Taxation Without Representation

Washington crossing the Delaware. What the painting could not record were the cries of  "Sit down! You'll knock us over!"

Taxation Without Representation

by Coast Watcher

The Battle of Trenton was a small but crucial engagement which took place on the morning of December 26, 1776, in Trenton, New Jersey. In the hour before dawn of that morning, General George Washington crossed the Delaware River using boats to convey 2,400 men of his army. Conditions were hazardous, with deep snow covering the ground and large ice floes in the river preventing the rest of Washington’s troops – a little more than half his total force – from crossing. Nevertheless, due to these very weather conditions his opponents had lowered their guard, believing themselves safe from attack.

The Hessian mercenaries employed by the British were shocked to find a rebel army bearing down on their winter encampment. After a short but fierce struggle, most of the Hessians surrendered and the remainder retreated in confusion.

Although it was small engagement as military conflict goes, it served to inspire the army to continue the fight and attracted a growing number of volunteers to the Colonists’ cause.

The American Colonists fought a war against unjust levels of taxation imposed by Britain. Most people today know their battle cry: "No taxation without representation!" 

Why is the war, and the two hundred and forty-first anniversary of this particular battle, relevant today? Because once again we’re seeing an unjust level of taxation being imposed by our supposed superiors and masters, a level of taxation that imposes an unbearable burden on a populace already struggling with ever-shrinking income and ever-increasing debts. Once again we’re seeing a rising level of opposition to this inequality.

On Friday, December 22 the GOP’s tax bill passed into law with a stroke of Trump’s pen as he sat in the great Oval Office. It followed the active connivance of the Republican-dominated Congress to prevent the details of the bill from becoming public. Even Senators were not allowed to view the document before voting on it.

The whole bill was fabricated by over 4,000 lobbyists working on behalf of the rich, and big business. I think we’ve all seen images of the shoddy presentation

of the bill, with handwritten notes tailing off into illegibility alongside the printed text. It’s an effort that would shame a third-grader and would rightly earn an F  in any school worth the name. This sorry mess was handed to the GOP millionaires in Congress, who fell over themselves with slavish eagerness to do their masters’ bidding. The whole thing was passed with reckless speed, with no thought nor care taken to consider the consequences to ordinary Americans.

A last-ditch effort to delay the passage of the bill came when Senator Bernie Sanders challenged it on the basis of incorrect parliamentary procedure. The whole shambolic process has now introduced additional hardship on the majority of the American populace in the form of additional expenditure. As if that wasn’t enough it also deprives 13 million people of healthcare through defunding the Affordable Care Act’s and makes provision for oil drilling within the Arctic Circle. Oh, and the rich – including Trump and his family – get a massive tax break and easement on inheritance taxes. How nice – just in time for Christmas!

The new law eliminates the Affordable Care Act’s mandate that most people must have health insurance or else pay a penalty. It should be noted that this very clause was introduced by the GOP during the wrestling over the ACA in order to make it toxic to the general population. By eliminating the harmful clause they themselves created, the GOP thinks they can gain approval from voters.

Even if this is the case, it may not help them.

Due to the indecent haste with which this bill was rushed through Congress some of the most harmful effects will be felt in this coming year – 2018 – rather than 2019 when the mid-term elections are over and the people have presumably forgotten the new tax law. What effect this will have on a Republican party and President already struggling with growing unpopularity remains to be seen. Trump’s first year in office has been marked by chaos and dramatic shifts in policies which seem caused by what he sees on Fox news.

As we go about our daily rounds in these post-Christmas days, spare a thought

for those brave men who, two hundred and forty-one years ago, struggled through snow and ice to defeat an enemy determined to keep the Colonists under the boot of unbearable taxation. Are their ghosts looking on now and wondering why you, their descendants, are doing nothing to oppose the modern incarnation of that oppressive power?

Related Links:
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/22/us/politics/trump-tax-bill.html
http://time.com/5041919/donald-trump-tax-reform-bill/
http://time.com/5068961/republicans-tax-bill-trump/
http://www.history.com/topics/american-revolution/battles-of-trenton-and-princeton

Still confused about what's what in the "GOP Tax Scam" and how it will affect you? Here are some helpful facts followed by a short video from Robert Reich who explains things simply through illustrations.

Trump's Trojan Horse Tax Plan
https://youtu.be/BfHjzp0PxMI

BIO: Coast Watcher looks into the past and sees where we've gone both the right way and the wrong way. But will we learn  from our Founders' example and overturn the current corrupt system which taxes us without representation and gives power to a hereditary aristocracy of the 1%? The answer to that question remains to be seen in 2017, but in the new year perhaps we'll be the change we've been looking for.

***

  

Other stories this past week that mainstream media didn't really cover because they didn't really want you to know:

NPR does a hit piece on alternative media journalist/comedian Lee Camp:

https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2017/12/lee-camp-create-nprs-propaganda-seen-hit-piece.html 

Jill Stein interview with Democracy Now after a smear campaign is started against her, reminiscent of McCarthyism: 

https://www.democracynow.org/2017/12/20/broadcast_exclusive_jill_stein_says_senate

How the US Government Hid Fracking Risks to Drinking Water:

 http://readersupportednews.org/news-section2/318-66/47504-how-the-us-government-hid-frackings-risks-to-drinking-water

***

From Sierra Club:

I'm angry, and I'm sure you're angry, too.

Congressional Republicans just passed their massive tax scam -- the worst piece of legislation in a generation -- despite its deep unpopularity. There's no way of sugar coating it: This law will have far-reaching negative consequences for families across the country and our environment.

It's an outrageous giveaway to the richest of the rich and corporate polluters at the expense of the rest of the country, and at the cost of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

But we're not giving up, we're fired up. On this bill alone, Sierra Club supporters like you sent tens of thousands of emails and made thousands of calls to key members of Congress. And we won't stop in 2018.

If you're angry about this bill, join me in pledging to continue the fight for progress in 2018. Together we can win.

Republican leaders rammed this disastrous legislation through at a breakneck pace, with no public hearings or input. There were late night, last minute changes and secretive backroom deals designed to give even more away to their corporate pals. Here are some of the worst parts of this bill:

• Opens the Arctic Refuge to oil drilling, which could have a devastating impact on the Porcupine caribou herd and the Alaska Native tribes that rely on it for subsistence
• Gives massive handouts to corporate polluters and other corporations
• Balloons our deficit by about $1.4 trillion which will force funding cuts to public health and environmental programs in the months to come¹
• Repeals a key part of the Affordable Care Act, leaving 13 million people without healthcare in the next 10 years, increasing premiums, and creating uncertainty for many hardworking families¹
• Imposes a devastating excise tax on Puerto Rico, as if it wasn't part of the United States, that would kill job-creating industries on the hurricane-ravaged island while it's still recovering²

Sign our pledge today to continue to fight for all communities, our planet, and our future.

In the face of an uphill battle with a president, cabinet, and congressional leaders that are anti-science and pals of corporate polluters, we've done a lot of pushing back. At every turn, the Trump administration or Congress has tried to pull a fast one on us. 

But we have been paying attention, and we have successfully pushed back, delayed, and even stopped some of the worst plans from being implemented. We're delaying their attempts at repealing the Clean Power Plan. We've protected the Affordable Care Act from a full repeal. We've rallied by the thousands to protect our public lands and waters. We've exposed their racist travel ban, and so much more.

This year has been an amazing show of strength of the environmental and progressive movements -- thanks to you. We have shown our real power, and we will continue into next year.

Join me in saying "I'm in" for continuing the fight for a cleaner, safer, and more just and equitable future for all. Sign the pledge.
 
Thanks for all you've done,
Michael Brune
Executive Director
Sierra Club

1 - "GOP, with tax bill finalized, makes its case to a skeptical public" Washington Post
2 - "The Final Republican Tax Bill Screws Over Puerto Rico" Mother Jones

***

From Jobs With Justice:

When you leave a tip at a restaurant, you expect it to go to the server who waited on you. Unfortunately, Trump’s Secretary of Labor, Alexander Acosta wants to make it easier for employers to steal people’s tips. 
 
We can’t let these business owners and the Trump administration get away with legalizing wage theft. Tell the Department of Labor to halt their proposed rollbacks NOW!
 
Restaurant owners and the National Restaurant Association (‘the other NRA’) have made it clear that they don’t think working people have a right to keep the tips they receive from customers. Corporate lobbyists pushing this proposal represent NRA executives of well-known brands like Outback Steakhouse, Red Lobster and Olive Garden. These greedy companies see tips as another way to line their pockets. In fact, the latest analysis shows that employers would pocket $5.8 billion if this ‘tip stealing’ rule moves forward. 

These profitable corporations are promoting a policy that will make it harder for their employees to provide for their families. This is unacceptable. Make your voice heard before it’s too late.
 
American eateries are far from being great places to work, even with the legal protections in place today. Twelve percent of people working in restaurants report stolen tips, and the majority-female workforce faces overwhelming rates of sexual harassment. In fact, the restaurant industry is the single largest source of sexual harassment complaints in the U.S. 

Secretary Acosta and the NRA are on a mission to make restaurants even worse places to work. But we know that if enough of us come together, we can stop these corporate lobbyists in their tracks. The federal comment period only is open for a limited time. Act now to fight back and stand with working people. Send a message to the Department of Labor today!
 
In Solidarity,
Ethan
Jobs With Justice 

***

From Friends of the Earth:The Trump administration is poised to hand Monsanto a license to pollute our environment, harm our health, and wipe out monarch butterflies. It could renew the registration for glyphosate, a.k.a. Roundup®, moving us further away from organic agriculture.

Roundup® is linked to a 90% decline in monarch butterflies in the last 20 years. And it’s bad for us as well -- the World Health Organization has called this pesticide is a “probable carcinogen.”

But Trump’s EPA just released a report based heavily on industry studies that contradicts the strong science showing links between glyphosate and cancer. This is a clear signal that the agency intends to allow Big Ag to keep dousing our food in this toxic chemical. We need your help to stop it!

Tell the EPA: Don’t let Monsanto wipe out monarch butterflies and poison our communities!

Over the last two decades, what used to be a roaring river of butterflies migrating to Mexico each year has become a trickle.

At the same time, the amount of Roundup® being used each year has gone from 25-30 million pounds to 180-185 million. That’s more than half a pound of pesticides for every American. The impacts on our health and the environment have been huge.

The evidence is clear: we must stop supporting a food system built on toxic pesticides like Roundup® and instead build a future of organic for all. The EPA could start by revoking the license for glyphosate. But we need your help to push it to act.

Add your name: Stop Monsanto from poisoning our environment and communities with Roundup®!

Roundup® is wiping out butterflies and putting our health at risk -- but it’s making $5 billion every year in profits for Monsanto. So surely the company is pushing the EPA to protect those profits.

Instead of caving to Monsanto, the EPA should be helping us shift toward healthy, sustainable, organic farming. After all, organic farmers don’t use glyphosate or a whole host of other toxic pesticides. Organic farming helps bees, butterflies and other beneficial insects flourish. It promotes biodiversity and is better for your health. And it improves farmers’ incomes and boosts local economies.

With Trump in charge of the EPA, it’s going to be an uphill battle to defend our food system from Monsanto. But the agency still has to consider public input. If enough people like you speak up, you can force it to help shift to a food system that works for pollinators, people and the planet.

Help save monarchs from extinction: Tell the EPA to revoke Monsanto’s license to pollute!

Standing with you,
Lisa Archer,
Food and Technology Program Director,
Friends of the Earth

***

From Politics Reborn:

Like many of you, Politics Reborn is deeply disappointed to see the Republicans pass a tax bill that will only benefit the wealthy while only worsening the situation for many lower-income communities. We could rant and rave, listing the various reasons why this tax bill is a terrible piece of legislation, but we aren't going to do that. We aren't going to tell you things you know and think about the bill. 

Instead, we are going to talk about something that we surely need more of in this movement, and that is hope. 

What’s happening in the United States right now is neither unique nor extraordinary. It is a continuation of the many sins that our history books erase. For as long as America has existed, there has been injustice. Nevertheless, there have always been people who have stood up, organized, and fought for a more just society.  

Martin Luther King Jr. once said, "The moral arc of the universe is long but it bends towards justice." The question we must ask ourselves is this: What are we doing to better assure the arc bends towards justice? 

This movement can not simply be a series of reactions to each and every horrible change that the Trump Administration has implemented. We must be proactive, not reactive. It is time to build from the ground up. It is time to organize our communities!
Volunteer for Politics Reborn Now!

We are creating something that will make a lasting impact on society but we need your help on the amazing projects we are involved in. Will you join us in our vision in implementing the programs necessary to create systemic change?

Michael Blecher
President
PoliticsReborn.org

A Christmas Story--Republican Style

A Christmas Story--Republican Style

(with many apologies to Jean Shepard)

by Cindy A. Matthews 

Ralphie knew what he wanted for Christmas. More than anything in the world Ralphie wanted a  Red Ryder Carbine Action 200-shot Range Model air rifle. But his mother (being a lowly woman without the same mental or moral capacity as a man according to their preacher) had been heavily influenced by the left wing media conspiracy full of "libtards" who smugly declared that a nine year old boy can't safely run around with a loaded weapon without hurting himself anymore than he can run around with pointed scissors and long shoelaces without tripping.

"You'll shoot your eye out," Ralphie's mom told him in no uncertain terms.

Ralphie, being an all-American, red-blood boy who knew who really was in charge, was disappointed in his mother's response, but he wasn't about to give up. 

Ralphie decided he'd get his teacher on his side in this debate. He would turn in the best essay that a boy could buy from an online essay-writing service out of India, which only charges pennies on the dollar compared to American-based ghostwriters who whined all the time about being paid a living wage.

In his well-chosen essay, Ralphie insisted that it was his God-given right to own a BB rifle and shoot the hell out of anything that crossed his path. He demanded protection for his Second Amendment rights to own a firearm--or several hundred firearms, if he so choose. 

But Ralphie's teacher recently had lost a good friend in a mass shooting at an elementary school. A middle-aged white male (who'd been having a rough time of it since he'd been downsized and lost his health care and could no longer deal with his opioid addiction) shot a whole classroom of first-graders and their teachers.

Ralphie's teacher didn't agree with Ralphie that it was okay to sell weapons to a man who wasn't in his right mind since he wasn't a Muslim terrorist. She said she didn't understand why innocent six-year-olds and their teachers had to die in order to make America great by keeping the weapons-manufacturing industry churning out products and selling them cheaply to the paranoid masses. She added that she couldn't see why voting for a adult white male who stalked and picked up teenage girls in malls was preferable to voting for a progressive, too.

Ralphie received a failing grade on his essay. When he asked why, his teacher explained, "Ralph, do your own homework next time. Besides, you'll shoot your eye out."

Disgusted, but not surprised by his teacher's callous disregard for his Second Amendment rights to bear arms, Ralphie decided to ask his Old Man directly for his ideal Christmas gift.

Ralphie had been avoiding his Old Man lately since his father had been spending a lot of time down in the cellar cursing and drinking while trying to Band-Aid their rickety oil furnace together by fencing chop-shop auto parts to scrimp up enough dough to keep it fueled so they didn't freeze. 

The Old Man blamed those liberal goody-two-shoes who wanted to build wind turbines and erect ugly solar panels everywhere for his manufacturing job being offshored to China after NAFTA became the law of the land. Who cared if their air in the crumbling inner city was growing opaque with diesel fumes and the algae-bloomed water in the lake was the color and consistency of green slime? Who cared about lead pipes? Fossil fuels were still cheap, and fracking makes perfect sense because... who'd want to drink well water anyway?

  

Ralphie realized that since the union folded a few years ago the Old Man hadn't been able to find a decent job. None of the part-time jobs his father toiled in made anywhere near that fabled $15 an hour the lazy McDonald's workers were always protesting about. The Old Man was in a chronically bad mood nowadays, but Ralphie was pleasantly surprised how his father's eyes lit up when he mentioned how much he wanted to purchase and own a weapon.

"Just the BB gun, son?" the Old Man asked, his words slightly slurred, his eyes blazing with undisguised loathing. "How about an Uzi or an AK-47? We could do some serious deer hunting with one of those. We could even take out some of those illegal Mexicans and the Muslim terrorists who've destroyed our neighborhood by moving next door. We could splatter their brains about the sidewalks and teach'em all a lesson that this country was discovered by white men and immigrants aren't wanted or necessary. What do you say, Ralph?"

Ralphie was more than a little frightened by the Old Man's enthusiastic response. He smiled, turned around slowly and fled the cellar.

Christmas morning, Ralphie was happily surprised to spy a tall, narrow package standing beside the tree. Joy, oh joy! It was the Red Ryder Carbine Action 200-shot Range Model air rifle he'd asked for all along.

"Now, be careful with that thing," his mother warned him. "We no longer have any health insurance through the CHIP program for you or your brother."

Who needs health care? Ralphie thought. New and Improved Medicare for All was for libtards and girls according to the Old Man. Ralphie couldn't wait to dress and run out into the snow to practice his shooting.

Ralphie fired his new gun first at the Bumpuses' dogs because the malnourished beasts had ran through their backdoor earlier that day and devoured their holiday turkey. Then Ralphie shot at Old Man Bumpus when he came over to complain about his bleeding pets.

A ricocheted shot hit Ralphie in the glasses and shattered a lens, but he didn't mind. Somehow his parents would figure out a way to get him a new pair. Some charity would pay for them because he'd earned it as a white male. It wasn't like he was some lazy welfare queen who didn't deserve to have her eyes taken care of that the Old Man blamed all their economic troubles on, right?

Last, but not least, Ralphie took aim at the police officers who drove past their house in response to the neighbors' calls about a "crazy kid running around with a rifle shooting at anything that moved." Thirteen seconds after the cops exited their patrol vehicle they raised their weapons and took aim.

Ralphie was pronounced dead at the scene. He was one of only a handful of white children shot by the police in their city that year--the vast majority of those killed being either African-American or Latino. Ralphie's family filed bankruptcy after they paid his funeral expenses and settled the civil suit filed against them by the Bumpuses.

It was a quiet holiday season after that. Ralphie's mother joined a self-help group for grieving mothers and even got to know their neighbors better. The Old Man bought more weapons and stashed them in the cellar. Somehow, he believed, owning all that firepower could make America great again.

BIO: Cindy A. Matthews has been the editor (and chief writer) of The Revolution Continues blog since its inception as The Bernie Blog in June 2015. For all her fighting for progressive causes, she's never received a dime (or a Red Ryder Carbine Action 200-shot Range Model air rifle such as Ralphie wanted). If you appreciate her work, please consider buying one of her fiction titles or giving a Paypal (cynthianna@hotmail.com) donation to help  keep this web site up and running in the coming year. Thank you, and may you and yours experience a truly peaceful holiday season.

 A Holiday Meditation

 by C.A. Matthews

It's a very different holiday season than last year, isn't it?

Last December, we were anxious to see how Trump and company would act upon taking their new offices, and this December we know for sure how they'll act. The following meme sums up their callous disregard for ordinary Americans:

  

The 1% get richer and the rest of us... Well, we're the 99%. It's not like we  matter to the super-wealthy, is it? They can dress up their "tax reform" all they like, but in the end, their hypocrisy shows through in the provisions that make life harder for the poor and middle classes.

Can any politician who claims to be a Christian honestly defend the current administration's positions when asked, "What would Jesus do in regards to providing health care for all Americans, especially children, veterans, the elderly and disabled? What would Jesus do when faced with refugees and others seeking a new life in a safe place?" (Whatever happened to "Love thy neighbor," Republicans? I guess the parable of Good Samaritan isn't in your Bible.)
 

If there's one good thing to come out of the Trump administration, it's now we know for sure what we're up against. We know fascists exist in this country in the year 2017, and they are considered "nice people" by our president. Compassion and empathy are character traits to be laughed at by those in power. For-profit health care and for-profit prisons are what it's all about, since you can always bilk the poor for what little pocket change they have until they drop over dead in their tracks.

Maybe there is no Santa Claus, but there's still We the People. Together we will fight these injustices, change our society for the better, and build a future to believe in. 

Have faith, progressives. Dr. Martin Luther King said he might not get to the mountain with us, but we're going to get there if we believe our cause is just. Keep believing. Keep fighting. 

Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year to you and yours. We're going to be busy in 2018, no doubt about it.

Here's a link to a great Facebook video by Upworthy about how facts don't always convince others to see your point of view. It has some tips to help others "see the light" this holiday season. 

*** 

Militarizing Our Police? No Thanks!

Jeff Sessions Protest in Toledo

photos by Adrian Matthews

Even the cold and damp couldn't dissuade protestors from gathering in front of 4 Seagate Center in downtown Toledo, Ohio on Monday afternoon. Attorney General Jeff Sessions was in town for a brief meeting with the Toledo Police Department. It seems the Feds want to militarize our streets because having a city police force alone isn't seen as enough to keep order nowadays in dying Rust Belt cities. 

Perhaps they're worried once the remainder of our manufacturing jobs (that weren't lost to NAFTA previously) are offshored we'll be rioting and marching in the streets? Toledo cops will need some Humvees and tanks to keep the peace?

And, of course, we can't be a city offering sanctuary to immigrants of any kind--especially those of a darker skin color or different religious background than Mr. Sessions.  That would be just "wrong." Right, Jeff?

 Sessions' record against the LBGTQIA community and the Dreamers speaks for itself. Several protestors took to the bullhorn to tell why they opposed his visit and the tactics the current administration is using against people of color and the disadvantaged.

Ruth Leonard with the Community Solidarity Response Network rallied the crowd for a march about the Seagate building while the meeting with Sessions and the Toledo city police administration was taking place. Shouts of "Jeff Sessions, go home!"  and "This is what democracy looks like!" rang throughout the downtown.

 Remember--you're never alone when you have right on your side.  Others feel the same way. Others want to restore democracy to our land. We can do it if we stick together and raise our voices as one.

 Speak out. Silence isn't golden--except to the greedy billionaires who want to shut us up to maintain the status quo. Power to the people!
 

Why Can't We Have Nice Things?

Why Can't We Have Nice Things?

Santa Claus has put the U.S. on his "naughty list" this year, or so it seems. That's the theme of this week's blog--where have we gone wrong. The attack on Net Neutrality, along with the Republicans' so-called "tax reform bill" (benefiting billionaires and corporations), and the revelation of widespread sexual harassment by males in position of power give testament to how we as a society have gone the wrong way and allowed "naughty boys" to take charge. The ultimate demonstration of how low we've sunk is our continued drone wars and Trump recently naming Jerusalem as the capital of modern-day Israel, all but guaranteed to stoke the flames of conflict in the Middle East for years to come.

It's high time to stop this naughtiness and allow ordinary Americans to have the nice things we deserve. Our guest contributors discuss important topics that should be on the "shopping list of our conscience" this holiday time. Let's work to make this a season of peace on Earth, goodwill to all mankind and not just the greedy, hateful 1%. Power to the people--not the corporations!

 ***

First, we take a look back and see how far we've...not come.  Our resident historian notes some disturbing parallels with the past that we should all be cognizant of and vow never to repeat.

A Warning from Nuremberg

by Coast Watcher

“I cannot subscribe to the perverted reasoning that society may advance and strengthen the rule of law by the expenditure of morally innocent lives but that progress in law may never be made at the price of morally guilty lives.” ~ Judge Robert H. Jackson, Chief American Prosecutor of the Nuremberg Trials.

We have to face the fact that a fascist currently occupies the office once held by Presidents Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Dwight D. Eisenhower. That Trump is a fascist is not in doubt; his actions and words point to a philosophy little different to Adolf Hitler's through the 1920s, 30s and 40s. Trump admitted his favorite bedtime reading is Mein Kampf, that flatulent and poorly-written polemic against the Jews and everything else Hitler despised. It even formed Trump’s game plan for his successful campaign to become president in 2016.
 

Wars of aggression did not originate with Trump. American involvement in Vietnam began under the Kennedy administration and continued through those of Johnson and Nixon. It was a war purely of doctrine. Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara convinced Kennedy that the Southeast Asian countries would "fall to Communism like dominoes" if steps weren’t taken. Subsequent events proved McNamara wrong to the point that even he realized his error.

Under Ronald Reagan, concerns over a coup d’etat in the Caribbean island of Granada led to a US invasion on October 25, 1983. Supposedly it was prompted due to concerns over the safety of 600 US medical students on the island and consequent fears of a repeat of the Iran hostage crisis. On November 2, 1983 the United Nations General Assembly condemned the US invasion as "a flagrant violation of international law" with a vote of 108 to 9.

Although a case can be made that the First Gulf War came about as a consequence of the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait – the need to punish Iraq for launching a war of aggression aimed at seizing territory and resources – the subsequent Second Gulf War was one purely of acquisition by America. In the objective desire by Big Oil to seize the oilfields of Iraq it’s no better than Hitler’s annexation of Austria, the Czechoslovakian Sudetenland, Czechoslovakia itself, and the later conquest of most European and Scandinavian countries. 

All of Hitler’s acts of conquest, slaughter and pillage were roundly condemned at the Nuremberg Trials – especially by American lawyers – yet the world seems abjectly quiescent on the more recent crimes of the United States.
 

Drone bombings are taking place around the clock in the Middle East and Afghanistan. American hired mercenaries – notably those controlled by the Frontier Services Group, formerly known as the Blackwater Corporation, owned by Secretary of Education DeVos’ brother Erik Prince – are fighting in most theaters of conflict. Note how the establishment has learned its lesson from public revulsion at seeing multitudes of body bags and caskets returning their dead loved ones from Vietnam. Dead mercenaries don’t generate anywhere near as much bad publicity.

American adventures are expanding into Africa and Yemen. Somalia is once again a target for harboring terrorists. Trump is making preparations for war against North Korea, which will probably be launched in March 2018 when the better military campaigning weather arrives in that part of the world. Big Businesses – especially Big Oil and the Military-Industrial Complex are enjoying huge profits from the rape of Middle Eastern countries. They are positively salivating over the prospect of looting North Korea’s substantial reserves of mineral wealth.

All the above begs the question: where did it  go wrong? How did the United States progress from the enlightened desire to prevent further wars of aggression through international law to the current policy of looting whatever it wants from whomever it can bully and beat into the ground?

Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Reagan, Bush Sr., Clinton, Bush Jr., Obama, and now Trump  are all culpable of wars of aggression. Trump in particular is alienating the world at a time when the United States can ill afford to lose international prestige. Perhaps the ghosts of those dead Nazis hanged in Nuremberg are looking on, laughing and shaking their heads at such hypocrisy. 

You can be sure Judge Robert H. Jackson, the champion of international law as a means to peace, is rolling in his grave.

Sources: The Nuremberg Trial, by Ann & John Tusa, Atheneum Press, 1983
Nuremberg Diary, Dr. G M Gilbert, Da Capo Press, 1995 (Gilbert 1947). 

BIO: Coast Watcher studies history and sees way too many parallels between the fascism of WW II Europe and the current American administration's tactics. Let's do all we can to prevent repeating this kind of history!

***

Eddie has done his homework on the Trump Administration's FCC head (and former Verizon Wireless attorney) Ajit Pai's  assault on Net Neutrality.  Here's what he's learned.

The War for Net Neutrality
Eddie Alvarado

We’ve gone through a whole summer and a majority of the fall waiting for the Federal Communications Commission to announce its final vote to repeal the Title II status of the internet, assigned during the Obama Administration. As of this writing, that vote date is December 14.

On July 12, 2017, thousands protested to defend internet freedom. In just one day, websites both small and large participated in one of the biggest online protests ever, reaching tens of millions of people, driving over 2 million comments to the FCC and over 5 million emails—and over 124,000 calls—to members of Congress.

I wrote letters and attached a Joint Resolution to the Republican Leadership in Congress. I called to condemn the FCC and their actions almost five months ago and never received a response. Over 22 million people have made comments on their website. (This article will tell you how to make your comments to the FCC.) With that unprecedented amount, you’d expect to see them slowing down or even stopping the proceedings since the public won't tolerate this motion one bit. But this is the United States, and we’ve legalized this kind of misrepresentation in our government. An overwhelming majority of our nation can be in an uproar in the streets, but we are silenced by less than 1% of the nation due to their lobbying efforts.
 

This is a major test in our history. Are we going to fight for what's right and stop what is wrong with our government? Are we going to take back the power of the people from government over reach, over reach that violates the will of the people, over reach that says f*** it and f*** your opinion--the opinion of tens of millions of Americans in support of internet Title II protections?

Our country was built on the notion of freedom. We were built to stop the government and its actions if they are reprehensible. What’s stopping us now? 

Chairman Pai is using the establishment press to claim those who are concerned about internet neutrality are just conspiracy theorists, and there will always be net neutrality. But he fails to tell people his version of net neutrality is through the ransoming of basic websites. The actual net neutrality we have today is only going to be available to the rich who can afford the exorbitant fees that will be tacked on to access the websites we use daily.

Congress has its own bills regarding Net Neutrality. One of them is S 993, which effectively solidifies the actions the Federal Communications Commission will take on the 14th. It will take a whole Congress to reverse it, but GOP obstruction will prolong any attempt to do so. The bill has stayed dormant since it was introduced, but it can be rushed through like HR 1 was rushed through. There are five Democrats in the House in support of this bill--one of them being my representative, Albio Sires (D/NJ-8), a sucker for the telecommunications industry. He is ready to put a price tag on how we run our lives.

Ajit Pai would make us believe he would encourage states' rights, allowing states to make net neutrality laws of their own. If this vote passes on December 14 the tools we’ve used as progressives to organize, to increase awareness of situations at hand, are most likely going to slip from our reach. People have become more aware about issues affecting our nation since 2016, and all that work will be for nothing if Title II net neutrality protection goes away.

If you’re pissed off at your government for openly trying to sell your life to corporations, and you’re ready to fight, go to http://battleforthenet.com. Whether we win or lose on the 14th, something unprecedented is going to happen in this country, either through the growing  awareness of people disillusioned by politics, or the right wingers who believe in the Trump Administration, or the growing number of activists willing to take to the streets for the issues and causes they support. People are angry, and this shows how the government isn’t working for the common man.

The government has not worked for the people for a long, long time, and they have become comfortable about it. Ajit Pai has openly joked about how he is a Verizon hack. Pornographic sites are more concerned about your rights than the government we actively pay taxes to, and that says something about the state of our nation. We need to stop them in their tracks.

We stopped them on their attempt to destroy health care more than 50 times during the Obama Administration, and we killed their chances to pass HR 1628. We have a chance to stop the final aspects of HR 1, and they are scrambling for votes. But we can’t stop them and their attempts to f*** the nation if we don’t save Title II net neutrality.

This week, make calls like your minutes don’t matter. You might not be able to afford them later. This week send even more emails to Chairman Pai and overload their comments section. Call the FCC, call and email Congress, and tell them we’re not going to let them get away with this. We rise and become vocal and save our futures, or we sit and die, silent

Bio: Eddie, a young adult from New Jersey, is fighting hard for the political revolution. You can read more of his blogs online at Medium.com.

 ***

Tips on how to stop the #GOPTaxScam:

First, call 1-855-980-2350 to be connected to your Representative and tell them to vote to go to conference on the tax bill. We want to make sure that the House does not pass the Senate version as-is. If we can delay the process, we increase our chances of defeating the tax scam.

Then, write a letter to the editor expressing how the Tax Scam will affect your life and be a detriment to our economy, healthcare and social systems. Media coverage of the bill so far has highlighted what a scam it is, and we need that to continue. Our Senators didn't listen to the hundreds of thousands of phone calls made in the last few weeks, but they cannot continue to ignore the avalanche of bad press. It's our job to keep that going!

***

Tell Congress: "A new Americans for Tax Fairness report shows how the pharmaceutical industry will get an $80 billion tax break under the Trump tax scam while continuing to price gouge the American people. Tell Congress to reject a tax plan that rewards Big Pharma while doing nothing to rein in skyrocketing drug prices." If Donald Trump and Congressional Republicans pass their massive tax cuts largely benefiting the richest 1% and wealthy corporations, a big winner will be the pharmaceutical industry, which wields enormous power through a small army of corporate lobbyists. A new report by Americans for Tax Fairness highlights how Big Pharma has price gouged all of us while stashing billions of dollars in untaxed profits offshore. The report describes how, between 2011 and 2015, the Pharma Big 10 (the nation's 10 largest drug companies) jacked up the prices charged to consumers, Medicare and Medicaid, for 31 of their most widely-prescribed drugs by an average of 40% to 70%! And, in 2016, the Pharma Big 10 had $506 billion in untaxed profits stashed offshore. These profits soared by two-thirds since 2011, as drug prices skyrocketed. If Congress passes Trump’s terrible tax plan, the Pharma Big 10 would get an estimated tax cut of $80 BILLION on their offshore profits. Sign the petition! Stand with Americans for Tax Fairness and demand that instead of handing the Pharma Big 10 an $80 billion tax break, Congress should rein in drug prices and ensure that drug companies pay their fair share of taxes. Senator Bernie Sanders said: “This important new report highlights what we already know—pharmaceutical companies are gouging the public with outrageous prescription drug prices, while dodging tens of billions of dollars in U.S. taxes on their offshore profits. But instead of doing anything to rein in these tax dodgers, the Republican tax plan rewards drug companies with massive tax cuts on their current and future offshore profits. These corporations can no longer be allowed to rip off Americans, who already pay the highest prescription drug prices in the world. Instead of giving big pharmaceutical companies that are sheltering their profits overseas a massive tax break, we must demand that they pay their fair share of taxes so that we can rebuild the disappearing middle class.” The Pharma Big 10 shouldn’t receive a massive tax break in a tax plan that will result in cuts to Medicare and raises taxes on 87 million middle-class Americans! Sign the petition to Congress demanding that they reject a tax plan that gives even bigger tax cuts to the pharmaceutical industry and other multinational tax dodgers than they get already. Together, we’re demanding a tax system and a healthcare system that works for everyone, not just the wealthy few. Thank you, Frank Clemente Executive Director Americans for Tax Fairness

***

Want to know what war on the poor looks like? Let's do a quick reality check:

McDonald's is reaping an over 700 million dollar tax break with the help of politicians while paying us barely enough to survive.

This greed is about to be supersized.

Republican senators just passed the most unfair, anti-worker tax plan in history. It will ensure that even more money goes to line the pockets of the wealthiest people and the biggest corporations in our country.

We can't let that happen.

Before this plan becomes law, Congress will have to "reconcile" the two versions passed by the Senate and House. This is our very LAST CHANCE to kill, or at least weaken, their tax plan.

Call your members of Congress NOW at 1-855-713-0060 to let them know that you oppose the tax bill.

Let me be real with you. I make $8.90 working at McDonald's, hardly enough to support my 2 kids and make rent. Meanwhile, corporate executives are living in unimaginable luxury on the backs of their workers and taxpayers.

Huge corporations like McDonald's don't need more tax breaks – they're already reaping in massive profits while leaving us to rely on dwindling programs like Medicaid and food stamps instead of paying us fair wages.

This is class war, there's no denying it. We need to take our fight to the next level. Pick up your phone and call Congress now at 1-855-713-0060

Let your members of Congress know that handing over our country to billionaires is wrong. They're supposed to advocate for us and this tax bill does the exact opposite.

As long as we stay quiet, this will continue to happen. It's total hypocrisy – they give billions to the rich and turn around and call us greedy for wanting higher wages and healthcare. They will continue to wage war on the poor until we fight back.

That's why we need to keep calling. Call Congress today and tell them to stop this tax plan: 1-855-713-0060

I'm glad we're in this fight together.

Fight on,
Antwan Williams
McDonald's Employee
Detroit, MI

***

Courtesy of the Sanders Institute, an open letter to share with our elected representatives...

December 4, 2017
An Open Letter to the U.S. Congress
The tax plan will have disastrous consequences for the American people

Dear Senators and Representatives:

The current tax plan will prove ineffective at best. More likely, it will further the collapse of wages and widen the already dangerous levels of income and wealth inequality that have become so obvious that both political parties referenced them during the 2016 presidential campaign. Our central problem is not insufficient profits for corporations. Consumers, not employers, are the real job creators and cutting the corporate tax rate won’t jumpstart the economy. The key to getting businesses to hire and invest is to swamp them with demand for their products, something that is accomplished by raising the incomes of the poor and the middle-class and not those at the very top of the income distribution. Unfortunately, not only have the former faced stagnating wages and unemployment, but they are burdened by mortgage debt, credit card debt, student debt, and payday loan debt. Little wonder this has been the weakest recovery in the post-World War Two era.

Cut taxes for the poor and the middle class and we will see an increase in wages and the creation of the kind of full-time jobs that we so desperately need. Cut corporate tax rates and corporations will end up sitting on an even bigger stockpile of cash. Period. There is no reason to believe that any jobs would come back to the United States or that more funds would be invested here. Firms invest because they expect strong demand for their products, not simply because they have higher profits. Strong demand will only materialize if consumers are empowered with higher wages and relieved of their debt burden.

We, the undersigned economists, stand firmly opposed to the President’s tax plan. Reforms of some sort are not unwarranted, but if our goal is to improve the lives of American workers then this is absolutely not the route to take. Indeed, it may prove to be disastrous. Tax cuts that create economic growth start at the bottom, not at the top. It is not too late to make the current bill into something that could spur growth and employment and usher in a new era of prosperity for all Americans.

Sincerely,

John T. Harvey, Professor of Economics, Texas Christian University, TX

Stephanie Kelton, Professor of Public Policy and Economics, Stony Brook University, NY

Fadhel Kaboub, Associate Professor of Economics, Denison University, OH

James K. Galbraith, Lloyd M. Bentsen Jr. Chair in Government/Business Relations and a Professorship of Government, the LBJ School of Public Affairs, University of Texas, Austin, TX

Aaron Pacitti, Associate Professor of Economics and the Douglas T. Hickey Chair in Business, Siena College, NY

Agnes Quisumbing, PhD Economics, Senior Research Fellow at International Food Policy Research Institute, Washington DC

Alan Aja, Associate Professor and Deputy Chairperson Puerto Rican and Latino Studies, Brooklyn College, NY

Alexander Binder, Assistant Professor of Economics, Finance & Banking, Pittsburg State University, KS

Alexandra Bernasek, Sr. Associate Dean & Professor of Economics, Colorado State University, CO

Alfonso Flores-Lagunes, Professor of Economics, Syracuse University, NY

Allison Shwachman Kaminaga, PhD, Lecturer in Economics, Bryant University, MA

Andrew Barenberg, Assistant Professor of Economics, St. Martin's University, WA

Andrew Larkin, Emeritus Professor of Economics, St Cloud State University, MN

Anita Dancs, Associate Professor of Economics, Western New England University, MA

Antonio Callari, Professor of Economics, Franklin and Marshall College, PA

Antonio J. Fernós-Sagebien, PhD Economist

Arthur MacEwan, Professor Emeritus of Economics, University of Massachusetts Boston, MA

Avanti Mukherjee, Assistant Professor of Economics, SUNY Cortland, NY

Avraham Baranes, Assistant Professor of Economics, Rollins College, FL

Baban Hasnat, Professor of Economics, The College of Brockport, SUNY, NY

Barbara Wiens-Tuers, Associate Professor of Economics Ermerita, Penn State Altoona, PA

Bernard Smith, Associate Professor of Economics, Drew University, NJ

Brian Werner, PhD Economist at USDA

Bruce Pietrykowski, Professor of Economics, University of Michigan at Dearborn, MI

Cameron Ellis, Assistant Professor of Economics, Temple University, PA

Carol Scotton, Associate Professor of Economics, Knox College, IL

Charalampos Konstantinidis, Assistant Professor of Economics, University of Massachusetts at Boston, MA

Charles Becker, Research Professor of Economics, Duke University, NC

Charu Charusheela, Professor, Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences, University of Washington, Bothell, WA

Chiara Piovani, Assistant Professor of Economics, University of Denver, CO

Chris Tilly, PhD in Economics and Urban Studies and Planning, Professor of Urban Planning at UCLA, CA

Christopher Brown, Professor of Economics, Arkansas State University, AR

Clara Mattei, Assistant Professor of Economics, New School for Social Research, NY

Dale Tussing, Professor Emeritus of Economics, Syracuse University, NY

Dania Francis, Assistant Professor of Economics, University of Massachusetts at Amherst, MA

Daniel Lawson, Professor of Economics, Oakland Community College, MI

Daniele Tavani, Associate Professor of Economics, Colorado State University, CO

Daphne Greenwood, Professor of Economics, University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, CO

Darrick Hamilton, Associate Professor of Economics and Urban Policy at The Milano School of International Affairs, Management and Urban Policy and the Department of Economics, New School for Social Research, NY

David Eil, Assistant professor of Economics, George Mason University, VA

David Zalewski, Professor of Economics, Providence College, RI

Dell Champlin, PhD economist, Instructor of Economics, Oregon State University, OR

Devin T. Rafferty, Assistant Professor of Economics and Finance, Saint Peter's University, NJ

Don Goldstein, Emeritus Professor of Economics, Allegheny College, PA

Dorene Isenberg, Professor of Economics, University of Redlands, CA

Douglas Bowles, Assistant Director, Center for Economic Information, University of Missouri at Kansas City, MO

Edith Kuiper, Assistant Professor of Economics, SUNY New Paltz, NY

Edward J Nell, Emeritus Professor, New School for Social Research, NY, and Vice-President, Henry George School of Social Science, Chief Economist, RECIPCO Corp

Eiman Zein-Elabdin, Professor of Economics, Franklin & Marshall College, PA

Elaine McCrate, Associate Professor of Economics and Women's and Gender Studies, University of Vermont, VT 

Elba Brown-Collier, PhD Economist

Elhussien Mansour, PhD Economist, Senior Financial Analyst, Royal Consulate General of Saudi Arabia, NY

Elizabeth Ramey, Associate Professor of Economics at Hobart and William Smith Colleges, NY

Emily Blank, Associate Professor of Economics, Howard University, Washington DC

Ellis Scharfenaker, Assistant Professor of Economics, University of Missouri - Kansas City, MO

Enid Arvidson, Ph.D. economist, Associate Professor, College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs, University of Texas at Arlington, TX

Eric Tymoigne, Associate Professor of Economics at Lewis and Clark College, Portland, OR

Erik Dean, Ph.D., Instructor of Economics, Portland Community College, OR

F. Gregory Hayden, Professor of Economics (retired), University of Nebraska-Lincoln, NE

Farida Khan, Professor of Economics, University of Wisconsin at Parkside, WI

Fatma Gul Unal, Assistant Professor of Economics, Hobart and William Smith Colleges, NY

Firat Demir, Associate Professor of Economics, University of Oklahoma Norman, OK

Flavia Dantas, Associate Professor of Economics, SUNY Cortland, NY

Frank McLaughlin, Associate Professor of Economics (retired), Boston College, MA

Fred Moseley, Professor of Economics at Mount Holyoke College, MA

Frederic Jennings, PhD economist, Economic Consultant, MA

Gary Mongiovi, Associate Professor of Economics and Finance, St. John's University, NY

Geoffrey Schneider, Professor of Economics, Bucknell University, PA

George DeMartino, PhD economist, Professor at the Josef Korbel School of International Studies, University of Denver, CO

Gerald Epstein, Professor of Economics, University of Massachusetts Amherst, MA

Glen Atkinson, Foundation Professor of Economics Emeritus, University of Nevada, Reno, NV

Haider A. Khan, John Evans Distinguished University Professor, Professor of Economics, University of Denver, CO

Haimanti Bhattacharya, Associate Professor of Economics, University of Utah, UT

Haydar Kurban, Associate Professor of Economics, Howard University, Washington DC

Hector Saez, PhD Economist, Faculty in Community Economic Development, Chatham University, PA

Howard Stein, Professor in the Department of Afroamerican and African Studies (DAAS) and the Department of Epidemiology at the University of Michigan, MI

Hyun Woong Park, Assistant Professor of Economics, Denison University, OH

Ilene Grabel, Professor of Economics in the Josef Korbel School of International Studies at the University of Denver, CO

James G. Devine, Professor of Economics, Loyola Marymount University, CA

James Sturgeon, Professor of Economics, University of Missouri - Kansas City, MO

Jeffrey S. Zax, Professor of Economics, University of Colorado Boulder, CO

Jennifer Olmsted, Professor of Economics, Drew University, NJ

Jim Peach, Regents and Chevron Endowed Professor of Economics, Applied Statistics, and International Business, New Mexico State University, NM

Joelle Leclaire, Associate Professor of Economics and Finance, SUNY Buffalo State, NY.

Johan Uribe, Assistant Professor of Economics, Denison University, OH

John Dennis Chasse, PhD Economist

John Hall, Professor of Economics, Portland State University, OR

John F. Henry, Professor of Economics (retired), California State University, Sacramento, CA

John Sarich, Economist at New York City Department of Finance and Cooper Union, NY

John Willoughby, Professor of Economics, American University, Washington DC

Jon Wisman, Professor of Economics at American University, Washington DC

Jonathan Cogliano, Assistant Professor of Economics, Dickinson College, PA

Jonathan Millman, Lecturer in Economics at University of Massachusetts at Boston, MA

Jonathan Wight, Professor of International Economics, University of Richmond, VA

Jose Caraballo, Assistant Professor of Economics, University of Puerto Rico, PR

Joseph Vavrus, Assistant Professor of Economics, University of Redlands, CA

Julie Nelson, Professor of Economics at the University of Massachusetts Boston, MA

Julio Huato, Associate Professor of Economics, Francis College, NY

June Lapidus, Associate Professor of Economics, Roosevelt University, IL

Karl Petrick, Assistant Professor of Economics, Western New England University, MA

Katherine Moos, Assistant Professor of Economics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and Economist at the Political Economy Research Institute, MA

Kazim Konyar, Professor of Economics, California State University, San Bernardino, CA

Kimberly Christensen, Professor of Economics, Sarah Lawrence College, NY

Korkut Erturk, Professor of Economics, University of Utah, UT

Lance Taylor, Arnhold Professor Emeritus, New School for Social Research, NY

Laurence Krause, Associate Professor and Chair of Economics, SUNY Old Westbury, NY

Laurie DeMarco, Principal Economist Federal Reserve System, Washington DC

Leanne Roncolato, Assistant Professor of Economics, Franklin and Marshall College, PA

Linda Loubert, Associate Professor and Interim Chair of Economics at Morgan State University

Linwood Tauheed, Associate Professor of Economics, University of Missouri-Kansas City, MO

Lorenzo Garbo, Professor of Economics, University of Redlands, CA

Maggie R. Jones, Economist at US Census, Washington DC

Maliha Safri, Associate Professor of Economics, Drew University, NJ

Marc Tomljanovich, Professor of Economics and Business, Executive Director of Business Programs, Director, Wall Street Semester Program, Drew University, NJ

Marilyn Power, Professor Emerita of Economics, Sarah Lawrence College, NY

Mark Maier, Professor of Economics, Glendale Community College, CA

Mark Paul, Postdoctoral Associate at the Samuel DuBois Cook Center on Social Equity, DukeUniversity, NC

Mark Setterfield, Professor of Economics, New School for Social Research, NY

Marlene Kim, Faculty Staff Union President and Professor Department of Economics, University of Massachusetts Boston, MA

Mary King, Professor of Economics, Portland State University, OR

Mathew Forstater, Professor of Economics, University of Missouri Kansas City, MO

Mayo Toruno, Professor Emeritus, California State University, San Bernardino, CA

Mehrene Larudee, Associate Professor of Economics, Hampshire College, MA

Michael Hudson, Professor of Economics, University of Missouri in Kansas City, MO, and Research Scholar at the Levy Economics Institute of Bard College, NY

Michael J. Murray, Associate Professor of Economics, Bemidji State University, MN

Michael Meeropol, Professor of Economics (retired), Wester New England University, MA

Michael Nuwer, Professor of Economics, SUNY Potsdam, NY

Michalis Nikiforos, Research Scholar at the Levy Economics Institute, NY

Mitch Green, PhD economist, Bonneville Power Administration, OR

Mona Ali, Assistant Professor of Economics, SUNY New Paltz, NY

Nancy Bertaux, Professor of Economics & Sustainability, Xavier University, OH

Nancy Folbre, Professor Emerita of Economics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, MA

Nancy Rose, Professor of Economics, California State University, San Bernardino, CA

Nasrin Shahinpoor, Professor of Economics, Hanover College, IN

Nathaniel Cline, Assistant Professor of Economics, University of Redlands CA

Neva Goodwin, Co-Director of the Global Development And Environment Institute, Tufts University, MA

Nicholas Reksten, Assistant Professor of Economics, University of Redlands, CA

Nicholas Shunda, Associate Professor of Economics, University of Redlands, CA

Nina Banks, Associate Professor of Economics, Bucknell University, PA

Nurul Aman, Senior Lecturer in Economics, University of Massachusetts at Boston, MA

Omar S. Dahi, Associate Professor of Economics, Hampshire College, MA

Patrick Walsh, Associate Professor of Economics, St. Michael's College, VT

Paul Smolen, Vice President Fox Smolen and Associates (formerly economist at the Public Utility Commission of Texas), TX

Paula Cole, Teaching Assistant Professor of Economics, University of Denver, CO

Pavlina R. Tcherneva, Chair and Associate Professor of Economics, Bard College, NY

Peter Bohmer, Economics Faculty, Evergreen State College, WA

Peter Eaton, Associate Professor of Economics, Director of the Center for Economic

Information, University of Missouri at Kansas City, MO

Peter Dorman, Professor of Political Economy, Evergreen State College, WA

Philip Harvey, Professor of Law and Economics, Rutgers University, NJ

Praopan Pratoomchat, Assistant Professor, School of Business and Economics, University of Wisconsin Superior, WI

Pratistha Joshi, Postdoc Scholar at Global Development and Environment Institute, Tufts University, MA

Radhika Balakrishnan, Professor of Women's and Gender Studies, Rutgers University, NJ

Raechelle Mascarenhas, Associate Professor of Economics, Willamette University, OR

Ramaa Vasudevan, Associate Professor of Economics, Colorado State University, CO

Randy Albelda, Graduate Program Director and Professor of Economics, and Senior Research Fellow, Center for Social Policy, University of Massachusetts at Boston, MA

Reynold F. Nesiba, Professor of Economics, Augustana University, SD

Richard D. Wolff, Professor of Economics Emeritus, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, and currently visiting Professor in the Graduate Program in International Affairs of the New School University, NY

Richard McGahey, PhD in economics, former Executive Director of the Congressional Joint Economic Committee

Robert Blecker, Professor of Economics, American University, Washington DC

Robert Pollin, Distinguished Professor of Economics and Co-Director of the Political Economy Research Institute, University of Massachusetts-Amherst, MA

Robert Scott III, Professor of Economics and Finance, Monmouth University, NJ

Robin L. Bartlett, Professor of Economics, Denison University, OH

Rodney Green, Professor, Chair and Executive Director, Center for Urban Progress Department of Economics, Howard University, Washington DC

Ross M. LaRoe, Associate Professor of Economics Emeritus, Denison University, OH

Rudiger von Arnim, Associate Professor of Economics, University of Utah, UT

Sarah Jacobson, Associate Professor of Economics, Williams College, MA

Savvina Chowdhury, Ph.D., Economics Faculty, Evergreen State College, WA

Scott Carter, Associate Professor of Economics, University of Tulsa, OK

Scott Fullwiler, Assistant Professor of Economics, University of Missouri at Kansas City, MO

Shaianne Osterreich, Associate Professor of Economics, Ithaca College, NY

Shakuntala Das, Assistant Professor of Economics, SUNY Potsdam, NY

Sheila Martin, Director of the Population Research Center and of the Institute of Portland Metropolitan Studies, Service and Research Centers, Portland State University, OR

Sohrab Behdad, John E. Harris Professor of Economics, Denison University, OH

Spencer Pack, Professor of Economics, Connecticut College, CT

Sripad Motiram, Associate Professor of Economics, University of Massachusetts Boston, MA

Stacey Jones, PhD Economics, Senior Instructor of Economics, Seattle University, WA

Stephanie Seguino, Professor of Economics, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT

Stephen Bannister, Assistant Professor of Economics, University of Utah, UT

Steven Pressman, Professor of Economics, Colorado State University, CA

Sujata Verma, Professor of Economics at Notre Dame de Namur University in Belmont, CA

Susan Feiner, Professor of Economics and Women and Gender Studies, University of Southern Maine, ME

Tara Natarajan, Professor of Economics, St. Michael's College, VT

Ted Schmidt, Associate Professor of Economics, SUNY Buffalo State, NY

Teresa Ghilarducci, Professor of Economics, New School for Social Research, NY

Thea Harvey-Barratt, Faculty in Economics, Bard College at Simon's Rock, MA