Robert Reich

BP, responsible for the worst oil spill in U.S. history, reported first-quarter profit of $4.2 billion today, 30 percent more than analysts had forecast. Walmart, one of the most irresponsible companies in the world, is also raking it in. JPMorgan Chase, the largest bank on Wall Street and recently found to have misled investors about the size of its "London Whale" losses, is doing exceptionally well.

"Corporate social responsibility" is wishful thinking sprinkled with public relations. Corporations will sacrifice profits for the public good only if they're forced to by laws adequately enforced, penalties sufficiently high that illegality doesn't become a cost of doing business, and jail terms for executives found to have been criminally negligent.

The real problem is big corporations have too much sway over those laws, penalties, and their enforcement -- especially after the "Citizen's United" case in which the Supreme Court deemed them "people" under the First Amendment. If we want corporations to act responsibly we have to get their money out of politics. That includes reversing Citizen's United.

Capitalism works when it's kept separate from democracy.

Because the weapons industry/military complex/airlines have lobbyists! Children, and the poor, do not!

You just need to follow the money.  Mega-corporations spend more money on lobbyists than they do on taxes.  Last year, mega-corporations took more money from the government than was paid, in taxes, by the rest of the corporations!

You can do something about this, you can join: https://www.facebook.com/groups/DuluthAreaMTA/

The results of what Elizabeth  Warren is talking about can be seen best with these two graphs that shows what has happened to everyone who has entered the workforce since 1979.  If Elizabeth Warren is wrong about what has caused these dramatic results, what do you think is the cause?

There will be a time when our water resources will be valued more than our oil and gas resources. There will be a time when uncontaminated food will be valued more than the mega-corporations that produce fake food. There will be a time that the air we breath will be valued more than the mega-corporations that pollute our air and the products they produce. For some, that time is now!

    

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Rand Paul is now near the top of the GOP's list of presidential contenders. Even Ted Cruz's star is rising. 

I'm old enough to remember when there were liberal Republicans who joined with liberal Democrats to do what the nation needed, such as enacting the Civil Rights and Voting Rights Acts, Medicare and Medicaid, and the Environmental Protection Act. But the Grand Old Party threw out its liberals and then kicked out its moderates, and is now the party of xenophobes, homophobes, mysogynists, and reactionaries -- who cling to their so-called right to own assault guns but don't give a hoot about the rights of Americans accused of crimes to have lawyers and criminal trials, who are so concerned about fetuses they deny women rights over their own bodies but don't give a damn about babies without adequate nourishment or health care, who refuse equal marriage rights but consider corporations people under the First Amendment, who don't want to close tax loopholes for the very rich but are eager to cut housing vouchers and Head Start for the poor, and who call themselves patriots and wrap themselves in the American flag but don't care enough about the well-being of their fellow Americans to want to finance good schools and adequate heath care for all.

Marco Rubio calls the GOP the "stupid party" but I think he's being too generous. It's the regressive party, dedicated to an America that no longer exists if it ever did. Some say there's no real difference between Democrats and Republicans, but that's absurd. Just open your eyes. Our democracy needs at least two robust political parties but the GOP has proven itself incapable of governing, and the rest of us must do everything in our power to consign it to the dustbin of history.

Robert Reich

Even the NRA's stated position has supported background checks for online sales and for Gun Shows.  Every group in America supports background checks for online sales and for Gun Shows.  Who does the NRA represent? What's going on?

Would a small increase in taxes on the very, very wealthy really have any impact?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDcP7jKd5lw&feature=share

70% of Americans believe that the Republican Party is out of touch with America.
100%, of the 70% of Americans who believe the Republican Party is out of touch, is correct.

The extreme right wing of the Republican Party has lived by the following statements, at various times in history:

                                                                                                                               

You can’t free slaves or America will collapse.

You can’t allow unionization or American industry will collapse.

You can’t grant civil rights to women or society will collapse.

You can’t legalize gay marriage or society will collapse.

You can’t raise the debt ceiling or the economy will collapse.

You can’t regulate pollution or industry will collapse.

You can’t grant equal rights to minorities or society will collapse.

You can’t collect Federal income taxes or America’s economy will collapse.

You can’t restrict child labor or American industry will collapse.

You can’t establish Social Security or the American economy will collapse.

You can’t enforce a minimum wage or American industry will collapse.

You can’t permit interracial marriages or American society will collapse.

You can’t allow Communism or America will collapse.

You can’t end segregation or American society will collapse.

You can’t create Medicare or the American economy will collapse.

You can’t grant equal rights to minorities or American society will collapse.

You can’t teach about Aids or sex education or society will collapse.

Over 70% of Americans believe the Republican Party is out of touch!

That 70% of Americans is 100% correct!

http://www.addictinginfo.org/2013/04/17/what-percentage-of-americans-believe-the-gop-is-out-of-touch-an-overwhelming-70/

I think we must: https://movetoamend.org/


  


Locally, I think we must: https://www.facebook.com/groups/DuluthAreaMTA/?ref=notif&notif_t=group_r2j

Bill M. makes a good point!

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=557484607605104&set=vb.62507427296&type=2&theater

90% of all Americans wanted laws to do background checks on gun sales at gun shows and through online weapons sales.

80% of Republicans wanted laws to do background checks on gun sales at gun shows and through online weapons orders.

A wide majority of NRA members wanted laws to do background checks on gun sales at gun shows through online weapons orders.

An even wider majority of gun owners wanted laws to do background checks on gun sales at gun shows and through online weapons orders.

90% of Republican politicians in the Senate, 40 individuals, with the fear of the NRA, blocked what a majority of the Senate, Republicans, Democrats, gun owners, even NRA membership, wanted to happen.

What is wrong with this picture?

WE CAN DO SOMETHING! by Robert Reich

Widening inequality is not inevitable. If we wanted to reverse it and restore middle-class prosperity, we could.

We could award tax cuts to companies that link the pay of their hourly workers to profits and productivity, and that keep the total pay of their top 5 executives within 20 times the pay of their median worker. And impose higher taxes on companies that don’t.

We could raise the minimum wage to half the average wage.

We could increase public investment in education, including early-childhood -- especially in the poor and middle-class communities that now lack decent schools.

We could eliminate college loans and allow all students to repay the cost of their higher education with a 10 percent surcharge on the first 10 years of income from full-time employment.

We could expand the Earned Income Tax Credit.

And we could pay for all this by adding additional tax brackets at the top and increasing the top marginal tax rate to what it was before 1981 – at least 70 percent.

But none of this will happen until the public understands why widening inequality is so damaging. Even the rich would do better with a smaller share of a rapidly-growing economy than a large share of one that’s barely growing at all.

Move To Amend is doing something. We, the people, need to educate ourselves and our friends and family.https://www.facebook.com/groups/DuluthAreaMTA/?ref=notif&notif_t=group_r2j

Cartoonist, Steve Sack, won a Pulitzer Prize for the above cartoon, among others.  The winners of the Pulitzer Prize were informed this week.  A picture really can take the place of 1,000 words!

DA-MTA MEMBERS- MONTHLY MEETING- THURSDAY-4/18-  INCLINE STATION- 7 P.M.

               (This could be posted on your Facebook Page)
                                                                                                                       
AGENDA                                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                       
1.  Plan for our May Day Celebration  (Wednesday, May 1st)
2.  Plan for our Bannering of two hi-ways, into and out of Duluth.  Friday, May 10th)
3.  Plan our Lobby Day   (April 24th)
4.  Initiate other actions!

Bring a friend, bring two, bring many!

DA-MTA member, Congressman Rick Nolan, continues to speak out about the "We the People" legilation that he authored and introduced into the U.S. House of Representatives.

DA-MTA member, John Marty, MN State Senator, continues his efforts to get MN to be one of the first to adopt MTA language.  His "We the People" legislation has passed all necessary sub-committees at this point.  We should contact all legislators to get their support for when "We the People" reaches the MN House & MN Senate floor.

DA-MTA MEMBERS-MONTHLY MEETING-THURSDAY, APRIL 18TH- INCLINE STATION
7:00 P.M. - 8:30 P.M.
Virg Boehland

Chris Gordon 8:49pm Apr 14
How much do you have to pay in taxes tomorrow? Multi-national companies make billion dollar profits, cut jobs, and off shore their profits to pay ZERO$ in taxes. Wonder why we have to cut education, public services, cut social security, and cut welfare benefits? So these companies get richer and richer and pay off lobbyists and congress for more and more tax breaks and loopholes.
Dear Corporations: Stop Cheating and Pay Your Taxes Already!
other98.com

Chris Gordon

8:49pm Apr 14

How much do you have to pay in taxes tomorrow? Multi-national companies make billion dollar profits, cut jobs, and off shore their profits to pay ZERO$ in taxes. Wonder why we have to cut education, public services, cut social security, and cut welfare benefits? So these companies get richer and richer and pay off lobbyists and congress for more and more tax breaks and loopholes.

Dear Corporations: Stop Cheating and Pay Your Taxes Already other98.com Senator Bernie Sanders has introduced The Corporate Tax Fairness Act to end corporate tax havens.

Bill Moyers cuts to the chase!
This is so well done!

This is so SPOT ON!
We ARE living in the United States of inequality!

http://www.alternet.org/news-amp-politics/bill-moyers-we-are-living-united-states-inequality

Check out what has taken place over the past few decades:
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=241307762617157&set=a.241307759283824.57184.241304559284144&type=1&theater

RECORD PROFITS REPORTED BY ALCOA ALUMINUM!  RECORD PAY FOR ALCOA EXECUTIVES!

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/09/business/alcoa-reports-profit-up-58-exceeding-analysts-forecast.html?ref=alcoainc


Alcoa Aluminum is among those who are on the list of mega-corporations that are masters of dodging taxes ! ...Coincidence?.... Hardly! 
How do you feel about paying for these corporations being subsidized….by you….while they make record profits for their mega-corporation executives and investors? Check out the list at:

http://www.sanders.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/Tax-Dodge-Report-3.pdf

"Once you see something, you can't un-see it. Once you know something, you can't un-know it."  Arundhati Roy.
Her complete words include:
"The trouble is that once you see it, you can't unsee it. And once you've seen it, keeping quiet, saying nothing, becomes as political an act as speaking out. There's no innocence. Either way, you're accountable."
If we don't speak up, our silence is often taken as a "yes"...... Silence speaks volumes....and is often interpreted wrongly…..but it is interpreted none the less.

Top of Form

 We are all activists....whether we want to be or not. The very things that injure, and kill, people are too often the very things that keep too many mega-corporations alive. The concept that corporations are, legally, the same as people, and have the same protections and rights with the use of their money as we do with our free speech, is just plain wrong. That concept is ruining our country..... economically, for the middle class, and environmentally for everyone…..see Global Climate Change, Fracking, & high sulfur oil.

  https://movetoamend.org/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/DuluthAreaMTA/

https://fbid=10151369534701275&set=a.180479986274.135777.177486166274&type=1&theaterhttps://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.php?fbid=10151369534701275&set=a.180479986274.135777.177486166274&type=1&theater