Essay: "RICO for Wall Street!"

Essay: "RICO for Wall Street!"

The government uses the Racketeering and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) laws to break up outlaw biker gangs, organized illicit drug organizations, and organized crime, among others.

Why can't or won't the Powers that Be use RICO against the Wall Street scammers that benefitted greatly while practically bringing our entire economy and way of life down the toilet?Perhaps this is a rhetorical question, since our government is bought and paid for by

corporate lobbyists. If RICO were used, I'm sure many government officials would likewise be complicit. Also, I have two suggestions about how to possibly save our economy, both of which may or may not be feasible or possible: One, delink the stock market from the rest of the economy. That way, if the stock market crashed it would be business as usual for American workers. Although investors and retirees may suffer. Two,

get out of the 'World Economy' As Soon As Possible. Word is, if Greece or other European powers go bankrupt, our economy will suffer as well. If we stopped these foolish "Free Trade" agreements, we would likely retain more American jobs in this country. With Free Trade, those at the top benefit, while those at the bottom lose out on jobs with a wage they can thrive on. (tbc?)

Essay: "Mourning for the Wrong Person"

Essay: "Mourning for the Wrong Person"

This week the madman and tyrant Kim Jong-Il, despot of North Korea, died of an apparent heart attack. Although he lived in luxury, built up his military and nuke arsenal while his people were allowed to practically starve; many of his beleaguered subjects actually mourned his death. I suppose Jong-Il was perceived as a father figure, and the state propaganda machine made him out to look like a great man in a "cult of personality" rather than the monster he really was. Even so, if someone mistreats you and allows you to suffer and starve, how can you cry over the loss of such a cruel despot. Months ago, when Osama bin-Laden was slain, many Moslem extremists mourned his death. I'll bet some people mourned the deaths of Adolf Hitler and serial killers. How can you mourn the demise of an unrepentant mass murderer?

Essay: "Tom Joad Is Alive And Well in the OWS Movement"

Essay: "Tom Joad Is Alive And Well in the OWS Movement"

In the John Steinbeck novel "The Grapes of Wrath", Tom Joad fought against injustice in Depression era time. Nearly eighty years later, in real life, the modern-day Tom Joads of both genders in the Occupy Wall Street/America (OWS) fight against economic injustice. Risking their health, safety and freedom, they face ridicule from clueless conservatives, arrests by overzealous cops, and indifference by the elite in politics and big business. Although their message is lost on "the 1%" they demonstrate against, for the have-nots, the beleaguered middle-class, the working class, and many others, their message very much resonates. Although in Boston and many other cities their campsites have been cleared, as people in the movement say, "You can't evict an idea."

I recently read an opinion column in which the columnist wrote off the OWS/America movement as "lawless", "mobs". With the way things are now, with the economy in the toilet, and the extreme right-wing of the Republican Party gumming things up by preferring to cut necessary services over taxing millionaires, billionaires, and corporations; the growing canyon between the haves and have-nots; the Citizens United decision which opens the floodgates for unchecked political donations by the well-to-do and corporations; bad political decisions and inactions, etc,. necessitated a response. The OWS, took to the streets in Wall Street and many cities across the country. Although their message is lost to those who are conservative, the Occupiers want a fairer economic climate, a Living Wage rather than a minimum wage, more affordable health care, less student loan debt, to minimize the corrupting influence of money in politics among other things. The OWS movement is a peaceful protest. If the OWS supports a candidate or party, there is potentially thousands of votes to undo the bad decisions and inactions which led to our economic meltdown. (tbc?)