Submitted by: Donald Hank
There is a certain resistance among the public to accept that it is not you and I but the corporations that run America. Many conservatives hate to hear anyone "malign" corporations because to them, corporations, even banks, bear the torch of sacred capitalism. Besides, many of these corporate lobbyists are pushing very hard for open borders. They donated big bucks and expect some bang from their bucks, like more illegal alien labor, for example, and better legal conditions for sending your job overseas. Big corporations like precisely what you hate.
On the other hand, since most big corporations donate largely to the Democrat party, Democrats -- especially those in the media and politics -- don't like to broach this subject either.
Besides, the same corporations lobbying for open borders and amnesty for illegal aliens are also helping the Democrats. Everyone knows how Latinos tend to vote.
And when it comes to "green" boondoggles, everyone wants in on that. It will mean a net loss of jobs and HUGE publicly funded subsidies for the most inefficient technologies known to mankind, but the "green” subsidies flow freely from government coffers, as anyone following the Solyndra story knows.
And yet, what about us little people down here?
I wonder what people would say if they knew that their votes mean a whole lot less than the pressures brought to bear by Big Business. I wonder how many have ever figured out that it was your senators and congressmen's subservience to corporate lobbyists that caused them to vote for the TARP bailouts even after receiving phone calls begging them NOT to vote for it at the rate of 300 calls against the bailouts per 1 call in favor of them.
I wonder what will happen once the cat is out of the bag.
Maybe We the People will assume our rightful place in this great nation again.
Maybe.
But not unless we put our thinking caps on. Try asking yourself honestly: would corporations spend billions of dollars lobbying if they weren't getting a financial "kickback" in some form or other? And are these kickbacks free or do they cost you money?
It's not that long between now and election time. Will YOUR candidate discuss this with you in town meetings or does he look away and say "next question"? If he isn't leveling with you on the economy, fire him. You’re his boss and can't afford another sluggard on your staff.
Where does your presidential candidate stand? I don’t recall the Fox moderators mentioning this in their questioning. And yet, business as usual inWashington brought down the world economy and cost millions of American jobs.
It's time to wake up and make the economy the front-burner issue this time around.
DEMAND:
CONGRESSIONAL CONTROL OF THE MONEY (NO MORE FEDERAL RESERVE)
STRICT CONTROLS ON LOBBYING, ESP CORPORATE LOBBYING
Now recall that the mainstream "conservative" media keep reminding you that the Occupy people are all a bunch of Marxists. So what about Alex Jones and Ron Paul's followers? They are anything but Marxists and they have attended the Occupy rallies all over the country, teaching independents about the issues, making converts. So have people like Steph Jasky and Karl Denninger, as well as a ton of other top-notch people. All in all, whatever Marxists may be out in the cities and towns across the country, are non-contenders and have almost no power in this movement if we play our cards right for a change. As I have said before, the movement is ours for the taking. Why do you think the Republican leaders are all bad mouthing the participants?
Here's a clue: Many of these people are on to the lobbying games that the corporations are playing and are spoiling it for Big Politics.
That is the main factor. If people can start thinking outside the box, the whole football can be stripped from the hands of the corporatist elites and you can have your country back.
But it will be hard work.
Study up, work hard, pray hard, don't be afraid to join forces with new people who are starting to get it and are just as mad as you, but maybe don't have as clear a grasp of the issues as you. YOU may be the person who reaches a wishy-washy fence rider. Be like an expert karate fighter. Let the opponents movements -- and his anger -- work for you instead of against you.
Don't let the political elites who stole your country steal the election this time around.
Some statistics to consider regarding what I said about lobbying above:
Verizon spent $3.83 million lobbying on several issues, including taxes and texting while driving, at numerous branches of the federal government, including theWhite House, Congress, the Internal Revenue Service and the Federal Trade Commission. It spent $2.96 million in the same period a year ago.
AT&T spent $3.47 million, up from $3.18 million a year ago. Its agenda items included legislation on calling cards, broadband buildouts and distracted driving.
Hewlett-Packard spent $1.6 million–nearly double the $970,000 it spent in the third quarter of last year–chatting with members of Congress and officials at the Department of Justice and the Commerce Department about taxes, immigration and how government agencies use technology in the areas of health care and law enforcement.
Microsoft spent $1.63 million, an increase from $1.49 million a year ago. It visited Congress, the Pentagon and the Departments of Commerce and Homeland Security to talk about computer security, how the government buys software and the competitive state of online advertising. It also lobbied the Federal Communications Commission on net neutrality.
Oracle spent $1.6 million, up from $1.3 million, lobbying Congress, the Pentagon and the Department of Homeland Security on patent litigation and the government’s technology spending plans.
Google spent $1.2 million in the third quarter (which TechCrunch noted in October following a press release by Consumer Watchdog), an increase from $1.08 million in the same period a year ago.
IBM spent $1 million, up from $850,000 a year ago, talking about transportation, the power grid, funding for research and the military, on visits to Congress and the Departments of Transportation, Defense, and Health and Human Services.
Intel spent $830,000, which is notable because the amount decreased from $1.1 million a year ago. Intel was the target of both a private antitrust lawsuit from rival Advanced Micro Devices and a government antitrust investigation by the Federal Trade Commission, both of which were intensifying in the fall. Both cases have since been settled. Its efforts were in immigration, government research funding and issues related to trademarks and education.
Yahoo spent $540,000, up from $510,000 a year ago.
Apple, easily the most influential company in consumer technology today, spent relatively little on lobbying efforts: Only $340,000 [BUT they had Al Gore on their board of directors. How cozy. 90% of their political donations went to the Democrats. Did you know that Steve Jobs “invented” mostly cosmetic changes in devices. Can you name an inventor who actually devised the nuts and bolts high-tech stuff like the iPod itself or the Apple computer electronics? Didn’t think so—Don Hank].
Facebook spent $120,000.
For a little more on what companies spend on lobbying efforts in Washington, it’s always enlightening to peruse the database maintained by the Center for Responsive Politics, which tracks not only lobbying expenditures but campaign contributions.
As you can see, the CRP shows that, among computer and Internet companies, Microsoft was the leading lobbying spender for the first nine months of the year. The wireless industry’s trade association, the CTIA, led the pack in the telephone equipment and services category, spending more than $6 million. Meanwhile, Verizon and AT&T each spent more than $12 million.
- 11,195. That's the number of corporate lobbyists who are presently plying their nefarious trade day and night in Washington's hallways and back rooms.
- $2.95 billion. That's the amount that corporations spent on lobbyists last year alone (a sum more than six times greater than the total spent by all consumer,environmental, worker, and other non-corporate groups combined).
- $473 million. That's the sum of money that corporate executives and lobbyists have slipped into Washington's many political pockets--so far--for the 2010 election cycle, including donations to candidates, leadership PACS, and party committees. We are still seven months from the 2010 elections, and already corporate spending has reached the record-breaking total of $475 million shelled out for the entire 2008 cycle.
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