oligarchy ← Progressive Bloggers // Blogues progressistes

Dead Wild Roses: Looking Back – Why Didn’t Obama Fix the System and Help the Working Class?

Jan

2

2018

Now that we’re in the era of the 45th republican administration the battles we fight are more basic. Defending basic rights of people and defending the societal institutions that promote equality in society. That is where we are now. But back in the first term of the Obama presidency he had it all, majorities in ...

Dead Wild Roses: What Happens When you Run Out of Quick to Cut? – The Republican Tax Cut to the Rich

Dec

29

2017

The adage that says ‘a capitalism will sell you the rope to hang him with’ comes to mind while reviewing the latest round of Feed the Rich that is going in in the United States. It is frightening the pace at which the plutocrats are lining their pockets and fleecing the general population of ...

The Disaffected Lib: A Fitting End to a Country Grown Too Old

Dec

4

2017

Remember when North America was called the New World? Well, in some ways, it’s rather old, very old. The United States boasts of being the world’s oldest constitutional democracy and, even if that means brushing a few other nations such as Switzerland under the carpet, it clings to that claim. These are, however, technicalities. The ...

The Disaffected Lib: America is Broken, Probably Beyond Repair

Dec

3

2017

The sad fact that America’s Congress is “bought and paid for” is well known. America has long lost any notion of “government of the people, by the people, for the people.” It is instead government of the people by a few people acting for the benefit of a select, privileged and small segment of the ...

The Disaffected Lib: The "Bought and Paid For" Tax Reform Bill

Nov

10

2017

The menacing face of Congressional corruption is being exposed in the Republican’s tax reform bill. They can’t hide it any longer. They’re bought and paid for, have been for some years, and now they have to do their patrons’ bidding. Even Senator Lindsey Graham admits the Republicans are at a ‘fish or cut bait’ moment ...

Writings of J. Todd Ring: Obama’s Vision and Legacy: A retrospective look at the Obama presidency – before we lose all sight of recent history, as our culture is wont to do

Feb

25

2016

Here are three short articles which I wrote between 2011 and 2015 which sum up the Obama presidency, and the Obama vision and legacy. We should remember, those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it. Let us review now the torturous two terms of “Mister Hope and Change” – the man ...

Writings of J. Todd Ring: Prospects for America: Sanders vs Civil War

Feb

15

2016

(And that is not a threat, of course, but a prediction) An analysis of the present state of future prospects of the nation ~ An open letter in response to Daily Kos, and to anyone concerned with either justice, or peace The article I recently wrote and published on Daily Kos, Prognosis for America: Sanders ...

Writings of J. Todd Ring: New Poll: Sanders Leads Clinton In Iowa

Jan

26

2016

Substance begins to overtake slime. Whoops….did I say that? I meant to say, an honest candidate who has defended and worked for the people, consistently for over 30 years, and the only candidate who is standing up to Wall Street and the corporate elite, is beginning to outpace the oligarchs’ number one draft pick and ...

Writings of J. Todd Ring: Bernie Sanders: The backlash is on – surprise, surprise!

Jan

26

2016

Bernie Sanders was effectively silenced and blacked out of the media, by and large, for a long time, until he became too popular and too prominent to ignore. Now, the only candidate who is not a Wall Street hireling, hack or shill, the only candidate who is willing to take on the central problem of ...

Writings of J. Todd Ring: The Paris Attacks In Contex

Nov

20

2015

Propaganda, hysteria, ultra-violence and imperialism, as usual “A people unaware of its myths is likely to continue living by them.” – Richard Slotkin I have been too horrified by the predictably violent and insane reaction of the Western powers to the violent and insane attacks in Paris to delve deeply into them until now; but ...

Writings of J. Todd Ring: New Leadership Urgently Needed For The US, Canada and Britain

Oct

22

2015

Imagine if Martin Luther King Jr., Tommy Douglas and Tony Benn were President of the US, and Prime Ministers of Canada and Britain, respectively. The world would certainly be a far better, more just, freer, more peaceful, and safer place. But we do not. In all three of these “leading” nations we have neoliberal corporate ...

Writings of J. Todd Ring: New Leadership Urgently Needed For The US, Canada and Britain

Oct

22

2015

Imagine if Martin Luther King Jr., Tommy Douglas and Tony Benn were President of the US, and Prime Ministers of Canada and Britain, respectively. The world would certainly be a far better, more just, freer, more peaceful, and safer place. But we do not. In all three of these “leading” nations we have neoliberal corporate ...

Writings of J. Todd Ring: Bernie Sanders: socialism, anarchism, corporatism and democracy

Oct

17

2015

I support Senator Bernie Sanders in his candidacy to become the next US president. I would very much like to see him win, and I think he very may well. Now, some people will say, but Bernie Sanders is a self-declared democratic socialist. I see no problem with that. And 49% of Americans, and a ...

Writings of J. Todd Ring: Bernie Sanders: socialism, anarchism, corporatism and democracy

Oct

17

2015

I support Senator Bernie Sanders in his candidacy to become the next US president. I would very much like to see him win, and I think he very may well. Now, some people will say, but Bernie Sanders is a self-declared democratic socialist. I see no problem with that. And 49% of Americans, and a ...

Parchment in the Fire: Is America an Oligarchy? – The New Yorker

Aug

16

2014

Is America an Oligarchy? – The New Yorker. From the Dept. of Academics Confirming Something You Already Suspected comes a new study concluding that rich people and organizations representing business interests have a powerful grip on U.S. government policy. After examining differences in public opinion across income groups on a wide variety of issues, ...

Dead Wild Roses: Oil Companies Need Their Profits – The Summer Gas Gouge.

Jun

24

2014

Oh Canada! Producer of so much oil and making strides to export it to other countries just had its first jump in gasoline prices. One question to contemplate is that rather than exporting oil to other countries wouldn’t it be nice to stabilize the domestic market supply and give Canadian consumers a break at the ...

Dead Wild Roses: Oil Companies Need Their Profits – The Summer Gas Gouge.

Jun

24

2014

Oh Canada! Producer of so much oil and making strides to export it to other countries just had its first jump in gasoline prices. One question to contemplate is that rather than exporting oil to other countries wouldn’t it be nice to stabilize the domestic market supply and give Canadian consumers a break at the ...

The Cracked Crystal Ball II: On "Toll Lanes" In Calgary

May

7

2014

I see that the geniuses at the Manning Foundation have put on their thinking caps and burned some extra wood to come up with this idea. The Manning Foundation is recommending tolls on some Calgary roads, such as Glenmore Trail, Crowchild Trail and Deerfoot Trail. “Folks are spending more time in traffic than being in the ...

Dead Wild Roses: The Mad Dash Toward Oligarchy – Bill Moyers

Apr

24

2014

We’re running out of canaries people, wake up and smell the system you’re living in. Filed under: Politics Tagged: Bill Moyers, Oligarchy, Political Influence

Dead Wild Roses: The Mad Dash Toward Oligarchy – Bill Moyers

Apr

24

2014

We’re running out of canaries people, wake up and smell the system you’re living in. Filed under: Politics Tagged: Bill Moyers, Oligarchy, Political Influence

The Cracked Crystal Ball II: If You Love Canada … Read This

Apr

22

2014

I don’t usually use this space to promote posts at other blogs, but at iPolitics Michael Harris has an excellent column that summarizes what Harper is doing to Canada. http://www.ipolitics.ca/2014/04/20/harper-sees-role-as-protector-of-the-richest-few/ Read. Take it to heart, pass it along.

Politics and its Discontents: Guest Post: The Mound Of Sound On Oligarchy

Apr

19

2014

I am pleased to present to you this second guest post by the Mound of Sound, a.k.a. The Disaffected Lib: When the “Greatest Democracy on Earth” closes up shop and re-opens as an oligarchy every other supposed democracy, including our own, better sit up and take notice. The United States of America has proven that ...

Bill Longstaff: The United States—democracy or oligarchy?

Apr

11

2014

Last year, Iran held an election to choose its president. Many in the West mocked the election because the candidates were vetted by the Guardian Council (a group appointed largely by the Supreme Leader). This, however, is not so different from American presidential elections. In the U.S., candidates have to get approval from the corporate ...

Dead Wild Roses: The First Honest Cable Company…

Feb

10

2014

A big thanks to Moe over at Whatever Works for finding this short video on our ISP’s. Just watch the free market in action… Filed under: Rant Tagged: Cable Providers, Free Markets?, ISP, Oligarchy

Parchment in the Fire: Let’s Get This Class War Started – Chris Hedges – Truthdig

Oct

22

2013

Chris Hedges: Let’s Get This Class War Started – Chris Hedges – Truthdig. By Chris Hedges “The rich are different from us,” F. Scott Fitzgerald is said to have remarked to Ernest Hemingway, to which Hemingway allegedly replied, “Yes, they have more money.” The exchange, although it never actually took place, sums up a wisdom ...