Occupy Issues

Big Banks and the Failing Financial System:

• The NY Times‘ Tom Friedman says “Our Congress today is a forum for legalized bribery.”
• The Best Way to Rob a Bank is to Own One: William Black, a white-collar criminologist, former financial regulator, and author of “The Best Way to Rob a Bank is to Own One” is interviewed by Amy Goodman on Democracy Now! Black teaches economics and law at the University of Missouri-Kansas City and recently took part in Occupy Kansas City. He states the Occupy Movement is a counter to white-collar fraud.

Income Inequality:

• An inspiring TED talk by Richard Wilkinson, author of The Spirit Level: Why Greater Equality Makes Societies Stronger
• Telling the Hard Truth about Inequality: According to the New York Times’ E.J. Dionne Jr., “Growing inequalities of wealth and income — which should have been a central issue in American politics for at least a decade — are now finally at the heart of our discourse. We are, at last, discussing the social and economic costs of concentrating ever more resources in the hands of the top sliver of our society.”

Corporate Personhood and Citizens United:

• Joshua Holland tells “The Fascinating History of How Corporations Became People – Thanks to Corrupt Courts Working for the 1%” at alternet.org
• Move to Amend – The national campaign to overturn the U.S. Supreme Court’s flawed and corrupt Citizens United decision. “We, the People of the United States of America, reject the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Citizens United, and move to amend our Constitution to firmly establish that money is not speech, and that human beings, not corporations, are persons entitled to constitutional rights.”

The War Economy:

• How is the War Economy Working for You? – A resource from Veterans for Peace that connects the dots between American wars abroad and the collapsing economy at home.
• The truth about troop withdrawal: US drone raids kill over 120 in 2 days (Nov 3, 2011)