Lets Call a Temporary Truce and Solve the Real Problem

Our Founding Fathers gave us a state-of-the-art governing structure that allowed us the opportunity to build a country like none before. It enabled a system that for the first time could focus on the welfare of its citizens rather than an elitist ruling class.

We were expected to use our best talents within the structure to “establish Justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and to secure the blessings of Liberty to ourselves and to our Posterity”, There was a lot of hard work ahead but the enthusiasm for the vision was there to tackle it.

Over the following 200+ years we successfully conducted a continual battle against domestic and foreign forces that would destroy that vision. Although there were ups and downs most Americans felt that progress would allow their children to inherit a country that offered increasing blessings of liberty along with a continuing improvement in general welfare. We became a very special nation that was an example to the world.

This progress has come to a screeching halt. The citizens feel shock and deep disappointment after the disheartening discovery that both the elected government and many sectors of the private economy have no interest in the Founders’ vision for America. They have led a period of governance that is inept and almost completely self serving. A recent Gallup Poll shows that citizens rate their confidence in Congress dead last among 16 critical institutions.

The fundamental problem can be stated simply.

We now have a government that is under the corrupt control of special interests acting to the detriment of United States citizens. The ineptness and self serving greed of our private and public institutions has brought hardship to good citizens throughout the nation, and destroyed our vision for the future.

These destructive forces have pushed their will on us not by an invading army-which we would surely defeat- but by hidden manipulations of our economy and successfully lobbying for damaging foreign national policies. This has siphoned trillions away from productive job- creating work in the United States. The misallocation of resources is bringing the nation to its knees. The result has been billions for the few and financial disaster for the many.

Unfortunately, those few benefitting from the situation have assembled powerful tools.

A two party system that works against our choices for responsible leaders.
Hugh wealth in large corporations and institutions used for the control of the government
Excessive influence through the financial sector
Extensive ownership of the media

They are already using these tools to divert the public outrage away from the fundamental problem into multiple confusing issues to which they are offering self contradicting solutions..

To counter their strengths we have the following

The Constitution power to replace governments
Our numbers
The vision of America we hold with the Founders

The level of effort required to focus and solve the fundamental problem as a precursor to solving the many others is not even seriously on the table for the two political parties.. Drastic actions will have to come from the patriotic citizen regardless of party. The Constitution provides the tools to do this. We need a major change in our government.

This is one goal on which patriotic Conservatives, Liberals, and Independents should agree. A sincere plan to rebuild should be a priority in all party platforms and in the thoughts of voters. Once we have the fundamentals back we can return to the traditional conflicts.

Citizens Need Proof that the Cozy Big Finance /Government Relationship is Over

It has been 16 months since we posted on the silliness of the media continually placing high net worth New Yorkers in front of cameras to be asked if they thought the country was in a recession. We pointed out that if they had talked to a reasonable distribution of small businessmen around the country it would have been obvious we were in a very painful one.

Since that time not only have the lost jobs and personal financial nightmares increased but we now realize the magnitude of betrayal we have suffered from the financial sector, the government, and our elected officials.

We have the sick feeling of being completely hoodwinked by both our private and public institutions. Most people now realize that in the dealings of these entities there was no concern for the United States or its citizens. The common good was simply not a consideration. This realization has triggered a great wave of discouragement toward the entire American system. This feeling is independent of the politics of the citizen. The vast majority of Republicans, Democrats, Libertarians, and Independents feel that the entire system is owned by the special interests and Washington insiders through their control of the Government.

Go to almost any gathering of what used to be the middle class and you will find that there is universal anger and even hatred toward the following entities:

· The financial institutions that wasted trillions that could have been used productively for our country
· The banks that won’t risk lending to small businesses but want to pay high bonuses to executives.
· The elected government that passed laws that protected these disastrous actions.
· The lobbyists and special interests that influenced and really bought the elected government
· The lying financial rating agencies

The disheartened American is sick of blowhard politicians seeking to gain by the situation. The citizens desperately need to see real evidence that the country will at some time be run for the common good. The strength of these feeling is not fully understood in the Washington and New York power centers. If not fixed the country will face major changes.

The citizens require a strong program that will absolutely guarantee that the psychology and ethics that led to the betrayal is completely disgraced and placed outside the American system forever. It is critical that those in the entities who were responsible for the meltdown are publically identified and punished. There must be significant retribution with large sums recovered for the people who innocently suffered. The public consequences to those that caused the situation must be adequate to prevent any thoughts of ever returning to similar behavior.

If the public were to see these events embedded into prompt institutional action it would demonstrate that the cozy relationship between the perpetuators and congress has ended and patriotic faith in the system might return.

Can this be done with the current elected government on whose watch many of the events occurred?

Both the House and Senate are circulating draft bills that are supposed to re-regulate the financial sectors so that the disasters will not be repeated. If normal history is repeated, however,they will be passed after usual lobbying oftains built in loopholes

In May of 2009 Congress formed the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission (FCIC). It was given broad authority to determine exactly what happened to create the disaster(s) and to identify any incidents of law breaking they discovery. It has subpoena power. There is even a direction to compare salaries in the financial sector to those of equal responsibility in other sectors. Six members were appointed by Democrats and four by Republicans. The commission is to submit a final report to Congress in December 2010-safely after the 2010 elections.

The commission had its first public appearance on September 17. The introduction of members and their introductory remarks are described here. As would be expected, they are almost entirely insiders. Congress prided itself on the ground rule that only private citizens could be members-no one connected with the government would be on the commission. It turns out that although none have current government positions almost all have had deep earlier government connections. The commission is largely split between former Clinton and Bush appointees, with one former senator. There is no representation from the damaged citizens.

Reasonable results will take a lot of citizen intervention.