Dick Cheney was right: deficits don’t matter. If only Democrats would learn.… Attempting to balance a commitment to deficit reduction alongside a theoretical responsibility to protect and expand public programs, Democrats end up imposing false limitations on themselves and neutering their own supposed political agenda. One wonders if the party, increasingly reliant on an elite capitalist donor class, is actually using deficit reduction to weasel out of the responsibility to make life...
Read More »Gilbert Doctorow and Ray McGovern — Gang of Four: Senators Call for Tillerson to Enter into Arms Control Talks with the Kremlin
Senators Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) Voices of sanity crying in the wilderness.Consortium NewsGang of Four: Senators Call for Tillerson to Enter into Arms Control Talks with the Kremlin Gilbert Doctorow and Ray McGovernSee alsoRussia InsiderKremlin Publishes Full Megan Kelly Putin Interview - NBC Cut the Best Parts (Video + Transcript)
Read More »Emily C. Bell — Millennials and Capitalism Just Don’t Mix
Data show rising dissatisfaction with economic status quo. The millennial generation is the largest demographically, and it is poised to begin taking over power as the boomers start fading. AlterNet Millennials and Capitalism Just Don't Mix Emily C. Bell
Read More »Pam and Russ Martens — Brazile Fallout: Hillary Privatized the DNC with Help from a Washington Law Firm
Secret side agreements are a common maneuver by corporate law firms. Here’s how they work. An agreement that is legal and passes the smell test is drafted and submitted to a court or a regulatory body for public consumption. Then, a separate, secret side agreement is written and signed by both sides and it contains all of the smelly, shady, ethically questionable hard details on how the original agreement will be carried out. Donna Brazile, the former interim Chair of the Democratic...
Read More »Daniela Cobos — Millennials Have Had It with Capitalism, New Survey Reveals
Bernie appears to have had an impact. To obtain this information, the research and data firm YouGov surveyed 23,000 people aged 16 and over. Two of the survey’s findings included that 59 percent of total Americans would rather live in a capitalist country, with 34 percent preferring a socialist nation.When focusing on millennials, the survey revealed 44 percent of those surveyed would rather live in a socialist nation, compared to 42 percent who would prefer a capitalist country. The...
Read More »Publius Tacitus — Trump Was Right, The Election Was Rigged
What Americans should be concerned with rather than Russiagate regarding the corrupting of the political process and thereby American "democracy," such as it is.Sic Semper Tyrannis Trump Was Right, The Election Was Rigged Publius Tacitus See also for the other side At this point I will defer judgement until Brazile addresses the discrepancies between her account and documents that are available in the public domain. That is precisely what Sen. Warren should have done as well. Washington...
Read More »Dennis J Bernstein — The Push for a Medicare-for-All Plan
Sen. Bernie Sanders has unveiled a new single-payer healthcare plan which would provide all Americans with government-sponsored health coverage. Sanders’s plan, supported by some 16 Democrats in the Senate, calls for an overhaul of the healthcare system with what would essentially be a tweaked and revitalized version of Medicare-for-all. “Today we say that a function of a rational healthcare system is to provide quality care to all in a cost-effective way,” declared Sanders, an independent...
Read More »Zero Hedge — Even Bernie Sanders Thinks “Medicare For All” Would Bankrupt America
This is an illustration of the political cost of Bernie not understanding and embracing MMT. He should have paid closer attention to MMT economist Stephanie Kelton when she was his economic adviser. 1. A currency sovereign cannot "go bankrupt." A currency issuer can always issue currency to cover its obligations in the currency of issue. In this case, default is a political choice rather than a financial necessity. 2. The only actual constraint on a currency soveriegn is the...
Read More »Ryan Grim — The Obamacare Fight Is Over — Now It’s On To Universal Medicare
The train is pulling out of the station. The InterceptThe Obamacare Fight Is Over — Now It’s On To Universal Medicare Ryan GrimAlsoBernie’s Army: 24 Organizations With Millions of Members Vow To Help Pass His Universal Medicare Plan Zaid Jilani Pharma CEO Worries Americans Will Say “Enough is Enough” and Embrace Bernie Sanders’ Single-Payer PlanLee Fang
Read More »Democrats Follow Bernie Sanders’ Lead on Single-Payer — Aaron Mate interviews Adam Gaffney
Well, what Clinton said will never, ever happen is now looking more and more possible. A number of prominent Democrats are lining up behind it, Sanders' bill for single-payer. Last week, Senators Elizabeth Warren and Kamala Harris jumped on board. Now, Senators Cory Booker of New Jersey, Jeff Merkley of Oregon, and Kirsten Gillibrand of New York are signing on as well. Bernie Sanders is set to unveil his Medicare for All Bill on Wednesday. Adam Gaffney is an Instructor in Medicine at...
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