As the Capitalist Robber Barons Steal from the 99% — Only the 1% Voted For Austerity — The 99% Should Decide On Austerity — Not The 1% Who Profit From Austerity!
Image of the Day:
. . . Since the income taxes are no longer progressive, but regressive, it is debt that we are now forced to pay, with our real earnings — while today’s modern day robber barons are allowed to play, since their investments are now guaranteed by the bipartisan government. To add insult to the injury, the capitalist class earns tax-free income from the interest income derive from the bonds to pay the unpayable and ever increasing governmental debt. Whenever I envision the corporate Robber Barons of today’s capitalism, I am always reminded of the Piggies, a Beatles song from The White Album. It was written by George Harrison as a social commentary on class and corporate greed. In my minds eye, I can just see these capitalist piggies wiggling their cute curly tails, with their snouts in the public trough, “clutching forks and knives to eat our bacon!
Have you seen the little piggies — Crawling in the dirt
And for all those little piggies — Life is getting worse
Always having dirt to play around in. — Have you seen the bigger piggies
In their starched white shirts — You will find the bigger piggies — Stirring up the dirt
And they always have clean shirts to play around in. —And in their styes with all their backing
They don’t care what goes on around — And in their eyes there’s something lacking
What they needs a damm good whacking. — Yeah, everywhere there’s lots of piggies
Playing piggy pranks — And you can see them on their trotters
Down at the piggy banks — Paying piggy thanks — To thee pig brother – everybody:
Everywhere there’s lots of piggies — Living piggy lives
You can see them out for dinner — With their piggy wives
Videos of the Day:
U.S.
Demonization of Putin as “Personally” Behind Clinton Hack Is Old Propaganda Technique The leaked allegations supposedly from the CIA that Russian President Vladimir Putin “personally” directed how hacked emails from the Clinton campaign should be used should be treated with a good deal of skepticism. I have already said that the allegations of effective Russian interference in the US election do not make any sense to me. There is no point at which anything Russia is said to have done can be shown to have determined the election outcome. By Juan Cole
For Indigenous People in the Americas, Standing Rock Illustrates Centuries of Conflict The recent announcement by the United States military that it would not allow the Dakota Access Pipeline to jeopardize the lands and water sources of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe was a remarkable landmark for indigenous struggles in the Americas. Though the victory might well not be permanent, it is still worth celebrating. However, it is vitally important that we do not lose sight of the many similar struggles indigenous and tribal peoples are facing around the world. From the scrublands of Patagonia to the icy reaches of the Arctic, the images of the Standing Rock protests that have been splashed across the American media may prove to be not only an inspiration, but a decisive turning point. by Lewis Evans
Apple, Google and Others at Trump Tech Summit Have Stashed $560 Billion in Profits Overseas U.S.-based multinationals are currently holding $2.4 trillion in profits overseas to avoid paying taxes on them. Remarkably enough, the 11 technology companies represented at Wednesday’s summit with President-elect Donald Trump at Trump Tower in New York account for about one-quarter of that total — a staggering $560 billion — all by themselves. By Jon Schwarz
Trump and Netanyahu: Prodigal Sons of Capitalism A love affair has been brewing in the corridors of power in Washington and Jerusalem, soon to be consummated. Benjamin “Bibi” Netanyahu and Donald J. Trump share a brand of right-wing ethnocentric populism that deregulates and privatizes anything and everything. It bolsters an oligarchy, which preys on public social safety nets and leads to a collapse of the working class. by Yoav Litvin
Trump’s Cabinet Wealthier Than One-Third of US Households Combined In addition to uber-wealthy, Huffington Post notes Trump’s cabinet “is shaping up to be the least diverse in recent history” by Deirdre Fulton
Environment:
If You Want to See How Donald Trump Will Destroy the Environment, Read This Legislative Roadmap
If you’ve been wondering which environmental protections the incoming administration will target and how exactly they’ll try to undo them, take a look at the Competitive Enterprise Institute’s legislative agenda, “Free to Prosper.” Just a few months ago, this radical plan to dismantle environmental safeguards would have been dismissed as the wacky wish list of a conservative fringe group. But with Donald Trump headed to the White House and Myron Ebell, CEI’s director, overseeing the transition of the Environmental Protection Agency, the report, which was released last week, is a chilling preview of the attacks on environmental and health regulations that are likely to come — and a must-read for anyone trying to avert them. By Sharon Lerner
Latest Climate Report: “The Arctic Is Unraveling” The Arctic’s average surface air temperature for the year ending September 2016 was, by far, the highest since 1900. New monthly record high temperature records were recorded for January, February, October and November of this year. Spring snow cover extent in the North American Arctic was the lowest ever in the satellite records, which began in 1967. By Dahr Jamail
Ongoing Big Energy Crisis:
Leaked Audio: Dakota Access Pipeline Executive Says “Election Night Changed Everything” and DAPL “Is Going Through” “I’ve got to tell you, election night changed everything,” Ramsey apparently said in the 10-minute clip, the authenticity of which DeSmog could not independently verify. “We now are going into a transition where we are going to have a new President of the United States who gets it. He understands what we’re doing here and we fully expect that as soon as he gets inaugurated his team is going to move to get the final approvals done and we’ll begin to put [Dakota Access] across Lake Oahe.” By Steve Horn
Black Liberation/ Civil Rights:
Labor:
NUMSA Statement on its 10th National Congress South Africa’s biggest trade union, the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa, held its 10th National Congress from 12-15 December 2016 in Cape Town. This statement was written on 7 December. By Irvin Jim
1. This ‘Workers’ Parliament’ could not be meeting at a more critical time for the world working class in general and the South African working class in particular. All over the world, the workers are under attack from employers who, as always, are making us, the working class, pay for their global crisis of monopoly capitalism. They are destroying jobs, cutting wages, attacking trade unions and reducing spending on essential social services.
2. The foundation of South African racist capitalism is the super-exploitation, impoverishment and unemployment of, and extreme racial inequalities against, the majority black and African working class. The ongoing global crisis of the capitalist system simply worsens these already pre-existing horrible conditions of the black and African working class. Congress will be sending a clear warning that unless these are urgently attended to, the country is headed for a violent class and racial confrontation, as so many voices have warned already.
3. Jobs, especially in manufacturing, are becoming ever more precarious. Whole industries like steel are in danger of disappearing, throwing thousands more on to the streets. The shocking employment statistics released on 22 November 2016 confirm beyond any doubt that South Africa’s economy is in deep crisis. Unemployment rose to a record 27.1% in the third quarter of 2016 — up from 26.6% in the second quarter and the highest since 2003!
Health, Science, Education, and Welfare:
Quotes of the Day:
Economy:
World: