Comments by "Animal Farm" (@animalfarm7467) on "Thom Hartmann Program" channel.

  1. With respect to your first caller; I would not take seriously what Allan Nairn said about Venezuela. On January 30, on Democracy Now, Allan Nairn said, “For example, there was just a catastrophic monetary policy that they adopted for quite a few years, where Venezuela, on what they said were anti-imperialist, revolutionary grounds, they essentially adopted the monetary policies proposed by the U.S. right-wing politician Ron Paul, and they kept the currency exchange rate fixed, with catastrophic consequences, creating this massive gap between the official exchange rate and the black market. And that ended up benefiting rich people, who had—who were able to—it helped them to buy imports. But it completely disrupted the rest of the economy.” https://www.democracynow.org/2019/1/30/a_war_for_oil_bolton_pushes From my readings, I have found much of this to be correct except for the statement that Maduro would take economic advice from Ron Paul. Maduro would surely remember the conflict between Chavez and Koch Industries; this is the reason for much of the contemporary conflict. I would hope Maduro would also understand the firm alliance between the Koch minion Ron Paul and the Kochs; so why would Maduro take financial advice from his opponents? Maduro would have seen Ron Paul ranting against Venezuela ever since Chavez ejected the Kochs from Venezuelan oil. Maduro would certainly understand how the Kochs with the aid of Washington and their institutions like the Atlas Network have been undermining “Socialist” governments in Latin America for years. Maduro certainly doesn’t appear to be a “leader” like a Trump or a Bush; he doesn’t appear to be a stupid man. Maduro would also understand how the US oligarchs used their political libertarian puppet Milton Friedman and the Chicago School to restructure the Chilean economy under Pinochet to benefit Wall Street, ITT, and the local oligarchs; for which Friedman received the Medal of Freedom; but that’s another story. Just because a “journalist” has won awards from the establishment in no-way reflects his credibility. Just look at how the great Chris Hedges winces when he is introduced as a Pulitzer Prize winner after he was forced out of the oligarchs' New York Times for opposing the illegal Iraq War. Chris understands that medals from the media establishment of the Fourth Reich only reflect your compliance, not your allegiance to the people. By the way, it’s been a long time since I saw Chris on Hartmann?
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  2.  @frankd.506  ; Yes, but when it comes to opinion, Hartmann has been shown to be very very flexible; you just have to pay attention to understand. Notice how Hartmann has avoided backing Bernie or even acknowledge his existence and there was a time when Bernie was a constant on the show. Let's see how Hartmann's narrative changes as the election gets closer. My bet he will probably push Biden and use the excuse "any blue will do"; you know, the typical corporate Democrat argument. Then he won't even have to pretend to push Medicare for All.
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  3.  @frankd.506  : I want to see more progressives on the show. Not those pathetic fools engorged with Trump Derangement Syndrome pushed by Hartmann designed to obfuscate and distract, but real policies discussed and real progressive candidates interviewed. That's not difficult to do; there are only two non-Wall Street candidates in the race - Bernie Sanders and Tulsi Gabbard. Get some real progressives on the show like Chris Hedges and let them give us their opinion of the candidates. This "Russiagate" and "Impeachment" being pushed by Hartmann is just fabricated distraction by the Clintonites designed to misdirect the attention of fools. Noting came from "Russiagate" and now "Impeachment" is conveniently taking all the oxygen in the room for the Clintonites. While the morons are roused by Hartmann for their 2 Minutes of Hate (1984), they have totally forgotten about the policies of certain candidates and the actual purpose of politics. In my opinion, this is intentional by design - Hartmann.
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  4. ​ @frankd.506  And then you have to consider the corruption of the actual electoral process. Take, for example, the plight of the true progressive Tim Carnova in Florida where he has been attempting to oust the corporate sycophant Wassermann Schultz. Both the Democrats and Republicans in Florida corrupted the electoral process proven by a statistical analysis and when a recount was ordered, the paper copies were destroyed with no legal repercussions. Forget "Russiagate"; the real crime is no one is reporting on this democratic atrocity. I understand why Hartmann isn't reporting on his Clintonite work associate Wassermann Schultz, but a crime of this magnitude isn't even in the mainstream media.
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  5. Thomas, it is true that Republicans are all these things and you were factual about their subtle clandestine operation about how they deceive the people. Yes, the Republicans are working for Wall Street but what are you trying to say, Democrat Politicians don’t work for Wall Street. If you are implying Hillary didn’t create her wealth from Wall Street favors, or funding from Wall Street donors, you too are deceiving the people. The only difference is the Democratic Party has fooled many people who actually believe the party stands for Main Street. Really Thomas, have you ever wondered why the people can never vote against the Oligarchs; why they can never vote for "another" foreign policy. Apart from the domestic minority issues that are used to divert attention, have you ever wondered why most other policies are bipartisan. Paraphrasing George Carlin: Bipartisan means that Thomas, you interviewed Chris Hedges; he clearly stated that the “feel your pain” deceptive rhetoric sold to the people is truly unforgivable. While there is a majority of the population that believes this deception, whether through stupidity, ignorance, or apathy, Wall Street and their puppets win and Main Street will eventually become Serf Street.
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  6. We will give the public very few conclusions. We can’t comment on whether the war was legal because we know that it was not. We have ensured that the conclusions we will give shall not be able to be used against anyone involved in the deception. This should keep the majority of the morons happy until apathy and dementia removes it from their memory. Just ensure to retain the narrative of the historical deception during that period. Chilcot must be glad that the inquiry is over so that he can dedicate more of his time as a Privy Councillor. What does “privy” mean? I shall have to look that up. Why did they spend huge sums of money producing a whitewash? All I heard was weasel words and the usual government spiel, “we have made a mistake, we have put systems into place to correct the problem, and it we will attempt to ensure that it never happens again”. That makes me want to puke! If you remove the weasel words, the only conclusion was that Tony Blair led Britain into Iraq war based on flawed intelligence. Every puppet that pushed their country to war on that day appears to have been presented with flawed intelligence. I guess they are hoping the Goebbels strategy will be effective, “If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it”. It is a shame that so many intelligence officers were stating that the politicians were either deliberately misreading the information that was presented or that they removed any intelligence that didn’t fit their narrative. If anyone is in doubt about the clear intent to invade Iraq, they should listen to General Wesley Clarke comment of the entire Middle East strategy. Just YouTube “7 countries in 5 years” and remember that the timing is critical. The events that Clarke is describing happened 10 days after 911. In future, governments will need to ensure that they do a better job of filtering out the honest and brave and only use sycophantic sleaze in MI6, the CIA, other intelligence institutions, and as military leaders. One of the first rules of politics is never having an inquiry unless you know the facts to be presented prior to the start of the inquiry. One should also have considered the public response to these facts. I am not exactly sure for whom Western governments are working, but if the reality of the world was presented to the population, maybe the people would acquiesce. Wouldn’t this be better than living in a false democracy; but then again, maybe not. Apart from mostly corporate manipulators, Brits voted to leave the EU. Notice the 75.3% remain vote from the City of London. After the unpredictable BREXIT result, future corporate government puppets cannot take any further risk of people voting against the interests of corporate governments.
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  7. The Gooch - You said that it is the Banksters against the rest of us. Correct, but never forget that the Banksters and all corporate executives are increasingly well paid and they all work for someone. For decades share holder diversity (how many people hold the majority of stock) has been falling so the mom and dad investor’s holding of stocks and bonds are considerably reduced. I understand that the Oligarchs’ identity is usually obfuscated, but it is they you should be targeting. Whatever changes are made, without removing the corruptors at the top, the current corrupt system will eventually return. There is enough literature around to understand how the Oligarchs and corporate America unwound Roosevelt’s New Deal. Maybe start with “How Corporate America Created Christian America” by Kevin Kruse. That will give some idea of what the Oligarchs and Corporate America are capable. Remember, you are not living in that idealistic libertarian paradise that some delusionists believe is possible. Removal of regulations will only advantage the criminal and corrupt anti-human personality. It is pleasing to see that you do not use simplistic one line statements in an attempt to convey meaningless thought bubbles, but put a concerted effort into a paragraph to convey complex ideas.
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  8. Infrastructure is only one small facet of the systemic decline of Empire. Everyone needs to understand that Thomas is correct - the people are being bled dry. Look at wealth inequality, the corrupt branches of government, corporate socialism, too big to fail and TARP, the FED bailing out European Banks, military spending, etc. etc. All thinking people have gone through similar lists so many times it is pathetic. From Carter and Princeton University we know that America is no longer a functional democracy and government policy does not reflect the will of the people. The sad thing is that when the military will be needed it will no longer be able to be funded. At the same time, all the devastation, aggression, and butchery that have been imperially imposed on other nations by these criminals will eventually come home to roost. This may start in years or decades but it will start, and the American people will have to fend for themselves. The criminals will probably use this future threat to extract the last dollar from as far forward in time that can be reached by debt. By then I expect the criminals and their wealth will be in secure locations watching the devastation they caused start to unfold. It is the sad old tale of the criminals bolting with the booty and the apathetic and ignorant rubes wondering what happened.
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  9. Thomas, the media is largely irrelevant. Sadly the sheeple have not caught up with that fact. More education is required to realize the irrelevancy. Also, glad you raised the “British East India Company”. Have you ever looked at any of the (BEIC) British East India Company’s flags from 1707 until 1874? The year 1874 was the so called demise of the BEIC; however, this is disputed by some sources. I always thought the number of stripes on the United States flag was defined by the number of initial colonies. The last colony was the Province of Georgia established in 1732 but the BEIC flag had 13 Stripes in 1707. Looks like I may be wrong. In fact the colonies existed under the “Grand Union” (BEIC) flag until the start of the American Revolutionary War. Today, the flag of the United States still has thirteen stripes - same as the 1707-1874 BEIC flag. If the BEIC did not fold in 1874 but continued until the present, it would probably look much like the current Carroll Quigley - Anglo-American Empire that today controls much of the planet.
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  10. So Trump is an Idiot who thinks in “thought bubbles” and shoots his mouth off. Maybe the people will learn something about the decades of deception and obfuscation heaped upon them during previous administrations if Trump is elected. You will never hear the truth from the Democrats or the Republicans but you may get a snippet from the “Alternative” Republicans. Maybe it’s time to elect a politician with a lower emotional quotient just to gain some insight into reality. The Princeton Study has clearly shown that the corporate government of the US no longer works for the voters; do you expect a change if the Neoliberal, warmongering, criminal puppet Hillary is elected? I am not saying that Trump will be independently running the show; hell, he’ll be lucky if he can find the toilet. I am not saying there won’t be Oligarchical control over Trump; all I am saying is there may be some accidental and possibly intentional transparency. Anything that will wake up the morons that are unaware of the deceit can only be advantageous to the majority. Remember, most breakthroughs in understanding how the human brain works happens when scientists are studying dysfunctional brains.
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  11. Thomas, you have been fooled before by Republicans pretending to be Democrats so they can cast aspersions on Bernie’s character. How well do you know this, so called, philanthropist. I am not saying that all wealthy people are unprincipled, deceptive, sleaze; but in my experience, many are. I am always suspicious; most philanthropists set up foundations to use their untaxed dollars for influence peddling. Could he be someone attempting to disable Bernie’s message? I believe that Bernie’s staff did the right thing by their refusal of the money. Remember, some Wall Street CEOs make a million dollars a week; Bernie makes about two hundred thousand a year. A million dollar donation could do inconceivable damage to an honest campaign if the propaganda was effectively spun by Shillary. Maybe get this “philanthropist” to publicly support Bernie for President.
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  12. Thomas, you are correct. Corporate executives are always working for their ex-employers except if it is contractually forbidden. Even then, much effort will be made to circumvent the contractual agreements. So you should be concerned about Tillerson working for Exxon Mobil’s interests; the same as you should be concerned about Clinton working for Goldman Sachs' interests when you consider her statement about keeping the real narrative for her customer (Goldman Sachs) and a false narrative for her foolish constituents. Independent of how the emails found their way into the public domain, all voters should be aware of their content. Independent if who won the election, the real losers are the people who were intentionally deceived by these corporate-government executives and the sycophants that promote them. Is Thomas driven by the same interests that drive CNN propaganda?
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  13. Thomas, the gentleman you are listening to is Alessio Rastani. He is an independent trader and is only speaking the truth about Wall Street. Thomas, do some research. If you want to look at the clip just YouTube search “Goldman Sachs runs the world”. Thomas, you should be careful; do not present fragments and misinterpret. There are multiple copies of this interview and should be listened to in its entirety. As I said, he is only telling the truth. Just look at the revolving door of the U. S. Government with most corporations. Just look at where Goldman Sachs has placed its “EX” employees; Mark Carney, Mario Draghi, Paulson, etc. etc. I believe that it is too late to find a voting option outside of a Wall Street criminal (Clinton) or a moronic wrestling promoter (Trump). You had your chance with Sanders but no, you had to support the criminal psychopath. Good luck.
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  14. Jamband Billy D and others: Being critical of someone’s motives is healthy; I just hope many have the insight to direct that same critical ability to other sources of information as well. Watch Hartmann’s recent video on “Tom Perez Selected as DNC and What That Will Mean for the Democratic Party” and you will hear Hartmann acknowledge that Obama helped swing the vote in favour of Perez. Hartmann is not stupid; he understands that the DNC like the RNC is a Wall Street Corporation. Hartmann appears to want you to continue to vote for the “lesser of two evils” and perpetuate the Oligarchical control of US “Democracy”. Watch this recent Hartmann video and watch him continue to corral his followers into accepting the Wall Street Democrat Machine. He continues this pretend-and-extend while the tentacles of Wall Street further infiltrate what is left of the US Democracy. Most people understand the liberal-progressive need to have representation but instead of the split between Democrats and Republicans, Hartman is expecting you to accept the divide between Corporate and Progressive Democrats. How small does your slice of the pie have to get before you get pissed off? Being concerned about healthcare while the DNC is being given to Wall Street is like jumping out of a plane and worrying about a broken fingernail and forgetting to pull the ripcord. People need to focus on the impending disaster. It still amazes me to see so many rubes still hold out some delusional hope that a corporate Democratic Party will listen to their voices; but then again how many believe the establishment media without question; I am getting off topic. Let me state what I see as the political reality in the US: There are no democrats or republicans; there is only the ignorant and the strategic; the delusional and the manipulators; the weak and the powerful; and the haves and the have-nots.
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  15. We all know Bill Clinton lied; Hillary Clinton said “We came, we saw, he died” when discussing Gaddafi’s murder; Eric Holder clearly acknowledges that Wall Street is above the law; Clapper lied to Congress about surveillance on the American public; and now we are being critical of this sleaze Sessions’ double standard. Why don’t we just admit that in the US, in fact most Western nations, the false corporate left and the sleazy corporate right are just the two sides of the same corporate puppet coin? When are these cretins going to stop believing in this false dichotomy and understand the massive corporate overlap between Democrat and Republican? Don’t you ever get sick of this tit for tat BS? Hartmann, instead of chipping away at comparatively irrelevant BS, why don’t you ever go after the real cause - Empire?
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  16. So people are complaining about having only a criminal and an idiot to vote for in this election. So you have just woken up to the fact that you have no choice; you have owners - quoting the late, great George Carlin. They only allow you to vote for the candidates they choose. Jimmy Carter has just told you there is no democracy in America, only Oligarchical control of Washington. The Princeton statistical study has confirmed that statement by showing public opinion has no effect on corporate government policy. Are people that stupid; do you have to hit them in the head with a baseball bat to wake them up? What does it take to convince the basic idiot that they are stuck on a circular highway of “The Choice Between the Lesser Evil”. Once on this highway, there are no off ramps; the Oligarchs have now made this very obvious. Sure the Oligarch’s puppets (the politicians) will convince you this road actually goes to a land of milk and honey but deep in your subconscious you know they are lying.  You will be given the illusion of an off ramp (a choice outside the Republicrats), but if you make the turn you will rapidly come to a dead end. The only thing you can be sure of is if you stay corralled on this highway, it will only lead to more of the same and eventually disaster. You may even get a hint of the deception when you start asking yourself, “Haven’t I been here before?” but there will always be people stationed along the highway attempting to convince you otherwise.
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  17. I understand what you are saying but I think Neoliberalism was a corporate policy conceived at the time of Roosevelt’s New Deal.  If you plot the maximum tax rate over time you will see a decline from the 91% of Roosevelt to the tax rates implement by Reagan and Bush junior. Neoliberalism was created as a deception and was a strategy of wealth extraction from the population. In the 1970s you may remember the Lima Resolution. Under GATT, this was sold to the masses as a strategy to improve the quality of life in the third world. National governments planned to reduce domestic manufacturing and transfer the manufacturing to less fortunate nations. It was sold to the masses as an exercise in human rights but was actually a transfer of labor to nations with lower labor costs. Globalism was one of the mechanisms that the corporate world used to achieve this goal. As we moved into the time of Reagan and Thatcher, the Neoliberals utilized the Trickle Down economic strategy. The corporatists actually expected the masses to believe that if all the wealth was pushed to the top, it would trickle down and benefit all. Reagan, Don Regan, and the Oligarchs must still be laughing in their grave over that one. We are now in the last stages of the Neoliberal wealth transfer. Wall Street legislation (e.g. Glass Steagall) was removed by Clinton and this allowed the financial sector to shift most of the risk to the masses. We all know how that worked out. In the final stages we are watching asset price bubbles created by the private Federal Reserve, enrich only the Oligarchs. This is only a brief skeletal analysis of Neoliberalism and many important parts of the corporate have been neglected, but it should give some idea of the sequence of the deception to date. What amazes me is why more don’t understand how they are getting screwed. They will probably wake up when the monetary inflation transitions into price inflation and they then realize that their wealth or purchasing power has been stolen. By then, the corporatists should be well into the last stages of the imperial expansion phase and all will be using the last of the US taxpayer's wealth paying for the military budget to plunder foreign nations. You cannot blame the masses for their ignorance in this deception; the corporatists own the media, they own all branches of government, and what they don't own, they will soon acquire. Corporatists have now decimated the union movement and have destroyed any political influence the masses ever possessed. Not a pretty sight, but then again, the outcome of ignorance never is.
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  18. It's uplifting to see your enthusiasm in researching the origins, evolution and future possible permutations of Neoliberalism and how the corporate infiltrated government is now aiding the corporate sector to transform a dysfunctional democracy into a corporate fascist serfdom. What really concerns me is this Neoliberal philosophy is now encircling the globe. The only nations still partially free of Neoliberalism are the BRICS nations. Even they are now under attack from Washington. The last time Washington overthrew an elected Brazilian government was 1964 and they are in the process of repeating the exercise by supporting the current corrupt opposition. If Washington ever manages to destroy the BRICS attempt to create their own replacements for the IMF and World Bank, there will be no place to run on Earth to escape fascist corporate Neoliberal control. If you are interested in looking at the origins of fascist corporate control (Neoliberalism), might you allow me to suggest "War is a Racket" by General Smedley Butler. The book is available but it is also on a YouTube Video. You may find the honesty of this soldier astounding. You may also wish to follow the work of Kevin Kruse who wrote "One Nation Under God, How Corporate America Created Christian America". You can either read Kruse's book or there are some comprehensive videos available on YouTube. This book specifically shows how corporate America using the work of Edward Bernays (nephew of Sigmund Freud and wrote the book Propaganda) and corporate America set out to deceive Main Street by conflating corporatism and Christianity. Again, this book is far too comprehensive in the subversive and traitorous techniques used to manipulate the population and undermine democracy and independent thought by the criminals in Wall Street and the City of London to do it justice here. May I wish you the best of Luck in your future research and understanding. And don't forget to teach others who are interested in learning the structure of corporate control, Neoliberalism, and how they are getting screwed.
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  19. Doing something about it! Well that's the difficulty. The idea of any future revolution has been removed with police militarization, arming most government departments and terrorist legislation. Even civil disobedience will soon be met universally with corporate state aggression just as the Occupation movement at Wall Street was removed. The corporate governments have been engineering this for much longer than I have been researching. What remains is education and then hope that eventually the electoral system will allow change. We see fragments of discontent and its effects around the world at the same time as we see the sterilization of democracies. We see the usual two party monopolies being exposed as a structure of the Oligarchs and people are looking for alternatives. Here I like to paraphrase George Carlin; bipartisan usually means that the population is getting screwed. Any significant change will not happen overnight but if momentum is maintained, it should make a difference in the long term. Remember, those behind Neoliberalism work on a trans-generational timescale. Any effective response must originate from education. So as your understand more, convey it to people who are asking questions. If the voting majority is politically aware, knows all the facts and continues to follow the current path of Neoliberalism, there is little anyone can do. I doubt that this will happen. Educating those that question will work until the establishment compromises the independence and freedom of the internet and leaves only the propaganda mainstream media whose main function is to deceive and distort the facts.
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  20. Any form of open rebellion will be met with severe state aggression. Why would the state militarize the police, arm most government departments, purchase 1.6 billion rounds of ammunition (mostly hollow point) if they didn’t see conflict around the corner. You must know that anti-terrorist strategies have been implemented for just such an act of rebellion and it suppression. Have you ever researched Obama’s speech on a Civil Security Force that is just as powerful and just as well funded as the US military? The speech is on YouTube. It appears that this speech went unquestioned. Why would such a vast domestic civilian security force be needed? It is sad when those who are even now ignorant of the genesis of this entity would be in denial of its intent. Consider the shooting of students during the Vietnam War, the attack on the WW1 veterans that were trying to get what they were owed, or the corporate state aggression using the Pinkerton Detective Agency killing strikers and their families in the late 1800s. Remember, the corporate state will always deceive the majority on the reason for aggression against a minority but one must wonder about the actions of the corporate state when the majority is the target.
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  21. Hartmann just gave an example of the deception of the false two party system. He said, 00.27 “The far left, in my mind . . . “ “In my mind” denotes subjectivity and is a perfect example of how left, right, liberal, progressive, conservative, socialist, etc. etc means different things to different people. Remember Orwell’s definition of a liberal, “a power worshiper without power”. It is in the Oligarch’s interest to destroy education and language. Just remember, there is no Left or Right; Democrat or Republican; Progressive or Conservative, there are only the haves and the have nots. So why do these false Leftists pretend to support the working people; it’s all a top down induced illusion. The “Trump” administration initially pushed for peace with Russia but that didn’t fit the Oligarchs plan so they created a narrative of Russian hacking with no evidence just to emotionally compensate these liberal fools when Wikileaks told the truth and aided in costing Clinton the election. Whatever happened to the “left” that rejected war, supported union movements and pushed for the interests of the workers of America? These new corporatist leftists are an abomination to the name “left”; they support the imperial and corporate interests of the Oligarchs and except for Stephen Cohen, Hartmann is nowhere to be found. Remember Orwell, “War against a foreign country only happens when the moneyed classes think they are going to make a profit from it.” Anyone else who promotes war and doesn't have money in the game should look around as they are being played like a fiddle. C'mon folks, there are enough fools unconsciously working for the interests of the Oligarchs - wake up!
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  22. As you say Thomas, 04:33 “It raises some interesting questions. All this meanness and mudslinging going on in politics, how do you discuss this with your kids? Actually I think it may be a great opportunity to talk about bullying in the schoolyard, bullying in school; this is what is happening in the White House; it’s a bad example; don’t do it”. Thomas, what are you saying? Why are you attempting to mollycoddle the next generation of voters? Why are you attempting to hide reality from the next generation? How do you expect them to learn? Remember, the oligarchs mollycoddle the current voters by creating an illusionary world through their media outlets and through what their puppet politicians say; why do you want to propagate this process? Parents should explain to their children that the US was founded on slavery and genocide by oligarchs of that day and since the late 1800s the Anglo-American Empire has embarked on butchery and theft around the globe in the interests of contemporary oligarchs. Parents should explain to their children how they fund the wars through their tax dollars and the US’s innate ability to print dollars and have the descendants of these taxpayers pay off that debt. Parents may also wish to give specific examples of US atrocities throughout the world such as the Hillary backer Madeline Albright. You must remember her; she clearly stated, "There is a special place in hell for those women who don't support Hillary Clinton". You may wish to explain to your children why she was responsible for the deaths of half a million Iraqi children under five years old by disease and starvation through sanctions. Parents should give particular attention to her response when she was asked about the cost of the half a million young lives when she said, “It was worth it”. Remember parents, nothing like the actions of a political psychopath to give your children nightmares. There are many examples of atrocities both domestic and international in the historical actions of the Anglo-American Empire. It shouldn’t be difficult for parents to select a factual part of history to teach their children. I wouldn’t depend on sanctioned corporate fascist state history books to deliver the truth; I would be looking for those history books that are more elusive. Maybe start with Smedley Butler’s “War is a Racket” as this encompasses some of the rise of US imperialism. And if you wish to understand how corporate America mollycoddles the American public, may I suggest an honest history book from the Harvard historian Kevin Kruse, “One Nation Under God: How Corporate America Created Christian America”. If you wish to raise intelligent, questioning, and responsible adults instead of the current swarms of Corporate Democratic Party supporting Useless Idiots of Empire, I suggest you ditch the state history books and go digging.
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  23. Crowley stated, 02:40 (Part 1/2) “We didn’t do a good enough job communicating who we are and what we stand for in the last election”. I would have to disagree; the DNC told its constituents exactly what it stood for; just read the Podesta emails. Through these emails the DNC clearly stated that no one other than oligarch sanctioned candidates may apply. Take a look at the legal defense by the DNC in California, “We don't owe anyone a fair primary process”. Thomas, you can talk to deceivers like Crowley all you like, but the facts are now obvious to even the greatest fool. Did you notice how Crowley doesn’t discuss the problems with the Democratic Party but rants against Trump? Sure Trump is just one of the oligarch puppets the same as the Democratic candidates and Crowley should realize by now, most have awoke to that fact. I was even expecting some Russia-gate rant to follow Crowley’s rant. You have to give Crowley the credit of being persistent; he knows he is selling dog turds, the public knows he is selling dog turds, and he just keeps on selling. Crowley stated that, 03:45 (Part 1/2) “But I do think that the Democrats have stood for the working man, for unions, for those who are struggling to make ends meet”. If you believe that, I have a bridge over the East River I will sell you cheap.  Yes folks, Crowley is just hoping no one looks behind the curtain to see the oligarchs feeding dollars to the DNC the RNC and all branches of government. We all know the system is totally corrupt. Thomas, shouldn’t you acknowledge this corruption or isn’t it part of your job description? Don’t you think it’s time to come clean with what is left of your viewers? So the oligarchs have allowed the Democrats to offer the serfs a “better” deal just to give the Democratic Party a chance of again taking the puppet role off the Republicans. They have even allowed Schumer and Pelosi to sell this farce. How much have the oligarchs allowed the Democrats to offer the workers? Probably just enough to push the pendulum the other way and give the Democrats the opportunity to extract their fair share of wealth from the taxpayer while in power. Remember, the New Deal was an anomaly created by left wing parties and the union movement and it was the motivator for the oligarchs to push through the twenty second amendment so they would never lose control again. Do you really expect the oligarchs that own the Democratic Party will allow any effective “better deal” to come into play? This is more pathetic than Trump lying when he promised to return jobs to the US. C’mon Thomas, the people are well past the time when they would give any credibility to what came out of a politician’s mouth. Don’t you realize people are sick of the old hopeful false promises and platitudes that follow politicians like a bad smell? You get some understanding of Crowley when he continues to refer to Patriotism, Nationalism, and the Constitution; Crowley must know the Bill of Rights and the rest of the Constitution are long gone. You get some understanding of the Democratic Party when you see Neocons like Wolfowitz and Bolton on CNN and MSNBC.  It’s time to wake up and smell the roses.
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  24. We don't owe anyone a fair primary process http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/dnc-argues-in-court-we-dont-owe-anyone-a-fair-primary-process/article/2621767
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  25. The difference between the RNC and the DNC is that the Republican scam is far more obvious. Nominate the sycophant Scott Walker - you might as well nominate David Koch. Check out Ian Murphy's interview with Walker while pretending to be David Koch. This unambiguously reflects the character and motivations of Scott Walker. Thomas, even scarier than the thought of nominating a Koch surrogate is the thought of a Wall Street Democratic war criminal but the Wall Street media appears to have that under control. The rubes and morons appear to be subjugated so when the RNC destroys itself, it looks like the U. S. gets a traitorous criminal for President. Those that promoted this eventuality must be so proud!
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  26. It is interesting to see the circumstances and the personality that is transforming from a Reagan/Thatcher mentality to a more progressive perspective. I hate using the words liberal and progressive; they are usually deceptive, ambiguous, and especially subjective. With respect to inequality, I am wondering why the caller is leaning towards the Democrats. Both major parties are out to screw Main Street in favor of Wall Street but at least the Republicans are a little more honest about the interests for which they are working. The Democrats should be called the DECEPTOCRATS. They feign empathy for Main Street while working against their interests.  NAFTA is an excellent example of how deceptive the Democrats can be. We all know that both parties are working for the establishment but the Republicans are more transparent in their intent. The caller appears to understand how, what I call long term principal rotation, occurs in this chimera of politics that confronts the American people. As Thomas states in the 1930s the Republican Party was working for Main Street and the Democrats were plotting a New Deal coup. Earlier, the Democrats were behind the KKK and the Republicans were against slavery. With no foundation in principal of either party, surely you must understand that both parties stand for nothing. There only function is to deceptively squabble over policies that involve minority interests to ensure they remain in the public consciousness and to work for the interests of their puppet masters. Maybe the caller should rethink the political direction in which he is traveling. There are more options than just the Republicrats.
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  27. Thomas, why do you persist to infer Obama is presenting his own agenda for what he believes is in the best interests of the American people? Obama and almost all politicians are puppets of the establishment. They will say anything to acquire the position, after which they are told what to sell to the American people by the establishment. The only time you see a politician for what they really are is when the teleprompter fails. Thomas, it is an insult and offense to any thinking person when you imply Obama is speaking his own mind, let alone ever working for Main Street. Thomas, do you ever get sick of continuing with this deception? Remember, politicians are paid by the establishment to take the slings and arrows of the exploited while the Oligarchs rake in the wealth. As for the Eisenhower Republicans, they are an anomaly. Remember the Koch, free market, libertarian John Birch Society labelled Eisenhower a communist. Eisenhower, the president that created the Interstate highway system to boost the profits of Detroit was called a communist by the early Neo-Liberal interests that now run American establishment politics.
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  28. Horace, the answer to your question of why are the democrats allowing the corporate government to trample over the people’s rights is very simple. There is negligible difference between the Democratic Party and the Republican Party. Sure, the Democrats are allowed the more politically sensitive minority issues to manage, but this gives them false legitimacy and is just a dog and pony show to the real question: Why do both allowable parties have the same policies except for those policies that don’t affect the power and wealth of the Oligarchs; that is, deregulation, foreign policy, environmental, etc. Why are the policies that directly affect the Oligarchs the same; the answer is simple; because both parties are owned by the corporate sector. Horace, I am sure you are aware that Wall Street funds (bets on) both sides in the political race and I would have thought the election of Tom Perez as chair or the deceptional placement of Keith Ellison in the token powerless position of vice chair would have confirmed you no longer live in a democracy. Just remember Horace, the Republican Cartel will rob you by putting a gun in your mouth, they will look you in the eyes and demand money or they will kill you. The Democratic Cartel will approach you with a smile and start a friendly conversation while one of their members sneak up behind you and steals your wallet. The Democrat Cartel will leave you ignorant of their intent and wondering where you left your wallet. Horace, what you have to come to grips with is both Cartels work for Wall Street – don’t ever forget that.
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  29. Other than "Controlled Opposition", the only way I can explain Thomas' point of view is by considering that he may be afflicted with Battered Person Syndrome with a bit of Stockholm Syndrome thrown in for good measure. Like a battered wife with nowhere to go, Thomas is trapped in an abusive relationship and cannot escape. He has a delusional belief that he can change the behavior of his abusive and criminally dangerous spouse and keep the family together. There is really only one course of action – Get Out!  Thomas must believe - I have to stay (Vote for Clinton) because I have no alternatives. The alternatives may be a little scary for you but they do exist. Get Out!
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  30. Correct, the FED is not the only problem but central banks are a significant contributor to covert wealth transfer in the Western world. Originally the founding fathers limited taxation but the 16th amendment allowed the government to tax rent seeking enterprises and capital gain. A workers wages were not significantly taxed, but when the privately owned and controlled US Federal Reserve was created, everything changed. None of the stock in the Federal Reserve is owned or controlled by the government. Have you ever wondered why significant personal taxation and the Fed were created simultaneously? Have you ever wondered why, if you look up “US Tax Rates history” on the net, it will be difficult to find tax rates prior to 1913? Consider the quote from Mayer Amschel Rothschild, “Permit me to issue and control the money of a nation, and I care not who makes its laws”. The historical Oligarchs knew and understood how much power the control of a Nation’s money supply actually gave. The Oligarchs of today have a more sophisticated understanding of how to control populations through Crowd Psychology. If you can control the Crowd, you can control the Government; especially when you control the media. Have you ever wondered why there is currently political instability in Brazil, South Africa, and India? Have you ever wondered about the recent aggression against Russia (Operation Anaconda 2016) and China? The BRICS are attempting to create an independent monetary system outside of Oligarchical control. The West cannot allow this to occur, especially now with US Debt at such levels. This could destabilize the US dollar or Petrodollar. Everyone should have a sound understanding of the mechanisms of the Petrodollar. The BRICS have created financial institutions in competition to the IMF and World Bank. As J. D. Rockefeller said “Competition is a Sin” and now the Petrodollar is threatened by increased competition. The Oligarchs will not accept competition and this may give some understanding of some of the current conflicts in the world. With a little time and discriminatory effort, the evidence supporting these facts can be easily sourced on the net.
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  31. Thomas, I will always support your effort to combat the covert and deceptive Wall Street interests embedded in the Libertarian economic philosophy. The Libertarian movement originated in the crucible of opposition to Roosevelt’s New Deal and has been festering and expanding ever since.  HOWEVER, I take exception to the comparison of indebtedness between the end of WW2 and the present day. For instance, there is a considerable difference in integrity between the federal decision makers then and now. In those days the president (Eisenhower) was warning of the Military Industrial Complex in his farewell address; these days the decision makers (Oligarchs) along with their puppets (Republicrats) are the Military Industrial Intelligence and Financial and Banking Industrial complex. Have you forgotten the Princeton Statistical Study that had shown there was no correlation between the will of the public and government policy. There was an expected high correlation between the will of the Military Industrial Intelligence and Financial and Banking Industrial complex and government policy; the government had to be working for someone. You need to remember Jimmy Carter’s recent statement (I believe it was originally in Der Spiegel) saying that there was no democracy in the US and the nation was run by Oligarchs. No Thomas, you can’t expect the same recovery as the ones in charge of the economy are not working for the people. It may take some time for the voting majority to work this out. By the time they do; it will be far too late. Corporate America using the Republicrat puppets (Reagan, Bush, Clinton, Bush, Obama,. . .) will have picked the people clean. Take a close look at the graph of Federal Government Debt since the start of WW2. Look at the shape of the peaks both in 1946 and 2013. The debt generated during WW2 was only a spike; straight up with an instant decay. The debt generated in 2013/2014 has risen with a momentarily plateaued and is predicted to rise well through 2030.  https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/36/Federal_Debt_Held_by_the_Public_1790-2013.png  Thomas, the days of the Petrodollar are coming to an end. Oil-rich nations buying US debt will no longer be able to prop up the value of the US dollar. This will eliminate the ability of the US to run a negative balance of payments and it can no longer exist as a debtor nation. Don’t expect the Oligarchs to be concerned about the Federal Debt; it is the responsibility of the voters and their descendants to rectify this problem. By the time the debt starts to destroy what is left of the current standard of living, the Oligarchs and their minions would have insulated themselves from any responsibility; hell, you probably won’t be able to find a voter that has the slightest understanding of the cause of the impending disaster.
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  32. "Corporate privatization is the future with the Oligarchs moving from a manufacturing to a rent-seeker economy." That's the workings of the invisible hand... I am sure there is a significant dose of sarcasm and skepticism in your comment and rightly so. Would it surprise you if this current economic has been slowly created ever since Roosevelt’s New Deal. The creation of this labor exploitative system accelerated with Reagan and successive administrations have watched as Wall Street hammered in the last of the coffin nails. I am sure you are aware the current system is no delusive market free hand; it has been engineered ever since Smedley Butler exposed the Oligarch’s attempt to overthrow the US government in 1933. But that is another discussion in the the understanding of real State History. "Isn't it also ironic, that an Austrian Nobel-prize-winner guru, I don't remember if it was Hayek or whoever, has written, that a totally free market tends to destroy itself?" Both Hayek and Friedman won Nobel Prizes in Economics; Hayek in 1974 and Friedman in 1976. This is almost irrelevant when you consider three important points: 1) Economics is not a science; it can never be used for an accurate prediction and at best, can only be used to predict a trend – even that is questionable. Professor Steve Keen’s book “Debunking Economics” accurately discussed the limits of Economics. At best, Economics should be considered as one of the social sciences where anything outside of a statistical analysis is a waste of time. Professor Keen’s version of economics has shown promise with differential calculus applied to his fundamental economic models. His solutions of the differential equations that consider the acceleration of debt have lead to some reasonable results when predicting inherent market instability but there are still questions. Original economic theories predict none of this; they only give generalized statements and have no evidence or deductive proof. 2) Consider the idea of the Nobel Prize in Economics. I have little understanding of the work and achievement necessary to win a real Nobel Prize in one of the physical sciences but reading about Richard Feynman’s work in Quantum Electrodynamics has shown it is well beyond my understanding. You cannot compare that to a political Nobel Prize such as Economics or Peace. You can give a “Wall Street financed” Nobel Prize to Hayek or Friedman the same way you give a Nobel Peace Prize to “Predator Drone, Kill List” Obama. 3) You will notice that both Hayek and Friedman originate from the University of Chicago and the Chicago school of economics. This institution is directly funded by Wall Street to develop the type of Economic Philosophies that benefit the Oligarchs. This is the “intellectual” origin of Libertarian Economics. Some of the criminal puppet elite and useful international puppets also have their origins in the University of Chicago (John Ashcroft, Jon Corzine, Barack Obama, Ahmed Chalabi, James Comey, Zalmay Khalilzad, Paul Wolfowitz, David Rockefeller, and many others). As for totally free markets destroying themselves, Adam Smith wrote that the only way for any markets to work is if those participating in these markets are moral human beings. In December, 2013, the Guardian published a article “Without morality, the market economy will destroy itself” that covers the concepts. As you can see, with the real human condition any market, let alone a free market, doesn’t stand a chance. In my opinion, free markets are incompatible with the nature and the present state of evolution of human beings; free markets will only create an environment where psychopaths and sociopaths can dominate until the system fails.
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  33. With the limitation to free speech on this site, any further debate is impossible. Both Clinton and Hartmann must be working for Wall Street.
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  34. Clinton is wrong again. Trickle-down economics wasn’t the main cause of the 2008 crash; financial engineering, fraud, deception and banker criminality was the reason for the crash. Especially when nobody knew who was holding the fraudulent mortgages. All the financial paper was potentially tainted and so people panicked. Trickle-down economics was the part of the engineered long term income and wealth transfer from Main Street to Wall Street by Don Regan. Combine this with further cuts in wages due to off shoring jobs you have the reason for the remainder of the current indebtedness of private individuals. Forget about the government’s estimate of price inflation; with increasing prices, stagnant wages, and lower paid jobs, how do you expect the people to spend their way out of the Recession (Depression). Depression – take a look at the “velocity of money” graph and match that decline with another historical part of the graph of “velocity of money”. You will wind up back in 1929.
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  35. No Alex, Bernie Sanders needed to align himself with the Democrats; he didn't want to go down the path of a third party candidate. Bernie saw what happened to Ralph Nader who was isolated by the establishment and was repulsed by the indignant way Democrats blamed Nader for removing votes from the Democrats during the 2000 election. Maybe these Democrats now have some understanding of the Oligarchical engineered Democrat/Republican false choice paradigm in which the American people find themselves. If anyone has a childish view of how the system works, it is this moronic Thomas want-to-be, Lawson. If people take anything these ignorant spewers of falsehood seriously, they will never be able to understand the bind in which they are trapped. People should understand the real Democratic politicians use the good works of fools such as Alex to generate political capital for the criminals at the top.
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  36. I wonder what Thomas is trying to say? The fact is the majority of the drivers for the Democratic Party come from Wall Street and any progressive component of the party is now being ignored and dominated by the Corporate Democrats. When the Democratic Party started taking dollars from Wall Street during Clinton, it was like mixing white and black paint; and now these idiots think they can retrieve the original color they started with – impossible. The last nail in the coffin for hope was Perez. So why do so many “Progressives” still support this corrupt institution; either they are mindless hopefuls and believe in some type of delusional resurrection from the ashes or they are being paid for their treachery against the majority. The Democrats can’t run on a detailed platform showing the obvious regressive structure of Neoliberal economics as that would shine a light on their traitorous intent. It’s time to ditch the tin of dark grey paint and start again; dump the Republicrats into the trash.
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  37. Thomas, you are correct; the reason that reality TV shows carefully scripts personalities is to utilize Edward Bernays philosophy of “Public Opinion”, which is, “In place of thoughts it has impulses, habits, and emotions.” The reason that actors, professional or not, go into politics for the same reason – to stimulate the emotions of the stupid and ignorant. Oligarchs are bombarding these people with news from a controlled and compromised media. Combine this with actor candidates that only stimulate the masses’ fear and greed; and you have to ask what type of a Democracy exists. Combine this with Superdelegates, brokered conventions, committees that change rules, Corporate and foreign owned Congress and Senate, and a Supreme Courts that install presidents; do you really expect a democracy to function? Thomas, have you ever considered a benevolent dictatorship. That usually works under these circumstances; at least for a while. Maybe you should do a show on Edward Bernays' "Propaganda" and let people know part the machine that is controlling them.
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  38. You can give Trump all the necessary briefings you like but for a fool, that is about as much use as attempting to teach a goldfish to play the piano. From Mercer, Adelson and the other Oligarch’s structure of the “Trump” administration’s executive selections, it is now clear that the Oligarchs have their tentacles entwined in the Trump administration similar to all administrations preceding it. Since the beginning of September last year, my idea of Trump has only slightly changed. He is clearly a narcissistic idiot but a more insidious mix has been added to the political soup. Trump is now clearly just an Oligarchical puppet the same as the Clintons and Bushes. His cabinet reflects mush of the Oligarch’s (Goldman Sachs) muscle that paid Hillary for her speeches and has directed much of US and other nation’s foreign policy for decades. It will be interesting to see how these Democrat and Republican Imperial Oligarchs would allow Trump to obfuscate and evade the remaining pre-inauguration promises. However, some contradictions still remain. Trump is still being critical of the corrupt warmongering propagandizing mainstream media, but that will have to change as he follows his Oligarchical orders to compound US aggression toward Russia and China. If he hasn’t done it already, Trump will eventually show himself to be the weak blustering fool he actually is and no use of compounded redundant superlatives will hide the treachery.
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  39. Thomas, there is an old saying - follow the money. There is a reason that Shillary&Co has become so wealthy from Wall Street bribes and it is not for their morals or ethics. At least you know when you vote Republican; you are voting for Wall Street and the corporate governance of the Private Totalitarian State. Covertly, Shillary stands for exactly the same Private Totalitarian State but with enough subterfuge to fool the majority of the Sheeple. I am not saying that Bernie can accomplish much without political or personal injury, but it is the only chance the people have.
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  40. +luvcheney1 - I assume that you are human and not just a Neo-Liberal Libertarian response bot. Even if I am responding to a bot, I would still like to put this response forward for all the Neo-Liberal Libertarian Wall Street supporting shills. Wall Street introduced globalism to free up capital and to exploit where they could around the planet. They targeted disadvantaged populations and leveraged domestic wages on the wages of the foreign workers. In an Ayn Rand capitalist system, there is always someone losing so they will never run out of people to exploit. Wall Street usual argument is that they are transforming the subsistence existence into one of employment and opportunity. These captains of spin never discuss the suicide nets around the buildings where these abused individuals now serve their time. That’s assuming that these buildings don’t catch fire or fall down. The small middle class that sometimes develops is only a small fraction of the original population. Now that the reality of this ongoing exploitation is returning to U.S. shores, people are starting to wise up when they are told that they must compete with these workers and the cost of doing business in this worker hellhole. Did you ever wonder why the average workers discretionary income is almost stagnant and the Oligarch minion’s (CEO’s) discretionary income is growing exponentially? That money has to come from somewhere. If you ever get a chance look at the ratio of growth between average workers and CEO’s income since globalization was introduced. The CEO is being well paid for their betrayal of the working class. With your simple minded argument, you should either fit into this category or are you just some imbecile that follows that one dimensional, tunnel visioned, Libertarian sect. If you are a sect member maybe you should look at the fascist origins of the, so called, libertarian movement before you drink the Jonestown Kool-Aid. I don’t have time to give you a history lesson so I will give you some topics in increasing chronological order you may wish to research: Roosevelt’s New Deal, National Association of Manufacturers, Reverend James Fifield, How Corporate America Invented Christian America by Kevin Kruse, and the ever fascist deceitful Liberty League of America. If you are not just a Wall Street stooge and would really like to understand the subversive deceitfulness of the Ayn Rand capitalists, you should have an attempt at researching the list. If you can get out of your incestuous group and look at reality, you may wish to fill in the vast gaps of political and economic history that will show that there is no such thing as a free market. You will find that the monopolists understood capitalism and played the gullible and the corrupt to their advantage. - J. D. Rockefeller - “Competition is a Sin”. Never use the argument that if the government did not interfere, there would not be monopolists. Monopolies abhor a power vacuum. There have been many private armies in the U.S. that have shot and killed innocent women and children when their husbands wanted to strike for a better life. If you really want to get an understanding of what Wall Street is capable of, read Smedley Butler’s War is a Racket where the General admits that he was just a killing machine for Wall Street. If you continue to research Butler, he gives insight into the 1933 fascist coup attempted by some of the treacherous Oligarchs at that time. Finally, in this Ayn Rand capitalist system, the population can be summarized as the 0.1% utilizes the 5% to control the 95%. I doubt that you would be part of the 0.1%. You are either part of the 5% or just a libertarian sect member unwittingly selling out your fellow American.
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  41. Thomas, I would forget about placing the party or affiliation’s name against any elected official’s name and seriously consider the major sources of funding for that official. Just imagine you could see which companies would benefit from your vote. Take for example Scott Walker; what you would see on the ballot would be:  Scott Walker – Koch Industries. Sorry, I forgot, David and Charles Koch are attempting to resell Walker. He must have done something that made himself useless to their cause. Could it be that radio interview where Ian Murphy calls Walker, posing as David Koch and they casually discussed crushing all public unions? Since then Walker has turned into a joke. Thomas, also consider questioning electronic voting machines. Most other countries that have implemented electronic voting have scrapped their systems. There is considerable scope for fraud especially when the software is closed to public scrutiny and political parties have an interest in the machine manufacturers'.
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  42. Thom, have you considered taking a more believable approach to politics by considering Chris Hedges’ interpretation of the Democratic Party and Liberal Politicians. I believe that you interviewed Chris once in your "Conversations with Great Minds" segment. Chris believes that the Democrats are Wall Street puppets with a “Feel your pain” rhetoric to fool the working class into supporting them; all the time being puppets for Wall Street and the Anglo-American Oligarchy. He interprets the Republicans as the party pushed so far right by the Wall Street dependant right wing Democrats that the actions of the Republicans can only be interpreted as insane. One needs to forget about the football analogy of politics - you either support one side or the other. This two party race is sold to the public to fool them into believing that there no other choices but to select “Heads I win, Tails you lose”. Remember, in this game of football, both sides are against Main Street. I believe the term that Jesse Venture has for the choices is Republicrats; that is, no choice at all. If you believe that Thom is working for your best interest when he promotes Hillary Clinton, I have some interests in the Brooklyn Bridge I would like to sell you. Everyone should watch Thom’s December 2010 interview with the brilliant Chris Hedges to begin to understand the reality of the Oligarchs and the two party system.
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  43. Sorry, this story doesn’t pass the smell test. Congressman Nolan said, “I have great confidence in the American public to make good voting choices about critical public policy issues, if they are given all the facts; given all the information”. What can I cay; apart from the conditional clauses at the end of the statement, this is the standard opening BS line for politician ass smoke blowing. Consider the statement where he acknowledged that only five members of congress knew of the U. S. Supplied weapons. The real crime against the American people is that Congress was not fully aware of actions in American foreign policy. The U. S. Funding of the Mujahedin is incidental to the crime against the American people.  As for the missing 28 pages; look at the 911 Commission. It was given an unrealistic timeline; it was underfunded; it didn’t include any acknowledgement or information on the collapse building 7; it was initially headed by Kissinger who was later replaced by an establishment politician, and many of the more reputable members called it a sham and that it was set up to fail. If the report failed to include building 7, how much credibility would you give to these 28 pages? There could be any number of coercive and political reasons for publicizing the existence of the 28 pages. I would be far angrier knowing that these 28 pages, for which the American taxpayers have paid, are being denied to the same people on the BS claim of national security. This is a clear attack against American democracy. I would appreciate more information on the timing of the release of the existence of the 28 pages. Who released the existence of these pages and exactly when was it released? Who classified it and why was it classified it as a threat to national security? Every time you hear national security, you know the disclosure is intended to protect the establishment or one of their minion’s asses. If the people do have some intellect and morals as Nolan inferred, when will the people ask the probing questions and learn to attack the root cause. Have you ever heard of the saying, "If you believe in nothing, you will fall for anything".
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  44. +Jeremy Chase - Thomas appears to have some ties to the Democratic Party so any major criticism of the system on the scale you are alluding to, is not going to be in the scope of discussion. I agree totally with what you are saying. The corporations are taking over governments in the Western World; no wonder the remaining countries are resisting (BRICS & AIIB). The Anglo-American Empire will continue to push until they have it all. Most say that the British East India Company ceased in 1874, but it appears as if it has transformed into this modern entity to benefit the 0.1% that uses the 10% that are willing to sell out the remaining 90%. As for Reagan, he was only a puppet. His previous career (actor) framed his future career perfectly - to fool the sheeple. Listen to him speak; many times he sounds as incoherent as Bush Jr. Observe the way Don Regan pushes him around (YouTube); who is really in charge? If you can understand that Goldman Sachs runs the Western World, all this will make sense. If you believe in integrity, morality, meritocracy, democracy, and the rule of law, the World must be a confusing place.
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  45. Both political parties are thieves, liars and criminals; Republicans hold a gun to your head and threaten you for your fair share of America’s wealth; Democrats talk pleasantly, piss in your pocket and then lift your wallet and run. Both sides are responsible for the death toll of millions incurred by the imperial expansion of the Anglo-American Empire; both sides are racist except Democrats are more deceptive. Both have affiliations with Wall Street; Republicans own Wall Street; Democrats work for the interests of Wall Street. You are asking people to choose between a chunder-burger and a turd sandwich - excuse my French. Think again!
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  46. Thomas, you don't have to look too far for a real life experiment on a much larger scale. America started it run of prosperity when Roosevelt expanded the highest tax rate from 25% to 63% just before the New Deal. The maximum tax rates were extended again in 1936 to 79%, 81% in 1941, 88% in 1942, 94% in 1944, 91% in 1946 after the war, and remained at 91% until the assassination of Kennedy. This was when America was a creditor nation, had real wealth and not the paper wealth and deficit spending it relies on today. The maximum tax rate was dropped to 70% in 1964 and remained there until 1982 when the puppet Reagan under the control of Merrill Lynch's chairman and CEO, Don Regan who was given the position by Reagan of the 66th United States Secretary of the Treasury, started the decay process. Regan stayed on as White House Chief of Staff from 1985 to 1987 just to ensure his strategy was successful. It was successful; the Reagan administration nearly tripled government debt and transformed the US from a creditor nation with a $0 Balance of Trade to a deficit nation with a Balance of Trade of -$10 Billion per month. Today, the Balance of Trade stands at -$40 Billion per month. In the last days of Don Regan’s presidency, tax rates plummeted to 28% and this could be defined as a flat tax which everyone except those earning under $30K paid. Since then, the maximum tax rate has fluctuated between 35% and 40% a long way from the days of prosperity. Some damage was done by previous administrations and corporations as globalization has allowed a select few to transfer dollars and industry off-shore, but Don Regan’s puppet can be attributed with much of the destruction of the US economy.
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  47. Here we go again with this false left-right paradigm garbage. Thomas needs to convey the fact the candidates usually running are intentionally the only ones the establishment will accept as their puppets. Oligarchs, like the markets, crave stability, predictability and control. Trump appears to be a miscalculation and that concerns the Oligarchs. Has Thomas ever mentioned the fact that the Koch brothers are pushing Republicans to vote for Clinton? Thomas, I would not be too concerned about Trump. If Trump was elected independent of the will of the Oligarchs, and was found to be working for the people’s interests, circumstances would rapidly change. As people now accept Trump for all his faults, it may be difficult to leverage (blackmail) him into participating in Washington’s style of "Democracy". If Trump could not be convinced to be a puppet in the Oligarch's team, he may receive the same fate as JFK or RFK. When are people going to wake up and make an effort to understand what is going on instead of believing all this left-right, Democrat-Republican garbage. Thomas, I still don’t know for whom you are working?
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  48. What voters should be concerned about is the compounded deception within the democratic system. Yes, electronic voting machines are a concern especially when the software is unavailable for an independent audit. Yes, voter fraud by global removal of candidates by name is of concern. BUT there is one thing that overshadows a compromised election process that is far more insidious – voting for two puppets that are controlled by the same Oligarchical structure. I believe George Carlin said it best, “Forget the politicians. The politicians are put there to give you the idea you have freedom of choice. You don't. You have no choice. You have owners. They own you. They own everything. They own all the important land, they own and control the corporations that've long since bought and paid for, the senate, the congress, the state houses, the city halls, they got the judges in their back pocket, and they own all the big media companies so they control just about all of the news and the information you get to hear. They got you by the balls. They spend billions of dollars every year lobbying to get what they want. Well, we know what they want. They want more for themselves and less for everybody else. But I'll tell you what they don't want. They don't want a population of citizens capable of critical thinking. They don't want well informed, well educated people capable of critical thinking. They're not interested in that. That doesn't help them.” Thomas fails to accept the reality so eloquently expressed by George and continues down the road of the “Lesser of two evils”. Why pick the lesser of two evils when both have the same puppet masters. This is not rhetorical; I would like to know why? I would like to ask Thomas what he expects to change when Hillary wins the election. Sure, there may be some temporary reprieve in Neoliberal policy to bribe some of the “Useful Idiots of Empire”, buy in the long term economic hardship and overseas imperial conflict will return as Clinton ramps up the Wall Street mechanisms that support the expanding aggression of Empire and income and wealth inequality.
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  49. You are right, there is no immediate solution. The Oligarchs created this structure over centuries. Have you ever wondered why the US flag is so similar to the flag of the British East India Company? Some state historians will tell you it is coincidence but research a little further and you will find the truth. Do you realize that Jamestown was an investment in the New Land by European Oligarchs using the London Company. One thing I will give the Oligarchs; they are transgenerational thinkers. This system was not built in one day and it will not be disassembled in one day. The first step is to recognize the problem and that you have achieved. The next step is far more difficult and time consuming - change the mind of the majority. No one can do this alone; it is a collective responsibility. Notice how the Wall Street shills on YouTube and elsewhere conflate collectivism and communism; this is their strategy of divide and conquer. One needs to create collectives, get involved in politics, and educate others if you want to break the Owners' (Oligarchs') hold over the population. You may not see change; your grandchild may not see change, but it will come. You must admit, Bernie was as close as ever to an honest politician for the people. If we can wake people from the Oligarch's media deception, next time someone like Bernie may win decisively. Sure, the Oligarchs could easily introduce electronic voting nationally and totally corrupt the democratic process, but I doubt that; people are getting too edgy. However, if you back the Oligarchs into a corner, they may switch to a complete Totalitarian Dictatorship, but one has to try. Also, Thomas choosing the lesser of two evils is another tactic upon which the Oligarch's depend to affect their strategy. Now that any credible candidate with a chance of winning has been eliminated, who are you going to vote for Hillary or Trump? If you pick one, the Oligarchs win. I am not saying that you shouldn’t vote in this election because that must eventually be up to the individual and their choice of a world in which they may wish to raise children. Anyway, consider what George Carlin had to say on the topic of voting, “Everybody complains about politicians. Everybody says, “They suck”.But where do people think these politicians come from? They don’t fall out of the sky. They don’t pass through a membrane from another reality. No, they come from American homes, American families, American schools, American churches, American businesses, and they’re elected by American voters. This is the best we can do, folks. It’s what our system produces: Garbage in, garbage out. I have solved this political dilemma in a very direct way: I don’t vote. On Election Day, I stay home. I firmly believe that if you vote, you have no right to complain. Now, some people like to twist that around. They say, “If you don’t vote, you have no right to complain”, but where’s the logic in that? If you vote, and you elect dishonest, incompetent politicians, and they get into office and screw everything up, you are responsible for what they have done. You voted them in. You caused the problem. You have no right to complain. I, on the other hand, who did not vote — who did not even leave the house on Election Day — am in no way responsible for that these politicians have done and have every right to complain about the mess that you created. That I didn’t have anything to do with.”
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  50. Thom, have you considered covering the Republican Colorado Caucus and how it was given to Cruz by the Republican Party. Remember the establishment component of the Republican Party and the establishment component of the Democratic Party are mostly the same Oligarchs. If this blatant Republican electoral fraud is allowed to go unchecked, expect similar criminality within the Democrat Party machine should Bernie appear as a serious contender. When it comes to criminal behavior, the Clintons have Wall Street backing and are seasoned professionals. Bernie is an honest man and totally outgunned. The Democratic electoral process has to contend with the antidemocratic Oligarch Superdelegates. Should this Republican criminality be allowed to infect the Democratic Party, what chance would Bernie have?
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