Edwards on Hardball - Wal-Mart and unions

What Have the Unions Ever Done for Us?

Kucinich, Ron Paul Censored by US Media

Is this what neo-liberalism means by "democracy?" Or perhaps the ruins of Iraq are democracy? It is ironic (in so many bloody ways) that the CIA has cited Venezuela for "anti-democratic" tendencies on their "World Factbook" - Big Brother is watching, are you? I suppose the good news is that these tactics build consciousness in the popular classes who support "fringe" candidates like Paul and Kucinich. They see that despite their democratic, grass-roots organizing efforts, there is no level playing field and the upper echelons of the ruling classes are playing for all the marbles, and wining...

First it was News Corps FOX Republican forum in New Hampshire in which Ron Paul was snubbed, now it's Dennis Kucinich who was censored by Disneys ABC. Do I have to say much more, well sure I will. FOX claimed the omission of Paul was due to lack of his support even though Paul took 10% in Iowa , . The co-sponsor of the NH Democratic debate Facebook recently polled Kucinich at over 5%, the criteria to appear on the debate, the command from Disney came down that he was not to appear anyway. What are they scared of? These men chose to be on the ballot, met the so-called criteria and the media should allow them to express and debate their opinions with their fellow candidates on the nationwide scale. What is happening? Where is our Freedom of Information? Even the Republican Party of New Hampshire cried foul, after trying their hardest to get Paul and Hunter onto the Debate, the GOP party of NH withdrew as a partner in the Forum and their chairman stated:

"The first-in-the-nation New Hampshire primary serves a national purpose by giving all candidates an equal opportunity on a level playing field. Only in New Hampshire do lesser known, lesser funded underdogs have a fighting chance to establish themselves as national figures,” and "(NH GOP Party)..believes Congressmen Ron Paul and Duncan Hunter should be included in the FOX forum on Sunday evening. Our mutual efforts to resolve this difference have failed."

Kucinich joins Paul - Censored by Big Media from national debates. Union Review. 08-Jan-2008.

Imperial Decline?

I've been writing about economic decline and the credit burst for several years now. The majority of the ruling classes have finally moved the majority of their profits into save harbors like bonds and gold (what about you?) - so the signal was given to officially announce the specter of recession. Another world is possible and in fact being built in Venezuela. Unfortunately, many will suffer in the coming downturn.

"from 1920 to 1960, Venezuela was the leading world exporter of oil and here, through our Caribbean sea passed thousands of boats loaded with oil: but they left nothing to benefit the peoples of the Caribbean, the sister peoples of Latin America. Today revolutionary Venezuela places this wealth, above all, at the disposal of our sister peoples of the Caribbean and of Latin America: not for the North American empire." Hugo Chavez Frias, from closing words at Fourth Petrocaribe Summit.

Returning to Europe after some time away is like visiting an unloved relative falling into dementia. It may be unwelcome, but one sheds no tears. The persistent optimism of Western Bloc political and financial leaders is bizarre. For example Brian Cowen, Ireland's Finance Minister presented a budget recently based on projected inflation through 2008 of a little over 2% and growth in gross domestic product at 3%. Subsequently, Ireland's Economic and Social Research Institute's latest quarterly economic commentary reckoned growth at nearer 2% and inflation at over 3%.

But as this decade's credit boom slumps into bust, service-skewed economies like those in the US, Britain and Ireland are likely to be hit much harder than these forecasts suppose. Most people, businesses and households, more or less heavily in debt, will cut back hard on non-essential spending. That will probably create a vicious downward spiral as increasing numbers of people are made unemployed and overall consumer demand drops correspondingly. At the same time, creeping inflation will make everything dearer for people to buy. The full effects of all these processes are unlikely to work themselves out until late 2009 at the earliest.

Rich-country economists read their tarot card statistics blinkered by arrays of crystal-ball maybe-maybe-not data. But for millions of households in Asia, Africa and Latin America facing significant drops in family remittances as rich country economies go belly-up through 2008, real life stares them brutally in the face. For low-income families and communities in Africa, Asia or Latin America the effects of the coming recession will be far more devastating than for people in Europe and the US. Countries bullied into US-style trade-in-your-sovereignty pacts or EU-style Europeans-only-let's Party Agreements with the globalization devil will find their souls quickly ripped apart as the funny-money credit boom collapses into dwarf-star stagflation or a recessionary black hole.

[Full article linked below]

Solo, Toni. Varieties of Imperial Decline: Rearguard Success, Strategic Defeat. ZNet. 03-Jan-2008.