Do you really want to know what the problem is – ALL OF US!!

The are sound answers which require people to focus on them and do some work to make them happen. NOT just talk.

Take money. Start a local currency. Is it easy? NO. But it’s the solution to your monetary issue. And it is absolutely essential.

People on DV talk about boycotting Israel and then, where are they? No where, but on their PC poking at keys.

We can’t kill this monster by looking elsewhere – WE ARE THE ENEMY UNTIL WE ACTUALLY DO SOMETHING.

So far that’s been off the table.

Please listen to dan_ e advice and ignore evie completely. It is obvious
that her main objective is to irritate you and waste your time and energy and not to engage in any serious discussion.

I asked specific questions and I was expecting specific answers. Insead,
you invent imaginary situaions and ask questions about them.
How many US workers shouted “workers of the world unite” while their
jobs being shipped overseas??!! You gota be kidding! Did your imagination run wild??!
Comparing the needed and justified tens of millions $$ of EIC to the unneeded and unjustfied hundreds of billions $$ in tax cuts , rebates and special allowences to the super-rich, who is winning and far ahead?.
You give lip service to the corrupt ruling class but all you anger and vindictiveness is directed at the poor and the middle class.
I can see that your basic philosophy is to let the powerful super-rich
run amock and get more powerful and richer without any restraint and the hell with every body else. Oh ya, the only salvation of the workign
class is self-help. No government regulations are needed for safe food, safe drugs, safe working conditions and honest banking system etc etc…
Again, you gotta be kidding

Regressive tax system. The system that pays thousands in EIC to workers who pay in very little?

The above remark shows how little the writer knows about the income tax system. The EIC is a ruse. MOST workers do not get the EIC and those who are eligible do not receive a DIME. The EIC was put into place by Richard Nixon at the time in order to avoid raising the minimum wage.

The IRS is basically set up to go after not wealthy taxpayers but POOR tax payers and the IRS find various ways to avoid granting the EIC to workers. One such manner is if you are a single father with child custody you are ineligible for the EIC.

This notion that the income tax system is not regressive due to the EIC is factually incorrect. Also the Social Security tax which is highly regressive has been used to fund the government spending. Social Security is NOT government receipts although people have been condition to believe that as well.

I find it ironic that evie ridiculed me for citing the former CIA agents — Bill and Kathleen Christensen — who have also exposed the power of the Israel lobby — as listening to such government insiders. Yet evie, herself now sites the false propaganda coming from the government for years that implies how workers are receiving great tax “benefits”.

It should be incumbent upon evie that she get her facts straight before asserting ridiculous falsehoods.

Guess that pair finally gave up; now we have the current crew of pretend “anti-Imperialists” spewing their cliches picked up from network TV talking heads & NYTimes columnists.

I wholeheartedly agree with you dan. Thanks for posting the poll regarding Dr. Petras ranking among the world’s intellectuals. He is one of the outspoken and courageous intellectuals today.

I’d like to add to the “think critically” sugegstion…Most folks have a misunderstanding of what that means because they have not taught themselves to do it ( “I’m smart, this is my opinion and I’m not prone to anger all the time…I’m a critical thinker”).

The only logic I had in high school was for debate training–what an ironic introduction that is–And from this semi curious group, comes sophist law students selling subjective reality and journalism majors looking to get the big checks in PR.

I’d say educate yourselves on understanding fallacies beyond the most simplistic often misunderstood form of ad hominem. In a perfect world, we’d demand this in our schools and teach logic just like arithmetic. Could you imagine how unnecessary and criminal TV would become?

Having said that, I should also reiterate my belief that successful revolutions require organization and leadership on the part of the intellectuals. Under revolutionary conditions, however, such leadership could at times crystallize almost overnight.

The world capitalist order is in dire trouble, but this time, issues such as global warming, increased demand for fossil fuels, … will be exacerbating the crisis ten-fold. America’s internment camps are precisely in anticipation of such conditions and not the advertised apprehension of so-called “illegal aliens”.

Such a welcome sight: the demise of repressive governments like Egypt, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, and the one responsible for the genocide of America’s indigenous and the African slaves.

There is no “reform” of the existing economic system of gangster capitalism that has seized control of the U.S. federal governement. War will never end unless the profit is taken out of war. No war for oil and power. Global warming was never tackled under Bush/Cheney because the profits of polluters may be diminished. Public education, public health is under continual privatizationattack. U.S. and global capitalism must become regulated, taxed, nationalized and ultimately ended if there is any hope for the survival of humanity.

The economy must serve the needs of the majority of people (socialism) and not just to profit a tiny minority of millionaires and billionaires. (capitalism).
The best source of information and perspective on current affairs from a socialist perspective: World Socialist Web Site http://www.wsws.org

You may not think socialism in any form is a “solution”…. perhaps you have been equating socialism with “stalinism”, fascism, tyranny, etc. but perhaps you have been brain-washed your entire life by corporatist education and capitalist media?
The most revolutionary act today ———–unplug your television, gather information, think critically, communicate with your neighbors and family and find out what is really happening!

Not from the “progressive left” which is linked forever to the Democratic Party through Obama and Kucinich. The “progressive” left of Amy Goodman, Democracy Now!, KPFK Pacifica are basically anti-socialist and anti-Marxist. Forever discussing “crises” as single unrelated events, blame Bush and Cheney, want to end the war in Iraq but not all imperialist wars, forever trying to reform the Democratic Party, etc.

Try reading WSWS World Socialist Web Site for last week or so for a socialist and Marxist view of the economy and the current crises:

“Measure of America” report documents social decay of the United States
US ranks 42nd in life expectancy
By Patrick Martin
19 July 2008

http://www.wsws.org/articles/2008/jul2008/usde-j19.shtml
—————————————————————————————————–
“Equality is not good”
Barney Frank and the putrefaction of American liberalism
By Bill Van Auken
18 July 2008
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2008/jul2008/fran-j18.shtml
==========================================================
US: Amid surging prices, Fed raises specter of renewed class struggle
By Andre Damon
17 July 2008
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2008/jul2008/econ-j17.shtml
===========================================================
US bailout of mortgage giants: The politics of plutocracy
By Barry Grey
15 July 2008
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2008/jul2008/bail-j15.shtml
=========================================================
Submit your email address on the home page to subscribe free to their daily
news analysis.

Easy to see what the deal is: why do people like “evie”, “michael kenny”, this latest Wingnut — why do these professional Trolls haunt this webpage when everything posted here & the whole editorial concept, the whole DV “vision”, is 180 degrees opposed to all they claim to “believe in”? Why don’t they do what most people do, which is find a site which features ideas as close as they can find to their own?

I myself happen to think Kim Peterson is a v. bright individual with a lot of common sense and an excellent background of knowledge which enables him to do a really excellent job of determining what needs to be focussed on & what we can safely ignore. So I monitor DV on a daily basis.
There are other online sites & services I read regularly, some of them offering the chance to “Comment”, others not. Most “Comment” links aren’t worth opening, in the same class with those CSpan “call-in” shows offering idiots from Boca Raton to Everett the chance to display their detailed knowledge of the writings of Henry George, Wm Jennings Bryan, Ouspensky, Mother Teresa, whoever, i.e., the Crackpot of Your Choice. But these are the kind of “call-in” questions/comments I think one wd expect, given that these shows are based on an interview with the Talking Head of the Day, normally one collossal bore or another.

But the DV case is different, and even more so with reference to writing by James Petras.

Now there are persons with real credentials who differ with Petras, with Kim P’s writings, with the basic thrust of DV. I can think of Max Elbaum, Chomsky, M. Yates, a few others. But none of them essay to directly confront JP or his ideas here on DV. As a matter of fact, it’s rare that any of them, or anybody you might consider on a similar level, will openly challenge a proposition or a conclusion voiced by Jas Petras.

You will see Public Intellectuals challenge Walt & Mearsheimer’s work, but those with any reputation prefer to deal with Petras’ work by “rising above it”, dismissing it on one pretext or another before even mentioning it, pretending he and his work don’t exist.

That’s in the US; in Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, Asia, Africa, Dr Petras is regarded as among the most important intellectuals active today. One prominent European establishment media outlet held a poll to determine who its readers regarded as the “most important” figures in the world today; Petras was in the top fifty, followed by Chomsky a little lower down.

So it’s amusing to observe these trolls with their intellectual popguns, or would be if their real purpose was to challenge Petras’ thinking. But having observed the game for a while, I finally realized what they are up to. They don’t expect to convince anybody of anything, just to confront the serious reader with such a pile of nonsense that said reader will forget all about trying to dig deeper into Petras’ reasoning, at least on DV, and go away with a sense of annoyance fresher in mind than what Petras had to say.

I remember how at one point several months ago, I was struck by the high level of some of the discussions appended to articles here on DV. I think it was about the time of Kim and his associate’s 12 Part article on Zionism etc, that the Zionist trolls made their appearance? “Jaime”, “Neal”, who am I forgetting? Guess that pair finally gave up; now we have the current crew of pretend “anti-Imperialists” spewing their cliches picked up from network TV talking heads & NYTimes columnists.
Which at first glance seems so stupid you’d think they’d die of embarrassment — but once you realize they aren’t serious about their arguments, that their main purpose is to waste reader’s time & prevent rational discussion, it all makes sense. Rulingclass sense.

So don’t be took in:) All part a the Okie-Doke:)

This is ridiculous. Every society has economic functions. Such functions can no more be “abolished” than could breathing.

The issue is how such functions are accomplished. If one is interested in how a society might accomplish economic functions in accord with progressive values, I recommend investigating participatory economics (parecon).

An amusing aside: why are only Anglos allowed to be part of the American “left”? What about Americans of other origins? The Irish, Italians, Jews, Germans, Scandinavians, Blacks, Chinese and all the rest? Are they only allowed to be on the right, the centre or the greens? Come to think of it, “Petras” doesn’t sound very Anglo!

According to energy investment banker Matthew Simmons, global oil production is now declining, from 85 million barrels per day to 60 million barrels per day by 2015. During the same time demand will increase 14%.

This is like a 45% drop in 7 years. No one can reverse this trend, nor can we conserve our way out of this catastrophe. Because the demand for oil is so high, it will always be higher than production; thus the depletion rate will continue until all recoverable oil is extracted.

Alternatives will not even begin to fill the gap. And most alternatives yield electric power, but we need liquid fuels for tractors/combines, 18 wheel trucks, trains, ships, and mining equipment.

We are facing the collapse of the highways that depend on diesel trucks for maintenance of bridges, cleaning culverts to avoid road washouts, snow plowing, roadbed and surface repair. When the highways fail, so will the power grid, as highways carry the parts, transformers, steel for pylons, and high tension cables, all from far away. With the highways out, there will be no food coming in from “outside,” and without the power grid virtually nothing works, including home heating, pumping of gasoline and diesel, airports, communications, and automated systems.

This is documented in a free 48 page report that can be downloaded, website posted, distributed, and emailed: http://www.peakoilassociates.com/POAnalysis.html

I used to live in NH, but moved to a safer place. Anyone interested in relocating to a nice, pretty, sustainable area, good climate with much rain and good soil?

Think about the inequal rationing of these wellbeing coupons (USA money) that have the pyramid scheme symbol on the back. Think about the massive and easily-seen servitude-infestation within capitalism. Think about capitalism-invented pricetags, blockading the survival supplies… making it so ONLY free marketeers can get survival supplies and luxuries/toys. Think about the parental policy reversal from share, to fight, when children turn 18 and are sharktanked into “out there”. “Out there” is where we’re (do as we’re-) told to COMPETE… but while “in here”… we shall cooperate. What IS “out there” and what IS “in here” and why does this border, or ANY border… exist?? See how out there/in here phenomenon… sets-up the US/THEM civil wars? Folks on the very same planet as each other, fighting with folks on the very same planet…. over wellbeing… and empowerments (entitles of ownership of property/money).

Money, entitles of ownership, pricetags, all products of the felony church-o-competers… called capitalism. Where is the church of cooperators (Christianity)? Why don’t THEY have a currency that’s legal tender TOO, and handed-out lovingly like leafs falling from trees. Where are potluck dinners and barnraisings and communes? Do we all need to read the story of Stone Soup and learn its lesson again?? Do we all need to go back to view the repeated failings of childhood pyramids? Remember how, when we stacked the children in the playground into servitude-infested pyramids… how the upper 1/3 was momentarily “heads in the clouds” while the kids on the bottom got crushed by having the weight of the world’s knees in their backs??

Its all caused by… inequality… ie. pyramid schemes… such as capitlaism is. Why isn’t EVERYONE in EVERY COUNTRY given the same wellbeing as each other. Why not equal pay and equal ownership of ALL land, supplies, and luxuries? Why do capitalists and former Christians operate in a COMPETING environment instead-of in a “we’re all on the same team” cooperating environment? Until these questions and problems are pondered and addressed, you can spew theories about inflation until you vomit, and you have solved NOTHING.

Until one understands spirography (what goes around… comes around… once handed-on a thousand times) and until one understands the capitalism BS of “pull your weight, earn your keep, stand on your own two feet, make a living” etc etc (bandwagoning/railroadings/traditions)… you can’t address the problem. The “yay America, yay capitalism” self-BSing is too ingrained, the con/sham is too bought-into. Until one scrutinizes the immorality and illegality of servitude/inequality systems such as the felony pyramid scheme called capitalism, nothing will advance. Profiting causes inflation, its as simple as that. Every profit, leaves a hole. For every winner, there’s a loser…. in capitalism. And until the toybox tug-o-warring, cookieplate-chasing capitalists… are willing to examine the reason for the huge pile of dead bodies at the exhaust pipe of their “everyone climb aboard the bandwagon” Earth-mowing/harvesting machine… nothing will be accomplished. As long as servitude and competing is the theme of the century (forcing 18 year olds to work FOR others instead of WITH others in equality)… we’re all doomed. The ONLY way to fix the problem… is to outlaw economies (and thus outlaw pyramid schemes).

Prepare for the collapse of a pyramid! Its a GOOD thing. It giving loving Christian socialism supply/survival systems… another chance to happen. Look to the USA military supply system, as well as the USA public library system… for proper monetary-discriminationless wisdom and morals. And while we’re at it, we need to quit doing the unlevel architecture in USA courtrooms. They are currently church simulators and fear chambers… and look NOTHING like a level military tribunal. Sick. Fix inequality on ALL fronts, and clean-up the statistics page at the World Health Organization. Do that, and we’re on our way. Right now, capitalism has caused a massive forsaking and negligent homicide festival… via NOT paying attention to the far-reaching ramifications of pyramid schemes-o-servitude. There’s more criteria than just monetary worth… to measure the value of things-with. There’s nobody to lynch for the FreeMason/Illuminati pyramid scheme… they’ve all died of old age. We just need to escape the thing now…. by outlawing and abolishing economies.

Take care, everyone!
Larry “Wingnut” Wendlandt
MaStars – Mothers Against Stuff That Ain’t Right
(anti-capitalism-ists)
Bessemer MI USA