Could it be true – we might actually be able to break up the large banks?

Read this: According to the rules of the Dodd-Frank bill, the big banks must show they have “credible living-wills” or actions such as divestiture of assets can be required.  Well, on August 5, the Federal Reserve and Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. declared that the “living will” plans by 11 large banks submitted in 2013 are “not credible.” The 11 banks are Bank of America, Citigroup, JP Morgan, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Bank of New York Mellon, State Street, and the US units of Barclays, Credit Suisse, Deutsche Bank, and UBS. http://www.citizenvox.org/2014/08/26/breaking-up-the-banks-may-not-be-quite-so-hard-to-do/

 

Once again the TPP shows us why this was not and is not a good agreement for US citizens / except corporations of course

Read this: The TPP would vastly expand the investor-state threat to U.S. public health policies, given the thousands of corporations based in TPP countries that would be newly empowered to launch cases against U.S. laws on behalf of any of their more than 14,000 U.S. subsidiaries. http://citizen.typepad.com/eyesontrade/2014/08/tpp-expansive-rights-for-big-pharma-expensive-medicines-for-us-consumers.html

 

Sometimes art can make you reevaluate life just a little

Watch this video: JR, a semi-anonymous French street artist, uses his camera to show the world its true face, by pasting photos of the human face across massive canvases. https://www.ted.com/talks/jr_s_ted_prize_wish_use_art_to_turn_the_world_inside_out?language=en

 

Will America will be a democracy governed by the people or a plutocracy ruled by corporations and the ultra-rich.

Sign the petition: Let your opinion be heard.  On September 8, the Senate is scheduled to vote on a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United and other toxic Supreme Court decisions that have opened the floodgates to unlimited political spending by corporations. http://act.credoaction.com/sign/sjres_19?referring_akid=a161682582.4804138.zNJzYd&source=conf_email

 

More on Inversions, this time from an article in Rolling Stone

Read this: As the US debt increases and the right calls for austerity and reductions in social programs, few seem to notice or talk about the shrinking and evasive contributions of corporations and the wealthy.  The following Rolling Stone article says: “In July an American pharmaceutical giant earned raves for acquiring a European rival – and not for the potential scientific advances. Corporations are parking profits overseas, ducking hundreds of billions in taxes, and being commended for it.” http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/the-biggest-tax-scam-ever-20140827?page=2

 

Tell Burger King they they need to pay taxes, instead of dodging them.

Sign the petition: Burger King is already a food fast titan when it comes to poverty wages. Some of their employees are leading the fight for $15 hourly wages and a union because without it, employees must rely on social safety net programs like food stamps just to be able to survive. Those programs are funded by tax dollars and now Burger King doesn’t want to pay their fair share. In this corporate merger deal, Burger King won’t even move their base of operations to Canada. They’ll continue to run their fast food corporation here in the US — and side-step US taxes by using a Canadian home address. http://petitions.moveon.org/workingfamilies/sign/burger-king-wants-to?source=c.em.cp&no_mo=1

 

Sometimes we need to change our behaviors for the right things: “Skip the straws”

A change in behavior: Last year, volunteers picked up 555,007 straws during our International Coastal Cleanup. With the average American eating out four times a week and almost all of them using a straw (or two), simply skipping your straw can have a huge impact! If 25,000 people skip the straw every time, we can keep 5 million plastic straws out of our ocean and landfills. https://secure.oceanconservancy.org/site/Advocacy;jsessionid=931B2D390D6430965A8F133FCA4F9281.app262b?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=795&s_src=14WAXAXXXX&s_subsrc=14ALSE02

 

One of my 2 “Critical Changes” is the elimination of “Corporate Personhood”

Read this: I have begun reading Jeffrey D. Clements book “Corporations Are Not People / Reclaiming Democracy from Big Money and Global Corporations”.  and so far it is excellent.  I would recommend this to everyone as a primer to gain an understanding as to why I feel “Corporate Personhood” is the single most destructive political concept ever faced by a democracy.   Here is a short excerpt from the end of chapter 2 as example: A corporation is not a person, nor is it simply an association or group of people.  A corporation is a creation of law, a public tool of economic policy.  If we appreciate this point, corporate “rights” are exposed as unconstitutional folly.  Moreover, we can decide to create better corporations.  We can require that corporations be much more effective, useful, and supportive instruments for the American people and our economy. Here is a link to his web site:  http://corporationsarenotpeople.com/

 

No “Inversion” type tricks – Crack down on tax-dodging corporations

Sign the petition: It goes to President Obama and says  “Tax dodging gimmicks like inversion allow major corporations to avoid paying their fair share in taxes. Crack down on tax dodging corporations by using your executive authority to eliminate tax incentives for companies to move their headquarters overseas.” http://act.credoaction.com/sign/stop_tax_inversions/?t=1&akid=11483.4804138.tmQREc

 

Blair Mountain is an important part of our history and deserves to be off limits to mountaintop-removal mining.

Sign the petition: First of all, coal and mountaintop-removal mining are just wrong and Climate Change scientists say we don’t need new sources and can’t risk the results of continuing in the ways of our dirty past.  But besides that, we should pay tribute to a place that changed the course of the labor movement forever — protect the West Virginia mountain where coal miners fought for their right to unionize or allow Big Coal to blow the top off Blair Mountain in exchange for a simple plaque? https://secure.sierraclub.org/site/Advocacy;jsessionid=7255C3C532DEFD4C0B05850DABB28F22.app207a?pagename=homepage&page=UserAction&id=14291&s_src=214HCOAN02