Knowledge is Power. I read some things this week.. so should you.

Special Investigation: How Insurers Are Hiding Obamacare Benefits From Customers

If the GOP Repeals Obamacare, 137 Million Americans Could Get Cancellation Notices | Mother Jones 

Quote: David Cutler on ACA implementation | The Incidental Economist

Robert Reich--The Democrat's Version of Health Insurance Would Have Been Cheaper, Simpler, and More Popular (So Why Did We Enact the Republican Version and Why Are They So Upset?)

The Legislative Attack on American Wages and Labor Standards, 2011–2012 | Economic Policy Institute

US public investment falls to lowest level since war - FT.com

 The Crippling Politics of Public Investment | New Economic Perspectives 

The Great Recession may have crushed America’s economic potential

Naomi Klein: How science is telling us all to revolt 

Social Democracy in the South - In These Times

Reclaiming Comrade Orwell | Jacobin

 Daily Kos: Ga Sen : Branko Radulovacki seeks Dem Nomination to replace Ga. Senator Chambliss in US Senate

 BBC News - NSA leaks helping India become 'Big Brother' state? 

Here's Audio of Managers Scolding Employees for Wanting to Unionize

 New Poverty Data Underscore Effectiveness of Nutrition Assistance as Congress Considers Cuts to Food Aid | Center for American Progress

How Washington Is Wrecking the Future, in 2 Charts - Matthew O'Brien - The Atlantic 

A Full-Frontal Assault on Democracy in Europe and the United States | Alternet 

Beethoven: man, composer and revolutionary

Plantations, Prisons and Profits - NYTimes.com

The twisted mind of “Ender’s Game” - Salon.com 

My favorite author, my worst interview - Salon.com 

Noam Chomsky - The Relevance of Anarcho-syndicalism

Was asked by a friend to explain non Marxist Left Wing Anarchy to them. I told them I was still trying to figure that out myself, but I sent them this as a good place to start.

Olof Palme: Why I am a democratic Socialist

[Be sure to have the closed caption turned on for this.]

If you'd like to learn more about Democratic Socialism check out the Democratic Socialists of America website and also follow them on twitter.

Also check out Jacobin magazine for some good reads and tweets.

As the famous Theologian (and democratic Socialist) Paul Tillich noted, "Man is asked to make of himself what he is supposed to become to fulfill his destiny."

Democratic Socialism provides a systematic analysis of the economic crisis facing Americans and a praxis towards which individuals can participate in building (and rebuilding) their own lives for a better tomorrow.

The Michelle Nunn Campaign ---How the 1% say 'Yes We Can"

As soon as anyone who understands policy checks out Michelle Nunn's neoliberal screed they start worrying about having to defend Social Security from Democrats in the US Senate come November of 2014.  That is, if Dr Rad doesn't win the primary down here in Georgia.

The labor movement is starting to raise its voice across the country against Michelle Nunn; since her passionate and "fiscally responsible" defense of the 1% is a quiet but powerful effort to cut the hard earned Social Security benefits of Americans across the country.  Michelle Nunn is nothing short of a textbook profile of the Death of the Liberal Class in action.

I'm not kidding check out this response from Labor in New Hampshire (no bastion of radical Socialism)

@JimNichols If she is a democrat I am SCARED> Her pages read just like the propaganda from the NH #GOP
— NH Labor News (@NHLABOR_NEWS) November 6, 2013

The austerity wing of the Democratic Party has played a key role in devastating millions of lives; citizens who will never recover from the policy intransigence of these "fiscally responsible" defenders of the 1%.  Nunn wants to ignore reality and sell austerity on the campaign trail--this is just a glimpse of the damage she would do in DC.

Opposition to Michelle Nunn is not only necessary, but the only moral action a Democrat in Georgia can take in 2014 (and those not in Georgia need to open up their wallets).

 The facts speak for themselves. Nunn wants to go to Washington to continue the austerity shell game.  We have more important things to focus on; but Nunn wants us to focus on austerity--her campaign donors in the 1% insit on it!.  The Michelle Nunn campaign is showing you how the 1% say "Yes We Can".

I'm glad to see people across the country raising their voices in opposition to her campaign to hand the car keys back to the people who crashed the economy.

We do have a choice on election day in the Democratic Primary here in Georgia so be sure to follow Dr Rad on twitter (and give him lots of RT love) to keep up with his campaign. He, unlike Nunn is actually busy on the campaign trail talking to voters. She's busy raising money from the 1%--when she's not in the media making the case that we need to comrpomise with the hostage takers who shutdown Government this past fall.

I'm trying to get Chris Hayes to have a segment where Nunn and Dr Rad debate austerity economics.  If you want to help me inspire Chris to have them on to talk policy be sure to give this tweet an RT

@chrislhayes would totally make a great segment to bring @MichelleNunnGA and @DrRadForSenate on to talk pro/cons of austerity economics.

— JimNichols (@JimNichols) November 6, 2013

At a time when the much needed efforts to expand Social Security are starting up in the US Senate; the last thing we need to do is send Neoliberal Nunn to Washington DC to fight on behalf of the 1% to cut your Social Security.  No matter if you live in Georgia or not this primary may well decide if we see cuts to your Social Security or not.

The 1% are the ones who crashed the economy and destroyed your 401k--why should we send Michelle Nunn to Washinton DC to defend their interests at the expense of our own?

Its up to the readers of this blog to take actions to undermine the viability of the Michelle Nunn so that she doesn't make it through the primary.  She won't defend us when she's in DC; why should we defend her now?  In fact we have a moral obligation to stop Neoliberal Nunn in her tracks.

For my own part I've set up a political action committee that will be working to get on TV to defend Social Security from the hands of Nunn and her 1% buddies on Wall Street.  I hope you join us in our fight here in Georgia as we occupy the US Senate race and let the 1% know we have not gone away.

Together we our stronger--so go like us on Facebook, follow us on twitter, and tell your friends to do the same!

Dean Baker and Yves Smith talk about the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal.

Yves Smith and Dean Baker on Secrets in Trade from BillMoyers.com on Vimeo.

One of the goals of Working Class Georgia, the Political Action Committe I've set up is to increase the profile of these kinds of backroom deals that harm working families here in Georgia and across the nation.

If you are on twitter be sure to follow us here.  If you are on Facebook "Like" us here.  We will have an Act Blue account up soon for your small $ contributions!

Also be sure to tell your friends and family to do the same--so that our efforts get magnified.  The only way we fight back against the 1% is to network, then work to expand our networks some more.

Together we can leverage our power in numbers to educate and empower working people in this country on issues like the TPP and help shine a light on how working people can play a role in fighting back against the 1% efforts to use Government policies to redistribute wealth upwards.

Chris Hedges on the "Death of the Liberal Class"

Raising billions to defend the 99% at the ballot box and in the streets...

Following in the footsteps of one of my mentors I now have the ability to raise billions to defend the 99% at the ballot box.  I am going to occupy the US Senate race in Georgia in 2014.  What is a SuperPAC you ask?



What am I going to do with my new evil powers?

Why, bring United for A Fair Economy to Georgia to hold one of the uber-excellent popular education workshops in 2014.  Hopefully Atlanta, Augusta, and Savannah; I spoke with them earlier in the week--if you'd like to help on the logistics end contact me--as we are working out the details.

I'm also going to be raising money to put a professionally made TV attack ad on Comedy Central and other cable outlets to protect Social Secruity from politicians looking to slash benifits in subtle ways.

To help raise the cash I have to exploit my cache of protest pictures and punk rock music to raise the profile of the PAC so I'm making youtube video's.  Here is my first one...


I'm still waiting for the FEC to get back to me with my #  so that I can get my Act Blue account up to start bringing in the billions so hold off on those big $$$'s for now. (And I guess I need to open that bank account to transter your billions from Act Blue to my occupy coffers).

Anyways thats it for now.

Oh, go give me some RT's...

Operation #DudeWheresYourLawyer day 8: Hey @StephenAtHome can I get the contact number for your lawyer? http://t.co/1D8ovdaNlv #uniteBlue
— WorkingClassGeorgia (@WorkingClassGA) October 31, 2013

Day 8 of my efforts to get @ColbertReport to draft his Lawyer. I still need a theme song! http://t.co/qGcx8yEqiL #occupy @FatMike_of_NOFX
— WorkingClassGeorgia (@WorkingClassGA) October 31, 2013

Data Shows Democrats Fully Embraced by Surveillance Industry

Day Three of my efforts to Draft Colberts Lawyer... I need a theme song!

So as many of my readers now know, this week I became a SuperPac so I could Occupy my US Senate race and fight the 1% here in Georgia.

Whats a SuperPac is on the lips of almost everyone I meet.  So for more on my newly acquired evil powers I'll turn to my mentor to explain.



Free speech is indeed an awesome thing.  And there is much the 99% must fight tooth and nail to protect from the 1%.

And now that Working Class Georgia is up and running we need to raise the money to do some serious damage to the 1% next year in Georgia.  TV ad wars are expensive!  Also complex.  So I need a lawyer.  Which got me an idea to turn to my mentor for help.

Today is day three of Operation Draft Colbert's Lawyer [code name: dude where's you lawyer?] to help me navigate my new found powers; also Operation Draft Colberts Wallet to pay for Colberts Lawyer [code name Dude he's expensive].

Operation #DudeWheresYourLawyer day 3: Hey @StephenAtHome can I get the contact number for your lawyer? http://t.co/Fe0PDoGPw1 #uniteBlue
— JimNichols (@JimNichols) October 26, 2013

So far everything is going as planned--meaning total radio silence.

Hey @StephenAtHome can I get the contact number for your lawyer? And maybe some cash to pay him to work for me? http://t.co/Fe0PDoGPw1
— JimNichols (@JimNichols) October 24, 2013

 My mentor's gatekeepers must think this is a joke.  But its not, and persistence pays off--I will wear them down.

Day Two
[If a minion can track down my day two tweet I don't have the time to scroll my twitter feed and find it to embed at this second it be appreciated thanks]

But I'm realizing this may take a while.

So what my little minions need (my SuperPAC volunteers who are helping Retweet me) is some music as they go about the boring hard work of building an occupy army.

So who better than Fat Mike to write my Occupy the US Senate theme song?  If Occupy LA can have a Theme Song then why not an Occupy SuperPAC?



So Day Three of Draft Colberts Lawyer is also Day One of Draft Fat Mike to write me a Theme Song [code name: Write my Theme Song Bitch].  Which I can then sell to my little minions as they do the boring hard work of retweetiing, making phone calls, knocking on doors, and attending economic justice workshops all over Georgia.

Please RT me and help me get this occupy army a theme song!'

Resistance is futile Mike.  Get to writing!

Day 3 of my efforts to get @ColbertReport to draft his Lawyer... I need a theme song! http://t.co/plS0Tg6XVU Begin #occupy @FatMike_of_NOFX
— JimNichols (@JimNichols) October 26, 2013

Didn't Democrats learn anything from the Iraq War vote in 2003?

So this morning I caught a great tweet.

I love it when pols say move to the center for the gen election. So they were lying in the primary? #uppers
— JIM DANIELS (@azjimdaniels) October 26, 2013

That is what is going on right now in Georgia.  The pols are saying "move to the middle" as if going after "swing voters" which is also known as the least informed voters of all.  Michelle "No Backbone" Nunn is "the only candidate who can win".  Or so say a lot of politico's who will reap jobs and appointments from having a Democratic Senator in DC.

But working class families in Georgia don't get to reap the spoils of a party machince.  So "swing voters" are a must for politico's but why? Might it be that the voters who show up to the real world a few days before the election to make their choice between the few trivial facts they know about the candidates be the smartest voters?  Or couuld it be that the dumbest most ill informed voters are a prop in a Side-show act?

Why are we fighting to win over (over a year before they'll pay attention) the opinions of swing voters?

The fact is, "No backbone" Nunn is a liar--and a neoliberal.  Ms. 1% isn't trying to be a "conservative Democrat" so we can win in November.  She is trying to convince the base that the interests of the 1% are the same thing as what "conservative" voters want.

This is a card trick for Democratic activists who aren't paying close enough attention to the hands of the politco's and elected officals who are busy saying Michelle Nunn rulz!!!

We need a Democrat with the backbone to stand up to the Tea Party.  If we learned anything by the war in Iraq; its that when we have Democrats with no backbone in DC real humans die and suffer needlessly.

This isn't a game.  We have no choice but to work like hell to keep the neoliberal wing from winning the Georgia Democratic primary.