as much as I like these speeches, what do they accomplish? Who is listening? Has a Representative ever said "well..I was going to vote the other way, but now that i've heard this speech, I'm changing my vote!"

We're so polarized between L vs R I just can't conceive of any of these speeches ever persuading anyone to ever cross the aisle.

Debt Political Theater Diverts Attention While Americans’ Wealth is Stolen

Kucinich:

We have to realize what this country's economy has become. Our monetary policy, through the Federal Reserve Act of 1913, privatized the money supply, gathers the wealth, puts it in the hands of the few while the Federal Reserve can create money out of nothing, give it to banks to park at the Fed while our small businesses are starving for capital.

Mark my words -- Wall Street cashes in whether we have a default or not. And the same type of thinking that created billions in bailouts for Wall Street and more than $1 trillion in giveaways by the Federal Reserve today leaves 26 million Americans either underemployed or unemployed. And nine out of ten Americans over the age of 65 are facing cuts in their Social Security in order to pay for a debt which grew from tax cuts for the rich and for endless wars.

There is a massive transfer of wealth from the American people to the hands of a few and it's going on right now as America’s eyes are misdirected to the political theater of these histrionic debt negotiations, threats to shut down the government, and willingness to make the most Americans pay dearly for debts they did not create.

These are symptoms of a government which has lost its way, and they are a challenge to the legitimacy of the two-party system.

*controversy

Adding video to channels (Controversy) - requested by MrFisk.

>> ^VoodooV:

as much as I like these speeches, what do they accomplish? Who is listening? Has a Representative ever said "well..I was going to vote the other way, but now that i've heard this speech, I'm changing my vote!"
We're so polarized between L vs R I just can't conceive of any of these speeches ever persuading anyone to ever cross the aisle.


It's true that these are originally meant for the purpose of persuading their fellow Congressmen/Senators. And while, at one time, I think they honestly might have accomplished this purpose, I completely agree with you that it isn't the case any longer.

But they do have another use: You and I and millions of other people are listening to these speeches on a pretty regular basis. And when we like them, or learn something from them, we spread them to millions more. And when enough people get pissed at the way they are being screwed, some change will start to seep in. (Or maybe "explode", if you're Libya or Egypt.)

capture and feed the rich to the poor... watch how long it takes for policies to change

You have no one to blame but are own Government. Government is to do right by its people. However they are corrupt by accepting money from large powerful groups to get special privileges. You can blame big business. Its the Government stupid.

It's like me giving you 10 bucks to pull a fire alarm and you do it. Who is t blame?

You big stupid.

So how come we can't ban lobbying? Wouldn't that be something the people could get behind and completely overwhelm all the corporations? It seems like it would be such an easy sell since it's so anti-democratic.

Is there a genuine upside to lobbying at all?

@bobknight33

Government and big business are one in the same. Big business couldn't exist without the government's help and government couldn't expand it's power without a private banking cartel financing it's operations.

If you attack one, you're attacking both. If you support one, you're supporting both.

Now that's a Modest Proposal.

>> ^deathcow:

capture and feed the rich to the poor... watch how long it takes for policies to change

excellent speech, inspiring to hear.

>> ^hpqp:

Now that's a Modest Proposal.
>> ^deathcow:
capture and feed the rich to the poor... watch how long it takes for policies to change



Soylent Green is rich people.

>> ^VoodooV:
So how come we can't ban lobbying? Wouldn't that be something the people could get behind and completely overwhelm all the corporations? It seems like it would be such an easy sell since it's so anti-democratic.
Is there a genuine upside to lobbying at all?


Yes. Many good things come from lobbying. It is catching the ear of those who lead. It is an information pipeline. However, when 1000 phones are ringing into the halls of congress from big business, and the line is always busy for the little people, then it becomes a useless tool.

What's sad is that most Americans don't already know all this.

What's sadder is that many who do still prefer to cling to the american pipedream of one day being in that top 1%. It's a nationwide pyramid scheme.

>> ^Drachen_Jager:

What's sad is that most Americans don't already know all this.

>> ^hpqp:

What's sadder is that many who do still prefer to cling to the american pipedream of one day being in that top 1%. It's a nationwide pyramid scheme.
>> ^Drachen_Jager:
What's sad is that most Americans don't already know all this.



Interesting idea. Work hard and you'll get everything you deserve......you hear people say that a lot. But when you look closely, the people who have money don't work very hard at all in comparison to people who are likely just as intelligent if not more so than they. There's no value in producing anymore.

Had a guy in the area who owns a lot of land, and while not hugely wealthy is probably wealthy enough for himself and his kids to live off of his holdings with employees taking care of it. He told my dad that he's never going to make money digging ditches (my dad doesn't dig ditches, but it was his way of saying manual labor), and that he should lift his head from his work and do what the wealthy people do.

Can you tell what the wealthy people do? I only see them swinging political opinion in their favor and telling people to work harder for them (by proxy of course).

There's no value in producing. Even though you know there should be immense value in producing, there just isn't as much as there should be....they value the container, billboards, markup percentages than the actual item they are selling to people. The "perception" of the product is more important than the product.

So if the perception is valuable, then people who can sell nothing succeed. That's my take on it at least.......and it seems backwards to me. People who produce nothing, but hold wealth control the system. While people who produce and hold little or no wealth are trapped in the spider web the wealthy have spun. The harder you work, the more stuck you become until they come along and cocoon you up and drain you dry.

>> ^VoodooV:

So how come we can't ban lobbying? Wouldn't that be something the people could get behind and completely overwhelm all the corporations? It seems like it would be such an easy sell since it's so anti-democratic.
Is there a genuine upside to lobbying at all?


There are good lobbyists for minorities, safety, social matters. They don't have the funds to compete with the economic cartels.

>> ^DerHasisttot:

>> ^VoodooV:
So how come we can't ban lobbying? Wouldn't that be something the people could get behind and completely overwhelm all the corporations? It seems like it would be such an easy sell since it's so anti-democratic.
Is there a genuine upside to lobbying at all?

There are good lobbyists for minorities, safety, social matters. They don't have the funds to compete with the economic cartels.


I would think in the internet age that lobbying is outdated. You don't have to go to the Senator to tell them of your plight, you can start a email-campaign. There are infinite ways now for people to contact senators and for the senators themselves to get information. At the very least there should be a ban on what lobbyists can give legislators similar to the NCAA

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