Democracy and Bail-outs

How many more signs do we need to convince people that the so-called "free world" is no longer democratic! 

Look at the current crisis in the EU.  After months of negotiations and impositions, the government of Greece, the legendary cradle of democracy, decides to let the people of Greece decide whether to accept the bail-out imposed by the EU in a plebiscite.  Horror of horrors - that's the response of the EU puppet leaders and the banks, corporations and un-elected power-brokers behind them who control the strings.  The corporatist state can't have ordinary people make a decision about a deal they brokered! 

I don't give a tinker's dam about the motivation of the Greek President in calling for this plebiscite - it doesn't matter.  What matters is that ordinary people wake up and smell the coffee - the EU response to the Greek plebiscite shows precisely that our democratic rights have been taken away.  This corrupt charade that we go through every fours years has become a complete sham. 

In Canada, it means that a government representing only 30-35% of eligible voters rules.  A true democracy would not tolerate this.  And currently in Saskatchewan, the election is framed to be a contest between two leaders, both of whom have been bought out by the corporations.  And my beloved CBC was part of this top-down manipulation of the election.  CBC hosted a debate between just two leaders, even though there are four parties running for election, and one of the two parties not represented in the debate, the Greens, have candidates running in all 58 constitutencies.  If this is democracy, then maybe you would like your coffee with 99% straight hot water and 1% brewed coffee from McDonalds. 

Signs of the Times: Trick or Treat-ism

Signs of the Times: Trick or Treat-ism

Trick or Treat-ism

Under the guise of some bogus neutrality or objectivity, certain detractors of the "Occupy" movement are attempting to undermine or belittle the movement with the critique that there is a lack of clarity on the part of the movement about their issues, their goals and their message.  This is both an incredulous and a 'to-be-expected' response.  Obviously, they must have a hearing problem!  What is the common denominator of any of the issues raised by various individuals in the Occupy movement. 

Whether it is investor or bank bail-outs, oilsands development, nuclear waste storage, the corrupt, once-every-four years notion of democracy, housing, homelessness, poverty, Aboriginal issues, privatization, deregulation, climate change, unemployment, inadequate social assistance rates, white collar crime or the retributive criminal justice system, all these issues have a common denominator: the 1% have all the power and control over these issues and the 99% have little or no say whatsoever.  What is so difficult to understand!

What is difficult for me to understand is how so many who are clearly part of the 99% will continue to defend the side of the one-percenters.  I have not heard much if anything from actual one-percenters during this Occupy movement.  I suppose they have enough 99-percenters under their control to speak for them.  Or maybe the trickle-down notion has replaced the "heaven" notion that I grew up with: "this life is full of pain and suffering but some day I am going to walk on streets of gold".  Happy trick-or-treat to you!