Last edited Wed Jun 26, 2013, 04:10 PM - Edit history (10)
The ONLY area in which we are seeing real positive change is the social issues that the One Percent could not care less about. That is by design, to keep the country focused on Red Versus Blue and fighting each other instead of the ones who are systematically building a corporate authoritarian state and dismantling our Constitutional protections in the process. Let's look at the ACTUAL policies and what is ACTUALLY on the horizon.
In EVERY SINGLE POLICY AREA IMPORTANT TO THE ONE PERCENT, we are under assault, and our lives and those of our children are being sold for the profit of the Plutonomy. Yes, under a Democratic administration.
In education, we have Arne and Race to the Top and high stakes testing and corporatization and privatization and massive public school closings.
In the area of the environment, we are expected to applaud pretty speeches on climate change and a few solar panels on the White House, while the administration concurrently signals plans to move ahead with the disastrous Keystone Pipeline. We get more drilling and fracking, regulations on businesses have been gutted, and the Gulf of Mexico is being sold.
In economic policy, President Obama now openly welcomes corporate thief Penny Pritzker into the administration, to join a defender of torture and surveillance, a Monsanto shill, and a Justice Dept head who fights for warrantless surveillance, strip searches, assaults on medical marijuana clinics, and targeting of whistleblowers, while letting criminal bankers off the hook.
What is on the horizon for economic policy, in this country which has allowed criminal bankers to gut and suck dry the middle class? Why, austerity budgets, of course! The Bush/Obama tax cuts have now largely been made permanent, and our President looks forward to a new GRAND BARGAIN with trillions in austerity for our cities, where infrastructure is already crumbling....and devastating cuts in services across the board for the American people. And the cherry on the assault is his unconscionable call for cuts in the fundamental safety net of Social Security. And this "universal health care" you speak of? It's a Heritage Foundation mandate to purchase from the bloodsucking, for-profit health insurance industry. A mandate for millions of Americans to purchase bronze level, outrageously expensive insurance plans that they still cannot afford to use and that will still land them in medical bankruptcy.
Our Democratic Administration has overseen the militarization of our police departments, grants to proliferate drones in US skies, and a spying infrastructure whose capabilities dwarf that of any previous totalitarian state. It is waging a war on whistleblowers in government and exposure of government abuse by the free press by criminalizing behaviors that define investigative journalism. Those who protest peacefully can now expect to be surveilled and labeled as potential terrorists. And the President has overturned the protections of the Magna Carta and claimed the right to indefinitely detain or even kill those suspected of terrorism, in the absence of any transparent due process. First Amendment. Fourth Amendment. Our Constitution is being sold and dismantled for profit.
The Military Industrial Complex metastasizes. War drums are beating in Syria, and the Project for the New American Century continues apace, with the US starting proxy drone wars all over the Middle East in countries where we are not "technically" at war, slaughtering civilians, double-tapping first responders. And now we have a growing cyberwar industrial complex too....and a war with Iran waiting in the wings. Guantanamo stands as a monument to war crimes as the US government tortures detainees with forced feeding.
This administration is aggressively growing private prisons in this country and promising those who profit from the imprisonment of human beings that fill rates will increase and grow stock portfolios. And those corporate profiteers can depend on the drug wars to ensure those prisons are kept full. The Justice Department is targeting marijuana clinics, while serial criminal bankers and thieves who have driven millions into poverty are protected and continue their crimes, thumbing their noses at the American people. Financial regulations are being gutted and corporate power further increased, under a Democratic administration.
The gap between rich and poor is *escalating* rather than decreasing. One out of four American children lives in poverty now, a rate on a par with Romania. *At least three out of four of us* live precariously from paycheck to paycheck. Wages are being held at pre-1980 levels, the new touted "jobs" are still below pre-recession levels and increasingly include jobs without benefits. And the devastating real numbers show that the "recovery" reflects growth of wealth in the top one percent *and not anywhere else.* ALL...yes, ALL new gains continue to be funneled to the top one percent.
And what is on the horizon? Besides the promised austerity for millions of Americans who have already been pillaged out of the middle class? The Trans-Pacific Free Trade Assault, which will give corporations powers previously reserved for sovereign nations, kill countless jobs in this country, and further despicably lower the standard of living of Americans who are already, by the millions, becoming desperate and impoverished.
No, we are not on the right track. Not at all. Not by any sane measure. We are being actively shoved into corporate serfdom by the One Percent who have purchased our government to help them run this country like their own personal profit farm. What we are experiencing is nothing less than the careful construction of a corporate authoritarian state. Those who now own the halls of our government have purchased mosf of the media in this country and are now aggressively moving to clamp down on what remains of our free press.
And what are they building to take its place? A despicable, omnipresent, relentless corporate propaganda machine. Because that is what authoritarian states have instead of a free press. We see it operative now in our mainstream media and across the internet, including here at DU, to tell us that everything is just fine...that the assaults on all of us that we see and experience every single day are not really happening. And to encourage us to "discuss" with sensible corporatists the ASSAULTS on our fundamental constitutional rights and protections.
Propaganda is how corporate-authoritarian governments roll. War is Peace. Freedom is Slavery. Ignorance is Strength.
And the chocolate ration is being increased all around us, everywhere. 
Incomes Flat in Recovery, but Not for the 1%
http://www.democraticunderground.com/1014400736
Top 1% get 121% of income gains since 2009 (100% of new income + 21% from your old income)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022384139
U.S. corporate profits stronger than ever, workers' wages fallen to lowest-ever share of GDP (CNN)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10021922334
U.S. Income Inequality Now Worse Than Many Latin American Countries
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022268073
Ranks of working poor increasing
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022200197
Inequality Rages as Dwindling Wages Lock Millions in Poverty
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022198286
The Middle Class In America Is Being Wiped Out – Here Are 60 Facts That Prove It
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022144851
Child poverty rates increase unabated
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022268450
40 Percent of Americans Now Make Less than 1968 Minimum Wage
http://www.democraticunderground.com/111631016
Corporate Profits Have Grown By 171 Percent Under ‘Anti-Business’ Obama
http://www.democraticunderground.com/1014372334
US poverty on track to reach 46-year high; suburbs, underemployed workers, children hit hard
http://www.democraticunderground.com/1002998131
Poverty, hunger among retirees increasing
http://www.democraticunderground.com/1002748342
The Economy is "Recovering" By Creating More Low-Wage Jobs... Increasingly Filled By Graduates
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022602162
"Recovery" in US is lifting profits, but not adding jobs
http://www.democraticunderground.com/1014414149
Obama to use pension funds of ordinary Americans to pay for bank mortgage settlements
http://www.democraticunderground.com/1002205218
What Recovery? Across America, People in Distressed Cities and Small Towns Face Economic Catastrophe
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022545596
Real wages decline; literally no one notices
http://www.democraticunderground.com/11172387
Wall Street Soars with Wealth as Wages Stagnate, Jobs Remain in a Slump
http://www.democraticunderground.com/12526154
Wages for bottom 90% declined 1.2% during 2009-2011 recovery, top 1% income grew 8.2%
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022271466
Three Minimum Wage Jobs Needed To Afford Two-Bedroom Apartment
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022578738
Wages have fallen to a record low as a share of America’s gross domestic product.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022183930
The Real Numbers: Half of America in Poverty -- and It's Creeping toward 75%
http://www.democraticunderground.com/1002290698
Chilling Legal Memo From Obama DOJ Justifies Assassination of US Citizens
http://www.democraticunderground.com/101654954
Obama seeks longer PATRIOT Act extension than Republicans (December 2013)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x380450
When it comes to civil liberties, apparently Democrats are just as bad as Republicans.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022101960
NSA's Massive New Spy Center to Track Your Emails, Internet Activity, and Phone Calls
http://www.democraticunderground.com/101620852
Obama Quietly Signs Abusive Spy Bill He Once Vowed to Eliminate
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022104861
Obama repeals Magna Carta, asserting powers our forefathers denied to Kings
http://www.democraticunderground.com/101655620
Obama's Memo on Killing Americans Twists 'Imminent Threat' Like Bush
http://www.democraticunderground.com/101654919
Obama no better than Bush when it comes to security vs. civil liberties.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022355307
Obama Admin Seeks Permission TO LIE In Response To FOI Requests - Even To The COURTS
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x2185303
NDAA on trial: Obama Administration fights ban on indefinite detention of Americans
http://www.democraticunderground.com/101748688
Obama administration complicit with private prison industry: President Obama's IncarcerNation
http://www.nationofchange.org/president-obama-s-incarcernation-1335274655
Obama, Democrats Push to Make Bush Spying Laws Permanent
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022084702
NDAA, signed by Obama, is a direct attack against legitimate protest and dissent
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022064803
NSA Whistleblower: All Americans under constant surveillance, all info. stored, no matter the post
http://www.democraticunderground.com/1002193487; http://www.democraticunderground.com/10021935289
Bipartisan Congress Disgracefully Approves the FISA Warrantless Spying Bill for Five More Years
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022087323
While Public & Media Focused on 2nd Amendment, 5th Amendment Quietly Dismantled
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022390581
How the Obama administration justifies extrajudicial killing of Americans,
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022318187
Judge Says Under Law Executive Branch Can Commit Acts That Sure Do Seem Unconstitutional
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022122464
Obama Justice Dept. says wiretap lawsuit should not proceed
http://www.democraticunderground.com/1014337039
NDAA Lawsuit- Hedges v. Obama, The Last Thin Line of Defense
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022357078
Federal authorities step up efforts to license surveillance drones for law enforcement
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022383596
Big Banks and FBI worked together vs Occupy
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022095056]
FBI Investigated 'Occupy' As Possible 'Domestic Terrorism' Threat, Internal Documents Show
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022061578
FBI Documents Reveal Secret Nationwide Occupy Monitoring (Updated the OP)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022057064
Public Buses Across Country Quietly Adding Microphones to Record Passenger Conversations
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10021965291
Street artist behind satirical NYPD 'Drone' posters arrested
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10021920967
The Obama DOJ urged the Supreme Court's endorsement of strip searches.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/1002521527
Obama Administration Fights to Allow Warrantless GPS Tracking
http://sync.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x1074474
Anonymous to FBI: hey, dudes, maybe you could take a break from...investigating activists....
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022145621
Half a billion dollars for drones to spy on Americans
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10021876414
From Bradley Manning to Aaron Swartz -- The Government's Inhumane Persecution of Brave Truth Tellers
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022276941
The sight of Army helicopters and the sound of gunfire...on Houston's south side
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022276742
Kiriakou and Stuxnet: the danger of the still-escalating Obama whistleblower war
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022275570
Can the DEA Hide a Surveillance Camera on Your Property?
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022237059
Social Media and the Stasi
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10021888029
Homeland Security Wants to More Than Double Its Predator Drone Fleet Inside the US, Despite Safety/Privacy Invasions
http://www.democraticunderground.com/1014312823
CIA Behind Bizarre Censorship Incident At Alleged 9/11 Plotters’ Gitmo Trial
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022280285
“I Am Wearing My Conviction As A Badge Of Honor.”
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022275128
Meet the Contractors Turning America's Police Into a Paramilitary Force
http://www.democraticunderground.com/12525281
How Secrecy Corrodes Democracy
http://election.democraticunderground.com/101655009
Obama Quietly Issues Ruling Saying It's Legal For The FBI To Break The Law
http://election.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x7545687
US Pulls Plug on Iran Cable News (Press TV)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/1014394770
DHS Watchdog OKs 'Suspicionless' Seizure of Electronic Devices Along Border
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022339091
And this list does not yet even include the devastating confirmations and revelations of this month.
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