Amazon BLOCKED From Filming Union Voting
3 years ago
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Steve Forbes, "How Capitalism Will Save Us"
book recommended to me
alas, more fiction than nonfiction
free markets are not so free and it is a myth they are efficient and self governing
on some things, capatilism is not the most efficient system
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Occupy movement will grow in 2012 1/2
interesting take from Iran on American economy
I believe Occupy folks will grow in number this year as well. In fact, trying to make sure that happens in St. Louis as a matter of fact.
Soar 11-3 (retired steelworkers in St. Louis) has endorsed occupy St. Louis some months ago.
Santa's Workshop - Inside China's Slave Labour Toy Factories
no doubt labor and worker outrages in China.
We have more than our share in America
Outrages or not, China and India might I add have brought about a billion of their citizens or better some better economic times. can we say that in America or Europe?
Sunday, December 25, 2011
occupy christmas ditty
Arrest ye merry bankermen
All profiting today
You crashed the whole economy
Yet nothing did you pay …
still looking for others
All profiting today
You crashed the whole economy
Yet nothing did you pay …
still looking for others
How The West Went Bust - Part 1
excellent doc
urge folks to watch this. many of the topics discussed at soar meeting and indeed Jan, 12 will be discussed.
happy holidays
Saturday, December 24, 2011
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
12-21-11 1a - Tax Cut Showdown - Countdown with Keith Olbermann
more insanity from teabaggers in congress
Newt Gingrich and Nancy Pelosi - We Can Solve It
never thought I might find an issue with Newt I agree
Revisionist History: If Bush Ruled The South...
comment on weapons of mass destruction
Iraq war bullshit revisionism is going on now. alas, very sad
Senators Paid By Hedge Fund Managers For Early Information
sorry for ad
alas, no hedge fund folks paying me off.
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Monday, December 19, 2011
Saturday, December 17, 2011
politaco medicare Wyden plan article
Ryan, Wyden back new Medicare plan
By: Jennifer Haberkorn
December 14, 2011 05:48 PM EST
Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden and House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan on Thursday plan to introduce a new Medicare reform plan that would allow seniors to choose between traditional Medicare and new private insurance programs.
The plan has some key differences from the Ryan blueprint that Republicans had rallied around earlier this year — and which Democrats had been united in pummelling in Congress and on the campaign trail as the beginning of the end of Medicare.
The biggest difference is that seniors would have a choice between staying in traditional Medicare, or opting into new private plan alternatives, the two lawmakers said in an interview with POLITICO.
Wyden is the first Democrat on Capitol Hill to so strongly embrace a variant of Ryan’s approach. And Ryan has accepted more flexibility than the Medicare approach in the House budget.
Wyden insists the plan would be designed in ways that would preserve the safety net for the elderly.
“I will never do anything to shred that or weaken it or harm [Medicare] in any way,” the Oregon Democrat said. “I simply believe that there is now an opportunity for progressives and conservatives to come together and to strengthen the program for the long term and particularly, deal with the costs and demographic challenges.”
The Ryan budget plan would have moved seniors in the future into private health plans, with government subsidies known as premium support or — to his critics, vouchers.
Ryan and Wyden plan to release a white paper with more details Thursday at an event sponsored by the Bipartisan Policy Center.
The plan has the potential to be a political firecracker, but its most significant change — keeping traditional Medicare as an option — eliminates the greatest political assault lobbed at Ryan’s plan: that it would “end Medicare.”
The Wyden-Ryan plan has other significant differences from Ryan’s original proposal: It institutes a series of consumer protections for seniors, it installs a cap on total Medicare spending and changes the way premium support is calculated.
Ryan said he’s concerned that if genuine changes to Medicare don’t take place soon, there won’t be enough of a financial cushion to gradually institute a new plan while allowing seniors to remain in the system they know now.
“If you wait and allow the political paralysis to stop us from fixing and saving this program, then you’re not going to be able to grandfather people,” Ryan said. “Then you’re going to have severe disruptions in seniors’ lives that would just be, I think, morally wrong because we see this problem coming. What Ron and I are trying to do is prepare the ground for a consensus to be accomplished as soon as the politics allow it to happen.”
Just like in Ryan’s House budget, seniors would get premium support — a government subsidy that’s also been dubbed a “voucher” — to help buy coverage, whether in the private market or through Medicare.
Beginning in 2022, they’d buy coverage through a Medicare “exchange.”
Insurers would be able to sell coverage if they meet federal requirements designed to protect consumers. They would have to meet actuarial requirements, sell a program at least as comprehensive as traditional Medicare and agree to offer insurance to all seniors, regardless of age or health status — to prevent insurers from cherry picking the healthy and cheaper clients.
In some ways, the exchange approach and the regulations are similar to the new state-based insurance markets creating by the health reform law for the under 65 population starting in 2014.
Under the Ryan-Wyden approach, the senior would have to pay the difference between the sticker price and the premium support or subsidy, although low-income people would get more help.
The House budget version tied the premium support to the Consumer Price Index. In this plan, it would be tied to the second-least expensive private plan or Medicare, whichever is lower.
Ryan predicts the market would look like the Federal Employees Health Benefits Plan, one that insurers want to participate in because of its predictability, stability and large pool.
Wyden and Ryan argue that the consumers’ choices will drive insurers and Medicare to be more efficient and price conscious, which would drive down all Medicare spending. If not, they would require Congress to act if Medicare spending growth exceeded the Gross Domestic Product plus 1 percent.
The cap is a new feature that is designed to ensure that Medicare spending would be kept under control.
It a somewhat similar concept to the health reform law’s Independent Payment Advisory Board, which requires action when Medicare spending hits a certain level. Republicans strongly oppose IPAB.
While IPAB would have a 15-person board decide what to cut when the spending triggers are hit, the Wyden-Ryan plan requires Congress to intervene and choose what to cut, such as provider reimbursements, overhead or means-tested premiums. They’re still discussing if and how it would be enforced.
“Rather than have a group of 15 people impose price controls to live within a cap, we’re giving the power to senior citizens through choice and competition to let the market make those decisions with them,” Ryan said in the joint interview.
The plan also would allow businesses with 100 or fewer employees to offer their employees under 65 the option of buying coverage on the free market instead of at work — with the employer contributing the same amount they would have paid for employer-sponsored insurance. This is similar to the “free choice” vouchers Wyden has favored.
At first blush, Wyden and Ryan may look like an unlikely duo to team up on a Medicare reform plan. But they share an interest in policy over politics and both have worked on health policy issues and bipartisan bills.
On health care especially, Wyden has shown that he’s willing to work outside of what his party supports. During the health reform discussions in 2009, he supported eliminating the employer sponsored tax benefits on a bill co-sponsored by former Sen. Bob Bennett (R-Utah).
After the reform law passed, he introduced a bill that would allow states to implement their own reforms more quickly than the law would let them, as long as they covered as many people.
President Barack Obama publicly endorsed that state flexibility but Majority Leader Harry Reid hasn’t put the bill on the floor.
Ryan has a record of bipartisanship, too. He and Alice Rivlin, who led the budget office for former President Bill Clinton, released a Medicare reform plan, too, although the version that Ryan led through the House went farther than Rivlin could accept.
Wyden’s move is unlikely to go over well with Democratic leadership. Politically, Democrats feel that Ryan’s plan gave them the upper hand on the Medicare message ahead of a pivotal election year.
Both Ryan and Wyden acknowledge that any Medicare reform proposals can be quickly turned into a political weapon by the other side. But they hope that by releasing a detailed plan without legislative text — and the worry about having to decide whether to vote for it or not — can help foster serious discussion.
“People don’t have to descend on their congressperson [and say,] ‘Don’t vote two weeks from today for such and such,’” Wyden said. “This is a chance to get beyond the discussion that’s been held.”
This article first appeared on POLITICO Pro at 5:11 p.m. on December 14, 2011.
© 2011 POLITICO LLC
---------------
privatizing medicare is bad idea and one soar and others will oppose.
were is the minds of the democrats. soar 11-3 is on record it will not support any canidate that wishes to prizatize social security or medicare. it is a vow we intend to keep
By: Jennifer Haberkorn
December 14, 2011 05:48 PM EST
Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden and House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan on Thursday plan to introduce a new Medicare reform plan that would allow seniors to choose between traditional Medicare and new private insurance programs.
The plan has some key differences from the Ryan blueprint that Republicans had rallied around earlier this year — and which Democrats had been united in pummelling in Congress and on the campaign trail as the beginning of the end of Medicare.
The biggest difference is that seniors would have a choice between staying in traditional Medicare, or opting into new private plan alternatives, the two lawmakers said in an interview with POLITICO.
Wyden is the first Democrat on Capitol Hill to so strongly embrace a variant of Ryan’s approach. And Ryan has accepted more flexibility than the Medicare approach in the House budget.
Wyden insists the plan would be designed in ways that would preserve the safety net for the elderly.
“I will never do anything to shred that or weaken it or harm [Medicare] in any way,” the Oregon Democrat said. “I simply believe that there is now an opportunity for progressives and conservatives to come together and to strengthen the program for the long term and particularly, deal with the costs and demographic challenges.”
The Ryan budget plan would have moved seniors in the future into private health plans, with government subsidies known as premium support or — to his critics, vouchers.
Ryan and Wyden plan to release a white paper with more details Thursday at an event sponsored by the Bipartisan Policy Center.
The plan has the potential to be a political firecracker, but its most significant change — keeping traditional Medicare as an option — eliminates the greatest political assault lobbed at Ryan’s plan: that it would “end Medicare.”
The Wyden-Ryan plan has other significant differences from Ryan’s original proposal: It institutes a series of consumer protections for seniors, it installs a cap on total Medicare spending and changes the way premium support is calculated.
Ryan said he’s concerned that if genuine changes to Medicare don’t take place soon, there won’t be enough of a financial cushion to gradually institute a new plan while allowing seniors to remain in the system they know now.
“If you wait and allow the political paralysis to stop us from fixing and saving this program, then you’re not going to be able to grandfather people,” Ryan said. “Then you’re going to have severe disruptions in seniors’ lives that would just be, I think, morally wrong because we see this problem coming. What Ron and I are trying to do is prepare the ground for a consensus to be accomplished as soon as the politics allow it to happen.”
Just like in Ryan’s House budget, seniors would get premium support — a government subsidy that’s also been dubbed a “voucher” — to help buy coverage, whether in the private market or through Medicare.
Beginning in 2022, they’d buy coverage through a Medicare “exchange.”
Insurers would be able to sell coverage if they meet federal requirements designed to protect consumers. They would have to meet actuarial requirements, sell a program at least as comprehensive as traditional Medicare and agree to offer insurance to all seniors, regardless of age or health status — to prevent insurers from cherry picking the healthy and cheaper clients.
In some ways, the exchange approach and the regulations are similar to the new state-based insurance markets creating by the health reform law for the under 65 population starting in 2014.
Under the Ryan-Wyden approach, the senior would have to pay the difference between the sticker price and the premium support or subsidy, although low-income people would get more help.
The House budget version tied the premium support to the Consumer Price Index. In this plan, it would be tied to the second-least expensive private plan or Medicare, whichever is lower.
Ryan predicts the market would look like the Federal Employees Health Benefits Plan, one that insurers want to participate in because of its predictability, stability and large pool.
Wyden and Ryan argue that the consumers’ choices will drive insurers and Medicare to be more efficient and price conscious, which would drive down all Medicare spending. If not, they would require Congress to act if Medicare spending growth exceeded the Gross Domestic Product plus 1 percent.
The cap is a new feature that is designed to ensure that Medicare spending would be kept under control.
It a somewhat similar concept to the health reform law’s Independent Payment Advisory Board, which requires action when Medicare spending hits a certain level. Republicans strongly oppose IPAB.
While IPAB would have a 15-person board decide what to cut when the spending triggers are hit, the Wyden-Ryan plan requires Congress to intervene and choose what to cut, such as provider reimbursements, overhead or means-tested premiums. They’re still discussing if and how it would be enforced.
“Rather than have a group of 15 people impose price controls to live within a cap, we’re giving the power to senior citizens through choice and competition to let the market make those decisions with them,” Ryan said in the joint interview.
The plan also would allow businesses with 100 or fewer employees to offer their employees under 65 the option of buying coverage on the free market instead of at work — with the employer contributing the same amount they would have paid for employer-sponsored insurance. This is similar to the “free choice” vouchers Wyden has favored.
At first blush, Wyden and Ryan may look like an unlikely duo to team up on a Medicare reform plan. But they share an interest in policy over politics and both have worked on health policy issues and bipartisan bills.
On health care especially, Wyden has shown that he’s willing to work outside of what his party supports. During the health reform discussions in 2009, he supported eliminating the employer sponsored tax benefits on a bill co-sponsored by former Sen. Bob Bennett (R-Utah).
After the reform law passed, he introduced a bill that would allow states to implement their own reforms more quickly than the law would let them, as long as they covered as many people.
President Barack Obama publicly endorsed that state flexibility but Majority Leader Harry Reid hasn’t put the bill on the floor.
Ryan has a record of bipartisanship, too. He and Alice Rivlin, who led the budget office for former President Bill Clinton, released a Medicare reform plan, too, although the version that Ryan led through the House went farther than Rivlin could accept.
Wyden’s move is unlikely to go over well with Democratic leadership. Politically, Democrats feel that Ryan’s plan gave them the upper hand on the Medicare message ahead of a pivotal election year.
Both Ryan and Wyden acknowledge that any Medicare reform proposals can be quickly turned into a political weapon by the other side. But they hope that by releasing a detailed plan without legislative text — and the worry about having to decide whether to vote for it or not — can help foster serious discussion.
“People don’t have to descend on their congressperson [and say,] ‘Don’t vote two weeks from today for such and such,’” Wyden said. “This is a chance to get beyond the discussion that’s been held.”
This article first appeared on POLITICO Pro at 5:11 p.m. on December 14, 2011.
© 2011 POLITICO LLC
---------------
privatizing medicare is bad idea and one soar and others will oppose.
were is the minds of the democrats. soar 11-3 is on record it will not support any canidate that wishes to prizatize social security or medicare. it is a vow we intend to keep
Friday, December 16, 2011
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Repower America - Brian Wahby from St. Louis, MO
sharp guy
some of the guys off tonight to dem party meeting. this is the host and will meet you there
12-14-11 2 - All-American Response, with Chris Murphy - Countdown with K...
I will ask lads and lasses at next soar meeting to do no buying from Lowe's for this type stuff.
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
ABC World News with Diane Sawyer: Chesapeake Bay Candle - Made in America
older one and one hopefully spreading
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Extending Payroll Tax Cut Threatens Social Security ‘As We Know It,’ Trustee Warns | CNSnews.com
Extending Payroll Tax Cut Threatens Social Security ‘As We Know It,’ Trustee Warns | CNSnews.com
click link above
I do not agree 100%, but something to think about
click link above
I do not agree 100%, but something to think about
Monday, December 12, 2011
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Saturday, December 10, 2011
Friday, December 9, 2011
2012 GOP Primary Debate Highlights! Newt Gingrich for President! Newt d...
a little treat from right wing
Thursday, December 8, 2011
OccupySTL demonstration
When
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Time
12:00pm until 7:00pm
Where
Freedom Square (7th and Market)
Description
Join Occupy Saint Louis for our BIGGEST Rally and March yet on December 17th (#D17)!
#D17 is the next massive GLOBAL day of action uniting individuals around the world to stand up against corruption and greed! Where will you be on December 17th?
A more specific overview of local action(s) and time(s) will be provided as they are agreed upon via consensus at the Occupy Saint Louis General Assembly. Stay Tuned and Share!
----------
December17th marks the anniversary of many historic events:
- 3 months since the beginning of the Occupy movement! Join us to celebrate all of the successes of the movement and to show solidarity for the future!
- The one-year anniversary of the death of Mohamed Bouazizi, the Tunisian man whose
self-immolation initiated the first of protests which became the Tunisian Revolution, and eventually cascaded into the Arab Spring.
- 24 years since the birth of Bradley Manning, the army private accused of leaking classified information to Wikileaks. Manning's first hearing is scheduled for Dec 16, 586 days after his arrest, where he will face a military panel who will decide if he will go to trial.
----------
RECAP:
On November 17th (#N17) Occupy Saint Louis united with various unions, community groups and citizens for a 700+ person march and action for jobs. The march headed to the MLK bridge to urge Congress to invest in good jobs by putting Americans to work rebuilding our physical and social infrastructure.
-------
try to make it folks from soar and labor
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Time
12:00pm until 7:00pm
Where
Freedom Square (7th and Market)
Description
Join Occupy Saint Louis for our BIGGEST Rally and March yet on December 17th (#D17)!
#D17 is the next massive GLOBAL day of action uniting individuals around the world to stand up against corruption and greed! Where will you be on December 17th?
A more specific overview of local action(s) and time(s) will be provided as they are agreed upon via consensus at the Occupy Saint Louis General Assembly. Stay Tuned and Share!
----------
December17th marks the anniversary of many historic events:
- 3 months since the beginning of the Occupy movement! Join us to celebrate all of the successes of the movement and to show solidarity for the future!
- The one-year anniversary of the death of Mohamed Bouazizi, the Tunisian man whose
self-immolation initiated the first of protests which became the Tunisian Revolution, and eventually cascaded into the Arab Spring.
- 24 years since the birth of Bradley Manning, the army private accused of leaking classified information to Wikileaks. Manning's first hearing is scheduled for Dec 16, 586 days after his arrest, where he will face a military panel who will decide if he will go to trial.
----------
RECAP:
On November 17th (#N17) Occupy Saint Louis united with various unions, community groups and citizens for a 700+ person march and action for jobs. The march headed to the MLK bridge to urge Congress to invest in good jobs by putting Americans to work rebuilding our physical and social infrastructure.
-------
try to make it folks from soar and labor
chinese paint==onion news
Chinese Paint Tops List Of This Year's Must-Have Holiday Gifts
request from one of the folks. kinda funny
satire and sorry for ads
kc occupy gem
Watch live video from OccupyKC on www.justin.tv
looks like teabagger congressfolks have no use for occupy constitutants
sorry for slow load and ads
looks like teabagger congressfolks have no use for occupy constitutants
sorry for slow load and ads
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
GOP Empire's Plan to Crush Tea Party Rebels - Politics - The Atlantic Wire
GOP Empire's Plan to Crush Tea Party Rebels - Politics - The Atlantic Wire
click link above
from article
Elspeth Reeve Oct 12, 2011
The Republican establishment is no longer terrified of the Tea Party, The New York Times' Matt Bai reports. It's now figured out how to absorb them like a slow-moving but powerful star that's swelling into a red giant. How to take these political hooligans over? There are a couple steps.
Step 1: The first rule of the establishment is: Do not admit you are part of the establishment! Bai talked to Fred Malek, a longtime Republican fundraiser who now raises money for the Republican Governors Association. He has photos of himself with various presidents on his wall.
Step 4: Teach them about compromise. Vin Weber, who was elected to Congress in 1980, was "part of a group of rebellious young conservatives who rose up against their affable minority leader, Bob Michel," Bai explains. Weber was "the Bachmann of his day," Bai says, and Weber tepidly agrees. But he's trying to teach them what he learned about Washington since he first arrived 30 years ago.
click link above
from article
Elspeth Reeve Oct 12, 2011
The Republican establishment is no longer terrified of the Tea Party, The New York Times' Matt Bai reports. It's now figured out how to absorb them like a slow-moving but powerful star that's swelling into a red giant. How to take these political hooligans over? There are a couple steps.
Step 1: The first rule of the establishment is: Do not admit you are part of the establishment! Bai talked to Fred Malek, a longtime Republican fundraiser who now raises money for the Republican Governors Association. He has photos of himself with various presidents on his wall.
Step 4: Teach them about compromise. Vin Weber, who was elected to Congress in 1980, was "part of a group of rebellious young conservatives who rose up against their affable minority leader, Bob Michel," Bai explains. Weber was "the Bachmann of his day," Bai says, and Weber tepidly agrees. But he's trying to teach them what he learned about Washington since he first arrived 30 years ago.
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Capitalism, Energy, and Climate Change (Occupy Boston FSU)
guy explains dangers of climate change
global warming is real and folks believing otherwise are like ostriches sticking heads in sand to ignore danger
even the department of defense acknowledges climate change as a real danger to defense of America
Monday, December 5, 2011
Fox News Discusses the New Muppets Movie, Claims Liberal Bias
-------
I have seen movie. alas, I am not seeing what fox is seeing nor did little ones with me.
perhaps all brainwashed.
another theory Fox is full of it
see movie for yourself
Dr. Steve Auerbach talks Occupy & Single Payer on Countdown with Keith O...
old one, but one I am late posting
FDR Fireside Chat #2, Better Wage Promises 1933/5/8
would it be nice to have a president taking up for American workers.
Why Rick Perry Ripped Wall Street Bankers
luntz memo is fantastic and will win argument if folks allow them to control the narrative
Sunday, December 4, 2011
We are not occupying America -- they are
Guest commentary: We are not occupying America -- they are
click link above
snip from article
Americans generally are unused to images from the Occupy protests being domestic ones. Grandmothers and unarmed college students pepper-sprayed with alarming casualness. Reporters singled out and beaten. Veterans returning from war in Iraq only to be gravely injured trying to exercise the precious liberties for which they supposedly risked life and limb.
Perhaps, we hoped, that these things were only possible in clearly authoritarian regimes such as Syria, Burma and Iran, but they are now home-grown creations, sharing both technique and intention to keep people from peacefully assembling and asking for a redress of grievances, the most precious right enshrined by the Founding Fathers.
New revelations show complicit activity between the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and local police forces to repress the Occupy protests, a collaboration that violates a host of regulations, laws and the very Constitution.
Read more: http://www.stltoday.com/news/opinion/guest-commentary-we-are-not-occupying-america---/article_424b85cc-8b4a-5240-89e5-6213938dcec8.html#ixzz1fZjoZ1gl
-------------
alas, Americans are "used" to images of protests. they tend to ignore them until brought face-to-face with issues or images of violence/repression enter the picture.
images of violence I fear are all too common with these protesters--something conterproductive in our society, counterproductive for officals and cops doing the repression. movements tend to spred and become stronger faced with repression
click link above
snip from article
Americans generally are unused to images from the Occupy protests being domestic ones. Grandmothers and unarmed college students pepper-sprayed with alarming casualness. Reporters singled out and beaten. Veterans returning from war in Iraq only to be gravely injured trying to exercise the precious liberties for which they supposedly risked life and limb.
Perhaps, we hoped, that these things were only possible in clearly authoritarian regimes such as Syria, Burma and Iran, but they are now home-grown creations, sharing both technique and intention to keep people from peacefully assembling and asking for a redress of grievances, the most precious right enshrined by the Founding Fathers.
New revelations show complicit activity between the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and local police forces to repress the Occupy protests, a collaboration that violates a host of regulations, laws and the very Constitution.
Read more: http://www.stltoday.com/news/opinion/guest-commentary-we-are-not-occupying-america---/article_424b85cc-8b4a-5240-89e5-6213938dcec8.html#ixzz1fZjoZ1gl
-------------
alas, Americans are "used" to images of protests. they tend to ignore them until brought face-to-face with issues or images of violence/repression enter the picture.
images of violence I fear are all too common with these protesters--something conterproductive in our society, counterproductive for officals and cops doing the repression. movements tend to spred and become stronger faced with repression
Don't miss Medicare plan deadline Wednesday
Don't miss Medicare plan deadline Wednesday
click link above for full story
snip from article:
"JIM GALLAGHER jgallagher@post-dispatch.com 314-340-8390 | Posted: Sunday, December 4, 2011 12:05 am | No Comments Posted
Hey, old fellow. Wake up. Smell the Geritol. Get a move on.
Medicare's open enrollment period ends on Wednesday, which is earlier than in previous years. If you don't choose by then, you might be stuck for another year with the Medicare drug or Medicare Advantage plan you have now.
The greyer, balder, older and chubbier I get, the more I like my naps (when the boss isn't looking). But this is a deadline you shouldn't snooze through.
An Advantage plan is Medicare-subsidized private insurance that takes the place of traditional Medicare coverage, which doesn't cover the entire cost of hospitalization or doctor bills.
People with traditional Medicare often buy a "Medigap" supplement policy. Medigap plans can be switched at other times of the year. But if you want to move to an Advantage plan, or change your drug plan, you should act by Wednesday.
Read more: http://www.stltoday.com/business/local/don-t-miss-medicare-plan-deadline-wednesday/article_c9765d34-70db-5666-83b8-bd9f6577da0a.html#ixzz1fZg3zn
-------
note: read everything carefully before you sign up for these programs. freedom of choice is also freedom to get it stuck to you.
click link above for full story
snip from article:
"JIM GALLAGHER jgallagher@post-dispatch.com 314-340-8390 | Posted: Sunday, December 4, 2011 12:05 am | No Comments Posted
Hey, old fellow. Wake up. Smell the Geritol. Get a move on.
Medicare's open enrollment period ends on Wednesday, which is earlier than in previous years. If you don't choose by then, you might be stuck for another year with the Medicare drug or Medicare Advantage plan you have now.
The greyer, balder, older and chubbier I get, the more I like my naps (when the boss isn't looking). But this is a deadline you shouldn't snooze through.
An Advantage plan is Medicare-subsidized private insurance that takes the place of traditional Medicare coverage, which doesn't cover the entire cost of hospitalization or doctor bills.
People with traditional Medicare often buy a "Medigap" supplement policy. Medigap plans can be switched at other times of the year. But if you want to move to an Advantage plan, or change your drug plan, you should act by Wednesday.
Read more: http://www.stltoday.com/business/local/don-t-miss-medicare-plan-deadline-wednesday/article_c9765d34-70db-5666-83b8-bd9f6577da0a.html#ixzz1fZg3zn
-------
note: read everything carefully before you sign up for these programs. freedom of choice is also freedom to get it stuck to you.
Saturday, December 3, 2011
Friday, December 2, 2011
key talking points from Luntz's memo
folks might find this of interest:
mm on Dec 1, 2011 at 8:38 pm
Frank Luntz, arguably the GOP’s top messaging strategist, said Wednesday:
“I’m so scared of this anti-Wall Street effort. I’m frightened to death. They’re having an impact on what the American people think of capitalism.”
So just as he did with his infamous 2003 global warming warming memo – which taught conservatives how to sound like they care about the issue while opposing all action — Luntz has some key advice for Republicans on how to pretend to care about regular people while continuing to screw them over.
Amazingly, “Yahoo News sat in on the session,” where Luntz went through his spin at the Republican Governor’s Association on “How can Republicans do a better job of talking about Occupy Wall Street?”
Here are key do’s and don’ts from Luntz:
Don’t say ‘capitalism.’
Don’t say that the government ‘taxes the rich.’ Instead, tell them that the government ‘takes from the rich.’
Republicans should forget about winning the battle over the ‘middle class.’ Call them ‘hardworking taxpayers.’
Don’t say ‘government spending.’ Call it ‘waste.’
Don’t ever say you’re willing to ‘compromise.’
The three most important words you can say to an Occupier: ‘I get it.’
Out: ‘Entrepreneur.’ In: ‘Job creator.’
“Climate change” is less frightening than “global warming”
Don’t ever ask anyone you want them to ‘sacrifice.’
Always blame Washington.
mm on Dec 1, 2011 at 8:38 pm
Frank Luntz, arguably the GOP’s top messaging strategist, said Wednesday:
“I’m so scared of this anti-Wall Street effort. I’m frightened to death. They’re having an impact on what the American people think of capitalism.”
So just as he did with his infamous 2003 global warming warming memo – which taught conservatives how to sound like they care about the issue while opposing all action — Luntz has some key advice for Republicans on how to pretend to care about regular people while continuing to screw them over.
Amazingly, “Yahoo News sat in on the session,” where Luntz went through his spin at the Republican Governor’s Association on “How can Republicans do a better job of talking about Occupy Wall Street?”
Here are key do’s and don’ts from Luntz:
Don’t say ‘capitalism.’
Don’t say that the government ‘taxes the rich.’ Instead, tell them that the government ‘takes from the rich.’
Republicans should forget about winning the battle over the ‘middle class.’ Call them ‘hardworking taxpayers.’
Don’t say ‘government spending.’ Call it ‘waste.’
Don’t ever say you’re willing to ‘compromise.’
The three most important words you can say to an Occupier: ‘I get it.’
Out: ‘Entrepreneur.’ In: ‘Job creator.’
“Climate change” is less frightening than “global warming”
Don’t ever ask anyone you want them to ‘sacrifice.’
Always blame Washington.
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Occu-Fest 2011!! in Saint Louis
When
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Time
12:00pm until 3:00pm
Where
Freedom Square (7th and Market)
Description
Description
In celebration of hitting the two month mark, Occupy St. Louis is throwing a party down at Freedom Square!
We invite you to a day of fun, frivolity, food trucks, music and t-shirt making. Yes, we know that it will probably be cold. Yes, we know there may be snow on the ground. Do we care? Of course not!
So come on down to Freedom Square for a celebration of this movement!
note: advanced forcast is for cold day, but no rain/snow
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Time
12:00pm until 3:00pm
Where
Freedom Square (7th and Market)
Description
Description
In celebration of hitting the two month mark, Occupy St. Louis is throwing a party down at Freedom Square!
We invite you to a day of fun, frivolity, food trucks, music and t-shirt making. Yes, we know that it will probably be cold. Yes, we know there may be snow on the ground. Do we care? Of course not!
So come on down to Freedom Square for a celebration of this movement!
note: advanced forcast is for cold day, but no rain/snow
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Monday, November 21, 2011
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Friday, November 18, 2011
http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/metro/fourteen-arrested-as-unions-occupy-st-louis-protestors-unite/article_8f3fe2b4-e7be-5234-8729-7817b3bf65f3.html
http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/metro/fourteen-arrested-as-unions-occupy-st-louis-protestors-unite/article_8f3fe2b4-e7be-5234-8729-7817b3bf65f3.html
click link above
from article
ST. LOUIS • A coalition of Occupy St. Louis protesters, including a handful of area labor leaders, were arrested Thursday after blocking the eastbound entrance to the Martin Luther King Bridge.
St. Louis police said 14 people were taken into custody.
The local acts of civil disobedience were part of a day of protests across the nation stemming from the Occupy Wall Street movement.
The arrests here were peaceful, with several protesters engaging authorities in playful banter as the protesters were escorted in plastic handcuffs to nearby police vans.
The action at the bridge ended a march that began with a 3 p.m. rally at Kiener Plaza.
About 800 people, bolstered by representatives of the Teamsters, United Auto Workers, Service Employees International and other unions, participated in the rally and the subsequent march north through downtown.
Read more: http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/metro/fourteen-arrested-as-unions-occupy-st-louis-protestors-unite/article_8f3fe2b4-e7be-5234-8729-7817b3bf65f3.html#ixzz1e3otwVvJ
click link above
from article
ST. LOUIS • A coalition of Occupy St. Louis protesters, including a handful of area labor leaders, were arrested Thursday after blocking the eastbound entrance to the Martin Luther King Bridge.
St. Louis police said 14 people were taken into custody.
The local acts of civil disobedience were part of a day of protests across the nation stemming from the Occupy Wall Street movement.
The arrests here were peaceful, with several protesters engaging authorities in playful banter as the protesters were escorted in plastic handcuffs to nearby police vans.
The action at the bridge ended a march that began with a 3 p.m. rally at Kiener Plaza.
About 800 people, bolstered by representatives of the Teamsters, United Auto Workers, Service Employees International and other unions, participated in the rally and the subsequent march north through downtown.
Read more: http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/metro/fourteen-arrested-as-unions-occupy-st-louis-protestors-unite/article_8f3fe2b4-e7be-5234-8729-7817b3bf65f3.html#ixzz1e3otwVvJ
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
11-16-11 1a - Occupy Wall Street, with Update On Scott Olsen - Countdown...
pepper spray and old folks?
Huey Long: Share the Wealth; Every man a King; Income Redistribution; Ta...
were he alive, he might well win a presidential election no matter what party he decided to run.
Super Committee Dems Want Rich Tax Cuts
Clinton taxes on rich? How about we return to Eisenhower rates of 70 percent range.
Personally I favor the Huey Long rates of 100% over ten million.
Michele Bachmann heckled off stage by Occupy Wall St protesters
teabaggers do not like to be teabagged. some irony
Super Committee - Is Compromise Possible [NBC 11-11-2011]
not happy with dems having social security on table, as well with medicare and medicaid.
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Monday, November 14, 2011
Sunday, November 13, 2011
cbs some "honest corruption" of insider info
this sort of corruption predates the "Tammany Hall" corruption
all levels of government use "insider" info
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Occupy St. Louis Stages Arrests
sounds like reasonable advice--the basics of going to jail in St. Louis
Friday, November 11, 2011
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Paul Krugman: Here comes the sun
Paul Krugman: Here comes the sun
click link above.
alas Paul, economics and politics are two seperate things
click link above.
alas Paul, economics and politics are two seperate things
Kathleen Parker: Republicans are also playing the class card on taxes
Kathleen Parker: Republicans are also playing the class card on taxes
click link above
from article
'Republicans aren't mistaken when they say President Obama is declaring class warfare. He's been working that turf with a pretty big shovel. How many times have we heard that millionaires and billionaires (as though there were no difference) refuse to pay their fair share?
But Republicans are also playing the class card when they insist with equal passion that half of all Americans pay no taxes. Missing from this statement is the word "income," which would make the assertion truer. But it's more effective to imply that half the country — i.e., the shiftless and dependent — only want something for nothing.
What happens when you win an argument based on half-truths? In politics, it doesn't matter. Winning is all that matters. In real life, the people lose.
Read more: http://www.stltoday.com/news/opinion/columns/kathleen-parker/kathleen-parker-republicans-are-also-playing-the-class-card-on/article_a3eb0205-4b9a-5547-838f-9ea57d06e6d3.html#ixzz1dE70iEQ3
---------
note: class warfare is a loaded term and political talking point. everything of political nature can be called class warfare depending on the spin
click link above
from article
'Republicans aren't mistaken when they say President Obama is declaring class warfare. He's been working that turf with a pretty big shovel. How many times have we heard that millionaires and billionaires (as though there were no difference) refuse to pay their fair share?
But Republicans are also playing the class card when they insist with equal passion that half of all Americans pay no taxes. Missing from this statement is the word "income," which would make the assertion truer. But it's more effective to imply that half the country — i.e., the shiftless and dependent — only want something for nothing.
What happens when you win an argument based on half-truths? In politics, it doesn't matter. Winning is all that matters. In real life, the people lose.
Read more: http://www.stltoday.com/news/opinion/columns/kathleen-parker/kathleen-parker-republicans-are-also-playing-the-class-card-on/article_a3eb0205-4b9a-5547-838f-9ea57d06e6d3.html#ixzz1dE70iEQ3
---------
note: class warfare is a loaded term and political talking point. everything of political nature can be called class warfare depending on the spin
Alan Simpson Calls Out Grover Norquist & the AARP [NBC 11-01-2011]
I do not like Alan. Alan is a fool on many subjects.
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
rally occupy St. Louis Nov 17, 2011
Rally and March for Jobs with Occupy St. Louis
Thursday, November 17, 3pm
Join Jobs with Justice, local unions, community groups, and Occupy St. Louis in a Rally and March for Jobs. Congress needs to get serious about solving our jobs crisis and put people to work doing work that needs to be done.
The rally and march is at Kiener Plaza, 7th and Market, downtown St. Louis, 63102.
For more information, see the Rally and March flyer, or contact MO JwJ Communications Organizer Charlie Edelen at charlie@mojwj.org.
Thursday, November 17, 3pm
Join Jobs with Justice, local unions, community groups, and Occupy St. Louis in a Rally and March for Jobs. Congress needs to get serious about solving our jobs crisis and put people to work doing work that needs to be done.
The rally and march is at Kiener Plaza, 7th and Market, downtown St. Louis, 63102.
For more information, see the Rally and March flyer, or contact MO JwJ Communications Organizer Charlie Edelen at charlie@mojwj.org.
Monday, November 7, 2011
11-07-11 6 - Taking It To The Polls, with Tim Burga - Countdown with Kei...
Ohio folks: get out and vote tomorrow.
Occupy Oakland: General Strike Attendance Downplayed by MSM
undereporting demonstration attendance pretty standard
no coverage is pretty standard as well.
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Herman Cain: I'm the Koch Brothers' brother from another mother!
Koch brothers? some of our favorite people
Friday, November 4, 2011
Thursday, November 3, 2011
11-02-11 4 - Campaign Cash, with Bernie Sanders - Countdown with Keith O...
we also need an admendment for economic rights for the common folks, like the one proposed by FDR
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Patty Murray Stunt Double RE: the Super-secret-committee
social security, medicare and medicaid are on the table for cuts. make no mistake, dems that vote for cuts to these programs will have an election problem.
Monday, October 31, 2011
AFL-CIO President Trumka Denouces Proposed Cuts to Social Security, Medi...
if dems cut medicare/medicaid; they are insane
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Friday, October 28, 2011
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Monday, October 24, 2011
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Letters to the editor, October 22 What democracy looks like
Letters to the editor, October 22
from listings at Post:
What democracy looks like
Like many Americans, I am fascinated by the scale and scope of the Occupy Wall Street movement. Earlier this month, I had an opportunity to spend time at Zuccotti Park in New York, the very catalyst for the 99 percent movement now sweeping the world.
Occupy Wall Street is an unaffiliated group of concerned citizens who united around the principle that they would not remain passive as the elite (1 percent monopoly capitalists) continue to run amok, tampering with money and lives. The group consists of individuals, organized labor, student groups, social justice organizations and organizations from a wide political spectrum. In their Principles of Solidarity, they explain that they came from all across the country to protest the blatant injustices of our times perpetuated by the economic and political elites.
These 1 percent elites brought the entire country to the brink of bankruptcy and plunged us all into a recession from which we may not recover for many years. Yet, instead of jail, these lords of finance were bailed out with taxpayer's dollars. Major corporations have outsourced and off-shored jobs while receiving tax incentives, leaving millions of Americans without jobs, wages and benefits. Millions have been forced into poverty.
The 99 percent of the people want what everybody wants: the ability to have a home, to make a livelihood, to have a family, to live free. They are protesting for the most basic rights as citizens: to convene, to express themselves and to be heard. They want jobs. They want retirement security. All working Americans want the $2.6 trillion Social Security surplus fund to be used as intended. Seniors and the disabled want no cuts to Medicare or Medicaid.
Organized labor, always in the forefront of the struggle for jobs and economic justice, has endorsed the occupation of Wall Street and promise continued support and backing of the movement of the 99 percent. Seniors and retirees across the country are playing key roles as well. To those brave men and women at Zuccotti Park and around the world, you are what democracy looks like!
Earline Jones • Bridgeton
Retired CWA, Missouri Alliance for Retired Americans, Education Fund
Read more: http://www.stltoday.com/news/opinion/mailbag/article_5ed00588-b594-5ece-805f-a85440c9a94f.html#ixzz1bc7jhICB
from listings at Post:
What democracy looks like
Like many Americans, I am fascinated by the scale and scope of the Occupy Wall Street movement. Earlier this month, I had an opportunity to spend time at Zuccotti Park in New York, the very catalyst for the 99 percent movement now sweeping the world.
Occupy Wall Street is an unaffiliated group of concerned citizens who united around the principle that they would not remain passive as the elite (1 percent monopoly capitalists) continue to run amok, tampering with money and lives. The group consists of individuals, organized labor, student groups, social justice organizations and organizations from a wide political spectrum. In their Principles of Solidarity, they explain that they came from all across the country to protest the blatant injustices of our times perpetuated by the economic and political elites.
These 1 percent elites brought the entire country to the brink of bankruptcy and plunged us all into a recession from which we may not recover for many years. Yet, instead of jail, these lords of finance were bailed out with taxpayer's dollars. Major corporations have outsourced and off-shored jobs while receiving tax incentives, leaving millions of Americans without jobs, wages and benefits. Millions have been forced into poverty.
The 99 percent of the people want what everybody wants: the ability to have a home, to make a livelihood, to have a family, to live free. They are protesting for the most basic rights as citizens: to convene, to express themselves and to be heard. They want jobs. They want retirement security. All working Americans want the $2.6 trillion Social Security surplus fund to be used as intended. Seniors and the disabled want no cuts to Medicare or Medicaid.
Organized labor, always in the forefront of the struggle for jobs and economic justice, has endorsed the occupation of Wall Street and promise continued support and backing of the movement of the 99 percent. Seniors and retirees across the country are playing key roles as well. To those brave men and women at Zuccotti Park and around the world, you are what democracy looks like!
Earline Jones • Bridgeton
Retired CWA, Missouri Alliance for Retired Americans, Education Fund
Read more: http://www.stltoday.com/news/opinion/mailbag/article_5ed00588-b594-5ece-805f-a85440c9a94f.html#ixzz1bc7jhICB
Friday, October 21, 2011
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Barack Obama: Republicans Want "Dirtier Air, Dirtier Water"
they do wish more pollution, that is a fact. look at voting records if you have doubts
some of the dems also siding with these folks
remember on election day
Ron Paul on Occupy WallStreet CNN Las Vegas Debate 10/18/2011
too bad Ronnie is full of batpucky most of the time. Ron does understand Wall street protests
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Monday, October 17, 2011
Senator Blunt on KMOX Regarding President Obama's Second Stimulus 10/11/...
horsepucky Mr Blunt. out of work construction take note
Senator Blunt Speaks on Floor Regarding Free Trade Agreements 10/12/2011
alas, these trade deals are not good for American workers. more next soar meeting
Occupy STL: Anarchists, Commies and Confusion Oh My!
more teabag smears and nonsense. teabag worried wall street occupy folks stealing the show.
teabaggers are correct, wall street occupations upstaging teabag movement
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Taxes on the wealthy have gone down dramatically | Economic Policy Institute
Taxes on the wealthy have gone down dramatically | Economic Policy Institute
click link above
from article:
With Tax Day fast approaching and deficit reduction all the rage, one fact deserves significant attention: the wealthy are enjoying some of the lowest taxes in generations. The Figure shows the average tax rate in 1979, 1992, and 2007, as well as the tax rate for the top 1% of households, and the top 400 households (who have an average annual income of nearly $350 million). Since 1979, the country’s overall average tax rate—the share of income paid in taxes—has fallen slightly, but for those at the top of the earnings ladder this share has fallen dramatically.
note: from April, 11
one wonders about April 2010?
click link above
from article:
With Tax Day fast approaching and deficit reduction all the rage, one fact deserves significant attention: the wealthy are enjoying some of the lowest taxes in generations. The Figure shows the average tax rate in 1979, 1992, and 2007, as well as the tax rate for the top 1% of households, and the top 400 households (who have an average annual income of nearly $350 million). Since 1979, the country’s overall average tax rate—the share of income paid in taxes—has fallen slightly, but for those at the top of the earnings ladder this share has fallen dramatically.
note: from April, 11
one wonders about April 2010?
Occupy St. Louis marches through downtown
Occupy St. Louis marches through downtown
click link above
from article:
ST. LOUIS • Students, laborers, retirees and the unemployed were among those participating in the Occupy St. Louis movement Friday, marching to Bank Of America's downtown headquarters as a show of solidarity against the bank's policies, organizers said.
The more than 500 in attendance joined with Occupy St. Louis to help spread the group's message: that politicians are only working for the betterment of billionaires who make up less than 1 percent of the population. That needs to change, organizers said.
"I think people are tired of their houses falling into foreclosure while the rich are getting richer," said Steve Johnson, an organizer at Teamsters Local 688.
The movement is a spinoff of Occupy Wall Street, which has spawned other similar movements with groups taking up space at venues in larger cities across the country. Members of Occupy St. Louis have camped out in Kiener Plaza since Oct. 1 in tents and sleeping bags in and around the plaza to gain support for their cause.
------------
I was at this rally. will report next soar meeting.
note: many unions and organizations represented from area including USW from Granite city
click link above
from article:
ST. LOUIS • Students, laborers, retirees and the unemployed were among those participating in the Occupy St. Louis movement Friday, marching to Bank Of America's downtown headquarters as a show of solidarity against the bank's policies, organizers said.
The more than 500 in attendance joined with Occupy St. Louis to help spread the group's message: that politicians are only working for the betterment of billionaires who make up less than 1 percent of the population. That needs to change, organizers said.
"I think people are tired of their houses falling into foreclosure while the rich are getting richer," said Steve Johnson, an organizer at Teamsters Local 688.
The movement is a spinoff of Occupy Wall Street, which has spawned other similar movements with groups taking up space at venues in larger cities across the country. Members of Occupy St. Louis have camped out in Kiener Plaza since Oct. 1 in tents and sleeping bags in and around the plaza to gain support for their cause.
------------
I was at this rally. will report next soar meeting.
note: many unions and organizations represented from area including USW from Granite city
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Occupy St. Louis protests downtown | ksdk.com
Occupy St. Louis protests downtown | ksdk.com
click link above
I was there, as well as some eastside steelworkers and soar
In all, good protest and march--no violence or garbage. I kinda felt lonely, St. Louis did not have the SWAT team standing by. some in labor did volenteer to be the first arressted if the worst happened
click link above
I was there, as well as some eastside steelworkers and soar
In all, good protest and march--no violence or garbage. I kinda felt lonely, St. Louis did not have the SWAT team standing by. some in labor did volenteer to be the first arressted if the worst happened
Friday, October 14, 2011
Kathleen Parker: The tease declines
Kathleen Parker: The tease declines
click link above
from article:
Undoubtedly many Americans, not least among them television producers, are disappointed by Sarah Palin's decision not to run for president.
On the bright side, Palin has proved (finally) that there is a God.
How so?
For the past three years, since she rocketed from relative obscurity to political diva, Palin has hinted that she might run for the highest office, but would rely on God's guidance. This template is not unique to Palin. Millions pray to a higher order to discover the right path. I recently watched a few minutes of "Eat, Pray, Love" before succumbing to an ennui-induced coma, in which Julia Roberts tearfully implores God, to whom she admits not having spoken on a regular basis, to tell her what to do: Dump her boring husband and follow her appetite for pasta and spiritual enlightenment through casual sex? Or....
The title of the movie and the book upon which it was based correctly hints at God's directive.
Read more: http://www.stltoday.com/news/opinion/columns/kathleen-parker/article_a84d86fe-a6b8-5b24-9689-4fc0df5a2a67.html#ixzz1akx3GDxo
--------
note:
might wish to refer folks to the Mike Tyson interview on the subject
click link above
from article:
Undoubtedly many Americans, not least among them television producers, are disappointed by Sarah Palin's decision not to run for president.
On the bright side, Palin has proved (finally) that there is a God.
How so?
For the past three years, since she rocketed from relative obscurity to political diva, Palin has hinted that she might run for the highest office, but would rely on God's guidance. This template is not unique to Palin. Millions pray to a higher order to discover the right path. I recently watched a few minutes of "Eat, Pray, Love" before succumbing to an ennui-induced coma, in which Julia Roberts tearfully implores God, to whom she admits not having spoken on a regular basis, to tell her what to do: Dump her boring husband and follow her appetite for pasta and spiritual enlightenment through casual sex? Or....
The title of the movie and the book upon which it was based correctly hints at God's directive.
Read more: http://www.stltoday.com/news/opinion/columns/kathleen-parker/article_a84d86fe-a6b8-5b24-9689-4fc0df5a2a67.html#ixzz1akx3GDxo
--------
note:
might wish to refer folks to the Mike Tyson interview on the subject
Local banks getting into payday loan business
Local banks getting into payday loan business
click link above
from article:
Big banks are getting into the payday lending business, creating competition for the storefront operators and stirring the ire of consumer advocates.
The banks call it a convenience for customers facing unexpected bills. Critics say the banks are luring the unwitting into an expensive cycle of debt.
In the St. Louis market, at least three banks will make customers a payday-like loan through their checking accounts: US Bank, the biggest player in the local banking market, Regions Bank and Fifth Third Bank.
Banks often call them "advance" loans. They typically charge $10 for every $100 lent, and they collect from electronic deposits of paychecks or Social Security. Storefront payday shops charge an average of $17 for a two-week loan of $100, according to figures from the Missouri Division of Finance.
Read more: http://www.stltoday.com/business/local/article_1d68ea2d-4312-54dd-8cee-ee6d6a86d457.html#ixzz1akw7c9P3
------------------------
this is old news, banks been doing this for a long, long time.
click link above
from article:
Big banks are getting into the payday lending business, creating competition for the storefront operators and stirring the ire of consumer advocates.
The banks call it a convenience for customers facing unexpected bills. Critics say the banks are luring the unwitting into an expensive cycle of debt.
In the St. Louis market, at least three banks will make customers a payday-like loan through their checking accounts: US Bank, the biggest player in the local banking market, Regions Bank and Fifth Third Bank.
Banks often call them "advance" loans. They typically charge $10 for every $100 lent, and they collect from electronic deposits of paychecks or Social Security. Storefront payday shops charge an average of $17 for a two-week loan of $100, according to figures from the Missouri Division of Finance.
Read more: http://www.stltoday.com/business/local/article_1d68ea2d-4312-54dd-8cee-ee6d6a86d457.html#ixzz1akw7c9P3
------------------------
this is old news, banks been doing this for a long, long time.
Thursday, October 13, 2011
10-13-11 1a - Cleaning Confrontation, with Gideon Oliver - Countdown wit...
note: remember we have rally with the St. Louis protesters at 3:30 pm tomorrow
they have an "eviction" order as well
march at Kiener: occupy st. louis-jobs with justice-usw
Rally and March with Occupy St. Louis
Kiener Plaza
Market and 7th, Downtown St. Louis
Friday, October 14
3:30pm
will be a couple of us there as well as some of them eastside usw folks
if you cannot make it: watch news
also watch news for New York tomorrow: attempt to clear out folks from park there
Kiener Plaza
Market and 7th, Downtown St. Louis
Friday, October 14
3:30pm
will be a couple of us there as well as some of them eastside usw folks
if you cannot make it: watch news
also watch news for New York tomorrow: attempt to clear out folks from park there
Obama Jobs Plan & Political Theatre
job plan has 100% opposition in senate. lord knows in house of reps
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Paul Krugman: Panic on Wall Street
Paul Krugman: Panic on Wall Street
click link above
from article:
It remains to be seen whether the Occupy Wall Street protests will change America's direction. Yet the protests have already elicited a remarkably hysterical reaction from Wall Street, the super-rich in general, and politicians and pundits who reliably serve the interests of the wealthiest hundredth of a percent.
And this reaction tells you something important — namely, that the extremists threatening American values are what FDR called "economic royalists," not the people camping in Zuccotti Park.
Consider first how Republican politicians have portrayed the modest-sized if growing demonstrations, which have involved some confrontations with the police — confrontations that seem to have involved a lot of police overreaction — but nothing one could call a riot. And there has in fact been nothing so far to match the behavior of Tea Party crowds in summer 2009.
Nonetheless, Eric Cantor, the House majority leader, has denounced "mobs" and "the pitting of Americans against Americans." The GOP presidential candidates have weighed in, with Mitt Romney accusing the protesters of waging "class warfare," while Herman Cain calls them "anti-American." My favorite, however, is Sen. Rand Paul, who for some reason worries that the protesters will start seizing iPads, because they believe rich people don't deserve to have them.
Michael Bloomberg, New York's mayor and a financial-industry titan in his own right, was a bit more moderate, but still accused the protesters of trying to "take the jobs away from people working in this city," a statement that bears no resemblance to the movement's actual goals.
And if you were listening to talking heads on CNBC, you learned that the protesters "let their freak flags fly," and are "aligned with Lenin."
Read more: http://www.stltoday.com/news/opinion/columns/paul-krugman/article_b416e6b0-f90b-5ea1-9f64-7e978c694af0.html#ixzz1aTUYSagc
click link above
from article:
It remains to be seen whether the Occupy Wall Street protests will change America's direction. Yet the protests have already elicited a remarkably hysterical reaction from Wall Street, the super-rich in general, and politicians and pundits who reliably serve the interests of the wealthiest hundredth of a percent.
And this reaction tells you something important — namely, that the extremists threatening American values are what FDR called "economic royalists," not the people camping in Zuccotti Park.
Consider first how Republican politicians have portrayed the modest-sized if growing demonstrations, which have involved some confrontations with the police — confrontations that seem to have involved a lot of police overreaction — but nothing one could call a riot. And there has in fact been nothing so far to match the behavior of Tea Party crowds in summer 2009.
Nonetheless, Eric Cantor, the House majority leader, has denounced "mobs" and "the pitting of Americans against Americans." The GOP presidential candidates have weighed in, with Mitt Romney accusing the protesters of waging "class warfare," while Herman Cain calls them "anti-American." My favorite, however, is Sen. Rand Paul, who for some reason worries that the protesters will start seizing iPads, because they believe rich people don't deserve to have them.
Michael Bloomberg, New York's mayor and a financial-industry titan in his own right, was a bit more moderate, but still accused the protesters of trying to "take the jobs away from people working in this city," a statement that bears no resemblance to the movement's actual goals.
And if you were listening to talking heads on CNBC, you learned that the protesters "let their freak flags fly," and are "aligned with Lenin."
Read more: http://www.stltoday.com/news/opinion/columns/paul-krugman/article_b416e6b0-f90b-5ea1-9f64-7e978c694af0.html#ixzz1aTUYSagc
Editorial: Risks are too great for an expanded Keystone
Editorial: Risks are too great for an expanded Keystone
click link
from article:
Within weeks, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is supposed to decide whether to authorize a 1,600-mile expansion of a tar sands crude oil pipeline network across six Midwestern, Western and Southern U.S. states and three Canadian provinces. Alternatively, she could pass the decision on to President Barack Obama.
Neither the president nor the secretary of state should approve the application at this time for any number of reasons, chief among them is the very real danger of catastrophic pipeline failures in crucial locations.
Such events could leave large tracts of Western and Midwestern farm, ranch and recreational land contaminated with toxic wastes and poison surface-river systems and deep natural reservoirs used to irrigate billions of dollars' worth of crops and supply drinking water to millions of Americans.
Read more: http://www.stltoday.com/news/opinion/columns/the-platform/article_efe6bcf3-0a9c-52c0-bd6e-e53fa0b83440.html#ixzz1aTTRLWld
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oil companies do not have a good record for their products. leaks, blow-outs and more quite common and they lie about the number and severity; as well as have cover from politicans and agencies
this is a continuation of the pipeline story from years past.
click link
from article:
Within weeks, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is supposed to decide whether to authorize a 1,600-mile expansion of a tar sands crude oil pipeline network across six Midwestern, Western and Southern U.S. states and three Canadian provinces. Alternatively, she could pass the decision on to President Barack Obama.
Neither the president nor the secretary of state should approve the application at this time for any number of reasons, chief among them is the very real danger of catastrophic pipeline failures in crucial locations.
Such events could leave large tracts of Western and Midwestern farm, ranch and recreational land contaminated with toxic wastes and poison surface-river systems and deep natural reservoirs used to irrigate billions of dollars' worth of crops and supply drinking water to millions of Americans.
Read more: http://www.stltoday.com/news/opinion/columns/the-platform/article_efe6bcf3-0a9c-52c0-bd6e-e53fa0b83440.html#ixzz1aTTRLWld
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oil companies do not have a good record for their products. leaks, blow-outs and more quite common and they lie about the number and severity; as well as have cover from politicans and agencies
this is a continuation of the pipeline story from years past.
Ann Coulter: Occupy Wall Street Protesters Are Getting in Touch With Dem...
demonic? Ann, you are a fool and looks like you are trying to sell yet another garbage book
Monday, October 10, 2011
Occupy Wall Street -- faces of the revolution
more international attention
note: if you have shortwave radio, many programs mentioning wall street protests.
I used to listen to Radio Moscow all the time and still listen to Russian radio from time to time.
Wall Street protesters want every voice heard
international attention being stimulated on wall street protesters
Saturday, October 8, 2011
Friday, October 7, 2011
10-06-11 6 - Ethical Question, with John Dean - Countdown with Keith Olb...
answer: Supreme Court above those pesky ethical considerations.
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Police arrest Wall Street protestors in St. Louis; protest movement spreads to Springfield
Police arrest Wall Street protestors in St. Louis; protest movement spreads to Springfield
click link
did not see this on st louis news
one wonders why st louis media does not cover these type stories? like union stuff, protests from left.
they do well covering less than a score of teabaggers raising hell though
click link
did not see this on st louis news
one wonders why st louis media does not cover these type stories? like union stuff, protests from left.
they do well covering less than a score of teabaggers raising hell though
wall street and usw; we support the protests
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
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I think all organized labor should join this movement. My opinion, this should have been done before 2010 election
note: some of the teabaggers upset other folks stealing their thunder if you watch other commentaries and read other comments.
Hartmann: United Steelworkers are for in Occupy Wall Street
about time usw supports these folks. soar 11-3 on board as well
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Cenk Uygur, Matt Taibbi, Why isn't Wall Street in jail
topic of today's soar meeting: why these folks not in jail?
Saturday, October 1, 2011
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Occupy Wall Street Protesters Maced / Pepper Sprayed by NYPD Police
media pretty much ignored wall street protests til now. of course, blatent police over use of force is good boost for press
S&P investigated for mortgage securities ratings | PRI.ORG
S&P investigated for mortgage securities ratings | PRI.ORG
click link
from story:
report.
The decisions of one rating agency can cause a lot of economic volatility. But according to an exclusive piece from The New York Times Thursday morning, the Justice Department is opening an investigation into Standard & Poor's to see if the agency improperly rated dozens of mortgage securities leading up to the financial crisis.
The ratings being investigated came long before the downgrade of the U.S. credit rating, but the probe does raise new questions about the credibility of the nation's largest credit agency and their secretive rating process.
Louise Story, Wall Street and finance reporter for The New York Times, broke the story.
"What the [Department of Justic] is looking at is whether the ratings process had some kind of fraud or wrongdoing in which the ratings analysts got bossed around by the business people at S&P,' she told The Takeaway.
click link
from story:
report.
The decisions of one rating agency can cause a lot of economic volatility. But according to an exclusive piece from The New York Times Thursday morning, the Justice Department is opening an investigation into Standard & Poor's to see if the agency improperly rated dozens of mortgage securities leading up to the financial crisis.
The ratings being investigated came long before the downgrade of the U.S. credit rating, but the probe does raise new questions about the credibility of the nation's largest credit agency and their secretive rating process.
Louise Story, Wall Street and finance reporter for The New York Times, broke the story.
"What the [Department of Justic] is looking at is whether the ratings process had some kind of fraud or wrongdoing in which the ratings analysts got bossed around by the business people at S&P,' she told The Takeaway.
standard and poor sec info
standard and poor should be out of business--not for downgrading US credit; but housing mess
Monday, September 26, 2011
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Forbes Top 10 Richest People In the World 2011
from earlier this year. outsourcing works, ask these folks as you go thru the soupline
Forbes 400: The Richest 20 People In America
I know most of you are on the list
bailout worked, ask these folks
Paul Ryan "Townhall" Arrests
pretty standard gop rally. arrest anyone who disagrees with teabagger gets the boot and this rarely shows up on television.
ask mr Akin in Missouri, others
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Mitt Romney: Obama Is Not A Socialist
yes, Obama is not a socialist; he is not even a liberal much less a progressive
Tea Partier: 'John Boehner Is A Socialist'
love it. John boy is a socialist
I knew he was fifth column. where do I send the money?
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Monday, September 19, 2011
Speaker Steven Tilley explains his opposition to the eco devo bill.wmv
be honest speaker: screw saint louis is the state house policy under your teabag times
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Saturday, September 17, 2011
child labor classic 1912 "Cry of the children
The Cry of the Children (1912) from Ned Thanhouser on Vimeo.
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glad some in Missouri wish to return to
"good old days"
Friday, September 16, 2011
Hillary Clinton's State Department Oil Services and Keystone XL Tar Sand...
this is the other end of the pipeline, the same pipeline Jeff pointed out is using tremendous amounts of imported Indian steel
Thursday, September 15, 2011
09-15-11 6 - Palintology, with Katie Halper - Countdown with Keith Olber...
drugs, sex, rock and roll? knew some reason I liked her
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
09-14-11 4 - What Went Wrong, with Bob Cavnar - Countdown with Keith Olb...
sad, most media did not cover this today.
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Republican Electorate Applaud Death Panels At CNN Tea Party Debate
what a wonderful response. "Let em die"
Monday, September 12, 2011
Tea Party Republican Debate Question #8: What Is Your Plan To Reduce Hea...
alas, they wish insurance companies to totally run the show. these companies will do their "usual" job, which means Americans pay twice the rate for healthcare than most of the rest of the world.
Rick Perry and Mitt Romney Go At It at CNN - Tea Party Debate
yes, these folks intend to take away social security. not the word "security"
GOP: Raise Taxes On Elderly, Disabled & Cut Corporate Rates
more Missouri teabag news. let's give more to corporations in this state
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Tar Sands Oil Extraction - The Dirty Truth
some of this oil gets to wood river. remember the Jeff Rains pipe story?
Indian steel to pipe dirty oil with a real potential for disaster is how some folks feel
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Are cosmic rays causing global warming?
it does not matter some super force causing global warming, the question: is man and his activities causing things to get worse? It does indeed and science is conclusive.
How much damage and how soon is what our politicos must decide. Military has concluded a national security threat
Friday, September 9, 2011
Obama's job speech - pretty, pretty please
Russian tv sometimes does good job of news analysis
so does BBC. I listen to shortwave radio from time to time. alas, they put some of ours to shame
Thursday, September 8, 2011
The death of labor leader I. W. Abel
very sad. this appears to be the only vid on a great man on the internet.
Akin: Freedom's Solutions
Akin is fool. if you watched GOP debate last evening you would note the "buzz words" usage
one wonders about St. Charles and why old folks would keep reelecting a guy whom wished to do away with medicare and privatize social security. something in the water?
Ronald Regan raised taxes by the way Mr .Akin
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