Help Wanted: 11 Dimensional Chess Masters for the 99%

Oh good, the White House is cutting a deal with the 1% on Wall Street at the same time that they are asking Grandma to take a cut in her Social Security?

Democrats hide when asked about ending high-income loophole to assure Social Security’s future?  What kind of Democrats you may ask?  The kind who should be seeing primaries come 2014.

Every expert 11 Dimensional Chess Master knows that good members of Congress are mobilizing the public (zero so far here in Georgia) so that the White House has no choice but to tell the Republicans---"sorry, see the mob on the front lawn?  I can't cut a deal with you.  I know you want to cut Social Security---but America is saying no."

Van Jones knows Obama understands this which is why Van is saying to B.O.--No Way; I just wish a few more Obama supporters would realize the President won't be offended (for you true believers think deep into the heart of the President you support, and you know he's hoping we do force his hand).

We need 11 Dimensional Chess players in Congress not just the White House.  That's how we got America back to work the last time the 1% crashed the economy.

We need members of Congress smart enough to know that you don't compromise with the GOP on issue like Social Security---you can't compromise core values and anyone who can most definitely should not be in Congress.

I signed the Grayson-Takano letter opposing Obama's Social Security cuts---please join me.

David Kaib in his excellent post on Chained CPI notes this pattern, Beltway insiders being tone-deaf to what everyday working people want from them, is the norm:

 this instance may be particularly egregious, but it is in no way usual. The concerns of the donor class, generally speaking, determine the boundaries of what is politically possible. (Lawrence Lessig lays out the case in his wonderful, infuriating book, Republic, Lost.  Thomas Ferguson’s Golden Rule is also essential reading here.) In policy area after policy area, policy and the agenda are a reflection of elite concerns not the population.  If you can’t get funding to challenge a candidate for opposing the public, and you can’t find a way to run that doesn’t rely on big money, then no one will face the music. And aside from that, the reason the concerns of regular Americans are largely ignored is because the concerns of elites, and protecting the profits of large corporations (not to mention raising money from them) take up so much of their time.

The reality is that our donor class, and the media and political elites that operate on their behalf (whether they do so because they believe it or not is irrelevant) has it exactly backwards.  The basic system of retirement security in the US had three parts–pensions, personal savings (mostly the value of a home) and Social Security. But pensions have been largely replaced with 401Ks, which even at their best provide less for most retirees than pensions do also have the problem of relying on the stock market, so they are not secure.  Remember the tech bubble crash and then the financial crisis?  And speaking of the financial crisis, that was ultimately caused by the popping of the housing bubble.

For most Americans, Social Security is all that’s left, not because they are lazy or unwilling to do what they were told to do but because what they were told to do was inadequate and insecure. (But on the bright side, the rich got much richer). Only one leg of the retirement security school is left standing, and the elites have decided even that small level of security is too little desperation.

Lucky for us, in the midst of a terrible job market there are lots of highly qualified young people with newly minted degrees from quality schools and the kind of energy and spark needed to give the GOP a full court press in Congressional districts all over the nation.

So Barista's and McDonalds Drive-Through workers unite!--hit the campaign trail and spend the next two years unseating any Democratic member of Congress not willing to speak up and speak out now against the 1%.

We need to put out "Help Wanted" Ad's all across the progressive left---11 Dimensional Chess Masters needed!  Good pay and benefits to stand up to the 1% and fight for the 99%; as it appears to be amateur Chess night at the Pelosi/Reid Disco-tech in DC.

Its time for the maladjusted of this nation to speak up and speak out---and get the American people mobilized...

Primary season 2014: Neoliberals vs the 99%

So, as many of us have noted for a long time--Obama wants to cut your Social Security.

First, here is a run down on why Chained CPI is a bad idea.

But I'm struck by something that I can't go without posting on, with the release of his budget we have reached an important moment in history.

The Neoliberals--aka the Goldman Sachs wing of the Democratic Party, who have controlled the Democratic Party agenda for decades--have now shown their cards.  They've done it in a way that NAFTA and "Free Trade"/Globalization talking points during the 90's never did or could.

Yves Smith notes [Obama Moves Forward with Cutting Social Security and Medicare as We Lecture Europe Otherwise]:

Given the stakes, it’s not surprising that Obama’s remaining fans are pulling out their tired “trust our fearless Leader” card. But Obama didn’t do the right thing when he had freedom of action. As Matt Stoller wrote in “The Progressive Case Against Obama“:

Many will claim that Obama was stymied by a Republican Congress. But the primary policy framework Obama put in place – the bailouts, took place during the transition and the immediate months after the election, when Obama had enormous leverage over the Bush administration and then a dominant Democratic Party in Congress. In fact, during the transition itself, Bush’s Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson offered a deal to Barney Frank, to force banks to write down mortgages and stem foreclosures if Barney would speed up the release of TARP money. Paulson demanded, as a condition of the deal, that Obama sign off on it. Barney said fine, but to his surprise, the incoming president vetoed the deal. Yup, you heard that right — the Bush administration was willing to write down mortgages in response to Democratic pressure, but it was Obama who said no, we want a foreclosure crisis. And with Neil Barofsky’s book ”Bailout,” we see why. Tim Geithner said, in private meetings, that the foreclosure mitigation programs were not meant to mitigate foreclosures, but to spread out pain for the banks, the famous “foam the runway” comment. This central lie is key to the entire Obama economic strategy. It is not that Obama was stymied by Congress, or was up against a system, or faced a massive crisis, which led to the shape of the economy we see today. Rather, Obama had a handshake deal to help the middle class offered to him by Paulson, and Obama said no. He was not constrained by anything but his own policy instincts. And the reflation ofcorporate profits and financial assets and death of the middle class were the predictable results.

This is what the defenders refuse to acknowledge: the Obama critics, again and again, have been proven right, yet we have seen remarkably few mea cuplas, let alone apologies (and that includes you, Charles Pierce and Scott Lemieux). Obama is proving to be a litmus test of where commentators’ loyalties really stand: is it to “liberal” beliefs, which get redefined evermore to the right, or is it to the Democratic party neoliberal technocrats, which Obama embodies? The budget battle is pure and simple about squeezing the middle class dry, and those who pretend otherwise are simply insulting the intelligence of their audience.

We are at an important moment of history.

I think this is what the Political Philosopher Sheldon Wolin, author of the excellent book
Democracy Incorporated: Managed Democracy and the Specter of Inverted Totalitarianism would call a "demotic moment" within the Democratic Party.

Chained CPI brings the Neoliberal agenda front and center into the political debate in a very real way.  It hits bread and butter issues that citizens understand--we aren't talking securitized  mortgages, rent seeking, or regulatory capture--we are talking about Grandma's ability to keep the heat on and feed herself.

The 1% has skillfully kept its priorities off the radar, and its dollars flowing into the coffers of the the party for decades, so as to control the agenda (but allow the hoi polli rank and file activists to feel like the party truly is the party of FDR, the party fighting for working people).

I know rank and file Democrats. The activists who keep the party machine rolling, who GOTV and send in their $15 contributions; who put up the yard signs and register the voters. I was a county Chairman of a metro Atlanta county committee during the 2008 election cycle. I've worked closely with Democratic State Representatives as a Legislative Aide in the Georgia General Assembly.

I've run GOTV plans for State House and Senate candidates.  In 2010,  I myself ran for State Senate; winning my primary against the Democratic Senate Caucus' candidate with over 60% of the vote.  I know the values and priorities of the base of the Democratic Party and what I've learned from my time working side by side with these truly kind, thoughtful, and committed people is that they do not support the priorities or agenda of the Goldman Sachs wing of the Democratic Party.

This is an important moment within the Democratic Party and its up to activists to seize the moment.

Any Democratic member of Congress who does not speak out now, this week, in a loud and clear manner regarding their opposition to Obama's Social Security cuts should have a primary opponent within the next 5 weeks.

Let me give you a little pro-tip I've learned in my short time in politics--the "Vote to cut Social Security" and I will primary you metric is the wrong metric to use.  By the time voting comes around to cut Social Security valuable fundraising time, key canvassing efforts-- the kinds of things it takes to win a primary (especially against the 1% donor funded kind of Politican)--has long since past.

Also it allows some of the Goldman Sachs Democrats to stay silent and let Chained CPI get pulled out at the last minute only to come back with a Republican in office where they are "forced" to support it.

Its time for a roll call within the Democratic Party about which side our Democratic members of Congress are on.

Any politician not speaking out via Twitter and Facebook; any politican not mobilizing working people within the community to unite and fight these cuts has alliances and allegiances with the Neoliberal wing of the Party and they need to be taken on directly at the polls.  We don't win over Republicans through compromise--we win over people through educating and empowering them (via Facebook and Twitter).  We win over the policy debates by mobilizing people and forcing the issues that matter--the jobs crisis, the student debt crisis, the infrastructure cliff, Paid Sick Days, Too Big to Fail Banks, inequality and the decline of the middle class.

April 8th was the 78th birthday of the Works Progress Administration which had a huge impact addressing the last economic crisis the 1% created for us. Did the WPA just happen because politicians from on high thought it would be for the best?  No, unions mobilized working people who took to the streets and demanded politicians act!  It was a demotic moment!

Its the kind of demotic moment that is needed right now to address the woes within our economy, our democracy, our spirit as a people--a people united by geography and cultural history.  A demotic wave of activists within the Democratic party to take on the Goldman Sachs Democrats is the kind of politics that must take place if the 99% are ever to start to get the kinds of proactive Government policies needed to get our economy working for working people again.

As happenstance will have it, Obama just opened up the door for just such a movement.

Activists across the nation must heed the call: demand public statements from your Democratic member of Congress (or in a neighboring district) and if they fail to speak out right now, then it is up to you to run against them and engage voters in your community on the issues that matter.

Unions have to step up to recruit and support union members to run for office.

Citizens have to begin the long process of not waiting for poll-tested leaders to tell them what to do and how to do it; but doing it themselves.  Learning to run for office, learning to organize and mobilize; these are the types of things that will be won even in districts that won't be "won" when the votes are counted on Primary Election day 2014.

But the time is now and the moment is ours for the taking.

There are worse things in life than losing a political campaign to the 1%--life goes on just fine afterwards I promise!

And it will go on for me December of 2014 if I fail to unseat my member of Congress if they fail to speak out and mobilize citizens right now in my Congressional District against these cuts to Social Security.

Its time to send a memo to Obama and the Goldman Sachs wing of the Democratic Party----> #itsOn

Thatcher Made me A Socialist!

Also see....

Corey Robin on Thatcher and Neoliberalism..

Tariq Ali on Late British PM’s Legacy from Austerity to Apartheid

And CRASS.

And with that Georg Lukács makes more sense....

J.P. Stern reviews ‘Georg Lukács’ by Arpad Kadarkay · LRB 26 September 1991 

Ill-favoured in his looks, he seems to have been frightened of attractive women and given to hiding his shyness behind huge metaphysical statements. 

So that explains it.  No wonder I'm always confused when I read him--he is making up for himself with "big thoughts".

Human productivity, the demand for skill, and working less....

I'm a huge proponent of "working less".  My experience working part time loading trucks at UPS has sold me on the idea that people work too much.

In fact I'm always telling my wife she and her coworkers should unionize and impose 35 hour work weeks--as I selfishly want her less stressed and better paid.

But I caught this factiod in this post 15 Tips for Taming Distractions When Trying to Create | World of Psychology

People tend to be productive for 4.5 hours a day, 

I want to know more.  I assume she didn't just make up that factoid out of thin air.  If anyone knows any research on human productivity shoot it my way as i'm intrigued by the potential to increase productivity by working people fewer hours.

The other day Mark Thoma was worried about the possibility that the demand for skill is falling. I realize his concern was for other reasons but I want to ponder a "so what" to such a state of affairs. In highly industrialized economies there is no reason why we can't be a nation of philosophy and economics majors who work at McDonalds and UPS part time (spending the rest of the time raising families, politically engaged, traveling, writing, sleeping).  There is no inherent reason (aside from low pay which has more to do with how organized these sectors are) this would be a bad thing.

As Dean Baker always notes, there is no such thing as a "bad job".  Scrubbing toilets can be a great job--it depends on the pay and benefits not the job task it self.

So if human productivity tends to decline after 5 hours and the demand for skill is declinging--we should be pushing for 35....no, better, 30 hour work weeks.

We have mass unemployment--so its not like we don't have workers to tap in to to fill those vacated hours demanded.  Increase productivity and decrease unemployment--oh and improve the quality of life of people as they have more time to do pleasurable activities.

The age of tax havens can only decline...

So I just caught this story in the New York Times, Vast Hidden Wealth Revealed in Leaked Records, and it reminds me of something I've been pondering lately.  Is it just more or are secret tax havens going to begin to dwindle and decline in the modern era?  Our ability to track and expose those who hide money can only improve with time and the more 3rd world nations begin to industrialize the higher their own tax rates will grow to meet the demands of improving their economy/state.

There will always be "havens" in the sense that some state will be at the bottom waving a flag trying to entice rich people to stash their money at a low rate.  Eh, but then there is the question of black market income which is probably pretty large for some 1%'ers...ah, nevermind.... I'm posting this despite having changed my mind midway through writing.

File under: writing as a thinking tool.

So maybe stupidity isn't our problem after all.

In the car today I heard both Herman Cain and Rush Limbaugh complain about how stupid Americans have become and that this stupidity was the reason for the sorry state of this country at the moment.

I couldn't help but speculate that driving around Atlanta a large number of (mostly white male) listeners were nodding their head in agreement when these subjects were broached by our speakers.  "What ails us is stupidity."

Ah, but there is the rub my friends.  How do we define stupidity?

I highly doubt that I could easily find mutually recognized agreement between myself and Herman Cain on what makes for a stupid person.  When you agree with Rush and Herman--its time to reevaluate your position.  Ergo...our problems cannot be reduced to stupidity.

Student Debt---something is wrong with Americans....

This is classic (h/t @mddimick @MJalonschi ).

Source: themetapicture.com via Manny on Pinterest

While we are on the topic of student debt buy one of "MY Picks" via Amazon advertisement on the right sidebar-->; or click through one or two of blog ads on this page. Help me pay down my student debt!

The backlog at the VA is creating unsafe working conditions for staff.

I'm not kidding.

Charter schools, ALEC, and (tax) money for the taking.

On Saturday I noted the Atlanta business communities connection to the Atlanta public school cheating scandal (An order of men, whose interest is to deceive and oppress the public).

I pointed out that business leaders are pushing privatization of our schools because they want their hands on those profits, and by that I mean our tax dollars.

Diane Ravitch's blog has a good post this morning connecting the dots via ALEC on how the Charter movement has become a movement of based on nothing but profit making. "No accountability, no oversight, no transparency, no laws, no regulations. Just money for the taking," is the goal.

How ALEC Is Changing the Face of Charters.

When the charter school movement began in the early 1990s, the promise of advocates was that charters would be held accountable for results. There were two promises, really: one was that there would be accountability; the other was that there would be results. If the results didn’t happen, the schools would close.  

Now there is a new approach to charters, sponsored by ALEC (American Legislative Exchange Council). To learn more about ALEC and to see its model legislation for education and other issues, look here.   

It is a tenet of ALEC that charter schools should be completely unregulated, unsupervised, and unaccountable. The goal is choice, not accountability or results. 

ALEC pretends to be conservative but pushes model legislation to give the governor and sometimes his allies the power to appoint a commission to override local school boards.   

You see, ALEC doesn’t like local school boards. It likes bigtime corporate power. It likes the free market. Those pesky local school boards are so close to the people in their district that sometimes they actually want to protect the local public schools and refuse to authorize more charters to take away students and funding.

The charter movement has become an effort to undermine public education by businesses seeking profit.

Education "reform" has become a hot topic but sadly most people I know have not done very much thinking on the subject--aside from very shallow positions such as "yeah, lets make schools better."  This plays right into the rent seeking hands of business leaders who want to sell you on their product.  They want their hands on your tax dollars.

If you haven't had a chance to check it out you really must read Diane's book The Death and Life of the Great American School System: How Testing and Choice Are Undermining Education.  Also check out her excellent blog here.