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Tell the People about the People's Budget
There's a good chance you've never heard about the People's Budget, though there's been a mountain of media coverage of the budget mess.
If you listen to the pundits and TV commentators, the federal budget problem has a simple solution: cuts, cuts, and more cuts. They cheer politicians for making "tough choices," which usually entails taking money away from schools, stiffing public workers, and telling the poor and the elderly they need to make do with even less. Tough choices, indeed — but for whom?
The funny thing is, regular people aren't buying the idea that this is the only way to balance the country's books. Maybe there's something about a millionaire TV host talking about "shared sacrifice" that rubs Bob and Betty Sixpack the wrong way. Or maybe the American people just feel like there's got to be another way — one that doesn't require scrapping Medicare or slashing Social Security. 
If you look at the polls, the public's message is clear: protect Medicare and Social Security, spend less on the military, and raise taxes on the wealthy. And while we're at it, let's tax the Wall Street speculators who wrecked our economy.
But if you look at the newspapers or your TV screen, those ideas are rarely, if ever, part of the budget debate. Is there no one in Washington who is sticking up for what the majority of the public wants?
But wait. The Congressional Progressive Caucus, which includes 74 House Democrats and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), released an alternative budget blueprint back in April. This "People's Budget" would achieve a better balance by taxing the wealthy, reining in runaway military spending, and protecting the New Deal social safety net — just what people tell pollsters that they want.
There's a good chance you've never heard about this part of the budget debate, though there's been a mountain of media coverage of the budget mess — thousands of articles and television programs. If you've paid attention to any of it, you're probably well acquainted with Rep. Paul Ryan. The Wisconsin Republican has "jet black hair and a touch of Eagle Scout to him," according to one magazine profile. The New York Times told readers about his "piercing blue eyes." It's not just his looks that impress the media. His budget plan, which pairs yet more big tax breaks for the rich with spending cuts for everyone else, is constantly touted as being "bold" and "serious."
And the People's Budget? Well, it's not even mentioned. There were no hard news stories about it in the big papers. Washington Post columnist Dana Milbank wrote about the press conference unveiling the People's Budget only to mock it — right down to poking fun at one lawmaker's tie.
Milbank spelled out some of the details of the People's Budget, but only because he thought the ideas were absurd on their face: "No cuts in Social Security benefits, government-negotiated Medicare drug prices, and increased income and Social Security taxes for the wealthy. Corporations and investors would be hit with a variety of new fees and taxes...The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan would end."
Ending wars and making the wealthy pay their fair share? That probably doesn't sound so crazy to most people. But that the Post considers Milbank to be one of its "left-leaning" columnists is completely nuts.
The budget debate is locked up in a partisan stalemate. That makes it as good a time as any to tell the people about the People's Budget. Most newspapers and TV networks aren't doing that. And when you look at who stands to gain — and who stands to lose — it's no mystery why corporate-owned media are keeping us in the dark.
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25 Comments so far
Show AllThe wealthy (citizens and corporations) are not interested in the "people's budget." They "rule" America as though theirs is the only solution to all our financial problems. And Mr. Obama has already given us reason to believe that that he also belongs to that "cult!"
"American Democracy" died a long time ago. We are living in a full-blown Corporatocracy that now has all the power, with special thanks to the Supreme Court. Although I probably won't be around, I pity the America of the future.
FrankS: "And Mr. Obama has already given us reason to believe that that he also belongs to that 'cult!'"
'Belongs to' or 'does the bidding of', makes no difference. The job of ANY leader, especially one who rode to victory making folks think he was progressive, is to LEAD. Bold innovation. Embrace important ideas and teach about them to get support. Confide in the logic of the needs of ordinary people. And stand your ground.
Mr. O is none of this even though he has written so apparently interesting book.s Only on the ground does it count.
I agree that the Corporatocracy has power, lots of it, over elections, domestic and foreign policy, finance, jobs, the news, the flying monkeys. But I cannot agree that they have ALL the power. If you believe that, they win, and what choice is there but to give up and abandon the needs of the jobless, the homeless, children in schools, the sick and elderly? Can we stand frozen and helpless while our national wealth is squandered on killing, corruption and contracts with our 6 invasions? Will we throw up our hands as bit by bit the earth becomes increasingly uninhabitable due to short sighted greed and expediency?
There are millions of people all over this country. We are the productive and essential majority as opposed to the hedge fund leeches, the Blackwater thugs, and the Goldman Sachs operatives, who could disappear tomorrow with no loss to the world. There are nurses, firefighters, union rank and file, voters, parents, and vets whose eyes are opened or opening. We all have brains, hearts and courage, if we choose to use them.
The agenda of the Republican governors has been laid bare and people are defecting. The Democrats still have some credibility, but the daily conditions of life are creating massive questioning and disaffection. Even some within the military, the government bureaucracies, the corporate elite are appalled by the waste, dishonesty and destruction of the war state and the casino economy.
People are doing things to resist. The People's Budget is just one small indication. Read about what people are doing every day here on CD. The game has changed, so it is not sufficient to go merrily to the polls and vote for whatever fake choice we are offered. A whole range of creative resistance, organizing and truth telling activities are still available to us. We should not let these opportunities slip by because we are (rightfully) discouraged.
you say it so well, jclientelle!
" I cannot agree that they have ALL the power. If you believe that, they win[...]"
i find it utterly astounding that after all these years so many yet put faith in the few, the "elect" of d.c. and the "chosen" of wall street. those progressives who pound on obama's chest to awaken the super hero within fail to see that politicians live under the thumb of the corporate world as much or more than we, betty and bob sixpacks.
the fiat dollars, the terrorist behind every tree, the respectable image of the wealthiest, all illusions. let us not linger over long in delusional belief in social darwinism.
Thank U to all this article for being able to SEA THROUGH THE ARTIFICIAL CLOUDS OF TYRANNY, CLOUDS THAT BRING NO (((WATER NO SHADE))).
WE MUST (((sea))) THE VAMPIRE IN US & AMONG US, YET WE MUST REMAIN HUMAN WITH ALL.
No terror no torture just truth
Right on. When the Nazies occupied France, there was an underground and a resistance. They subverted and sabotaged, and gathered food and medical supplies for the wounded and the poor. I dont see things being much different in our country. Join the underground!
The smallest act of truth and love automatically make you part of the underground. Bigger acts of the same kind, plus organizing others, are even better.
While I agree with just about everything you say, the truth is we have been outflanked. Electoral change has been blocked at every turn. The FEC and state parties have effectively neutralized third parties. The final (?) turning was Citizens United.
WIsh I had real answers. I think we have to be ready and open to alliances in the form of "strange bedfellows". Until co-opted, the Tea Party would have been a place to build ties. Now, much of it is just neocon/theocon whining. We have to think structure rather than issues. And, despite my natural inclination to be independent, we do need leaders with integrity. Otherwise we will have what we have now, leaders with primary focus on opportunism. Can we say "demagogue"?
We also have to recognize that most people will cling to what they have rather than support change they are unsure of, which, of course, is any change.
A "People's Budget." Need we say more?
An elegant but simple idea -- but, like single-payer healthcare, one hard to hear about, or heaven forbid, spread around; once again, an innovative idea and solution suppressed by the whorish media circus (apologies to sex workers where both parties basically agree).
What can each of us do to publicize such a patently clear, unifying and compelling proposal? When people try to change something, they learn a lot about the nature of the problem. This is a great starting place.
To put it in perspective:
The Egyptian and later the Roman and other rulers claimed that they were "gods" and therefore all was right with the world when they, the few, had virtually everything and the many had virtually nothing.
The kings and the church leaders of the Middle Ages in Europe claimed that they were "God's chosen" and so it was right that they, the few, had virtually everything and most had virtually nothing.
The early wealthy capitalists and entrepreneurs claimed that it was Natural Law, as set up by "God", that allowed the few to accumulate great wealth while the many had virtually nothing ("God's law" = law of the jungle?) and so no government had a right to interfere with this natural order of things.
In the modern era, the predominant belief systems are based on science, not religion, and so the pseudo-science of Economics has been developed to help the elites to claim that they, the few, should have virtually everything while the many should have virtually nothing, though the reasons for this remain murky and the pseudoscience is plagued with obviously non-scientific explanations having to do with unseen and invisible forces and other mysterious phenomena.
Feudalism's "Divine Right of Kings" has simply been replaced by the neo-feudalist "Divine Right of Wealth". Our media and culture maintain this authority by promoting an institutionalized, indoctrinated reverence for wealth and the wealthy.
Very true.
But I think it goes deeper, and is a key characterological component of the human condition. As long as we revere those who would be kings and celebrities - whether it be sports, entertainment, science, politics, religion or whatever - we subordinate every other individual to lesser status. If we could learn to be less enamored by larger-than-life personalities, maintain a level head, learn and think for ourselves and channel our emotions constructively, we would see and know the difference between what seems great and what is truly great. It relates to how much we accept a world influenced by ego, versus seeking a world that transcends it. And as it is, we are a terribly vain race of people, and a violently vain nation. Our media and culture is the "my dog is bigger than your dog" breed of nobility, perhaps finally coming face to face with what we have wrought upon the world, now generally known as Western Culture. We (well, what we have created anyway) are now unabashedly imposing our imperial indoctrination upon the globe as if a divine right of technological superiority.
More election season marketing for the Democratic Party: The Congressional Progressive Caucus is not progressive. I've given countless reasons before, but today, I'll focus on Gaza. Not one member of the Caucus nor Congress has stood up to support the Gaza Flotilla, and only 6 tepidly stood up to request the State Dept ensure their safety in an lame letter that reiterated Israel's need to defend itself.
Congress will not save us. We have to save ourselves.
Congress is the problem, not the solution.
Perhaps in this complaint about the media, the author could have included a link to the "People's Budget", if one exists in the Internet Tubes....
The People don't run this country. America has become an elitist criminal nuclear empire. Stop thinking, it's too late, you lost. The People are inferior dumb animals who are being sheared as we write. You cannot wake up from this nightmare, it's real. Don't worry though, history will remember a tiny spark, the killing of 112,000,000 American Indians and a nuclear bomb exploding in Japan, after which we enjoyed a 30 year period of unprecedented prosperity. Yeah, ain't we great!
Succinct summary.
Why do you and your net-shadow remind me of this recent scam with a slight twist on a theme?????
"Two top aides to former Maryland Gov. Robert Ehrlich (R) were indicted Friday for trying to suppress Democratic voter turnout by ordering misleading phone calls that discouraged voters from going to the polls. The Baltimore Sun reports that Paul Schurick, Ehrlich’s communications director, and Julius Henson, a longtime GOP operative, directed this deceptive robocall campaign targeting the state’s black voters during last year’s gubernatorial campaign.
Julius Henson and Paul Schurick each face three counts of conspiracy to violate Maryland election laws, one count of attempting to influence a voter’s decision and one count of failing to provide an authority line (on campaign material). Schurick also is charged with one count of obstruction of justice. […]
The indictment, handed up by a Baltimore City grand jury, came after an eight-month investigation by State Prosecutor Emmet Davitt into tens of thousands of robocalls that went out late on Election Day. A caller instructed voters in Democratic areas to stay home and “relax” because Democratic Gov. Martin O’Malley had already won. In fact, the polls were still open. […]
The indictment describes a document titled “The Schurick Doctrine” and says that it was “designed to promote confusion, emotionalism, and frustration among African-American Democrats.”
The Schurick document admits, “The first and foremost desired outcome is voter suppression.” The attorney general says 112,000 deceptive calls were made, and each carries a potential $500 fine.The robocalls told likely Democratic voters to stay home because President Obama and Ehrlich opponent Martin O’Malley (D) “have been successful.” “Relax. Everything’s fine. The only thing left is to watch it on TV tonight. Congratulations, and thank you,” the robocalls said.*
*http://terenceinmonochrome.tumblr.com/post/6745257829/aides-to-gop-governor-indicted-for-trying-to-suppress."
Are you saying give up, we already lost? Give up? Right, wouldn't you just love that?
As suspicious as I am of the current Admin., I am more suspicious of those who would have any resistance suppressed because "we are already doomed". It ain't over til it's over.
It doesn't have to be over..."The Tide" (Song of Solidarity) http://www.youtube.com/user/annienomadepoet
hi, peter!
i caught sight of a far right-wing talking point a couple of weeks ago warning that the very inclusion of the word "PEOPLE'S" smacks of socialism. of course, we all know that socialism brings us dangerously close to communism. my heart would ache for those our congressional "leaders" who bravely face the oh-so-tough decisions, but to feel compassion for another's tortured soul would mark me as most unpatriotic. so, i'll say thanks to the ones forced to gut the infrastructure in order to save glorious, glorious wall street. how tough for them to spend money they've not earned. we people would likely waste good money on ourselves! so, thank you for your dedication in serving the best interests of our corporate gods for without their continued success, the american dream that we citizens of the richest, most powerful nation to ever grace the universe might all live lavishly together on "easy street" in a land called "honilee."
please, please, PETER, understand that we need to see those shining points of light streaming from gated communities which open only to those in limousines. these sights inspire us telling all that were we not too dull and lazy, we can make it, too. those gates shall open wide for any who learns the art of "working smarter, not harder." yes, sacrifices must be made to find the path to "easy street,"
"what sacrifices?" you might ask. simple, once one grasps that the only important goal in life is more and more money. say if a cover story has a more favorable effect on profits, then no doubt about it. only one answer meets the standard of the test. tell the lie! tell it! tell it often with embellishment! let the legend season; let it grow! so, sacrifice those human foibles which ditsract from the sole priority; honesty, compassion, time frittered away with family and friends or helping a neighbor in trouble. time IS money and money IS security, money IS happiness, money IS prestige, money IS power, money IS democracy, money IS the reason for the season--
money IS!
"If you look at the polls, the public's message is clear: protect Medicare and Social Security, spend less on the military, and raise taxes on the wealthy. And while we're at it, let's tax the Wall Street speculators who wrecked our economy."
This is exactly where the failure to organize and spread the word and enlighten begins. Anyone can grab a few people from random places and run a poll but who will listen? First, we need to organize and unite. If all we can do is stay divided and shoot each other out for not being progressive enough and just go gaga googoo over strong left leaning leaders outside the country, the Left will stay lost forever. Second, the Wisconsin protests partly showed that even the biggest and best organized rallies don't mean a thing until we get the right kind of leadership who will govern on the principle of what is true and best for the country. Where's the support for real socialist thinkers in WI? The same mistake of trusting Democrats who promise nothing continues. Polls are completely useless until both people are organized and we have good leaders who will listen to the will of the people. If you don't believe me, just ask Vashkar & Kim who will explain this better.
It would be helpful to include a link to an article describing the contents of the People's Budget that we could use on Facebook, etc so people don't have to do a search themselves.
What about the People's Bank?
The budget is a real problem.
We should expect the capitalist corporatocracy and neoconservatives to try and keep us within the same old expected box of mindless emotionally-driven ego-fed consumerism, corporate served wage-slavery, endless taxation and pseudo "we the people" bought and paid for governance.
But what of the truly big picture? Yes, the People's Budget may seem a better balance, but what does it do to address the real cause of our demise?
We know we are being given but one choice, but if we-the-people had a choice, we would en masse almost certainly choose the People's Budget - as the lesser of evils.
But I want another choice, one that addresses the true source of our woes...
http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=25154
http://publicbankinginstitute.org/
Let us transcend the noise that divides us, to take back the power and control of our own money, of our commonwealth, and enjoy the fruits of our labors together as a greater community, instead of heaping that benefit upon a private elite multi-national cabal existing beyond our review and control.
The vision is not for socialism, but for freedom from political fascism and economic tyranny. It is for the health and prosperity of the commons, and for the need of a mutually beneficial investment in the wholeness of our very human community. That is what it is.
We are the ones we've been waiting for.