Bill Moyers: The Plutocracy Will Go to Extremes to Keep the 1% in Control

[xchrom]

http://www.alternet.org/economy/bill-moyers-plutocracy-will-go-extremes-keep-1-control

The One Percent is not only increasing their share of wealth — they’re using it to spread millions among political candidates who serve their interests. Example: Goldman Sachs, which gave more money than any other major American corporation to Barack Obama in 2008, is switching alliances this year; their employees have given $900,000 both to Mitt Romney’s campaign and to the pro-Romney super PAC Restore Our Future. Why?

Because, says the Wall Street Journal, the Goldman Sachs gang felt betrayed by President Obama’s modest attempts at financial reform. To discuss how the super-rich have willfully confused their self-interest with America’s interest, Bill is joined by Rolling Stone magazine’s Matt Taibbi, who regularly shines his spotlight on scandals involving big business and government, and journalist Chrystia Freeland, author of the new book Plutocrats: The Rise of the New Global Super-Rich and the Fall of Everyone Else .

BILL MOYERS: The new Gilded Age is roaring down on us, an uncaged tiger on a rampage. Walk out to the street in front of our office and turn right and you can see the symbol of it: a fancy new skyscraper going up two blocks away. When finished, this high rise among high rises will tower a thousand feet, the tallest residential building in the city.

The New York Times has dubbed it "the global billionaires club," and for good reason. At least of two of the apartments are under contract for more than $90 million each. Others, more modest, range in price from $45 million to more than 50 million.

[Ilsa]

1. Oh good. Let's hope they all move into

Into one building. It'll be easier to find them
A. outside on the sidewalk after the next big crash; or
B. after the guillotine is dusted off.

[CanonRay]

2. The 1%ers are going to bring a revolution to this country

if it stays on this path. People will only stand so much, and then there will be big trouble.

[Teamster Jeff]

6. You are right and the 1% agrees with you.

Militarized police forces across the country are training on Occupy protesters. Indefinite detention rules are in effect.

[Texin]

7. They can't lock all of us up

and unless they repeal the Second Amendment, we're still armed... just sayin'

[Arugula Latte]

11. I don't know -- millions of dumbass Americans will still think they predatory capitalist Republican

party is on their side. No amount of evidence to the contrary seems to sway them.

People in this country are fucking stupid. A good deal of that stems from a culture of embracing irrational thought, i.e. religious idiocy. Also, the media is of course in the can for the richest power players.

[jsr]

3. This is a must read.

[whirlygigspin]

4. video

<iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/51735212?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0" width="500" height="281" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe> <p><a href="http://vimeo.com/51735212">Matt Taibbi and Chrystia Freeland on the One Percent's Power and Privileges</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user9013478">BillMoyers.com</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>

[jsr]

5. Thanks!

Both guests were superb.

[snagglepuss]

10. Thanks for posting. Very enlightening. Highly recommend.

[Zorro]

8. Excellent program last night

The seeming consensus was that unless there's a change in direction, the US is returning to a second Gilded Age and a highly stratified social order and impoverished "middle" class.

Their discussions on how the rich truly are different, with different perceptions and beliefs, was quite insightful.

[OSPREYXIV]

9. They won't have much time to spend it.

Primates fleeing a perceived threat instinctively seek safety by climbing the nearest tree. It is an instinctive reaction learned in prehistory on the African savannahs where our species evolved.

Unfortunately, we are trapped in an illusion based on a false assumption, the Malthusian theory that essential resources necessary for life can only be made to increase in a linear fashion but human population grows geomettically, so the many must toil and die in service of the few.

However, the past 300 years demonstrate that enlightened people who are allowed to govern themselves in a way thay enables them to enjoy their God-given rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, will create a fair and just society that will strive to make a world in which their shared goal becomes the success of all humanity, not just the 1% who are where they are due only to the grace of fortunate circumstances they feel entitled to abuse, mistakenly believing that Divine Providence makes them special. They eat, drink, breathe the same air and will die just like the rest of us, clinging much more tightly to their illusions of immortality.

How can just a few people maintain power over so many? Their ability to create such leverage is made possible only through their control of our perception. They frame the argument. However, this is not about a conspiracy theory that intends to confuse the issue. This is not about a secret cabal. The arrangement is hidden in plain sight. "They" are certainly not the Freemasons, Jews, Communists or aliens from another galaxy. "They" are just frightened monkeys whose fear overrides their reason. Their fear has banded them together and if we let them control our
perception. that fear will maintain control our view of reality and that split, the "us versus them" mentality, traps us in circular thought, hopeless despair and constant fear. Divide and conquer. That's what they want. It's how they rule.
Forget about it. Forget about them.

Here we are, two plus weeks from an election
that changes the status quo a little bit more for the better or takes us back, not two steps, but down an entire flight of stairs. If you are reading this, you are a citizen of the 21st century, living on/in the Newest Frontier, where the same ideas and principles that shaped the Constitution of the United States of America are alive and well. You are a person who understands how important it is to maintain our democratically constituted republic, living in freedom under the rule of just laws, not under the misrule of a few who believe the law just doesn't apply to them.

Remember that our real struggle begins the first Wednesday after the first Monday in November.
We will not settle for victory. We struggle to free ourselves, our minds, and our futures, not only for ourselves, but for all of humanity. We can and will save the planet from greedy monkeys who would cut down every tree, pollute every stream and poison the air and soil to maintain a puppet show that has outlived its time and purpose.

There is more than enough to go around. We need more sustainable electrical energy all over the planet in order to provide water to regreen deserts (Syrians are fleeing to crowded cities as drought devours their land), restore rain forests being destroyed for commodity crops (trees make it rain so let's make it rain trees) and to build new schools everywhere, where we learn to teach each other how to solve our problems together.

If the old world is dying, let's build a new one on top of it. Right now, right here, everywhere.
We are the people who have govermed and will continue to govern ourselves. Banish all fear!
More love, more light!