CorporateRights

CorporateRights https://www.dailykos.com/news/CorporateRights News Community Action Copyright 2005 - Steal what you want Sun, 26 Jan 2020 22:25:53 +0000 Sun, 26 Jan 2020 22:25:53 +0000 Daily Kos rss@dailykos.com (Daily Kos) Daily Kos rss@dailykos.com (Daily Kos) Follow the Money ... Steve Bannon has Higher Ambitions https://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/2/24/1637271/-Follow-the-Money-Steve-Bannon-has-Higher-Ambitions The annual convention of conservative idealogues CPAC, is affording us an unusual “inside look” into the belief system driving Steve Bannon. A belief system which in turn is driving the Actions of our <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/02/16/1634251/-Follow-the-Money-How-many-Billions-is-Enough" target="_blank">Billionaire</a> President. Other dailykos members are reporting on those jarring CPAC “reveals”, including <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/stories/2017/2/23/1637159/-President-Bannon-threatens-media-We-re-going-to-make-it-worse-every-day-for-you" target="_blank">Leslie Salzillo</a> and <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/stories/2017/2/23/1637009/-Bannon-Reveals-His-Intention-To-Deconstruct-The-Administrative-State-i-e-Destroy-The-Country" target="_blank">Dartagnan</a>. But Bannon’s back-story is one worth knowing too, as Sun Tzu, or somebody else nearly as famous, once said … <h4><a href="https://qz.com/898134/what-steve-bannon-really-wants/" target="_blank" title="">What Steve Bannon really wants</a></h4> by Gwynn Guilford, Nikhil Sonnad, Quartz -- Feb 03, 2017 <blockquote> [...] Bannon transcended his working-class Virginia roots with a stint in the Navy and a degree from Harvard Business School, followed by a career as a Goldman Sachs financier. He moved to Los Angeles to invest in media and entertainment for Goldman, before starting his own investment bank specializing in media. Through a combination of luck (a fallen-through deal left him with a stake in a hit show called Seinfeld) and a knack for voicing outrage, Bannon remade himself as a minor luminary within the far edge of right-wing politics, writing and directing a slew of increasingly conservative documentaries. Bannon’s influence reached a new high in 2012 when he took over Breitbart News, an online news site, following the death of creator Andrew Breitbart. While at Breitbart, Bannon ran a popular talk radio call-in show and launched a flame-throwing assault on mainstream Republicans, embracing instead a fringe cast of ultra-conservative figures. Among them was Trump, a frequent guest of the show. They established a relationship that eventually led Bannon to mastermind Trump’s populist romp to the White House, culminating in his taking the administration’s most senior position (alongside the chief of staff, Reince Priebus). [...] </blockquote> In addition to prompting and steering a hapless Billionaire into the Oval Office, Steve Bannon took his <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/steve-bannon-seinfeld/" target="_blank">Seinfeld syndication earnings,</a> and turned them into a platform of “socialism for the very wealthy” — complete with his “<a href="http://www.cnn.com/2017/02/23/politics/steve-bannon-world-view/" target="_blank">3 pillars</a>” that (supposedly) hold-up his home-brew brand of Nationalism ("Homeland Security, 'economic nationalism', and the 'deconstruction' of the administrative state."). <a href="http://thetab.com/us/2016/11/18/greatest-hits-guide-steve-bannons-disgusting-misogyny-racism-55505" target="_blank">Breitbart-legacy</a> conservator Bannon, did all this by simultaneously co-opting and re-fueling the innate anger, embodied by the nascent Tea Party movement at time … as he fanned those flames to ‘white hot’ ... <blockquote> [… continuing from Quartz link ...] Bannon wants all of this liberal-sponsored “socialism” to end. He celebrates CNBC host Rick Santelli’s famous 2009 tirade about “those who carry the water and those who drink the water,” which sparked what became the Tea Party, a populist movement focused on tax cuts, fiscal scrimping, and a narrow interpretation of constitutional rights. Channeling the spirit of the Tea Party, Bannon blames Republicans as much as Democrats for taking part in cronyism and corruption at the expense of middle class families. [...] <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3SLtP10NQ8" target="_blank">Generation Zero</a>, Bannon’s 2010 documentary, has a lot to say about “American values,” and a lot of this matches closely the ideals of the Tea Party. But since 2013 or 2014, Bannon’s casual emphasis on American values has swelled to include a strong religious component. The successful functioning of America—and Western civilization in general—depends on capitalism, and capitalism depends on the presence of “Judeo-Christian values.” </blockquote> “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3SLtP10NQ8" target="_blank">Generation Zero</a>” was the driving force behind Citizens United, and the wealthy-interests in-favor of it: <blockquote> <div>Published on Jan 28, 2015</div> <div> Generation Zero CITIZENS UNITED - Documentaries. </div> Citizens United is a conservative non-profit organization in the United States. Its president and chairman is David Bossie. It is best known for the U.S. Supreme Court case on campaign financing Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission. Citizens United's specified objective is to restore the United States government to "residents' control" and to "assert American worths of minimal government, freedom of business, strong family members, and national sovereignty and security." To fulfill this goal, Citizens United embarks on various advertising jobs, consisting of tv marketing and feature-length documentaries. People United was established in 1988. David Bossie has been its head of state since 2000. Its offices are on Pennsylvania Avenue in the Capitol Hill area of Washington, D.C. The connected Citizens United Foundation is a tax-exempt 501 organization. </blockquote> So addition to being the puppet-master behind his pal Trump’s misguided candidacy, and improbable win, Mr Bannon was also instrumental in steering the Tea Party, and normalizing the ideas that Corporations ARE People, and that Money is the same as Speech … Have enough of it — you might even be able to buy (or buffalo) your way into the Presidency! Now Mr Bannon has his sights on implementing his <a href="http://thetab.com/us/2016/11/18/greatest-hits-guide-steve-bannons-disgusting-misogyny-racism-55505" target="_blank">purity-form</a> of <a href="http://www.sras.org/economic_nationalism_under_globalization" target="_blank">Economic Nationalism</a>, and the <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/wp/2017/02/23/bannon-trump-administration-is-in-unending-battle-for-deconstruction-of-the-administrative-state/?utm_term=.4af93e5e75fb" target="_blank">Deconstruction of the Agencies of Government</a> — no matter the fall out, or whose rights might get steamrolled in the process. Oh well ... The American People had best be forewarned of this — it is highly doubtful that “majorities” have signed up for this whole-sale dismantling … in order to install such a radical “<s>America</s> Anarchy First” Alt-Right <a href="http://www.alternet.org/right-wing/horses-mouth-key-founder-alt-right-movement-describes-hateful-white-nationalist-agenda" target="_blank">Agenda</a>. The Puppet-master has spoken, something he is not likely to do again, anytime soon. rss@dailykos.com (jamess) CitizensUnited CorporateRights CPAC DonaldTrump EconomicNationalism FollowTheMoney GenerationZero GoldmanSachs HedgeFundDipolmacy ImprobablePresidency NationalSecurity PuppetMasterInChief SeinfeldRoyalties SteveBannon TeaParty Threepillars _1637271 Fri, 24 Feb 2017 17:07:27 +0000 Another Deregulation "Benefit" of the TPP -- Wall Street empowerment, via the International Backdoor https://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/3/20/1504025/-Another-Deregulation-Benefit-of-the-TPP Trade Benefits, like Beauty, are in the eye of the beholder. So too are the need for “tough Financial Regulations” apparently, if this TTP trade agreement — written by an army of corporate lawyers — every becomes the international law of the western hemisphere. <blockquote> In the wake of the worst financial crisis and economic recession since the Great Depression, governments around the world are re-regulating financial firms, seeking to reverse the extreme deregulation that led to foreclosed homes, bank bailouts, lost jobs and collapsing economies. Incredibly, the <a href="http://www.citizen.org/tpp">Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP)</a> would provide big banks with a backdoor means of watering down such efforts to re-regulate Wall Street. TPP rules, <a href="http://www.citizen.org/documents/FinanceReregulationFactSheetFINAL.pdf">written under the advisement of banks before the financial crisis</a>, would require domestic law to conform to the now-rejected model of deregulation that led to financial ruin. The TPP would undermine bans on particularly risky financial products, such as the toxic derivatives that led to the $183 billion government bailout of AIG. It would threaten policies to prevent banks from becoming "too big to fail" and the use of "firewalls" to prevent banks that keep our savings accounts from taking hedge-fund-style bets. The TPP would also restrict capital controls, an essential policy tool to counter destabilizing flows of speculative money. Even <a href="http://citizen.typepad.com/eyesontrade/2012/12/imf-endorses-capital-controls-while-us-tpp-negotiators-try-to-ban-them.html">the International Monetary Fund has recently endorsed capital controls as legitimate</a> for mitigating or preventing financial crises. And the deal would pose new hurdles to taxes on Wall Street speculation, such as the proposed Robin Hood Tax that would generate billions of dollars' worth of revenue for social, health, or environmental causes. The TPP would <a href="http://www.citizen.org/investorcases">empower foreign financial firms to directly attack</a> these and other financial stability policies in foreign tribunals, demanding taxpayer compensation for regulations that they claim frustrate their expectations and inhibit their profits. </blockquote> Source: The Trans-Pacific Partnership: <a href="http://www.citizen.org/Page.aspx?pid=6474" target="_blank">Undermining Wall Street Reform</a> from <a href="http://www.citizen.org/TPP" target="_blank">Public Citizen</a> — Protecting Health, Safety and Democracy. --- The following, little-noticed press release is decidedly a risky bet, in terms of giving U.S. consumers the same toxic assets — and more — that nearly crashed the world economy, not so very long ago: --- <div>For Immediate Release: Nov. 18, 2015 — from <a href="http://www.citizen.org/documents/analysis-tpp-financial-services-chapter-november-2015.pdf" target="_blank">Public Citizen</a> </div> <blockquote> TPP Financial Stability Threats Unveiled: It’s Worse than We Thought <div></div> <div>---</div> <div>First U.S. Pact Negotiated Since Global Financial Crisis Fails to Remedy Past Pacts’ Deregulatory Terms and Grants Firms New Rights to Challenge Financial Policies</div> <div></div> <div>---</div> <div></div> <div></div> <div>Although the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is the first U.S. trade deal to be negotiated since the 2008 financial crisis that spurred a global recession, it would impose on TPP signatory countries the pre-crisis model of extreme financial deregulation that is widely understood to have spurred the crisis. After nearly six years of negotiations under conditions of extreme secrecy, the Obama administration has only now released the text of the controversial deal after it has been finalized and it is too late to make any needed changes. The TPP financial services and investment chapters provide stark warnings about the dangers of “trade” negotiations occurring without press, public or policymaker oversight.</div> <div></div> <div></div> <div>---</div> <div> • Unlike past pacts, the TPP would empower financial firms to use extrajudicial tribunals to challenge financial stability measures that do not conform to their “expectations.” [...] The TPP explicitly grants foreign investors new rights (Article 11.2.2) to launch attacks on financial policies using the extremely elastic MST standard [the guaranteed “minimum standard of treatment”] that ISDS tribunals [extrajudicial investor-state dispute settlement tribunals] regularly interpret to require compensation if a change in policy undermines an investors’ expectations.</div> <div></div> <div></div> <div>---</div> <div> • Despite the pivotal role that new financial products, such as toxic derivatives, played in fueling the financial crisis, the TPP would impose obligations on TPP countries to allow new financial products and services to enter their economies if permitted in other TPP countries (Article 11.7).</div> <div>---</div> <div> • The TPP constrains signatory governments’ ability to ban risky financial products, including those not yet invented, via rules designating a regulatory ban to be a “zero quota” limiting market access and thus prohibited (Article 11.5). TPP rules also would jeopardize efforts to keep banks from becoming too big to fail and to firewall the spread of risk between types of financial activities.</div> <div>[...]</div> </blockquote> If the financial wizards who gave us ‘liar loans’ and and mortgage-backed-securities (MBS), which became worthless, once all those ARMs reset — just imagine what they can do with the Billions in the product pipelines of electronics, and smart phones, and <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/03/19/1503719/-Another-Deregulation-Benefit-of-the-TPP-A-new-regime-of-Food-Safety" target="_blank">unlabeled food</a>, and the newly TM-protected <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/03/19/1503273/-TPP-right-on-Track-sort-of" target="_blank">life-saving drugs</a>. Who will be the wiser? Sadly far-too-many Americans would rather not know how or where, their Walmart/Target goods are made, even though majorities of them would buy American-made products — IF we only had a consistent way to locate and easily check those <a href="http://www.citizen.org/documents/COOL-repeal-December-2015.pdf" target="_blank">Countries of Origin</a>. Once again the TPP will do away that Consumer ‘luxury’. rss@dailykos.com (jamess) ALawUntoThemselves BackdoorProvisions ByCorporationsForCorporations CapitalRequirements CapitalRequirementsBeGone CorporateCharters corporatecourts CorporateRights CorporateRules Deregulation EndRunAroundDemocracy environmentalstandards ExpectedProfits ExtraJudical FairTradeNotFreeTrade IllegalTradeBarriers InternationalStandards ISDS LabelsBeGone NoPublicReview PollutersBestFriend ProtectingSpeculation PublicCitizen TheRightToProfit TheyThinkWereStupid TimeToGiveaDamn ToxicAssets TPP WallStreetReform WorseThanWeThought WTO _1504025 Sun, 20 Mar 2016 15:51:27 +0000 We can never, ever have Single Payer, because ... https://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/1/30/1477359/-We-can-never-ever-have-Single-Payer-because Because a certain set of “rights” needs to be protected — at all costs: ….. <a href="http://www.publicintegrity.org/2015/01/26/16658/health-insurers-watch-profits-soar-they-dump-small-business-customers">Health insurers watch profits soar as they dump small business customers</a> Commentary: record stock prices reward investors but leave mom-and-pop firms in the cold by Wendell Potter Commentary, publicintegrity.org -- Jan 26, 2015 <blockquote>[...] And let’s be clear, these insurers aren’t suffering. UnitedHealth Group, the largest health insurer, reported last week that it made $10.3 billion in profits in 2014 on revenues of $130.5 billion. Both profits and revenues grew seven percent from 2013 . United impressed Wall Street so much that investors pushed its share price to an all-time high. When the New York Stock Exchange closed last Thursday, United’s share price stood at $113.85, a record. [...] That certainly happened last week. Every one of the big six saw their shares reach or come close to reaching historic highs. Although they haven’t done quite as well as United, the other five have seen the price of their stock more than double or triple. Health Net’s share price has increased 224 percent since March 2010. Anthem’s is up 238 percent over the same time period. Aetna’s 290 percent. Cigna’s 305 percent. And Humana’s 309 percent. Meanwhile, the number of Americans enrolled in health plans offered by small employers continued the steady decline that started years before Obamacare went into effect. [...] </blockquote> And that’s the right of <a href="http://www.publicintegrity.org/2015/01/26/16658/health-insurers-watch-profits-soar-they-dump-small-business-customers" target="_blank">mega-merger</a> corporations, to profit off of our human condition, by deciding when and what — and in the case of <a href="http://www.publicintegrity.org/2015/01/26/16658/health-insurers-watch-profits-soar-they-dump-small-business-customers" target="_blank">small business plans</a> — exactly who will be covered. Cha-Ching! With profit margins like that — who the heck needs national Wellness goals? ….. <a href="http://www.bna.com/outlook-2016-growth-n57982066277/">OUTLOOK 2016: Growth of ACA Marketplaces, Viability of Plans Top Issues</a> From Health Insurance Report, bna.com -- January 15, 2016 <blockquote>[...] Mergers and Acquisitions Strumpf lists mergers and acquisitions as one of the top issues in the health insurance industry in 2016. “The five largest insurers have a national market share of at least 83 percent,” he said. If the proposed mergers are approved between Anthem Inc. and Cigna Corp. and between Aetna Inc. and Humana Inc., the remaining three companies, including UnitedHealth Group Inc., would have a market share “approaching 85 percent,” he said. Local market concentration has been above Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission recommendations for competitive markets since 2012, Strumpf said. “Approval of the proposed mergers will consolidate commercial and Medicare Advantage enrollment into a handful of plans who will have significant leverage over providers,” he said. [...] </blockquote> So much for that quaint <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/01/16/1470515/-The-Bargaining-Chip-that-WAS-the-Public-Option">Public Option idea</a> that would have at least given us "an increase in competition and keep insurance companies honest..." accord to consumer health advocate, Wendell Potter. Just imagine how THAT socialist idea — would have cut into to those “guaranteed revenue streams” — that ‘shall be protected always, and forever more’. Because we dare not imagine it, any other way, <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/stories/2016/1/30/1477293/-Hillary-isn-t-making-sense-How-does-a-debate-on-single-payer-equal-Obamacare-repeal" target="_blank">according to</a> a corporately-preferred democratic Candidate. Nevermind the fact that since the ACA went <a href="http://www.webmd.com/health-insurance/20150728/millions-of-americans-reaping-benefits-of-affordable-care-act-study" target="_blank">into effect</a>: “that one out of three people who were previously uninsured have gained health care coverage." Which begs <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/01/17/1471017/-Some-of-the-little-noticed-Competitive-Benefits-of-the-ACA" target="_blank">the question</a>: What about those other 2 out of three people, who haven’t? …… No worries, they DO have other desperate Non-corporate Options, if they’re lucky, that is: …... <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/share/medicaid-map">22 States Are Not Expanding Medicaid.</a> Here's What That Means for Their Residents: whitehouse.gov -- June 4, 2015 <blockquote> Nearly half of states are so locked into the politics of Obamacare that they're willing to leave nearly 4.3 million of their own people uninsured. </blockquote> <figure class="image-captioned"><img alt="" src="http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t106/OnlyObvious/HealthCare/medicaid_gap_map_zpsgo0af33k.jpg"> <figcaption>It’s as close to a Public Option, we’ll ever see in our lifetimes … because, well just ‘Because the ACA is great!’</figcaption> </figure> ‘Ask not was your <a href="http://www.ibtimes.com/cigna-aetna-spent-more-13m-outside-lobbying-mergers-2015-2259365" target="_blank">mega-merger</a> corporations can do for you, Ask what more you can give up for them, and their bottom-lines.’ <pre></pre> <div class="align-center"> <figure class="image-captioned width-lg"><img alt="LifeExpectancy_Per_Capita_HealthExpenditure_2011_OECD.jpg" src="http://images.dailykos.com/images/196869/story_image/LifeExpectancy_Per_Capita_HealthExpenditure_2011_OECD.jpg?1453053487" title="LifeExpectancy_Per_Capita_HealthExpenditure_2011_OECD.jpg"> <figcaption></figcaption> </figure> </div> We’re number one! … in “Health Care spending per Capita”. And we’re somewhere in the neighborhood of 24th! … in Life expectancy, among modernized, developed <a href="http://www.keepeek.com/Digital-Asset-Management/oecd/social-issues-migration-health/health-at-a-glance-2015_health_glance-2015-en#page168" target="_blank">countries</a>. …….. Woo hoo! Hellvua job corporate lobbyists. What a deal! …….. When the ever-protected, unchecked, untouchable profit-motive is the illness, Can a country, ever, ever, find a cure? …….. That is the question, being posed to us all. rss@dailykos.com (jamess) AffordableCareAct asknot BernieSanders CorporateProfits CorporateRights GuaranteedProfits HealthCare HealthInsurers Insurancelobbyists LifeExpectancy MedicareForAll neverever NoAspirationsZone PublicOption Questions SinglePayer TheRightToLife TooBigTooCare _1477359 Sat, 30 Jan 2016 19:11:34 +0000 Everything you Never wanted to Know about the TPP https://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/3/28/1373952/-Everything-you-Never-wanted-to-Know-about-the-TPP And more ... The TPP -- the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreements (Corporate Pacts), which are being conducted by corporate lawyers and lobbyists, far from the light of day -- on our behalf. But some of these <a href="http://www.investingdaily.com/22352/how-a-secret-trade-deal-could-deliver-you-a-windfall/">top-secret</a> contract-law deals have been leaking.   And these leaks have been conveniently consolidated and collated for you at the site: <a href="http://www.exposethetpp.org/TPPImpactsYou.html">Expose the TPP</a>: <blockquote>[...] The governments won’t release the text to the public. But 600 mostly corporate U.S. “trade advisors” have full access. America’s worst job-offshoring corporations, global banks, agribusiness, and pharmaceutical giants want this deal to be another corporate power tool like NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement). Consumer, labor, environmental, and other public interest advocates want transparency in the process and a “Fair Deal or No Deal.” A few texts have leaked. It is not looking good. U.S. negotiators are pushing proposals that not only replicate the worst of NAFTA, but have championed outrageous new corporate-favored terms. [...]</blockquote>  -- <a href="http://www.citizen.org/documents/tpp-corporate-power-tool-flyer-2013.pdf">TPP & Corporate Power</a> -- exposeTheTPP.org  -- <a href="http://www.citizen.org/documents/TPP-and-the-environment.pdf">TPP & the Environment</a> -- exposeTheTPP.org  -- <a href="http://www.citizen.org/documents/TPP-and-health.pdf">TPP & Health</a> -- exposeTheTPP.org  -- <a href="http://www.citizen.org/Page.aspx?pid=5414">TPP & Buy American</a> -- exposeTheTPP.org  -- <a href="http://www.citizen.org/documents/TPP-and-services.pdf">TPP & Public Services</a> -- exposeTheTPP.org  -- <a href="http://www.citizen.org/documents/tpp-fast-track-disaster-for-women-lgbt-communities.pdf">TPP & Women, LGBT Communities</a> -- exposeTheTPP.org  -- <a href="http://www.exposethetpp.org/TPPImpacts_OffshoringUSJobs.html">Off-Shoring U.S. Jobs</a> -- exposeTheTPP.org  -- <a href="http://www.exposethetpp.org/TPPImpacts_FinRegulation.html">Financial Regulations</a> -- exposeTheTPP.org  -- <a href="http://www.exposethetpp.org/TPPImpacts_WorkersRights.html">Workers' Rights</a> -- exposeTheTPP.org  -- <a href="http://www.exposethetpp.org/TPPImpacts_Public-Services.html">Public Services</a> -- exposeTheTPP.org  -- <a href="http://www.exposethetpp.org/TPPimpacts_Democracy.html">Democracy</a> -- exposeTheTPP.org Enjoy!  It's your Future. rss@dailykos.com (jamess) 40PercentofWorldGDP 600Corporations CorporatePersons CorporateRights Documents ExpectedFutureProfits ExposetheTPP GuaranteedProfits NAFTAonSteroids PublicCitizen RacetotheBottom top1percent Trans-PacificPartnership TransPacificPartnership TransparencyMIA WelfarefortheWealthy WetheCorporations Wikileaks _1373952 Sat, 28 Mar 2015 15:28:53 +0000 Why are Only 5 of TPP's 29 Chapters -- actually about Trade? https://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/3/27/1373697/-Why-are-Only-5-of-TTP-s-29-Chapters-actually-about-Trade Have you heard about the TPP?  ALL of the TPP -- the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreements being conducted by corporate lawyers and lobbyists, far from the light of day -- on our behalf. If not, one day you will, have "heard about it."  Remember back, that at the time, much of the electorate thought too, that NAFTA was no big deal either -- when it was being negotiated by lawyers, to leverage those "untapped economic opportunities," elsewhere. "Reducing the barriers to Trade" and "Making World Markets <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/24/business/economy/24panel.html">more efficient</a>" -- what could be wrong with that, or so the glowing rationales went. That was then, this is now, in our Post-<a href="http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/20-years-nafta-success-story-damaging-policy/">NAFTA</a>, Post-<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gramm%E2%80%93Leach%E2%80%93Bliley_Act">Gramm–Leach–Bliley</a> world, where the result has been:     More efficient, for the privileged few. Well the TPP is being called "<a href="http://billmoyers.com/2014/01/09/fool-me-once-20-years-of-nafta-show-why-the-trans-pacific-partnership-must-be-stopped/">NAFTA on Steroids</a>" -- for some very good reasons. At least 29 of them as a matter of fact. <a href="http://www.citizen.org/TPP">Trans-Pacific Partnership</a> (TPP): Job Loss, Lower Wages and Higher Drug Prices Public Citizen -- citizen.org <blockquote>Have you heard? The TPP is a massive, controversial "free trade" agreement currently being pushed by big corporations and negotiated behind closed doors by officials from the United States and 11 other countries -- Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, and Vietnam. [...] In one fell swoop, this secretive deal could: <blockquote>  • <a href="http://www.citizen.org/Page.aspx?pid=6475">offshore</a> American jobs and increase income inequality,   • <a href="http://www.citizen.org/tpp-food-safety-facts">expose</a> the U.S. to unsafe food and products,   • <a href="http://www.citizen.org/tpp-public-health">jack up</a> the cost of medicines,   • <a href="http://www.citizen.org/Page.aspx?pid=6474">roll back</a> Wall Street reforms,   • <a href="http://www.eff.org/issues/tpp">sneak in</a> SOPA-like threats to Internet freedom,   • <a href="http://www.citizen.org/Page.aspx?pid=5414">ban</a> Buy American policies needed to create green jobs,   • and <a href="http://www.citizen.org/Page.aspx?pid=5411">empower corporations</a> to attack our environmental and health safeguards. </blockquote> Although it is called a "free trade" agreement, the TPP is not mainly about trade. Of TPP's 29 draft chapters, only five deal with traditional trade issues. One chapter would provide incentives to offshore jobs to low-wage countries. Many would impose limits on government policies that we rely on in our daily lives for safe food, a clean environment, and more. Our domestic federal, state and local policies would be required to comply with TPP rules. The TPP would even elevate individual foreign firms to <a href="http://www.citizen.org/Page.aspx?pid=5411">equal status with sovereign nations</a>, empowering them to privately enforce new rights and privileges, provided by the pact, by dragging governments to foreign tribunals to challenge public interest policies that they claim frustrate their expectations. The tribunals would be authorized to order taxpayer compensation to the foreign corporations for the "expected future profits" they surmise would be inhibited by the challenged policies. [...] </blockquote> As I said, very much more efficient {Profits}, for the privileged few. ... For those neo-corporate benefactors with an inside-track, on the brand new TPP rights and rules. Super-sized Corporate Rights, which we will one day learn to loathe. rss@dailykos.com (jamess) 600Corporations CheapLabor CorporateRights Corporations Corporationsarepeople DismantlingthePublicGood Economy EnvironmentalDeregulation ExploitingForeignMarkets ExposetheTPP ForeignTrade FreeTrade FutureTrade GuaranteedProfits IncomeInequality IntellectuallyProperty Labor Lobbyists NAFTAonSteroids NoTransparency Offshoring PublicCitizen Questions RacetotheBottom Recommended SecretDeals Sweetheart Deals SweetheartDeals TaxPayersontheHook top1percent TradeDeficit Trans-PacificPartnership TransPacificPartnership Wealth-creationforWhom WealthCreation WelfarefortheWealthy Wikileaks WorkersTradedAway _1373697 Fri, 27 Mar 2015 16:34:30 +0000 Kaboom...TPP Bogus Promises Just Collapsed In A Heap https://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/3/13/1284387/-Kaboom-TPP-Bogus-Promises-Just-Collapsed-In-A-Heap It's sort of a tiring exercise. Each time some so-called "free trade" deal comes up, the president at the time (read: Bill Clinton, George Bush and Barack Obama) trots out a whole series of phony arguments to make the case for a very bad agreement--bad if you are anything but a corporation. You have to willfully ignore past evidence to swallow the same old tired arguments used to ram through these crappy agreements. But, let's celebrate an anniversary here to trumpet the collapse of any plausible argument being used to sell the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). rss@dailykos.com (Tasini) Auto Industry AutoIndustry CorporateRights FreeTrade KoreanFreeTradeAgreement PublicCitizen Recommended Trans-PacificPartnership WorkingLife _1284387 Thu, 13 Mar 2014 14:15:57 +0000 Corporations Nearly became Voters in Montana this year https://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/12/8/1261088/-Corporations-Nearly-became-Voters-in-Montana-this-year My apologies if this is "old news" to you. It surprised the hell out of me, when I first learned about it this week. With our Supreme Court <a href="http://consortiumnews.com/2013/11/29/the-rights-misconstrued-constitution/">about to rule</a> on whether the "Rights of Corporations" extends to choosing the type of Health Care items its (Female) employees may receive -- it would be wise to consider where this continued empowering of Corporate Rights could ultimately lead.   It could lead to one of our worst nightmare ... a Government of We the Corporations ... <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/25/montana-corporations-vote_n_2761209.html">Steve Lavin, Montana Legislator, Didn't Mean To Give Corporations The Right To Vote</a> by John Celock, huffingtonpost.com -- 02/25/2013 <blockquote>[...] State Rep. Steve Lavin (R-Kalispell) told The Huffington Post that he introduced the voting reform bill thinking it would grant non-resident property owners the ability to vote in local elections. He said he did not realize the impact of Section 2 of the bill, which gave corporations, firms and partnerships the right to vote in local elections in towns where they own property. [...] "I made a mistake of not paying enough attention to this bill," Lavin said. "It came through with that in there. This kind of surprised me in a way. I would have liked to amend that out of there." Lavin said he introduced the bill at the request of a local constituent, a common practice in Montana. [...] After it was brought to his attention that he was proposing to give corporations the right to vote, Lavin said he wanted to strike that section from the legislation. But the House did not have time to handle an amendment to his bill in committee and the committee did not want to let the Senate handle the amendment process. [...] Lavin doesn't know yet if he will reintroduce a version of the bill in the future. [...] </blockquote> State Rep Steve Lavin just made a mistake. State Rep Steve Lavin was just listening to the needs of a "constituent." State Rep Steve Lavin never meant to to give Corporations the Right to Vote -- that was just an "oversight." Then why is the State Rep "unsure" when he will "try it again" ... rss@dailykos.com (jamess) AmericanLegislativeExchangeCouncil CampaignFinanceReform CorporatePersons CorporateRights Corporations Corporationsarenotpeople CorporatismCreeping Lobbyists LobbyistsAreNotLegislators LobbyNation ModelLegislation Moneyisnotspeech Montana PopulismRising Questions Recommended SCOTUS SteveLavin VoterRights War on Women WarOnWomen WhoWritesourLawsAnyways _1261088 Sun, 08 Dec 2013 17:51:38 +0000 If Corporations Are Persons... https://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/11/28/1165371/-If-Corporations-Are-Persons In Citizens United, the Supreme Court not only equated money with speech, it said that corporations have the right of free speech as persons do.  The recent factory fire in Bangladesh got me thinking more about corporations with the same rights and responsibilities and citizens.  If we follow Citizens United to its logical conclusions, where will it take us? rss@dailykos.com (ramara) Bangladeshfactoryfire CorporateResponsiblity CorporateRights Corporations Labor Law Walmart _1165371 Wed, 28 Nov 2012 18:54:31 +0000 When Political Paralysis Is FABULOUS For The Middle Class https://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/8/26/1010762/-When-Political-Paralysis-Is-FABULOUS-For-The-Middle-Class   Not a day goes by when we don't hear from the mouth of some talking head or read the words of a transcriber of press releases (formerly known as a "journalist") about the awful "partisanship" or bi-partisan "paralysis" and failure to "compromise". It's now a macro embedded in the minds and computers of virtually every pundit and blowhard pontificator.    All I can say is: I hope the two parties keep fighting and maneuvering and going nowhere...when it comes to the putrid so-called "free trade" agreements. It's a great thing for the middle-class and for workers everywhere. rss@dailykos.com (Tasini) Barack Obama BarackObama Class Warfare ClassWarfare Colombia CorporateRights FreeTrade Middle Class MiddleClass Peru Republicans Retraining Ron Kirk RonKirk Slavery SouthKorea Wages _1010762 Fri, 26 Aug 2011 14:20:24 +0000 Rick Perry "Free The Corporations From The Shackles Of Enslavement" https://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/8/22/1009690/-Rick-Perry-Free-The-Corporations-From-The-Shackles-Of-Enslavement <a href="http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2011/08/22/301253/rick-perry-compares-civil-rights-movement-to-gop-fight-for-lower-corporate-taxes/">Rick Perry is the New Martin Luther King</a> <blockquote>"Listen, America’s gone a long way from the standpoint of civil rights and thank God we have. I mean we’ve gone from a country that made great strides in issues of civil rights. I think we all can be proud of that. And as we go forward, America needs to be about freedom. It needs to be about freedom from overtaxation, freedom from over-litigation, freedom from over-regulation. And Americans regardless of what their cultural or ethnic background is they need to know that they can come to America and you got a chance to have any dream come true because the economic climate is gonna be improved."</blockquote> Oh those poor corporations just look at Donald Trump's plane on the <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/08/22/1009576/-Donald-Trump-shows-how-bad-off-the-wealthy-have-it?via=blog_1">front page</a> everything may be gold plated and the service first class but they are shackles of oppression all the same! Sniff....will someone pass me a gosh-darned hanky! What do you call that?...Paper?  How dare you! This evil must end! To the streets brothers and sisters we march! <blockquote>Remember of course to fill out your holiday request forms first, please inform human resources of your intent as this will ensure your request is granted. Proof of participation may be requested and any non demonstration may lead to an end of work interview.</blockquote> So next time you see toxic waste dumps, reports of child labor and slave wages; just remember this is all because the corporations are being repressed. Free the corporations now! We will end this evil by working for them! Please send your donations to <a href="http://www.uschamber.com/">The Chamber of Commerce</a> rss@dailykos.com (LaFeminista) CorporateRights Freedom Recommended Rick Perry RickPerry _1009690 Tue, 23 Aug 2011 06:11:57 +0000 Hey PA, If Corporations are People too, Why Do they Never Die ...? https://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/8/13/1006328/-Hey-PA-If-Corporations-are-People-too-Why-Do-they-Never-Die <a href="http://www.investorwords.com/1133/corporate_charter.html">Corporate Charter</a> investorwords.com <blockquote>Definition: A document, filed with a U.S. state by a corporation's founders, describing the purpose, place of business, and other details of a corporation. also called articles of incorporation or charter. </blockquote> <a href="http://biztaxlaw.about.com/od/glossaryc/g/corporatecharter.htm">Corporate Charter</a> by Jean Murray, About.com Guide <blockquote>Definition: A charter in general is a document granting certain rights. A Corporate charter is a document filed with a specific state which sets out the details of a new corporation, including the corporation's purpose, business location, number and classes of shares (if any) and duration of the corporation. </blockquote> <a href="http://biztaxlaw.about.com/od/startingacorporation/g/articlesincorp.htm">Articles of Incorporation</a> by Jean Murray, About.com Guide <blockquote>[...]  -- The duration of the corporation, either perpetual or for a fixed period of time. </blockquote> Perpetual?  ... Does that mean Corporations can live for ... forever? rss@dailykos.com (jamess) Capitalism CorporateCharter CorporatePersons CorporateRights Corporations dumbquestions Economy Employeeowned Framing Free Markets FreeMarkets Human Rights HumanRights Perpetuity Profit-Machines Profits ProfitSharing revoked SmallBusiness SmartAnswers StateAttorneysGeneral StateCharter super powers superpowers Unocal _1006328 Sat, 13 Aug 2011 15:35:16 +0000 Obama Pushing Job-Killing, Middle-Class Destroying, Destructive Bills--Speak Up! https://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/6/22/987671/-Obama-Pushing-Job-Killing-Middle-Class-Destroying-Destructive-Bills-Speak-Up    Those bills are also called the so-called "free trade" deals with Colombia, South Korea and Panama. The president is making a concerted push to get these bills rammed through Congress by August. Which just boggles the mind. rss@dailykos.com (Tasini) Barack Obama BarackObama Colombia CorporateRights FreeTrade Middle Class MiddleClass Murder Peru RobertReich Ron Kirk RonKirk Slavery SouthKorea Wages _987671 Wed, 22 Jun 2011 17:47:06 +0000 Citizens Divided https://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/6/19/986727/-Citizens-Divided Citizens Divided?   Yes, conceptionally speaking. The Corporate-kind "divided" from the Human-kind, that is.  Separate and Not Equals.  The way the founding Constitutional authors intended it.  "Corporate" entities are not even mentioned in our <a href="http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/constitution_transcript.html">founding documents</a> -- although the '<a href="http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/declaration_transcript.html">Abuses of the Crown and the King</a>', have no shortage of ink. If you used to think Corporations have No Rights as citizens -- well recent events should make you think again about that quaint notion ... <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/22/us/politics/22scotus.html">Justices, 5-4, Reject Corporate Spending Limit</a> by Adam Liptak, nytimes.com -- Jan 21, 2010 <blockquote>President Obama called it “a major victory for big oil, Wall Street banks, health insurance companies and the other powerful interests that marshal their power every day in Washington to drown out the voices of everyday Americans.” [...] “If the First Amendment has any force,” Justice Anthony M. Kennedy wrote for the majority, which included the four members of the court’s conservative wing, “it prohibits Congress from fining or jailing citizens, or associations of citizens, for simply engaging in political speech.” The ruling, Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, No. 08-205, overruled two precedents: Austin v. Michigan Chamber of Commerce, a 1990 decision that upheld restrictions on corporate spending to support or oppose political candidates, and McConnell v. Federal Election Commission, a 2003 decision that upheld the part of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 that restricted campaign spending by corporations and unions. [...] </blockquote> "it prohibits Congress from fining or jailing citizens, or associations of citizens, for simply engaging in political speech." I guess that means Corporations are "Citizens" too?  They have "associations" -- directors, shareholders, employees, advocacy groups, think tanks, marketing departments, etc. etc. -- Finally!   What took them so long to find their voice?   ... I wonder how many Votes, "they" get?  ... Or will get, someday, as their Corporate Speech continues to be amplified ... rss@dailykos.com (jamess) AnthonyKennedy Barack Obama BarackObama CampaignFinanceReform Citizens Citizens United CitizensUnited ClarenceThomas Class Warfare ClassDefense ClassWarfare Constitution CorporatePersons CorporateRights Corporations CynthiaBauerly Disclosure ExecutiveOrder FEC federalcontractors FederalElectionCommission Framing Free Speech FreeSpeech Front Groups FrontGroups Human Rights HumanRights John Paul Stevens JohnPaulStevens Money Speech MoneySpeech PublicCitizen Supreme Court SupremeCourt ThinkTanks _986727 Sun, 19 Jun 2011 15:30:07 +0000 Wal-Mart Slaves And The Sham of Trade "Enforcement" https://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/5/30/980664/-Wal-Mart-Slaves-And-The-Sham-of-Trade-Enforcement   Reaching back all the way to NAFTA (oh, so ancient history...1993), there has been a complete lie and sham underlying virtually every trade deal post-NAFTA--don't worry, so-called "free trade" advocates tell us (including free trade zealots Bill Clinton and Robert Reich) about these deals...we will put in place "labor protections" to make sure workers aren't abused. Hah! And Wal-Mart makes that point just beautifully. rss@dailykos.com (Tasini) Barack Obama BarackObama BillDaley Colombia CorporateRights FreeTrade LaborRights Middle Class MiddleClass Peru Ron Kirk RonKirk SideAgreements Slavelabor Slavery SouthKorea Wages Wal-Mart _980664 Mon, 30 May 2011 21:16:05 +0000 The "Training DisInformation and Unemployment Act" AKA "Free Trade" Deals https://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/5/23/978565/-The-Training-DisInformation-and-Unemployment-Act-AKA-Free-Trade-Deals    Sigh. Dumb economics again--promoted by a whole lot of good Democrats who just cannot embrace the idea that you cannot fix so-called "free trade" deals by pretending to retrain people for new jobs. It's a false, cruel promise. rss@dailykos.com (Tasini) Barack Obama BarackObama BillDaley Colombia CorporateRights FreeTrade Middle Class MiddleClass Peru Retraining Ron Kirk RonKirk Slavery SouthKorea Wages _978565 Mon, 23 May 2011 20:04:22 +0000 Democratic Tomfoolery: Panama and The White House's "Ship Our Jobs Overseas" Plan https://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/4/21/969019/-Democratic-Tomfoolery-Panama-and-The-White-House-s-Ship-Our-Jobs-Overseas-Plan    Why doesn't Bill Daley, the White House Chief of Staff, just come right out and say it: we're going to ram through these so-called "free trade" deals because, dammit, we need that corporate cash for the re-election campaign? Just be honest. Stop coloring it in the phony Republican-corporate rhetoric of "job creation". Then, at least, we can have an honest debate about the disaster--economic and political disaster--of so-called "free trade" and <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/20/business/global/20trade.html">the new push to get through the deal with Panama</a>. rss@dailykos.com (Tasini) Barack Obama BarackObama BillDaley Colombia CorporateRights Enforcement FreeTrade Middle Class MiddleClass Panama Peru RichardTrumka Ron Kirk RonKirk Slavery SouthKorea Wages _969019 Thu, 21 Apr 2011 20:10:19 +0000 "Free Trade" Bribe: The Retraining Scam https://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/2/14/944334/--Free-Trade-Bribe-The-Retraining-Scam Every so-called "free trade" deal that has shimmied its way through Congress has been greased with legalized bribery, starting with NAFTA in 1993, which was <a href="http://www.publicintegrity.org/assets/pdf/THETRADINGGAME.pdf">the king of all "what will buy your vote" deals</a>. But, the biggest scam, in my opinion, is the "retraining" workers are offered in return for...sacrificing their middle-class livelihood and security for the benefit of corporate profits. rss@dailykos.com (Tasini) Barack Obama BarackObama BillDaley Colombia CorporateRights Education FreeTrade IintellectualProperty Lies Middle Class MiddleClass Peru Retraining Ron Kirk RonKirk Slavery SouthKorea Wages _944334 Mon, 14 Feb 2011 15:41:16 +0000 "Free Trade": The Capitulation Continues, Middle Class Weeps https://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/2/10/942537/--Free-Trade-The-Capitulation-Continues-Middle-Class-Weeps   If you share the belief that the greatest economic challenge we face is stopping the stupefying global class warfare underway, then, we have to be quite clear about the tools that support the attack against decent living standards for people and a fair sharing of the wealth. So-called "free trade" is right up there on the list of very bad policy--at least if you believe in a middle-class. But, the march goes on to ram through these clunkers, with the White House leading the charge. rss@dailykos.com (Tasini) Barack Obama BarackObama BillDaley Colombia CorporateRights FreeTrade IintellectualProperty Middle Class MiddleClass Peru Recommended Ron Kirk RonKirk Slavery SouthKorea Wages _942537 Thu, 10 Feb 2011 17:14:42 +0000 Scalia et al Make Up Corporate Constitutional Rights https://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/1/13/936052/-Scalia-et-al-Make-Up-Corporate-Constitutional-Rights   It is has been pointed out by others that when the Republicans chose to organize the reading of the Constitution on the House floor, <a href="http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/01/house-reading-amended-slavery-free-constitution.php">they conveniently left out parts they didn't like</a>. But, they have intellectual--and I use "intellectual" loosely--support for this from Justice Scalia and his wing of convenient Constitutionalists who choose to find things in the document they so revere like rights of Corporations. rss@dailykos.com (Tasini) AntoninScalia Campaign Finance CampaignFinance Citizens United CitizensUnited Constitution CorporatePower CorporateRights Corruption Justice LindaGreenhouse Robbery SupremeCourtoftheUnitedStates _936052 Thu, 13 Jan 2011 18:11:44 +0000 The Black Wave ...and how to stop it. https://www.dailykos.com/story/2010/6/21/877764/-The-Black-Wave-and-how-to-stop-it I am wondering why I attempted to tackle such an issue on this beautiful day. It is a big one. But I spent my Saturday night watching a documentary film called THE BLACK WAVE that haunted me since then. It demonstrated to me two major issues about the Gulf of Mexico disaster: <ol><li value="1"> Just how important the success of President Obama securing the <a href="http://www.walletpop.com/blog/2010/06/18/how-to-claim-money-from-bps-20-billion-fund/">20 billion fund</a> is to begin to compensate the people of the Gulf</li></ol> <ol><li value="2"> Just how far we have to go.</li></ol> I worry that in 20 years from now, we still won't be there. rss@dailykos.com (the girl) 20billionfund Action Barack Obama BarackObama BP CorporateRights Democracy Now! DemocracyNow eKos Exxon Valdez ExxonValdez Gulf of Mexico GulfofMexico Move To Amend MoveToAmend RikiOtt TheBlackWave UltimateCivics _877764 Mon, 21 Jun 2010 14:20:37 +0000 A Supreme Theology for corporations: the belly of the dragon. https://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/11/1/799359/-A-Supreme-Theology-for-corporations-the-belly-of-the-dragon "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Ceator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of happiness." Let me begin by saying that I may offend some in this community, because I will bring a spiritual perspective to a political discussion (particular apologies to Atheists).  In fact some may see it as a very primitive sort of a spiritual perspective...one associated with tents on hot summer nights and snake handling.  But I will leave the tent preaching aside for a moment. Join me below the fold for a discussion of the most important issue currently facing our nation, a little snake handling, a little Constitutional theory, a little preaching, and the proposed ultimate solution. rss@dailykos.com (Buffalo50) CitizensUnitedvFederalElectionCommission Corporateinfluence CorporateRights Corporations Evil Religion Rescued Supreme Court SupremeCourt Supremes Theology _799359 Sun, 01 Nov 2009 17:02:01 +0000 Corporations Plunder ... only Persons Create https://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/9/27/787019/-Corporations-Plunder-only-Persons-Create Corporate Rights and Responsibilities: Restoring Legal Accountability Dr Dan Plesch & Dr Stephanie Blankenburg <blockquote> [pg 4] Giant corporations have the rights of a person, but none of the responsibilities. Society needs successful businesses, but today business is taking over society. - 51 of the world’s 100 largest economies are corporations (Institute for Policy Studies, Top 200: The Rise of Corporate Global Power, 2001). - 80% of the world’s industrial output is made by 1,000 corporations (The Economist, 29 January 2000). </blockquote> <a href="https://eprints.soas.ac.uk/5707/1/RSA_Corporate_Rights-Plesch_and_Blankenburg.pdf">https://eprints.soas.ac.uk/...</a>  (pdf) Staggering Stats! from nearly a decade ago! If were not careful, metaphorically at least, that world of Terminator 2 may indeed come to pass ... that day "When machines rise up rule the world". It may already be too late -- despite the Human Face, we like to paint on our <del>neighborhood</del> global Corporate Entities ... rss@dailykos.com (jamess) Capitalism Competition CorporateCharters CorporatePerson CorporateRights Corporations DavidKorten Economy HumanCapital humansociety limitedliability NuclearPower PhantomWealth PlanetaryResources realwealth Responsibility Risk Value-addedProducts Wall Street Bailout WallStreetBailout _787019 Sun, 27 Sep 2009 23:19:32 +0000