January, 19 2010, 12:59pm EDT
Comic Relief on Its Way to the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission
WASHINGTON
The
Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission will resume its investigation
today, armed with the "Economic Meltdown Funnies," a comic book that
will help in their ongoing probe of the nation's financial industry.
The comic book can be viewed on line at www.economicmeltdownfunnies.org.
Co-authors Chuck Collins and Nick Thorkelson sent copies of the 16-page
comic book to all 10 members of the commission, hoping it would add
some levity to their work after last week's busy hearing schedule - and
provide a visual explanation about why the economy came to a screeching
halt two years ago and has been limping ever since.
"Commission members and staffers will have to sit through a lot of long
hearings and read piles of technical documents," said co-author Chuck
Collins. "They're going to need some comic relief so they can stay
focused on this important task."
"Economic Meltdown Funnies" explains how a convergence of high-risk
investments, predatory lending, a lack of regulatory oversight led to
the collapse of the financial markets. The cast of characters includes
Fannie and Freddie, a fellow called Usury, a friendly bison (the
comic's narrator), Ben Bernanke, Alan Greenspan and "the Four Ducks of
the Apocalypse."
The comic book is a joint project of the Institute for Policy Studies
and Jobs with Justice. It's been distributed to high school and college
students, business and labor organizations, and has been translated
into Hungarian and Spanish.
Thousands of copies have been downloaded for free at www.economicmeltdownfunnies.com. Hard copies are available for order through the web site.
Co-authors Chuck Collins, a senior scholar at the Institute for Policy
Studies, and Nick Thorkelson, political cartoonist, are available for
media requests.
Institute for Policy Studies turns Ideas into Action for Peace, Justice and the Environment. We strengthen social movements with independent research, visionary thinking, and links to the grassroots, scholars and elected officials. I.F. Stone once called IPS "the think tank for the rest of us." Since 1963, we have empowered people to build healthy and democratic societies in communities, the US, and the world. Click here to learn more, or read the latest below.
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Critics Blast 'Reckless and Impossible' Bid to Start Operating Mountain Valley Pipeline
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Mountain Valley Pipeline LLC sent a letter Monday to Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Acting Secretary Debbie-Anne Reese seeking final permission to begin operation on the MVP next month, even while acknowledging that much of the Virginia portion of the pipeline route remains unfinished and developers have yet to fully comply with safety requirements.
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"MVP brazenly asks for this authorization while simultaneously notifying FERC that the company has completed less than two-thirds of the project to final restoration and with the mere promise that it will notify the commission when it fully complies with the requirements of a consent decree it entered into with the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration last fall," she continued.
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Russell Chisholm, co-director of the Protect Our Water, Heritage, Rights (POWHR) Coalition—which called MVP's request "reckless and impossible"—said in a statement that "we are watching our worst nightmare unfold in real-time: The reckless MVP is barreling towards completion."
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Appalachian Voices noted that MVP's request comes days before pipeline developer Equitrans Midstream is set to release its 2024 first-quarter earnings information on April 30.
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Democracy defenders on Tuesday hailed a ruling from a U.S. federal judge striking down a 19th-century North Carolina law criminalizing people who vote while on parole, probation, or post-release supervision due to a felony conviction.
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