Communities of Practice – Page 595 – Public Intelligence Blog

For Every Dollar Spent Influencing US Politics, Corporations Get $760 Back

The first time we read the recent analysis by the Sunlight Foundation in which it combed through 14 million corporate records, including data on campaign contributions, lobbying expenditures, federal budget allocations and spending, in order to determine the “rate of return” on lobbying and spending to buy political goodwill, we were left speechless.

When it comes to the rate of return on lobbying, the rates are simply staggering, and range anywhere between 5,900% for oil subsidies, to 22,000% for multinational tax breaks and even higher for America's legal drug dealers.

Continue reading “Buying Democracy = Bribe $1 Gets $760 Back”

2015/03/18

Mongoose: Change Presidential Debate Rules? Cosmetic Deception!

Civil Society, Corruption, Cultural Intelligence, Ethics, Government

This is theatrical — not a real reform at all.

New group calls for changes in presidential debate rules

Philip Rucker

Washington Post, 17 March 2015

A group of political elders, concerned that the American public is losing faith in the presidential election system, is pushing for changes to general-election debate rules to make it easier for independent candidates to gain traction.

The group, called Change the Rule, recently wrote a letter to the Commission on Presidential Debates, the nonpartisan organization that runs general-election debates, urging it to eliminate the rule requiring non-major-party candidates to average at least 15 percent in public polling to participate.

Continue reading “Mongoose: Change Presidential Debate Rules? Cosmetic Deception!”

2015/03/172015/03/17

Chris Hedges: The Most Dangerous Woman in America – a City Council PhD Socialist in Seattle

Civil Society, Ethics

The Most Dangerous Woman in America

SEATTLE — Kshama Sawant, the socialist on the City Council, is up for re-election this year. Since joining the council in January of 2014 she has helped push through a gradual raising of the minimum wage to $15 an hour in Seattle. She has expanded funding for social services and blocked, along with housing advocates, an attempt by the Seattle Housing Authority to allow a rent increase of up to 400 percent. She has successfully lobbied for city money to support tent encampments and is fighting for an excise tax on millionaires. And for this she has become the bete noire of the Establishment, especially the Democratic Party.

Continue reading “Chris Hedges: The Most Dangerous Woman in America – a City Council PhD Socialist in Seattle”

2015/03/172015/03/16

Laurence Kotlikoff: US Senate Told US in Worse Fiscal Shape than Greece + David Walker & Balanced Budget

Corruption, Government

U.S. In Worse Financial Shape Than Greece, Congress Told

Boston University economist, Laurence Kotlikoff, has said that the U.S. is in worse fiscal shape than any developed country including Greece. Speaking to the Senate Budget Committee on February 25th, 2015 Kotlikoff warned, “The first point I want to get across is that our nation is broke … Our nation’s broke, and it’s not broke in 75 years or 50 years or 25 years or 10 years. It’s broke today.”

Continue reading “Laurence Kotlikoff: US Senate Told US in Worse Fiscal Shape than Greece + David Walker & Balanced Budget”

2015/03/162015/03/16

Donovan to Truman: Keep Intel Shit in One Bag

Advanced Cyber/IO, Ethics, Government

Source

Continue reading “Donovan to Truman: Keep Intel Shit in One Bag”

2015/03/162015/03/16

SchwartzReport: Giving Homes to Homeless Cheaper than Neglecting Them on Street

01 Poverty, 03 Economy, 11 Society, Government, Idiocy

Yet again we have evidence that the compassionate life-affirming choice in social programs is not only the most wellness oriented, it is also cheaper, and more efficient. We see this over and over, so one must ask, why so often is this not the option chosen? Hate, a need to punish the vulnerable? Self-righteous superiority? Just plain nastiness? Given the evidence I think we ought to be asking this question.

Giving Homes to the Homeless is Cheaper Than Leaving them on the Street. Here’s Proof

2015/03/142015/03/15

INTERVIEW: Robert Steele with Max Keiser – War of Terrorism as a Corrupt Business Model — Need War on Banks and Really Need Electoral Reform in 2015

Civil Society, Cultural Intelligence, Ethics

Robert Steele starts at 12:26

Direct YouTube Link for Above: https://youtu.be/GrFnFflv1Lg

Continue reading “INTERVIEW: Robert Steele with Max Keiser – War of Terrorism as a Corrupt Business Model — Need War on Banks and Really Need Electoral Reform in 2015”