New York." The class action lawsuit, Garcia v. Bloomberg, was filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, Case No: 11 CIV 6957. For more information on the lawsuit and the PCJF's work in defense of free speech rights, go to www.JusticeOnline.org. "Police commanders led and escorted demonstrators onto the roadway of the Brooklyn Bridge in an intentional entrapment," stated Mara Verheyden-Hilliard, Executive Director of the PCJF and counsel on the litigation. "The police conducted a charade - and duly videotaped it - of speaking inaudibly into a bullhorn that could not be heard mere feet away from the officer. The NYPD knew no audible communication was given. The NYPD also knew that the Constitution requires that any ostensible command must be heard by those who are expected to be bound by it. Instead, the NYPD engaged in a performance, videotaped it, and sprang their trap. They then set their PR machine into motion, widely distributing their edited videos of events to spin a false narrative to the public and the media," she continued. "This lawsuit is brought on behalf of all New Yorkers," stated Carl Messineo, Legal Director of the PCJF and counsel on the suit. "People from all walks of life came down to the Wall Street area on Saturday to participate in a peaceful demonstration and many others joined the spirited march along the way. They had no intention of being arrested nor could they have had knowledge that the NYPD was preparing to entrap hundreds of them on the Brooklyn Bridge in an effort to stifle dissent." "This lawsuit is being filed now to send a clear message to the NYPD that this movement had the right to march on October 1 and has the right to march on any day without fear," continued Carl Messineo. "People have the right to speak out against Wall Street greed and growing poverty without fear that the NYPD would seek to illegally arrest them and suppress their mass assembly protest." To read the complaint, click here. Read the media coverage of the Brooklyn Bridge mass arrest class action lawsuit: Huffington Post: Occupy Wall Street Mass Arrest Resembles Infamous, Costly Police Tactic, Critics Say New York Times: Citing Police Trap, Protesters File Suit Gawker: Lawsuit Filed Over Brooklyn Bridge Mass Arrest We can't do this work without your help. The Partnership for Civil Justice Fund (PCJF) is a not-for-profit legal and educational organization that defends the civil rights and civil liberties of grassroots movements seeking social and economic justice. The PCJF represents the 99 percent who need justice. Please make a generous donation. Spread the word
		If you were forwarded this email, click here to receive important Action Alerts from the PCJF. Click to view this message as HTML in your browser. Click to forward this message.

Time to Stop Giving Away Taxpayer-Funded Technology to China (S 1619 amendment) 5OKT11

THIS legislation is long overdue. American corporations feel not obligation, no responsibility to the nation and the taxpayers who have funded their growth and development. Now is the time to put a stop to their abuse of the corporate welfare system, if they are going to create jobs in the prc, India and other developing countries let those countries fund their R&D. If you agree contact your Senators and let them know you want them to support and pass this legislation (
Senator Webb’s legislation, offered as an amendment to the Currency Exchange Rate Oversight Reform Act (S.1619), is available here: http://www.scribd.com/doc/67481436/Senator-Webb-Amendment-to-S-1619

A copy of the letter from U.S. business leaders is available here: http://www.bsa.org/~/media/Files/Policy/China/ltr_cnprocurement.ashx ) here 
http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm 

This from Senator Webb D VA....

October 05, 2011	Stay Connected: http://webb.senate.gov/

Time to Stop Giving Away Taxpayer-Funded Technologies to China

This week, I introduced legislation to stop technologies developed with the support of U.S. taxpayers from being given away to China or other countries. Many American companies operating in China are required to transfer their intellectual property and proprietary technology to China as a prerequisite for doing business there.  Many of these technologies were developed using U.S. tax dollars through grants, loans, loan guarantees and other federal incentives in order to make America competitive and create American jobs.

If taxpayers supported the development of the technology, they own a piece of it and it can’t just be given away. Federal dollars that go toward R&D funding, loan guarantees, and public-private partnerships in order to help develop the next generation of technologies here are supposed to be making American businesses competitive and generate American jobs—not to help develop other industries, such as those in China.

In cases where technologies are developed with the support of the American taxpayer, my legislation prohibits companies from transferring the technology to countries that by law, practice, or policy require proprietary technology transfers as a matter of doing business. The transfer of publicly supported proprietary technologies by American firms to China -- and potentially other countries -- clearly and unequivocally places the competitive advantage of the American economy at risk.

Examples of China profiting from U.S. taxpayer-funded technologies:

    • General Electric has transferred valuable aviation avionics technology to state-owned Aviation Industry Corporation of China.  The U.S. government has long supported the aviation industry through procurement initiatives and federal research projects.  The fruits of U.S. taxpayer support will now be incorporated into Chinese commercial airliners, in line with Beijing’s desire to develop an internationally competitive aircraft industry that could rival U.S.-based Boeing.  (Source: The Washington Post)

    • Westinghouse Electric has transferred more than 75,000 documents to Chinese counterparts as the initial phase of a technology transfer agreement in exchange for a share in China’s growing nuclear market. These documents relate to the construction of four third-generation AP1000 reactors that Westinghouse is building in China.  U.S. taxpayers supported the development of the AP1000 as well its predecessor, the AP600, through decades of nuclear energy research and development at the Department of Energy (DOE).  Moreover, the DOE Nuclear Power 2010 program provided years of government support for the design and licensing of this reactor. (Source: The Financial Times)

    • Ford Motor Company is looking to share certain proprietary technologies for electric vehicles in exchange for selling cars in China.  The electric vehicle sector has enjoyed significant federal R&D funding, loan guarantees, and public-private partnerships funded by U.S. taxpayers.  In 2009, Ford Motor Co. received a $5.9 billion loan guarantee from the Department of Energy to advance its vehicle technology manufacturing program. (Source: The New York Times)

A U.S. Chamber of Commerce report warns that China’s “persistent” intellectual property theft is “compounded by the indigenous innovation industrial policies which compel technology transfers in order to have access to the China market.”

In a January 2010 letter to Obama Administration officials, the heads of 19 U.S. business and industry associations—including the Business Roundtable, the National Association of Manufacturers, and the Chamber of Commerce—wrote of “[s]ystematic efforts by China to develop policies that build their domestic enterprises at the expense of U.S. firms and U.S. intellectual property.”

Read the Richmond Times-Dispatch story on my legislation here.

Read the full details of my legislation here.
 

Tell the Super Committee - Don't ignore jobs 1OKT11

SIGN the petition to the congressional super committee to create jobs not cut them! Corporate America is lobbying the committee to protect corporate welfare and the tax breaks for the wealthy. The military-industrial complex is lobbying the committee to protect the American war machine. Have your say, tell the committee "Don't ignore jobs!".

Does this email look funny? View it online here Tell the Super Committee: Don't Ignore Jobs. Dear TrueMajority Member, Tell the Super Committee: Don't ignore jobs. My name is Jeff Merkley, and I am a U.S. Senator representing the great state of Oregon. I'm writing today because I need your help in turning our country around, to create jobs not cut them. We can't slash our way to economic growth -- vital programs that the American people support and rely on, like student loans, Medicare, scientific research, and Social Security should be protected. I believe - and I know that you believe - in another strategy: Creating jobs. When we create jobs, we put our economy back on track, and as families get back on their feet, our deficit will close. That's why I'm asking you to sign USAction's petition to the Super Committee to put jobs first as it deliberates on a budget package. This petition calls for two basic principles: 1. Independent review: The Super Committee's budget package should be given an independent review by the Congressional Budget Office to measure how many jobs it would create or eliminate. 2. Do no harm: The Super Committee should reject any budget package that would cost more jobs than it creates. By signing this petition, you make it clear that thousands of Americans are standing with us to insist that we create jobs, not cut them. Please sign the petition: http://act.truemajorityaction.org/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=260. Thank you again. Sincerely, Senator Jeff Merkley for USAction / TrueMajority  Support USAction USAction, 1825 K St. NW, Suite 210, Washington, DC 20006 PH: 202.263.4520 FAX: 202.263.4530 hello

Ivy League QB, Bills bond over blue-collar roots 27SEP11

COME on BILLS, make it 4-0!!!! 
Each Tuesday, NFL Network reporter Albert Breer will share his thoughts on topics around the NFL as teams transition from the previous Sunday's game to the next encounter on the schedule. Today, he begins with a look at a blue-collar worker from Harvard.
I've always thought the term "blue-collar work ethic" was a little silly. It implies those who labor in offices and boardrooms aren't capable of pulling long hours, grinding themselves to exhaustion, or have to go through adversity to succeed. That notion, of course, is ridiculous.
Exhibit A is now playing quarterback for the Bills.
Can you be blue-collar coming from Harvard, as Ryan Fitzpatrick does? If you follow the definition above, the answer has to be yes.
"That is a great question," Bills coach Chan Gailey said, laughing. "But if it's possible, he is. I would certainly put him in the blue-collar category. I don't know if Harvard can go in the blue-collar category. He is, though. He is blue-collar."
So, it seems, is Fitzpatrick's entire arsenal of skill position weapons. C.J. Spiller is the only one of the 12 backs, tight ends and receivers on the active roster who was drafted in the first three rounds. The lone fourth-rounder, tight end Scott Chandler (by San Diego in 2007), was claimed off waivers last December. Half the group was undrafted, including four of the five receivers on the list.
No, the quarterback didn't go to a place like Coe College (Fred Jackson) or even Youngstown State (Donald Jones). But Fitzpatrick's underdog roots, as a seventh-round pick from a place where football players become stock brokers and lawyers, make him a perfect fit for this ragtag bunch.
"That's definitely something we bond over, and I think it makes us appreciate the opportunity we've been given even a little bit more, because we're all so unheralded and had to work so hard to get where we are," Fitzpatrick told me. "All of that fits with this city, that blue-collar mentality. I enjoy playing with those guys so much. There's zero ego. That makes my job a lot easier. The guys that I work with, they're all in to win, they're not about individual statistics."
That's led to two more important stats -- 3-0 (the team's record) and 113 (the league-leading number of points the Bills have scored) -- which are impressive, no matter where you're from. And it answers the question, too. If you want to follow the definition of that well-worn colloquialism, blue-collar work ethic, then yes, a Harvard guy is capable of rolling up his sleeves and fitting the bill.
"I guess you can say that," Jackson said, laughing. "He epitomizes a blue-collar guy. I've never seen a guy work as hard as he has, to get to where he is now."
Fitzpatrick got a kick out of the idea, too. But he was sure to add, "You're from Harvard, they assume you're spoon-fed your whole life. I promise you, that wasn't my upbringing."
And that goes especially for the way he's made his bones in the NFL.

A Tea Party Darling’s Offer on Social Security from the New York Times & See Charles Koch Flip Flop on Social Security [VIDEO] 29SEP11

MORE typical gop / tea-bagger hypocrisy on Social Security (and health care). Goes right along with their idolatrous worship of ayn rand, another hypocritic

­al darling of the right wing who railed against Social Security and Medicare and the accepted them when she needed the help because her 'friends' turned their backs on her in her time of need....ju­st like what the repiglican tea-bagger­s are going to do (and is already starting to happen) to all those right wing lemmings who are working class and middle class but who choose to believe the lies and propaganda of paul ryan and rick perry and michele bachmann and ron paul and rand paul and that whole lot. Keep supporting these people with your votes America and you know what your going to get for Christmas 2012. BOHICA and a jar of vaseline..

Watch the video from Brave new foundation and then share with others.....

By KATE ZERNIKE

The writings of Friedrich Hayek, the 20th century free-market enthusiast and Nobel laureate, have long been a favorite of libertarians, who have used them to argue that government programs like Social Security and Medicare put the nation and its people on what Hayek called “The Road to Serfdom.”
With the advent of the anti-stimulus, anti-big government Tea Party movement, he has enjoyed fresh affection — protesters quote him on their signs at rallies, and Ron Paul reports that people no longer go blank when he mentions Hayek’s name. (For those needing a primer on the differences between Hayek and John Maynard Keynes, who is enjoying fresh antipathy among the ranks of Tea Party supporters, there is a useful rap video.)
But critics like to point out that Tea Party supporters and libertarians are perfectly happy enjoying big government when it works for them. And now it appears that Hayek himself was encouraged to enjoy the benefits of government retirement and health care programs — by one of the country’s most prominent libertarians, the billionaire industrialist Charles Koch.
According to a series of letters brought to light by The Nation , Mr. Koch wrote to Hayek in 1973 asking him to be a scholar in residence at the Institute for Humane Studies, a libertarian group founded by Mr. Koch. Hayek declined, saying that he recently had had surgery in Austria, which made him anxious about “the problems (and costs)” of falling ill far from home.
An associate of Mr. Koch’s wrote back to suggest that Hayek could take advantage of the generosity of Social Security if he came to this country (and noting that it would be prohibitive to secure him private health insurance here.) Mr. Koch followed up with another letter, enclosing a brochure on the benefits of Social Security, and noting that while in this country, Hayek (who had become eligible for government benefits because of his earlier employment at the University of Chicago) would also get free hospital care.
This was more than a decade after Hayek (who died in 1992) had written against Social Security in “The Constitution of Liberty,” calling such safety net programs the pathway to social and moral decay.
Mr. Koch went on to finance several institutions and organizations whose primary mission is to work against government spending and regulation. One, Americans for Prosperity, has given money to Tea Party groups, which surged in membership as they fought against legislation that would expand health care coverage to millions more Americans. (Americans for Prosperity sponsored a bus tour against the legislation.)
The Nation obtained the letters through the Hayek archives at the Hoover Institution at Stanford. “Nowhere,” the magazine notes, “do they worry that by opting into and taking advantage of Social Security programs they might be hastening a socialist takeover of America. It’s simply a given that Social Security and Medicare work, and therefore should be used.”

See Charles Koch Flip Flop on Social Security [VIDEO]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-greenwald/see-charles-koch-flip-flo_b_988111.html
Charles and David Koch built an distortion machine to do their dirty work for them. Through think tanks, academic research, political donations and conservative media, the Koch brothers have steamrolled Americans into believing things that are false and into supporting policies that benefit the Koch brothers' profits.
Social Security has long been among the brothers' favorite punching bags, but new reporting by the Nation shows Charles Koch praising, advocating -- practically begging an ultra-free market economist and mentor to participate and enjoy Social Security benefits.
That Charles Koch would promote and grow Social Security is at odds with his efforts and donations to politicians and think tanks to destroy Social Security, as our Koch Brothers Exposed campaign has proven.

Among the Koch 'experts' featured in the video is Jose Pinera. Many experts exposed by our film were working to dismantle Social Security from inside the Bush administration before being Koch-funded, but Pinera was working under the Kochs for many years. The Nation reports Pinera was a key player in the Koch-funded plan to dismantle Social Security and adds that Pinera's knowledge about public health systems stemmed from his time implementing Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet's privatization plans, which had the effect of robbing poor and middle class families.
In one letter cited by the Nation, Charles Koch's colleagues at another think tank, the Institute for Humane Studies, detail a loophole whereby the Austrian-born and ultra-laissez faire economist Friedrich Hayek could opt into Social Security. Soon after that letter was shipped off, Koch wrote a personal appeal extolling the benefits of Social Security to Hayek. He brought up Medicare too. Koch said the program would cover Hayek's medical needs even further.
He sends Hayek a Social Security brochure along with the note: "You may be interested in the information that we uncovered on the insurance and other benefits that would be available to you in this country... you are entitled to Social Security payments while living anywhere in the Free World."
The Koch brothers have donated $28.4 million to think thanks that aim to destroy a social safety net for middle class Americans, and Hayek pioneered that ideology in many ways. Through the Tea Party and Americans for Prosperity, the Koch brothers have found a new audience for Hayek's philosophy.
Not only could an Austrian-born crusader against social safety nets draw entitlements from American taxpayers, but according to Koch, Hayek could do so while residing (and paying taxes) in the U.S. or any nation on Earth. This is a dramatic leap of faith from Koch orthodoxy, where government and public service are problems that hamper the Koch brothers' $100 billion business.
As the Nation rightfully points out, when Texas Governor Rick Perry says Social Security is a "Ponzi scheme," that sentiment stems directly from the Kochs, who through their wealth have given Hayek a resurgence of popularity through the brothers' echo chamber and billion dollar distortion machine.
The Nation wonders why Charles Koch didn't offer some of his own money to treat Hayek's health issues. The reason is because the Koch brothers are selfish. Indeed the Koch brothers, and how they spend their wealth, is transforming selfishness into an American virtue.

Kinzua Bridge Reopens to the Public 8AUG11 & Tracks Across The Sky 9JUL09

THIS is way cool, I am glad the park and what is left of the bridge is open again. I have a lot of good memories of trips to the bridge with family & friends, especially in the Fall, it is just beautiful! Enjoy the video and visit Kinzua Bridge if you get the chance. And check out the story of the bridge from WPSU, the PBS station in State College, PA.

An engineering masterpiece, PA's Kinzua Viaduct stood 300 feet high as a symbol of ingenuity and determination. The bridge was built in 94 days in 1882 and was updated and preserved for over 100 years before its tragic destruction by a tornado in 2003.

HERE are some pics from when I was there 24AUG12