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Democracy?: As the Capitalist Robber Barons Steal from the 99% — Only the 1% Voted For Austerity — The 99% Should Decide On Austerity — Not Just The Who Profit From Austerity! Under Austerity, All of the World Will Eventually Be Pauperized, Humbled, and Desecrated Like Greece and Puerto Rico
Robber Barons Paradise: The ‘Paradise Papers’ Demonstrate the Corruption and Decadence of the Capitalist Class, the 1%!:
‘Paradise Papers’ Reveal Tax Avoidance, Shady Dealings of World’s Rich and Powerful From multiple members of Trump’s cabinet to the British Royal Family, document dump of offshore dealings shows how political leaders—joined by wealthy celebrities and the ultra-rich—shelter their assets, keep shady relationships secret, and game the tax systems of nations around the globe by Jon Queally
Reaction around the world to release of Paradise Papers Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has said the Queen’s tax affairs should be subject to the inquiry his party has called for into tax avoidance, in the wake of the Paradise Papers revelations. In an interview with Bloomberg TV, he said: “There should be a review. An inquiry into all the revelations about the Paradise Papers.” By Jessica Elgot
Paradise Papers: A glimpse of the filth behind the scenes The ‘Paradise Papers’ revelations aren’t surprising, only enraging. Over 13 million leaked documents detailing the offshore tax-avoiding activities of the global elite tell us what we already know: that while they cut healthcare, education, and welfare for the rest of us (with the excuse that there’s no money), the super-rich don’t pay tax. By Ben Gliniecki 
The new Gilded Age — but only for the few Anyone struggling to make ends meet, trying to survive from one payday to the next, will be amazed to discover the we are now at the “peak of the second Gilded Age”. These words are those of Josef Stadler, the Global Head of the Ultra High Net Worth division at UBS, commenting on a report on the way that the wealth of the rich has risen over the last period. The Gilded Age phrase is a direct reference to the period at the end of the 19th century when “robber-baron” families in the USA conspired to accumulate huge amounts of wealth on the back of a massive and brutal exploitation of the American masses. By Steve Jones 
Images of the Day:
US has been spending over 700 billion dollars a year to pursue seven wars and foment ‘regime changes’ or coups d’état on four continents and eight regions over the past two decades. This has only caused disinvestment in the domestic economy with deterioration of critical infrastructure, loss of markets, widespread socioeconomic decline and a reduction of spending on research and development for goods and services. The top 500 US corporations invest overseas, mainly to take advantage of low tax region and sources of cheap labor, while shunning American workers and avoiding US taxes. At the same time, these corporations share US technology and markets with the Chinese. Today, US capitalism is largely directed by and for financial institutions, which absorb and divert capital from productive investments, generating an unbalanced crisis-prone economy. In contrast, China determines the timing and location of investments as well as bank interest rates, targeting priority investments, especially in advanced high-tech sectors. Washington has spent billions on costly and unproductive military-centered infrastructure (military bases, naval ports, air stations etc.) in order to buttress stagnant and corrupt allied regimes. As a result, the US has nothing comparable to China’s hundred-billion-dollar ‘One Belt-One Road’ (Silk Road) infrastructure project linking continents and major regional markets and generating millions of productive jobs. The US has broken global linkages with dynamic growth centers. Washington resorts to self-defecating, mindless chauvinistic rhetoric to impose trade policy, while China promotes global networks via joint ventures. China incorporates international supply linkages by securing high tech in the West and low cost labor in the East. Big US industrial groups’ earnings and rising stock in construction and aerospace are products of their strong ties with China. Caterpillar, United Technologies 3M and US car companies reported double-digit growth on sales to China. In contrast, the Trump regime has allocated (and spent) billions in military procurement to threaten wars against China’s peripheral neighbors and interfere with its maritime commerce. — China and the US: Rational Planning and “Lumpen” Capitalism
Videos of the Day:
Are Body Cameras Nothing More Than PR for Police Departments? Baynard Woods speaks with an activist and public defenders about Body cameras having little effect on the use of force by police officers
Who murdered Benazir Bhutto? This Pakistani political leader was murdered by intelligence agency supported terrorists after she admitted Bin Laden was dead
U.S.:
Why WikiLeaks Was Right: Rigging the Democratic Way It took some time of muzzling and concealment before the horror, but various Democrats have finally come clean about the Hillary Clinton machine: things were, it seems, rigged, stacked, and doctored. This was the language of Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump from opposite sides of the political spectrum, the code of anti-establishment anger, the message for disruptive change. by Binoy Kampmark
Congress Works with Big Oil on Letter Suggesting Anti-Pipeline Activists Face Terrorism Charges Spearheaded by U.S. Rep. Ken Buck (R-CO) and co-signed by dozens of other, primarily Republican, representatives, the letter pays homage to the First Amendment, while also noting that “violence toward individuals and destruction of property are both illegal and potentially fatal.” The letter, covered by several media outlets, was championed by the industry lobbying and trade association, the American Petroleum Institute (API), which said it “welcomed” the letter. But according to a DeSmog review, API and other industry groups were a key part of bolstering the letter itself. API, along with the Association of Oil Pipe Lines (AOPL) and the Interstate Natural Gas Association of America (INGAA), is listed as among the “supporting groups” on the website DearColleague.us, which tracks congressional letters and their backers. By Steve Horn
China and the US: Rational Planning and “Lumpen” Capitalism US journalists and commentators, politicians and Sinologists spend considerable time and space speculating on the personality of China’s President Xi Jinping and his appointments to the leading bodies of the Chinese government, as if these were the most important aspects of the entire 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China By James Petras
A Broke, and Broken, Flood Insurance Program Now, an unusual coalition of insurers, environmentalists and fiscal conservatives is seeking major changes in the federal plan as a deadline approaches. The government-run National Flood Insurance Program is, for now, virtually the only source of flood insurance for more than five million households in the United States. This hurricane season, as tens of thousands of Americans seek compensation for storm-inflicted water damage, they face a problem: The flood insurance program is broke and broken. The program, administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, has been in the red since Hurricane Katrina flooded New Orleans in 2005. It still has more than a thousand disputed claims left over from Sandy. And in October, it exhausted its $30 billion borrowing capacity and had to get a bailout just to keep paying current claims. By Mary Williams Walsh 
Environment:
As Trump Privatizes The Nation Parks — The Fees Rise!: Reject outrageous fee hike for national parks There are better ways to fund national parks than an exorbitant fee increase proposed by the Trump administration. Washingtonians should submit opposition to this noxious plan during a public-comment period. There are better ways to fund national parks than an exorbitant fee increase proposed by the Trump administration. Washingtonians should submit opposition to this noxious plan during a public-comment period.
The Ecosystem is Breaking Down The ecosystem is the quintessential essence of life on our planet, and this crucial life system is showing signs of breaking down. It is likely a more pressing problem than climate change. Time will tell but time is short. by Robert Hunziker
Ongoing Big Energy Crisis:
Civil Rights/ Black Liberation:
The Capitalist Class, like their Feudal Aristocratic Ancestors Think That They Deserve the Right to First Night!:
I didn’t understand how widespread rape was. Then the penny dropped I’m a lefty academic versed in feminist theory. Still, I rebelled against the idea that rich and powerful men regularly rape or attempt to rape women David Graeber
Labor:
Shadow Government Statistics: Real Average Weekly Earnings (Benchmark Revised) Production and Nonsupervisory Employees Deflated by CPI-W versus ShadowStats-Alternate (1990-Base) 1965 to September 2017, Seasonally-Adjusted [ShadowStats, BLS]
Economy:
World:
Health, Science, Education, and Welfare:
During This Economic Crisis, Capitalism’s Three Point Political Program: 1. Austerity, 2. Scapegoating Blacks, Minorities, and ‘Illegal Immigrants’ for Unemployment, and 3. The Iron Heel.
Sumner Quote
Quote of the Day:
Alert after collapse at nuclear site in N. Korea — “Fears of massive radioactive leak” — Scientist: Fallout may spread across “entire hemisphere” — Expert: Could cause major disaster… Radioactive material will go “into ocean a bit like Fukushima” (VIDEO)