Just got a holiday flyer in the mail from these guys, really like the "American Dream Starts here" slogan, not to mention the whole supporting the troops stuff, very patriotic, because if there is one thing the troops and actually every American needs this holiday season its easy financing terms for "custom wheels"

In Touch With The Common Man
From Yahoo News, all about how our elected representatives don't really seem to be very representative of us, "The wealth of the incoming class will hardly raise eyebrows in the Senate, where about half of the current 100 members are also millionaires and the average net worth is $8.9 million, according to an analysis by the Center for Responsive Politics in Washington. By contrast, less than 1% of the U.S. population has a net worth of $1 million or more". The Piece also informs us that in 2006 a Senator is paid $165,200 a year, wow, thats not too shabby, especially since half of all Americans make less then $33,000 per year, plus those Senators get that nice health care too, its a hell of a racket. So to summarize, half of all Senators are millionaires, they make $165,200 a year, and Congress was unable or unwilling to pass a minimum wage raise this summer. I honestly believe that if the members of Congress feel, as they have apparently felt since 1997 (last time there was a minimum wage increase) that $5.15 an hour is acceptable, that it's a living wage, then they should have to live on it, I mean why not, nowhere is it written that we have to pay these guys $165,000, thats our tax dollars they pay them, shouldn't we have a say?, in the same period that Congress has refused to raise the minimum wage they have given themselves $28,000 in pay increases1, where is the outrage? Its no wonder it seems like those in Congress don't care about average Americans, they don't, why would they?
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Yahoo News "Meet Senator Millionaire"

“The oppressed are allowed once every few years to decide which particular representatives of the oppressing class are to represent and repress them.”

Making it easier to look for the Union label, ShopUnionMade.org

"Every Man A King, But No One Wears A Crown."
Article in NYT about the gaining momentum of the economic populism movement in the US. Groups such as the EPI and the AFL-CIO are coming together and gaining strength, and apparently clashing with more moderate democrat groups such as the Hamilton Project, as to what direction the democratic party and America as a whole should be moving in. The article also discusses the fact that since the dems hold only a small majority in congress and because the President has veto power, probably no real change is going to be coming down the pipeline, even the minimum wage hike to $7.25 by 2009 has been and will continue to be an uphill battle, I guess this is the downside of checks and balances. Sometimes I wonder how these congressmen can look themselves in the mirror, or look an American worker in the eye, all the promises they made out on the campaign trail, all the big talk, apparently isn't going to amount to much more then two dollars more an hour and lower interest rates on student loans...I understand about fighting the battles that you can win, but it doesn't seem like the democrats are fighting much at all, people say thats just the way it is, that change is slow, but I look back to the 1930 Congressional elections and the subsequent 1932 presidential election of FDR and all the big changes (e.g. Social Security) that can happen when those in congress and in the white house are willing to take on the big challenges. I wish there was a congressmen today who stood up and took on the big fights of universal health care, income inequality, free trade etc, all those things you stirred people up with on the campaign trail, instead of worrying about reelection and your campaign coffers, I wish there was a congressman who at least stood up and said what he believed and actually fought for it, thats why we vote, we vote for an elected representative to act as our voice, to act as the voice of the people, and any Congressman who does anything less is a coward and not fit to be a congressman, as a country we face big problems, we need big changes and bold leaders.
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NYT "Here Come the Economic Populists"

Why No One Believes Anymore
Article in NYT about Congress and drug companies and collusion, basically drug companies worried that with the Dems running congress, new laws cutting down on their profiteering could be on the horizon, so to preempt this the drug companies are working hard to cozy up to the new guys, because I mean god forbid people in this country might be able to afford you know...medicine. Meet the new boss, same as the old boss. This shit makes me sick, if we really are the greatest country on earth, maybe we should start acting like it.
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NYT "Drug Industry Is on Defensive as Power Shifts"

Coming Up For Air
Article from the CS Monitor about doing something different this Black Friday, nothing, at least buying nothing. Americans are drowning in debt, we collectively owe $800 billion in credit card debt, 1/3 of households have over $10,000 in credit card debt1, health care costs are soaring, job insecurity is a major concern, the hosing market isn't looking too hot, etc etc, essentially we have less and less money and more and money worries, so maybe this isn't the best time to go out and buy electronics, we should save our money, for ourselves, for our children, pay bills, pay debt, put it away, anything is better then throwing it away on plasma TVs or PS3's, we don't need this stuff, and whats more we cant afford it, don't get bilked this year.
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CS Monitor "Getting The Better Of Black Friday"

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Seriously, What Is Wrong With These People
Keep reading all these articles about people starting their traditional black Friday shopping early, like right after thanksgiving dinner, so rather then spend time with family and friends, people are apparently opting for CompUSA or COSTCO or something, I mean cant people take a day off, a day without buying shit you probably didn't really need and spending money, yeh sure you might save like $30 on some camera, but did you really need the camera, why not save your money, stay home, and spend time with family, for one day at least. Life is short.

I'm Not Worried, Still Plenty of Good Jobs They Cant Export
BBC article about US/Columbia trade deal, the biggest in the Western hemisphere since Nafta (and that worked out awesome), according to John Veroneau the US Deputy Trade Representative, the deal "will deepen and strengthen our trade ties by providing new opportunities for US businesses", I bet it will.
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BBC "US and Columbia sign trade deal"

Even The Canadians Think We're A Mess
Article in the Toronto Star about the ever growing income divide in the United States, what a mess, I wonder what the emigration policy over there is.
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Toronto Star "Need increases as CEO salaries take off in U.S."

http://www.bigboxtoolkit.com/

The Heart Of The Matter
Two from Lou Dobbs, stone thrower and boat rocker, telling it like it is, and making us face what we don't want to, on CNN of all places. I like Lou Dobbs, he has gotten alot of bad press lately, people accuse him of being an economic protectionist/isolationist, whats wrong with that?
open your eyes, look around, take a trip to Flint, Michigan or Philadelphia or just about any American city and see just how wonderful free trade is, go talk to the former auto worker employed at Wal-Mart or the Union man out of work, and ask how NAFTA and programs/policies like it worked out for them, half the country makes less then $33,000 a year, 35 million classified as having "low food security" (hungry), most people I know cant afford health care, even less have pensions, and I have no idea how I will ever afford college, open your eyes, things arent going well at all.
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Lou Dobbs "Populist tide has elitists running scared"
"I'm a populist, deal with it"

For Whom The Bell Tolls
Article from the Economist about whether or not economic populism is on the rise in America, and what the Democratic sweep of Congress will bring.
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Economist "Fanfare for the common man"

The Corrections
Senator-elect Jim Webb wrote an article last week in the WSJ, Webb takes on the unmentionables five letter word, the economy, the growing economic divide, globalization, everything his fellow congressmen are to cowardly or unwilling to take on. Obviously Webb, although the most junior of Senators knows what to many in Congress have chosen to forget, namely that the job of an elected member of Congress is above all else to represent the people, all the people and not just the prosperous few.
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Truthout "Class Struggle"

"An imbalance between rich and poor is the oldest and most fatal ailment of all republics." - Plutarch

"Behind Every Great Fortune Is A Crime."
NYT piece on income inequality in Manhattan, specifically the inequality between the the Wall Street types and everyone else.
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NYT "Income Soars on Wall St., Widening Gap"