A Note on Wall Street Reform

I recently received this email. It is chock full of information for consumers.

Being a supporter, I am passing it on. I added the books for your edification and (yep! my profit. Read more and learn! OK?)

A Campaign eMail from Obama's Supporters

"Take the faculty of one of the best finance departments in the world. Ask them to analyze the new U.S. legislation on financial regulation, and to think about what the new law gets right, what it gets wrong, and how it is likely to shape the future of the financial system. With a bit of luck, you get this very impressive book. An absolute must-read."
—Olivier Blanchard, Chief Economist, International Monetary Fund

Perhaps you haven't heard: over the last 30 years the middle class has shriveled while the wealthy enjoy the skewed economics of the gilded age. The authors do their best to blow the dust off of their subject by taking a close look at this political "30 year war" and carefully parsing its roots. Corporate coalitions, lobbying, tax policies geared to the wealthy, and the extreme use of the "rule of 60" filibuster have tipped the scales and ultimately heaped blame onto the majority party. While Government can affect the distribution of wealth, it doesn't catch up with economic realities in time, and a changing Washington blocks attempts at reform. Where moderates used to rule the swing vote, now radical conservatives have taken hold. Unions are powerless, public interest groups prevail, and Christian conservatives drag Republicans ever right. Meanwhile, voters remain poorly informed. Though they never shed the sheen of "old news," Hacker and Pierson end on a note of optimism: the middle class can take the majority again with a "politics of renewal" shepherded in on a wave of "mass engagement" and "elite leadership."
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

This morning, a group of public servants showed up to work
at a brand-new agency created to protect everyday Americans
from the abuses of Wall Street.

They're the folks of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau,
and they'll be the cops on the beat protecting consumers from
predatory credit card and mortgage lenders, bait-and-switch
creditors, and anyone trying to make a quick buck by deceiving
or manipulating Americans who are just trying to secure their
financial future.

Many Americans don't know it, but this bureau is just one part
of a sweeping Wall Street reform law -- the most pro-consumer
and pro-taxpayer reform of our financial system since the Great
Depression -- that President Obama signed a year ago today.

Watch this video to get a quick overview of the law, and a briefing
on the special interests trying to undermine it:

http://my.barackobama.com/Wall-Street-Reform7

Whether you watch the video or not, please share this email with
 someone.

It's important that everyone knows what this law means for all of
us. Simpler mortgages. Clearer credit card rates, fees, and rules.
Fairer loan terms. It's based on the simple idea that if you make
sure that people get clear information, they'll make the financial
decisions that work best for them.

And we can all rest a little easier knowing that our common
financial future is more protected from the irresponsibility of a
few. This law made structural reforms to ensure that the financial
crisis we experienced in 2008 never happens again and that
taxpayers aren't on the hook to pay for Wall Street's risky bets.

It's up to you to make sure more people know about this. Most
Americans don't have all the details on how this law is working
for them, and it's our job to change that.

Take a look, and be sure to pass this one on:

http://my.barackobama.com/Wall-Street-Reform7

Amazingly, each and every Presidential candidate on the other
side opposes this law.

And the same opposition that tried to block it more than a year
ago is still alive and well.

Right now, lobbyists are at work trying to weaken the tough
regulations this law imposes.

That's no accident -- its provisions are designed to rein in the
Wall Street, credit card, and mortgage banking interests these
people represent.

As we know, there aren't a whole lot of high-powered lobbyists
in Washington looking out for the common good of everyday
families.

That's exactly why this law is necessary, and why our growing
organization in all 50 states is so important. It's up to us to make
sure our friends and neighbors know about it. Watch our video
about Wall Street reform today -- and then pass it on:

http://my.barackobama.com/Wall-Street-Reform7

Thanks,

Messina

Jim Messina
Campaign Manager
Obama for America

---------------------------------------------------------------------
Paid for by Obama for America

Contributions or gifts to Obama for America are not tax deductible.

Remember: the books were added by KneeJerk, not the Obama Campaign!

An Opinion on Republican States Establishing their own Health Care Plans

This is taken from a Facebook comment on the Democratic Party Wall.

" Even though the Republican states can have their own health insurance policies, the rhetoric against Obama-care is still the same. when will the citizens of these states get tired of the promises of a better way and actually vote to experience the already-established better way? Vote the Republicans out, people. Before you lose everything: jobs, health care, the right to negotiate better working conditions, the right to live without State government interference in your private lives, the right to believe in your own religious principles not the Fundamentalist Right's version."

Strict Interpretation of the U. S. Constitution

In a society where all laws are to be Constitutional, the phrase "separation of church and state" holds little meaning in practical terms. We still pay Chaplains to preside over government institutions and still start all government meetings with prayer. But the Republicans will ignore that traditional mix of church and state in their strict reading of the Constitution.

Another phrase in the US Constitution that will be ignored is "promote the general Welfare." The Welfare of most  citizens will not matter to the Republican law makers as much as the Welfare of the corporations who fund the party.

It is so sad that those that speak most loudly to support the Constitution are blatant in their choice of sections to ignore and sections to support.

Maybe they will surprise us, but I hold little hope of that.

5 Republican Principles

I am a Democrat. But I watch the news. From this I have learned these 5 preachings of the Republican Party.

1. Evolution is problematic, but social Darwinism is the preferred natural state of our land.
   
   1. Everyone should be independent and should take care of himself.
      
   2. Businesses should sink or swim on their own.
      
   3. Success means enough money to call the shots. Big businesses are successful, so whatever benefits big business is the best choice for this economy.
      
   4. Anyone who doesn't have a job should solve his own problems, but businesses do not need to hire more people since that would lower profits.
      
2. In a question of whether the Federal Government or State Government should regulate anything, the States rights trump Federal authority.
   
   1. The Constitutional mandate "to...promote the general welfare" applies only when there is some distinct advantage to the party funders.
      
   2. Matters that affect our national cultural and societal health conflict with the demands of the party funders.
3. If the majority of the country considers a policy to be wise, but the party funders do not agree, attack the credibility and morals of the majority's elected officials and control the press so that the public is told only the party line--ugh--position of those who fund the party.
   
   1. It is OK to spin the truth until the lies are hidden as long as it gets the party attention and support.
      
   2. By renaming an idea the positive or negative impact of the idea is better controlled.
      
   3. Blame the current majority for problems that began when the party was in power in the past.
      
4. In a choice between religious mysticism and science, religion trumps science.
   
   1. If there is climate change ahead, it is the will of God and man would be arrogant to think he should try to stop it or to believe Man could make a difference.
      
   2. If new technology could heal disease, it must be abolutely separate from abortion, but war that kills all stages of life is OK and even makes money for big business.
      
   3. If a party funder is in the business of technology that might be morally questionable in its implementation, profit trumps morality every time.
      
5. When the country is in debt, lower taxes and cut government spending.
   
   1. Cuts will be to entitlements, regulatory agencies, and funding for any bill that the other party passed into law.
      
   2. Spending on war will not be cut except in areas that reduce benefits to soldiers and veterans but not money to military suppliers.
      
   3. Cutting the salaries of civil service workers is legitimate since that is government and government does not need to be efficient or retain talented workers.
      
   4. Subsidies to big business are sacrosanct since big business funds the party.