Cenk Uygar is right. Corporatism has utterly corrupted American democracy and, as shown by the Citizens United decision, the country's top court to boot. The thing many don't understand yet is that the deed is all but a done deal.
We in Canada can wipe the self-righteous smug grins off our faces. With the support of every party in the House of Commons, Canada is descending into the squalid status of a petro-state in the very worst sense of the term. If you don't really understand that I'd recommend you read Andrew Nikiforuk's Tar Sands, Dirty Oil and the Future of a Continent.
I'm really tired of the Americans. Eight years of Bush made them irrelevant. But that video was well worth watching.
ReplyDeleteThanks
Oh, and as for us, I believe we've already started down the path.
With a conservative stacked senate, conservative majority, and soon conservative supreme court... I don't quite see how we can do anything about it?
ReplyDeleteIn the video Senator Sanders suggests that grassroots organizations are vital in exposing the Republicans/Conservatives for the corporate robots that they are. I'm hoping that the NDP will fight the Cons every step of the way. A lot can happen over the next four years and Canadians may finally wake up!
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, LMA, as Relentlessly Progressive Economics demonstrated, the NDP is as corporatist now as the Libs, nearly as much as the Tories. Christ we've had three elections to witness what Layton is willing to do to advance his personal interests. He's not made of the stuff needed to fight this takeover.
ReplyDelete@ Willy. Yes, we have started down the same road. That doesn't mean we have to lay down and die. I'm at that point in life where many of my counterparts shrink inside themselves and fret about their retirement but we don't all have to do that. Find a way and push back. It's the most rewarding thing you can do.
I'm not familiar with Relentlessly Progressive Economics, but I believe the NDP is a party which will fight for middle class, working people ahead of corporations. Time will tell how effective they will be as the Official Opposition, but they can do much to stall & block the passage of legislation and grab some press headlines.
ReplyDeleteYou're right about pushing back. The rest of the world hasn't given up the fight against the Tar Sands, so why should we? Greenpeace website reports that James Hansen for example recently published an open letter to the Norwegian Prime Minister objecting to the involvement of Statoil in the Tar Sands. The oil Statoil is producing in Alberta results in 85 times more GHG than conventional North Sea oil. This of course will never be reported in the MSM, but if the NDP can disrupt parliament, it should get the public's attention.
LMA, thanks in no small part to Jack, Harper has a solid majority. There's bugger all the NDP can do to either stall or block Conservative legislation. Harper has the Commons, he has the Senate and, as noted above, pretty soon he'll have the first politicized Supreme Court in Canadian history. That's a perfect formula for one man rule.
ReplyDeleteLayton won't have any power to derail Harper. Frankly, I suspect Jack likes it that way. He can't be held responsible for what he cannot do - bring down the government - so he gets free rein to idle along bitching endlessly and positioning himself for the next election, the very things he always has been good at.
Harper was seen by voters as the leader most likely to protect the economic interests of the wealthy and that is why blue Liberals voted Conservative.
ReplyDeleteIf you are truly concerned about corporate takeovers of our government, I can't understand why you continue to attack the NDP who proposed financing social and environmental programs by ending corporate tax breaks and oil subsidies.
Four years of Harper's cuts and endless bitching by Layton may just open the eyes of a few Canadians. I don't know if Layton has the stuff needed to fight the Cons, particularly since he has health problems. I feel quite sure, however, that the reason we are in this mess is because Iggy gave Harper a free ride from day one.
I'm not sure this Harper majority/Blue Liberal business is as great a factor as some find it convenient to claim. Then again, Jack and his want to saddle us with an American-style, two party state so it hardly lies in their mouths to bitch about the logical result of their efforts. The problem with two party states is that they gradually drift closer and closer until they're all but indistinguishable. C'est la vie.
ReplyDeleteI'm not continuing to attack the NDP. In fact I'm going out of my way to avoid Canadian politics as much as possible. As I wrote well before the election, I didn't (and don't) respect any of them. Whether that will change now that Iggy has been lifted from the LPC remains to be seen.
Harper gives banks, mines, large corporations, gas and oil company's billions of our tax dollars. I saw that motion pass, on the House of Commons TV channel. Harper also gives them, huge tax reductions. With his majority, he gave them ANOTHER tax reduction, which comes off Canadians paycheck.
ReplyDeleteHarper was, an out and out monster with a minority. With his majority, he is impossible. The Americans say, Harper's election win was rigged. I too doubt, he won the election on the up and up. Harper has become a war monger, because, gas and oil company's thrive on wars.
Wikileaks has said, the N.A.U. is on the way, which will start in small increments. The American people are dead set against this N.A.U. They say, the U.S. was waiting for Harper's majority, to implement this union.
The Americans say, there is a petition with presscore, to try Harper and Peter MacKay for war crimes and crimes against humanity. They say, Harper should be tried for treason. I got a very distinct feeling, the American people despise Harper. They do not want, Canada, U.S. and Mexico merging. They fear being overrun by Mexicans, and that could also happen to Canada, so, i see their point. We will be known as, the Mexcanericans, our currency will be, the Amero dollar.
Harper could care less about the citizens. He thieves from us, to give to big business. Layton accused Harper of such, during the debate. Harper being arrogant Harper, did not answer him.
What is happening to our once good country, makes me livid at the greed of our politicians.