Why Obama is Owned by Goldman Sachs
Posted on 23. Oct, 2009 by Cameron in US politics, capitalism, geopolitics
In March 2008 I wrote a blog post called “Who Does Obama Work For?” I was interested in where the funding for his election campaign was coming from. This was still early in the campaign, about 7 months before the election. At the time, his biggest single source of funding was Goldman Sachs and their employees. (The same source, OpenSecrets.org, now lists Goldman as only the second largest contributor, after the University of California). Apparently Michael Moore also makes mention of this fact in his new film, Capitalism (which I’m yet to see…. Rob Irwin, I’m looking at you).
I just remembered this today while listening to a recent episode of No Agenda where they mentioned that Adam Storch, a Goldman Sachs VP, has been made “COO of SEC Enforcement” under the Obama administration.
It looks like investing in Obama was a good bet for Goldman. Their stock value increased from $53.31 a share when Obama was elected to about $187.32 today. And they’ve skated through the financial crisis (which some people think they deliberately created) and hold many powerful positions in the Obama administration.
Other high level financial positions held in the Obama administration by former Goldman Sachs executives are Neel Kashkari, heading the TARP bailout; Mark Patterson, Chief of Staff for Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner; Gary Gensler, top executive at the Commodity Futures Trading Commission; and finally Goldman has its top lobbyist, Michael Paese, Rep. Barney Frank’s top aide, who is the chair of the House Financial Services Committee. (source)
This is one of the inescapable downsides of capitalism. The people with the money buy the power. They also buy the media which, in turns, indoctrinates people with a belief in how great capitalism is.
Go back to sleep, America. Goldman Sachs is in control.
Debating Americans About Healthcare
Posted on 14. Oct, 2009 by Cameron in Australian politics, US politics
Here’s a transcript of a chat I’ve been having on a Facebook thread belonging to an American conservative. I think it’s a demonstration of a) how little some Americans have actually thought through this issue and b) how little some Americans are able/willing to hold an intelligent debate about the subject. They would prefer to rant, bully and abuse. It’s the typical response I’m used to when discussing religion with similar people. When they can’t put forward an intelligent argument, they just attack like rabid dogs.
3 cheap reforms needed to the current system:
1) Tort reform (loser-pays)
2) Legalize interstate medical insurance sales… Read More
3) End employment-base group insurance
These 3 ideas are no-cost to the taxpayer. We can’t afford $900 billion with 10% unemployment and a seriously declining dollar. We can’t trust this government either.
Damon, what a load of nonsense. Is Australia a “socialist state”? No. Yet we have far superior healthcare to the USA. And nobody in Australia would swap our system for your system. You folks need to pull your heads out.
U.S. Population 304,059,724 – Jul 2008 — 304,059,724 vs 21,600,000
Cameron – there is a “slight” difference in total population; Australia does not have “land borders’ with illegals flowing into your country.… Read More
This health care insurance/care bill that they are trying to RAM through against the majority of American’s wishes, will reduce care, cost more and they absolutely, in “their own words” are trying to force the US into a “single payer system” run by the Federal Gov’t. Single payer is filled with corruption, cost over-runs (Medicare and Medicaid). Our Gov’t states if this bill passes they will fix the corruption? If that is true, then they should have fixed the corruption long ago.
NO THANKS!
What data do you have that says the majority of Americans are against it? Wasn’t Obama voted in BY the majority of Americans on a platform for change?
And single payer is NONE of those things you are suggesting. In Australia we have had a single payer system for 35 years and nobody complains about it. It works. … Read More
While I’ll agree that the US govt is corrupt, that’s got nothing to do with single payer healthcare. On the contrary – it’s the corruption in your system that’s trying to spin single payer healthcare as bad.
I would love to see those Americans who are against improving healthcare to compare the US system with Australia and tell me what’s so wrong with our system.
WHO cares what you think of Obama, or the latest rounds of still unreleased healthcare legislation? Stick to what you know and can quantify with some actual experience. You’ve probably never set foot in a U.S. hospital, but again, NO ONE CARES IF YOU HAVE.
Joanne has gone to great lengths to share the ramifications of the last published healthcare legislation (which most of us here actually read and now understand) and you jump in here like an imbecile looking for attention. That’s what TROLLS do. … Read More
We don’t have the time or the inclination to educate you.
Perhaps if some Americans, such as yourself, took the time to actually educate yourself about what citizens of other countries, who already HAVE a single payer healthcare system, think about such systems, you might cure … Read Moreyourself of your delusional attitudes towards the Obama legislation. Despite Joanne’s analysis of the theoretical ramifactions, there are 100 million people living in democratic, capitalist countries, such as Australia, Canada and the UK, who actually live quite happily under a single payer healthcare system and have for decades. If American’s current approach is to superior to a single payer system, you might ask why the people of these other countries aren’t demanding changes to THEIR healthcare system.
Obama’s Health Care Explained
Posted on 24. Sep, 2009 by Cameron in US politics
I know you’ve all seen this video before, but here’s my translation:
The white team are the Democrats trying to push through health care.
The black team are the Republicans trying to stop it.
And the moonwalking bear? He’s America’s Military Industrial Complex, selling 70% of the world’s arms, overthrowing countries, and stealing natural resources from developing countries.
Former Insurance Exec Confesses to Bill Maher
Posted on 24. Sep, 2009 by Cameron in US politics
Wendell Potter, former Corporate Communications Exec at insurance giant Cigna, was on Bill Maher’s show last week talking about how Big Insurance are screwing Americans. He talks, among other things, about how he worked when at Cigna to discredit Michael Moore’s film "SICKO" when it came out but how the film was "exactly right". Watch the interview here.
In a related story, it seems that the woman who came up with the "death panels" rhetoric, Betsy McCaughey, is the same woman who worked with Big Tobacco to develop a disinformation campaign to kill health care reform under the Clinton administration.
The battle for your health care is going to be fought on Tuesday. We need to melt the phone lines and stop the takeover of our health care.
1. Please contact every member of the Senate Finance Committee
2. Send 2 free faxes at: http://www.gotfreefax.com
3. Send emails to your representatives: http://www.capwiz.com/freedomworks/issues/alert/?alertid=14115176-
No, Mandates For Insurance-
No, Penalties For Not Buying Insurance-
No, Government Option-
Yes, Tort Reform-
Yes, Take Care of Abuse-
Yes, Free Markets
Pass this on to your friends. I cannot stress the importance of action. We need everyone to make calls, emails and faxes. If you are near a Senate office, please visit it today!
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Cameron Reilly