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Octafish

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36. The Myth of American Democracy – Money Talks and Those Without Money Have No Voice

Sat Apr 25, 2015, 02:19 PM

Apr 2015

By Margaret Kimberley
Global Research, April 24, 2014

A new (Princeton) study confirms the obvious: the will of the people carries no weight in the United States. Within the nation’s borders democracy is everywhere proclaimed but nowhere to be found. These truths we hold to be self-evident: “ordinary citizens have virtually no influence over what their government does in the United States.”

SNIP...

While this study has however briefly changed public discourse, it is important to note that the disregard of popular will is obvious for all to see. If this were not true, the minimum wage would be higher, there would be no cuts to entitlement programs, and Americans would have a single payer health care system. There would be no NAFTA or TPP free trade agreements which force a race to the bottom for workers, destroy entire eco-systems and violate national and popular sovereignty. If this country were truly democratic, the city of Detroit would not have filed for bankruptcy for the simple reason that voters in Detroit and in the state of Michigan voted to repeal the emergency manager law which brought bankruptcy into being.

CONTINUED...

http://www.globalresearch.ca/the-myth-of-american-democracy-money-talks-and-those-without-money-have-no-voice/5379097?print=1

Thank you for the reminder, corkhead. I've driven on North Dort Highway. Michigan's my home. People who once worked for GM and Delphi -- and Ford and Chrysler -- and the other auto suppliers are my neighbors and friends and family.

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Highlight:

How Detroit Benefits from NAFTA [View all] Octafish Apr 2015 OP

American Axle... a once-booming city in itself... gone. ScreamingMeemie Apr 2015 #1

Auto Specialties Company...gone Octafish Apr 2015 #4

American auto makers were on a steep decline long before NAFTA. Hoyt Apr 2015 #2

Woodie would be proud. GeorgeGist Apr 2015 #3

I doubt it, but he could read a graph. Hoyt Apr 2015 #5

Woody Guthrie especially hated big business-spread lies brentspeak Apr 2015 #15

+1. ^this^ GoneFishin Apr 2015 #27

More than anything, he hated unemployment and poverty. Hoyt Apr 2015 #33

+1 For calling out nationalist and zenophobic bigot dog whistles, here of all places. appalachiablue Apr 2015 #34

''What's good for General Motors is good for America*'' means something else these days. Octafish Apr 2015 #6

Funny how we hate corporations until they are gone. Hoyt Apr 2015 #7

Yeah. Funny. Except, in this case, Corporations are our new Masters. Octafish Apr 2015 #8

Well, I wouldn't put the "Rent's to High Guy" in charge of our complicated economic system. Hoyt Apr 2015 #10

b/c the only alternative to sane trade policy is having the "rent's too high" guy in charge. nashville_brook Apr 2015 #12

Reminds me of what one Dude liked to push... Octafish Apr 2015 #28

capitalism is just one trade deal away from full enlightenment. nashville_brook Apr 2015 #30

Larry Summers' ''End-Game'' Memo: Like repealing Glass-Steagall on a planetary scale. Octafish Apr 2015 #32

'Self-correcting' is the concept Alan Greenspan used I believe. That really worked out well- appalachiablue Apr 2015 #35

How was Mr Fed to know Meyer Lansky had pioneered the concept? Octafish Apr 2015 #42

Twenty years after NAFTA, a mini Detroit rises in Mexico Octafish Apr 2015 #9

Mexican workers who are making $8/hour vs. 50 cents a day, are certainly better off. Hoyt Apr 2015 #13

Great. How are Mexico's farmers doing post-NAFTA? Octafish Apr 2015 #18

Just like American dirt farmers did better when they got jobs with Ford, etc Mexicans will do better Hoyt Apr 2015 #31

Funny you prove your own argument wrong. From the article: okaawhatever Apr 2015 #29

Actually, you're proving yourself wrong, as that's not my ''argument.'' Octafish Apr 2015 #37

I agree with taxing it, but it won't raise as much money as people think. Hoyt Apr 2015 #41

K&R. liberal_at_heart Apr 2015 #11

Walmart is the world's largest company, owned by the world's richest family, thanks to NAFTA. Octafish Apr 2015 #16

Fuck NAFTA and fuck the TPP! Enthusiast Apr 2015 #14

NAFTA Has Decimated Detroit Octafish Apr 2015 #22

+1. It hasn't done much for Ohio either. Enthusiast Apr 2015 #24

Arkansas has been a mixed bag Art_from_Ark Apr 2015 #44

When Wal-Mart Went to Mexico Octafish Apr 2015 #45

Delphi didn't leave the mothership because of profitability JohnnyRingo Apr 2015 #17

Thank you for filling in the story, JohnnyRingo! Octafish Apr 2015 #20

Anderson, IN once employed 60,000 AwakeAtLast Apr 2015 #43

But the TPP is going to FIX our NAFTA problems 99th_Monkey Apr 2015 #19

The Tooth Fairy sprinkled sleepy dust on me, because I don't remember reopening NAFTA in 2009. Octafish Apr 2015 #21

I'm sure you're right. With Republican support in Congress we won't need the Tooth Fairy! nt stillwaiting Apr 2015 #25

Flint too. Here is the AC Rochester Delphi Plant I worked at in the early 90s corkhead Apr 2015 #23

The Myth of American Democracy – Money Talks and Those Without Money Have No Voice Octafish Apr 2015 #36

K & R AzDar Apr 2015 #26

Cold Case Democracy and the Doctrine of “Corporate Personhood” Octafish Apr 2015 #40

interesting analysis hanon Apr 2015 #38

K & R Weep for Detroit, great American city & many other places & people in this strange, appalachiablue Apr 2015 #39