INFORMED CITIZEN DISORDER

ABSTRACT: I would guess that many of you are like me: it’s been drilled into your conscience that it’s your responsibility as a citizen of a democracy and as a voter to be informed about what’s going on so you can make educated decisions. In a democracy, it’s part of being patriotic.

But boy, it can be depressing and infuriating because so many things are headed in the wrong direction. And changing direction is so difficult if not seemingly impossible. Marty Kaplan calls this “Informed Citizen Disorder (ICD).” Kaplan goes on to say, “We have to be optimists. … The only responsible thing that you can do is say that individuals can make a difference and I will try, we will try.”

There are encouraging signs, but the mainstream media (given they are mostly giant corporations) are not attuned to look for – and have some predisposition and incentive to ignore – citizen activism. Furthermore, our democracy is so controlled by money that it can feel unredeemable; our political system can leave us feeling helpless and jaded rather than empowered to make a difference.

However, our nation was built by ordinary people rising up and forging grassroots movements that achieved the extraordinary. “An American patriot is one who supports the egalitarian ideals of our country, and who is willing to challenge authority.” (Jim Hightower, see footnote)

This blog is part of my therapy for ICD. I hope it helps you.

FULL POST: I would guess that many of you are like me: it’s been drilled into your conscience that it’s your responsibility as a citizen of a democracy and as a voter to be informed about what’s going on so you can make educated decisions. Being informed about what’s going on in the world is supposed to be a virtue, the civic equivalent of exercise. In a democracy, it’s part of being patriotic.

But boy, it can be depressing and infuriating because so many things are headed in the wrong direction. And changing direction is so difficult if not seemingly impossible. You do your best to stay informed, and what you get in return is what Marty Kaplan calls “Informed Citizen Disorder (ICD).” As he puts it, “the more informed I am, the more despondent I am, because day after day, there is news which drives me crazy and I want to see the public rise up in outrage and say, no, you can’t do that, banks. You can’t do that, corporations. You can’t do that polluters, you have to stop and pay attention to the laws, or we’re going to change the laws.” But time and again, the public doesn’t rise up, and even when it does (at least somewhat as in the post-Newtown efforts to reduce gun violence), nothing changes. [1]

So Moyers asks him, “Are you an optimist or a pessimist about what’s happening to us?” And Kaplan says, “I have children. I have to be an optimist. The globe has children. We have to be optimists. There is no choice. … The only responsible thing that you can do is say that individuals can make a difference and I will try, we will try.” [2]

There are encouraging signs, although one often has to look hard to find them. Part of the problem is that the mainstream media (given they are mostly giant corporations) are not attuned to look for – and have some predisposition and incentive to ignore – citizen activism. Due to mergers and acquisitions over the last 35 years, there are now fewer than 10 giant media corporations that control over 90% of the news and information we receive.

Remember Occupy Wall Street? It was going on for weeks before it got any mention in the mainstream media. The Moral Monday’s demonstrations that are happening in North Carolina weekly are a great example. What happened in Wisconsin when the Governor and Legislature were attacking public employees and unions was another great example. What hasn’t happened yet is for this citizen activism to spark major, nationwide protest or to build to a critical mass.

Moyers and Kaplan also discuss how the mainstream media today actually undermine our efforts to be good citizens of a democracy by distracting us with infotainment and by failing to provide the depth of information necessary to be informed citizens. Furthermore, our democracy is so controlled by money that it can feel unredeemable; our political system can leave us feeling helpless and jaded rather than empowered to make a difference.

However, our nation was built by ordinary people rising up and forging grassroots movements that achieved the extraordinary. Think of the original Patriots who started and carried out the American Revolution. Think of the suffrage, Civil Rights and Gay Rights movements. Think of the New Deal. “An American patriot is one who supports the egalitarian ideals of our country, and who is willing to challenge authority” every time it strays from the ideals of our democracy and from government of, by, and for the people. [3]

This blog is part of my therapy for ICD. I hope it helps you. I try to concisely present information on issues that we need to tackle to reclaim our democracy and relieve ICD. Ultimately, I hope this supports the grassroots movement of informed citizens that is needed to return to government of, by, and for the people.

NOTE: I encourage you to listen to or watch Bill Moyers’ shows. I download the podcasts and listen to them when I’m traveling, waiting, or doing mindless things. They are incredibly informative and thought provoking. He frequently asks his activist guests, as he did Kaplan, what keeps them going and why they remain optimistic. Their answers are always inspiring. I also encourage you to take a look at Jim Hightower’s Lowdown. It’s feisty, entertaining, easy to read, and informative.

[1] Kaplan, M., 5/27/13, “Diagnosis: Informed Citizen Disorder,” The Huffington Post

[2] Moyers, B., 7/12/13, “Distracted from Democracy,” Bill Moyers & Company with Marty Kaplan, http://billmoyers.com/segment/marty-kaplan-on-the-weapons-of-mass-distraction/

[3] Hightower, J., July 2013, “America’s true history is not about ‘Great Men,’ but about grassroots rebels and movements,” The Hightower Lowdown, http://www.hightowerlowdown.org/

THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT PART II

ABSTRACT: Other than the individual mandate (see 8/19 post), the biggest focus of resistance to the Affordable Care Act (ACA) has been the expansion of Medicaid, the health insurance program for low income individuals. If all states implement the Medicaid expansion called for by the ACA, over 21 million individuals, including 4.5 million children, who don’t have health insurance will gain coverage.

The resistance has been based on the assertion that the expansion will cost states money. However, for the first three years, the federal government will pay 100% of the cost and at least 90% thereafter. Because the newly covered individuals would have cost the states about $18 billion for uninsured, uncompensated care, overall the states will save $10 billion.

Republican Governors and state legislators, looking for a symbolic and substantive way to express their opposition to the ACA, have taken steps to refuse to participate in the Medicaid expansion, refusing significant federal funding. As a result, nationwide, hundreds of thousands of low-income residents will not receive health insurance.

FULL POST: Other than the individual mandate (see 8/19 post), the biggest focus of resistance to the Affordable Care Act (ACA) has been the expansion of Medicaid, the health insurance program for low income individuals paid for jointly by the states and the federal government. If all states implement the Medicaid expansion called for by the ACA, over the next 10 years over 21 million individuals, including 4.5 million children, who don’t have health insurance will gain coverage. But when the Supreme Court upheld the overall ACA, it ruled that states couldn’t be required to participate in the expansion of Medicaid included in the law.

Aside from the political opposition, the resistance has been based on the assertion that the expansion will cost states money. However, for the first three years the federal government will pay 100% of the cost and at least 90% thereafter. Over 10 years, it is estimated that if all states implement the expansion, they would spend an additional $8 billion, which would be a 0.3% increase over their spending without the expansion. Furthermore, because the newly covered individuals would have cost the states about $18 billion for uninsured, uncompensated care, overall the states will save $10 billion. There may be other savings to states from the implementation of the ACA as well, although the impact will vary by state. [1]

Republican Governors and state legislators, looking for a symbolic and substantive way to express their opposition to the ACA, with encouragement from the Tea Party and other staunch Obama opponents, have taken steps to refuse to participate in the Medicaid expansion, refusing significant federal funding. As a result, nationwide, hundreds of thousands of low-income residents will not receive health insurance, despite the fact that there would be no cost to the states for 3 years and a 10% maximum share of the cost after that. In some states, such as Florida, after a hard look at the numbers and some grassroots activism, Republican elected officials have reversed their original stand and have decided to participate. However, New Hampshire, for example, currently is refusing to participate. This means that 58,000 low-income residents will not receive health insurance and, for many of them, it will likely mean they don’t get care they need. [2]

Republicans, and especially Tea Partiers, are making wild claims about how Obama Care will hurt small businesses and the economy. These claims have been soundly refuted as false by independent groups such as FactCheck.org and PolitiFact.com. The latter notes that economists generally believe that the federal budget cuts due to the sequester have done much more harm to the economy.

Undoubtedly, there will be bumps in the road during implementation of the Affordable Care Act. There always are challenges in implementing complex legislation, and the ACA was made more complex by the compromises Obama made in trying to get Republican support, which they then never gave to him or to the law.

Although it is too soon to know for certain, the bottom line is likely to be that the Affordable Care Act will provide very significant benefits to those who don’t have health insurance and get it, and that there are likely to be real benefits for those who already have health insurance as well. Most experts believe that states that are focused on making the ACA work will see good results. But that in states that work to undermine the law the results will not be good. [3] For example, some states are refusing to set up the exchanges to help the uninsured buy coverage and some are refusing to provide information to help residents make informed decisions on which plan to buy. Elected officials in these states are likely to then say, “See it doesn’t work!” The sad thing about this self-fulfilling prophecy is that it will be the residents of those states who will suffer with no, or less effective, health insurance and probably worse health.

[1] Holahan, J., Buettgens, M., Carroll, C., & Dorn, S., 11/1/12, “The cost and coverage implications of the ACA Medicaid expansion: National and state-by-state analysis,” The Urban Institute and the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured (http://kaiserfamilyfoundation.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/8384_es.pdf)

[2] Editorial, 8/7/13, “GOP stance against Obamacare hurts thousands of NH families,” The Boston Globe

[3] Lehigh, S., 8/14/13, “The GOP’s Obamacare whale hunt,” The Boston Globe

THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT PART I

ABSTRACT: As implementation of another key piece of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) (also known as Obama Care) approaches, the information and disinformation in the media and from the opposition builds. On January 1, 2014, the “exchanges” – where individuals can purchase health insurance if they don’t have it – will begin operation. On October 1, 2013, individuals can beginning selecting the health insurance plans they want to enroll in.

No one disputes that if the ACA is implemented as intended roughly 30 million Americans will have health insurance who don’t have it now. From a worldwide perspective, the US has the most expensive health care system but ranks 37^th in overall health outcomes. Nearly 45,000 deaths annually are associated with not having health insurance.

From the first days of the Congressional debate on the ACA, its supporters have done a horrible job of presenting its benefits: millions already have better health insurance, $7 billion has been saved by those with health insurance, lifetime caps on benefits are prohibited, and denying coverage for pre-existing conditions will be banned.

The primary target of the opposition has been the individual mandate, which originally was promoted by the conservative Heritage Foundation and Republicans as part of personal responsibility. However, once Obama adopted the individual mandate as part of the ACA, it became anathema to Republicans. The Republicans’ focus on repealing, obstructing, and undermining the ACA has been described by Norm Ornstein, a long-time political scientist at the conservative American Enterprise Institute, as “monomaniacal.” He went on to write, “What is going on now to sabotage Obamacare is not treasonous – just sharply beneath any reasonable standards of elected officials with the fiduciary responsibility of governing.”

FULL POST: As implementation of another key piece of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) (also known as Obama Care) approaches, the information and disinformation in the media and from the opposition builds. On January 1, 2014, the “exchanges” – where individuals can purchase health insurance if they don’t have it – will begin operation. On October 1, 2013, individuals can beginning selecting the health insurance plans they want to enroll in.

There has been good news on the cost of the new plans to be offered through the exchanges: so far 5 states’ plans will cost less than expected. Where the plans cost more than current options, it is often because they provide more comprehensive coverage than current insurance, where coverage has often been narrowed to reduce costs and increase profits.

To put all of this in some context, no one disputes that if the ACA is implemented as intended roughly 30 million Americans will have health insurance who don’t have it now. Further, many of us who have health insurance will get better and, in many cases, more affordable coverage. From a worldwide perspective, the US has the most expensive health care system (at over $8,300 per person) but ranks 37^th in overall health outcomes, and worse for infant mortality and life expectancy. And we have the most people without health insurance. In the US, nearly 45,000 deaths annually are associated with not having health insurance. [This estimate takes into account the effects of the education level, income, health behaviors (for example smoking and drinking), and baseline health (for example, obesity) of those who don’t have insurance.] [1]

From the first days of the Congressional debate on the ACA, its supporters have done a horrible job of presenting its benefits, including: [2]

3 million young adults up to age 26 have had health insurance because they could continue to be covered by their parents’ health insurance
13 million Americans with insurance have received $1 billion in rebates because their insurance companies spent more than is allowed under the ACA on expenses other than health care (for example, administration and advertising)
54 million Americans have gotten free access to preventive services, such as checkups and cancer screenings
6 million seniors have saved over $6 billion on their prescription drugs
Lifetime caps on benefits are prohibited (Isn’t the whole purpose of insurance to cover catastrophic losses? At least that used to be the case before the profit motive took over.)
Denying coverage for pre-existing conditions or denying renewal of an insurance policy when a health condition or accident occurs will be banned

The primary target of the opposition, particularly from the Tea Party types, has been the individual mandate – the requirement that everyone have health insurance or pay a penalty. Historically, the individual mandate was promoted by the conservative Heritage Foundation and Republicans as part of personal responsibility, i.e., being self-reliant and not depending on government or others for support. Democrats and progressives were cool to the idea because they were concerned that it would pose a burden on lower income families and individuals. The individual mandate was a centerpiece of the Republican alternative to the universal health care proposed by President and Hillary Clinton. And it was the centerpiece of Massachusetts’ universal health care law that Republican Governor Mitt Romney spearheaded and was so proud of (when he was Governor).

However, once Obama adopted the individual mandate as part of the ACA, it became anathema to Republicans. Ironically, as the Tea Party holds town hall forums and rallies today, the headline speaker against the ACA and the individual mandate is often Jim DeMint, the President of the Heritage Foundation, despite it having been the original promoter of the individual mandate. [3]

The Republicans’ focus on repealing, obstructing, and undermining the ACA has been described by Norm Ornstein, a long-time political scientist at the conservative American Enterprise Institute, as “monomaniacal.” The US House has voted 40 times to cut funding or repeal all or part of the ACA, knowing full well that it was a waste of time and effort given that the Senate would never pass such legislation and that the President would veto it and there weren’t the votes to override a veto. (This is one reason why Congress over the last 2 ½ years has been the least productive it’s been in the 75 years that records have been kept.)

Ornstein notes the contrast with President George W. Bush’s Medicare prescription drug plan. The Democrats, led by Senator Ted Kennedy, negotiated a compromise bill with the President. (Something Republicans refused to do with Obama on the ACA.) Then Republicans in Congress removed all of the provisions Kennedy and the Democrats had negotiated for and passed the stripped down legislation. Nonetheless, Democrats worked with Republicans and the Bush administration to make the law work.

In contrast, to undermine the ACA, Republicans refused for 3 years to confirm anyone to head the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which was responsible for implementing the ACA, as it had been for the Bush Medicare drug plan. In addition, they have worked to discourage states from participating in the Medicaid expansion and the exchanges where the uninsured would obtain insurance. They are now threatening to shut down the entire government on September 30 when the fiscal year ends unless Obama stops all implementation of the ACA.

Ornstein went on to write, “What is going on now to sabotage Obamacare is not treasonous – just sharply beneath any reasonable standards of elected officials with the fiduciary responsibility of governing.” [4]

[1] Cecere, D., 9/17/09, “Uninsured, working-age Americans have 40 percent higher death risk than privately insured counterparts,” Harvard Gazette

[2] Favreau, J., 7/11/13, “The GOP is terrified Obamacare could be a success,” The Daily Beast (http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/07/11/the-gop-is-terrified-obamacare-could-be-a-success.html)

[3] Lehigh, S., 8/14/13, “The GOP’s Obamacare whale hunt,” The Boston Globe

[4] Light, J., 7/25/13, “Obstructionism for the recordbooks,” Moyers & company (billmoyers.com/2013/07/25/obstructionism-for-the-recordbooks)

LARGE FINANCIAL CORPORATIONS CONTINUE ILLEGAL ACTIVITY

ABSTRACT: The large US financial corporations, whose illegal and unethical activities caused the 2008 financial crash and recession, continue to engage in a wide variety of illegal activity. Clearly, the fines and penalties they’ve paid to-date, although hundreds of millions of dollars, haven’t been sufficient to deter them. Or they are so large and so impossible to manage that they are just out of control. The only way to reduce the risk to our financial system and economy, and to stop these illegal activities, is to break them up and institute much tighter regulation.

Their past behavior includes fraudulent creation of mortgages and the fraudulent packaging and selling of risky mortgage-backed securities, fraudulent foreclosures on home owners, manipulation of interest rates in multiple settings, money laundering for criminals and countries under international sanctions, and out-of-control speculative trading. Despite this, it doesn’t look like any senior managers will be charged with criminal activity.

More recently uncovered activities include speculation in and manipulation of commodities markets that costs consumers billions, fraudulent debt collection practices, and the selling of inappropriate securities to, among others, elderly investors seeking secure investments.

These are highlights of what we know about, and, therefore, are the tip of an iceberg of unknown size. The executives who profit (through pay, bonuses, and stock options) from these criminal and unethical activities currently have no reason to stop committing or allowing them.

The variety of illegal activities, the involvement of literally all the large financial corporations, and the scale of the impact on our economy and us individually is breathtaking. We need better laws and regulation overseeing these large financial institutions. See my posts of 8/6 and 8/4 for steps that are needed to move in that direction, including petitions of support you can sign.

FULL POST: The large US financial corporations, whose illegal and unethical activities caused the 2008 financial crash and recession, continue to engage in a wide variety of illegal activity. Clearly, the fines and penalties they’ve paid to-date, although hundreds of millions of dollars, haven’t been sufficient to deter them. Or they are so large and so impossible to manage that they are just out of control. In either case, they present a significant risk for another financial collapse, another possible bailout, and another recession. The only way to reduce the risk to our financial system and economy, and to stop these illegal activities, is to break them up and institute much tighter regulation. This is what the 21^st Century Glass Steagall Act, recently proposed in the US Senate (see post of 8/6/13), and the Dodd-Frank Act (if appropriately implemented) would go a long way toward doing.

You probably remember the fraudulent creation of mortgages and the fraudulent packaging and selling of risky mortgage-backed securities as “safe” investments. These activities were key contributors to the 2008 financial system collapse. You may remember that these same handful of corporations engaged in fraudulent foreclosures on home owners, manipulation of interest rates in multiple settings, money laundering for criminals and countries under international sanctions, and out-of-control speculative trading (which cost JPMorgan $6 billion in early 2013). Many of these activities are still under investigation with penalties still to be finalized, but it doesn’t look like any senior managers will be charged with criminal activity. (In the Savings and Loan crash of the late 1980s, which was less than one-tenth the size of the 2008 crash, over 1,000 senior managers were convicted of felonies.) (See posts of 8/29/12 and 7/12/12 for more detail.)

Here are some other examples of illegal or unethical behavior by the large financial corporations that have come to light more recently.

Their speculation in and manipulation of commodities markets costs consumers billions. This includes oil and gasoline (see post of 3/5/12 for more detail), electricity, aluminum, wheat, cotton, coffee, and other commodities. [1] In the last year, US regulators have accused three financial corporations of manipulating electricity prices, including JPMorgan, which recently agreed to a $410 million settlement. [2][3]

In the commodities market for aluminum, Goldman Sachs and others make millions in profits that end up costing consumers many times that. Using special exemptions from the Federal Reserve and relaxed regulations approved by Congress, the large financial corporations have purchased much of the infrastructure used to store and deliver aluminum (and other commodities) as they are traded on commodities exchanges. Three years ago, Goldman Sachs bought one of the largest firms storing and delivering aluminum; almost a quarter of the supply of 1,500 pound aluminum bars bought and sold on commodities exchanges is in its 27 warehouses (1.5 million tons). Goldman, over the last three years, has increased the delivery wait time for customers from an average of six weeks to roughly 70 weeks. This significantly increases the rent and fees paid to Goldman for the storage and delivery of the aluminum in its warehouses. [4][5][6]

JPMorgan and other big financial corporations are under investigation for their debt collection practices. It has recently come to light that their efforts to collect delinquent credit card debt have suffered from faulty or forged documents, improperly reviewed documentation, and failure to notify debtors of legal filings. These are some of the same practices that resulted in the lawsuits and settlements over improper home foreclosures! [7]

Morgan Stanley just settled claims that it sold inappropriate securities to, among others, elderly investors seeking secure investments. [8]

These are highlights of what we know about, and, therefore, are the tip of an iceberg of unknown size. The amounts of the fines and settlements sound large, but they’re just a cost of doing business when compared to the revenue and profits at these mega-financial corporations. (See post of 2/20/12 on the mortgage foreclosure settlement for an example with more detail.) Because shareholders and not corporate executives bear the cost of these settlements, and, furthermore, they are subsidized by us as taxpayers because they are typically considered a business expense (which reduces taxable income), the executives who profit (through pay, bonuses, and stock options) from these criminal and unethical activities have no reason to stop committing or allowing them. And the record shows they are continuing. [9]

[1] Kocieniewski, D., 7/21/13, “Aluminum shuffle is pure gold to the banks,” The Boston Globe (from The New York Times)

[2] Silver-Greenberg, J., & Protess, B., 8/8/13, “JPMorgan Chase faces civil, criminal inquiries,” The Boston Globe (from The New York Times)

[3] Associated Press, 7/31/13, “JPMorgan owes $410 million in energy suit,” The Boston Globe

[4] Kocieniewski, D., 7/21/13, see above

[5] Morgenson, G., 8/1/13, “Goldman Sachs offers to speed up metal delivery,” The Boston Globe (from The New York Times)

[6] Chan, K., 8/6/13, “Goldman Sachs, LME sued over aluminum storage,” The Boston Globe (from the Associated Press)

[7] Silver-Greenberg, J., & Wyatt, E., 7/10/13, “Big lenders face scrutiny on collections,” The Boston Globe (from The New York Times)

[8] Associated Press, 7/31/13, “Morgan Stanley settles EFT claims,” The Boston Globe

[9] Eskow, R.J., 8/7/13, “7 Things About Prosecuting Wall Street You Wanted to Know (But Were Too Depressed to Ask),” The Huffington Post

BANNING BEE KILLING PESTICIDES

ABSTRACT: Pesticides and other toxic chemicals are ubiquitous in our environment and even in our blood. Regulation of them is weak. One of the unintended consequences of widespread pesticide use is the harming or killing of animals, other than those targeted. Last month, 50,000 bumblebees died after a spraying of the pesticide dinotefuran. The class of pesticides called neonicotinoids, of which dinotefuran is one, is the likely culprit in a broad decline in bee populations. Europe has already implemented restrictions on the use of neonicotinoids.

A bill has been introduced in the US House to restrict the use of these chemicals until we can be sure that they are safe and being used properly. The bill is H.R. 2692, the “Save America’s Pollinators Act”.

I urge you to join me as a citizen co-sponsor of this important legislation by signing the petition at: http://org.credoaction.com/petitions/tell-congress-stop-the-pesticide-that-is-killing-bees?akid=8530.653385.cfRZJV&rd=1&t=5.

FULL POST: Pesticides and other toxic chemicals are ubiquitous in our environment and even in our blood. Regulation of them is weak at best because the chemical corporations are very active in lobbying, making campaign contributions, and using the revolving door to move personnel between the industry and government regulatory agencies. (See posts of 6/29, 6/21, and 6/10/13 for more information.) One of the unintended consequences of widespread pesticide use is the harming or killing of animals, other than those targeted. Birds were the victims of DDT 50 years ago and today bees appear to be a victim.

Last month, 50,000 bumblebees died after trees in Wilsonville, Oregon were sprayed with the chemical dinotefuran, the key ingredient in Safari pesticide. This was the largest bee die-off ever recorded. Bee populations are declining across the country at an alarming rate, and a class of pesticides, called neonicotinoids, of which dinotefuran is one, is the likely culprit.

Both our environment and food supply are inextricably tied to the welfare of bees, making the decrease in bee populations a cause for alarm. Many crops, including fruit trees, rely on bees for pollination. The Oregon Department of Agriculture is investigating the die-off and is temporarily restricting the use of 18 pesticide products containing dinotefuran and the Environmental Protection Agency is currently reviewing the use of neonicotinoid pesticides. However, that review is not scheduled to be completed for another five years. Europe has already implemented restrictions on the use of neonicotinoids.

A bill has been introduced in the US House of Representatives by Congressmen Earl Blumenauer and John Conyers to restrict the use of these chemicals until we can be sure that they are safe and being used properly. The bill, H.R. 2692, the “Save America’s Pollinators Act”, would suspend certain uses of neonicotinoids until the Environmental Protection Agency reviews these chemicals and makes a new determination about their proper application and safe use. This will increase pressure on the EPA to speed its review before another mass bee die-off occurs. One strategy for getting the bill passed is to include it in the reauthorization of the Farm Bill, which is currently under active consideration.

I urge you to join me as a citizen co-sponsor of this important legislation by signing the petition linked to below. You can also contact your Representative and urge him or her to support this legislation.

Will you join me and add your name to this petition to the United States Congress asking it to pass legislation suspending use of the pesticides that are killing bees?

This petition was created on org.credoaction.com, a new people-powered platform that allows activists to start and run petition campaigns. org.credoaction.com helps activists like you make progressive change and fight regressive policies by creating online petitions.

NOTE: Please let me know by submitting a comment on this post if you would like me to continue sharing links to on-line petitions on issues I have written about. These petitions are an easy way to express your opinion and increase its weight by combining it with that of others. The effectiveness of these petitions varies greatly based on a wide range of factors, but there’s little downside given how quick and easy it is to do. Each petition also will give you a link to the advocacy organization sponsoring it. If it’s an issue you are particularly interested in, you may want to engage directly with the organization. One forewarning: in many cases when you sign a petition the sponsoring organization will put you on their email list. In some cases, there is a check box on the petition that you can uncheck if you don’t want the organization to start sending you information. You can, of course, always unsubscribe via any email you get from such an organization

FINANCIAL SYSTEM REFORM

ABSTRACT: The need for financial system reform was made clear by the 2008 crash. One of the goals of the Dodd-Frank financial reform law was to end speculative trading by large financial corporations that are also banks because it has the potential to jeopardize consumer deposits. However, speculative trading has continued.

Therefore, a tri-partisan group of Senators, led by Sen. Elizabeth Warren, has recently proposed new legislation, the 21st Century Glass Steagall Act, that would require the separation of speculative trading and consumer bank deposits. You can sign on as a citizen sponsor of this proposed federal legislation at: http://my.elizabethwarren.com/page/s/glass-steagall?source=20130711emf.

Senator Warren was on CNBC to talk about the importance of this new legislation. You can watch the informative and entertaining video clip (under 3 minutes) at: http://gawker.com/nbc-censors-video-of-elizabeth-warren-taking-cnbc-to-th-837411782.

FULL POST: The need for financial system reform was made clear by the 2008 crash. We are now at the third anniversary of the passage of the Dodd-Frank financial reform law. However, implementation has been slow, due to the complexity of the law, efforts by the large financial corporations to block and delay it, and obstructionism by Republicans, particularly in the Senate. For example, a Director for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, created by Dodd-Frank, was finally approved by the Senate on July 17. (See post of 7/26/12 for background.)

One of the goals of the Dodd-Frank financial reform law was to end speculative trading by large financial corporations that are also banks. Such trading has the potential to generate large losses that could jeopardize consumer deposits at these banks, requiring a federal government bailout. Dodd-Frank and the so-called Volcker Rule were supposed to end such trading. However, speculative trading has continued. (See posts of 5/31/12 and 5/29/12 for more details.)

You can sign on as a citizen sponsor of this proposed federal legislation at: http://my.elizabethwarren.com/page/s/glass-steagall?source=20130711emf. It will reduce risk-taking by big financial corporations that enjoy federal insurance of depositors’ money, thereby reducing the risk of another government bailout of these huge corporations and enhancing the safety of consumer deposits.

Senator Elizabeth Warren (Democrat, MA), an expert on the financial system, states that we need to learn from the financial crisis of 2008 and, moving forward, to prevent the kinds of high-risk activities that made a few people rich but nearly destroyed our economy. She has joined forces with Senators John McCain (Republican, AZ), Maria Cantwell (Democrat, WA), and Angus King (Independent, ME) to introduce the 21st Century Glass Steagall Act to modernize core banking safety.

This legislation would reinstate some of the protections of the original Glass Steagall Act put in place after the Great Depression but repealed in 1999. For over 50 years before this repeal, the banking system was stable and our middle class grew stronger. Wall Street had spent 66 years and millions of dollars lobbying for repeal, and, eventually, the big financial corporations won.

This new law will rebuild a firewall between the banks where American families have checking and savings accounts, and the investment banks that engage in risky financial speculation. It will make sure Wall Street doesn’t gamble with your money, and will help prevent another financial crisis. The bill will give a five year transition period for financial institutions to split their business practices into distinct entities – shrinking their size and taking an important step toward ending “Too Big to Fail” once and for all, while minimizing the risk of future bailouts.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) insures our banks to keep your money safe. That way, when you want to withdraw your money, you know the money will be there. That’s what makes our banking system safe and dependable. But the government should NOT be insuring hedge funds, swaps dealing, and other risky investment banking activities. When the same institutions that take these huge risks are also the ones that control your savings account, the entire banking system is riskier.

This is an important bill that will implement the lessons we learned from the 2008 crisis and make sure we hold Wall St. accountable. Click here to become a citizen sponsor of the new 21st Century Glass Steagall Act. (Paste the following address into your web browser if the link doesn’t work: http://my.elizabethwarren.com/page/s/glass-steagall?source=20130711emf.)

Senator Warren was on CNBC to talk about the importance of this new legislation. The video clip of Warren’s appearance was on You Tube, but CNBC and NBC in effect censored it, claiming copyright infringement. They did so, apparently, because Warren did such a good job of defending the legislation and, in the process, made the CNBC commentators look bad because they were critical of the legislation and tried to attack Warren and her arguments for the legislation. This is a reflection of how our mainstream media, which are all big corporations themselves, report on – or in many cases don’t report on – news that is not favorable to corporate America.

You can read an article about this censorship and watch the informative and entertaining video clip (under 3 minutes) at: http://gawker.com/nbc-censors-video-of-elizabeth-warren-taking-cnbc-to-th-837411782. (Paste the address above into your web browser if the link doesn’t work automatically.)

OVERSIGHT OF FINANCIAL CORPORATIONS – PETITIONS YOU CAN SIGN

INTRO: The need for strong oversight of our large financial corporations was made starkly clear by their collapse in 2008. Nonetheless, necessary changes have not happened. The six huge financial corporations are bigger than ever, despite concern that they were too big to fail back in 2008. News of illegal activity in the financial sector continues to surface regularly and financial corporations are increasingly engaging in activities similar to those that led up to the 2008 crash. [1] (See posts of 8/29/12 and 7/12/12 for background.)

Strong oversight and regulation are needed from the Federal Reserve and the Securities and Exchange Commission, among others. (See posts of 7/31/12, 5/31/12, and 5/29/12 for background.) The government bailout (trillions of dollars in total) and the economic recession (that we still haven’t recovered from) that followed must not be allowed to happen again.

Here are two steps that should happen to increase oversight and accountability, while reducing risk of a re-occurrence of the 2008 crash. I include (see below) links to petitions you can sign (each in a minute or less) that will register your support for them:

President Obama should NOT to nominate Larry Summers as the next head of the Federal Reserve (the Fed)
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) should implement and enforce disclosure of the compensation given to the heads of the big financial corporations

TELL PRESIDENT OBAMA NOT TO APPOINT SUMMERS AS FED CHAIRMAN

Larry Summers is apparently Obama’s leading candidate to replace Ben Bernanke as the chairman of the Federal Reserve in January. Summers is a former Treasury Secretary, Obama economic advisor, and Harvard University President. He is currently a paid consultant to Citigroup, one of the six huge Wall St. financial corporations.

Summers contributed to the financial collapse — he helped lead the charge to deregulate Wall Street in the 1990s, he blocked efforts to regulate derivatives (which were a key cause of the 2008 collapse), and he dismissed concerns about deregulation just before the 2008 crash that tanked the economy. [2]

We need strong leadership at the Fed. We need someone willing to stand up to Wall Street instead of letting them play by their own rules and bailing them out when the going gets tough. Larry Summers is not that man.

Please email President Obama via the Daily Kos website now — tell him not to appoint Larry Summers to lead the Fed. (from Michael Langenmayr, Campaign Director, Daily Kos blog site. Paste the following address into your web browser if the link doesn’t work: http://campaigns.dailykos.com/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=505)

TELL THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION TO IMPLEMENT DISCLOSURE OF CEOs’ PAY

Please urge the Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC) to enforce the law on disclosure of CEO’s salaries. Excessive CEO salaries contributed to the reckless financial culture that nearly ruined our economy.

The Dodd-Frank financial reform law, which Congress passed in 2010, requires publicly traded corporations to disclose how much their executives make and compare it to their average worker’s pay. Three years later, the law still hasn’t been implemented. Why? Because the SEC has not produced the regulations needed to implement the law. Meanwhile, big corporations are putting pressure on the SEC and Congress to quietly kill this requirement.

This is basic public information that we have the right to know, and will help prevent the next financial crisis. Join Daily Kos and USAction by signing this petition to the SEC, urging them to enforce Dodd-Frank’s provision on disclosing CEO salaries. (from Paul Hogarth, Daily Kos blog site. Paste the following address into your web browser if the link doesn’t work: http://campaigns.dailykos.com/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=518)

My next post will describe, and give you the opportunity to be a citizen co-sponsor of, Congressional legislation to reduce risk and improve stability at our big bank corporations. It will reduce the risk of a future government bailout while enhancing the safety of your deposits.

NOTE: Please let me know by submitting a comment on this post if you would like me to continue sharing links to on-line petitions on issues I write about. These petitions are an easy way to express your opinion and increase its weight by combining it with that of others. The effectiveness of these petitions varies greatly based on a wide range of factors, but there’s little downside given how quick and easy it is to do. Each petition also will give you a link to the advocacy organization sponsoring it. If it’s an issue you are particularly interested in, you may want to engage directly with the organization. One forewarning: in many cases when you sign a petition the sponsoring organization will put you on their email list. In some cases, there is a check box on the petition that you can uncheck if you don’t want the organization to start sending you information. You can, of course, always unsubscribe via any email you get from such an organization.

[1] Popper, N., 4/18/13, “Wall St. redux: Arcane names hiding big risk,” The New York Times

[2] Editorial, 8/2/13, “Tornado at the Fed? Obama has better choices than Summers,” The Boston Globe