Robert Reich – Powered by Inequality Media
-
The Reshaping of the Democratic Party: W. Kamau Bell and Robert Reich
W. Kamau Bell, host of United Shades of America on CNN, joins former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich to discuss the reckoning happening within the Democratic Party. The two explore how the recent slew of progressive primary wins has already reshaped the halls of Congress and changed the country's perception of who can become a legislator. They also discuss what steps Joe Biden should take to appeal to progressives, and what strategies progressives should put in place to keep pushing him left.
'United Shades of America' follows comedian and political provocateur W. Kamau Bell as he explores communities across America to understand the unique challenges they face. Don't miss this Sunday's episode on gig workers, and how virtually none of America's labor laws protect them. -
How Mitch McConnell's Republicans are Destroying America | Robert Reich
Former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich exposes the shameful priorities of Mitch McConnell and Senate Republicans during the coronavirus crisis.
GOP senators are refusing to extend expanded unemployment benefits, proposing instead to cut them down by $400 a week out of concern for the national debt. But the debt didn't seem to matter to them when they passed a $1.9 trillion tax cut for the wealthy and corporations in 2017.
That's just the beginning of the GOP's handouts for the super-rich and big corporations. As soon as the pandemic hit, McConnell and Senate Republicans were quick to give mega-corporations a $500 billion blank check, while only sending Americans a paltry $1,200 check.
And as the virus surged and the economy cratered, McConnell called the Senate back into session only to confirm more of Trump’s extremist judges and advance a $740 billion defense spending bill. Throughout it all, McConnell has insisted his priority is to shield businesses from COVID-related lawsuits by customers and employees who have contracted the virus.
Time and again, they’ve shown that they only care about their wealthy donors and corporate backers. If they had an ounce of concern for the nation, their priority would be to shield Americans from the ravages of COVID and American democracy from the ravages of Trump. But we know where their priorities lie.
Watch More: Mitch McConnell's Do Nothing Republicans ►► https://youtu.be/z18fQ5TGblY
#MoscowMitch #Republicans #VoteThemOut -
America is at a Breaking Point | Reich at Home
Link to Poll: https://www.youtube.com/post/UgwS5-oHKPjsD6qBTm94AaABCQ
Former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich connects the dots on COVID-19, the tanking economy, and Trump’s deadly mix of lies, authoritarianism, and incompetence.
#coronavirus #trump #election -
5 Key Demands for the New Coronavirus Bill | Robert Reich
Former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich explains the key demands that we must make of Congress' new coronavirus relief package. The bill must:
— Contain COVID-19
— Extend $600/week in unemployment benefits
— Provide rent relief and extend the federal eviction moratorium
— Shore up state and local budgets
— Prioritize public health and economic wellbeing over the national debt
This is the bare minimum of what our government must do to get us through this crisis.
The window to act is closing. Call your members of Congress before it's too late: (202) 224-3121
Watch More: Republicans Want to Cut Your Unemployment ►► https://youtu.be/zr-dw5u1zpQ -
Trump's Worst Attacks on Workers | Robert Reich
Former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich exposes Trump as the corporate con man he is, rather than the working class champion he claims to be.
As president, Donald Trump has turned his back on working people, governing instead as a lackey for billionaires, CEOs, and corporations. Even during the worst public health and economic crisis in nearly a century, Trump has left working people in the dust.
Consider his signature tax law, sold as a benefit to working people. More than 60 percent of its benefits have gone to people in the top 20 percent of the income ladder. In 2018, billionaires paid a lower tax rate than the working class for the first time in American history.
Trump also said every worker would get a $4,000 raise, but nothing trickled down.
And as his corporate lobbyists and industry shills have systematically dismantled worker protections, Trump even asked the Supreme Court to take away the health insurance of 23 million American workers by invalidating the Affordable Care Act – in the middle of a global health crisis, no less!
Donald Trump is no working class champion. He’s the culmination of a rigged-for-the-rich system that’s shafting working Americans at every turn.
Watch More: Trump's Betrayal of the Working Class ►►https://youtu.be/Y_tgCfOGw54
#workers #donaldtrump #oligarchy -
Republicans Want to Cut Your Unemployment | Reich at Home
Former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich discusses Senate Republicans’ new stimulus bill, which cuts unemployment benefits by $400/week and provides $0 in student loan relief — while giving $21,300,000,000 to the Pentagon and liability protections to corporations that endanger workers.
It's not about the price tag. It's about priorities.
#coronavirus #gop #votethemout -
Reimagining Public Safety | Robert Reich
Former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich breaks down what it means to "defund the police" and prioritize social investment.
Social-control societies put substantial resources into police, prisons, surveillance, immigration enforcement, and the military. Their purpose is to utilize fear, punishment, and violence to divide people and keep the status quo in place — perpetuating the systemic oppression of Black and brown people, and benefiting no one but wealthy elites.
Social-investment societies put more resources into healthcare, education, affordable housing, jobless benefits, and children. Their purpose is to free people from the risks and anxieties of daily life and give everyone a fair shot at making it.
Trump is the culmination of forty years of increasing social control in the United States and decreasing social investment – a trend which, given the deep-seated history of racism in the United States, falls disproportionately on Black people, indigenous people, and people of color.
The more societies spend on social controls, the less they have left for social investment.
American taxpayers spend $107.5 billion more on police than on public housing. And 15 states now spend $27,000 more per person in prison than they do per student.
The last weeks of protests and demonstrations have exposed what’s always been true: social controls are both deadly and unsustainable.
They require more and more oppressive means of terrorizing communities and they drain resources that would ensure Black people not only survive, but thrive.
This moment calls on us to relinquish social control and ramp up our commitment to social investment.
It’s time we invest in affordable housing and education, not tear gas, batons, and state-sanctioned murder. It’s time we invest in keeping children fed and out of poverty, not putting their parents behind bars.
It’s time to defund the police, and invest in communities.
Watch More: The Military-Industrial Drain ►►https://youtu.be/OnR84h7t5kI
#defundthepolice #blacklivesmatter #prisonindustrialcomplex -
Trump Unleashes Armed Secret Police on Portland Protesters | Reich at Home
Former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich discusses Trump's violent crackdown against protesters in Portland:
—Federal agents in paramilitary gear have been throwing people into unmarked vans without identifying themselves or giving cause
—A Navy vet tried to talk with federal officers about the importance of their oath to the Constitution; they broke his hand in response
—A group of mothers who formed a protective line for protestors was tear gassed
Every American should be horrified. If Trump is reelected, the worst is yet to come.
#fascism #portland #blacklivesmatter -
Rigged for the Rich: The Inequality of America's Tax System I Heather McGhee and Robert Reich
Former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich sits down with Color of Change Co-Chair Heather McGhee to discuss the intersection between racial and economic inequality and the rising cost of racism to all Americans. The two also discuss how the top 1%'s tax-dodging affects the systematic underfunding of institutions that predominantly serve people of color, how students of color will be disproportionately harmed by Betsy DeVos and Trump's immoral push to reopen schools in the fall, and how communities of color will bear the brunt of the oncoming eviction crisis.
#TaxDay #TaxTheRich #BlackLivesMatter -
If Black Lives Matter, then Billionaires Shouldn't Exist | Robert Reich
Former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich exposes the hypocrisy of billionaires' empty Black Lives Matter statements.
Wall Street banks and corporate executives wasted no time trying to establish themselves as allies of the Black Lives Matter movement, professing support for the historic protests against police killings. But when you peel back their PR stunts and press releases, the truth comes into focus: far from being the solution to systemic racism in America, these billionaires and their corporations are actively perpetuating it.
Jamie Dimon says his bank, JPMorgan Chase, must "be inclusive in our work and the neighborhoods where we operate" — but his bank shelled out $55 million to settle a discrimination lawsuit. Meanwhile, only 4% of JPMorgan's top executives are Black.
Larry Fink, CEO of investment firm BlackRock, says that racism "must be addressed on both a personal and systemic level" — but his firm is one of the largest investors in the private prison operators GEO Group and CoreCivic.
Amazon has plastered "Black Lives Matter" all over its website — but refuses to give its predominantly Black warehouse workers paid sick leave.
Walmart recently announced that it would create a center on racial equality, but has overworked and mistreated its Black employees for decades.
Don’t be fooled by this corporate virtues signaling. Wall Street and corporations profit from and reinforce systemic racism in America. It’s time they back up their lofty rhetoric with fundamental change.
Watch More: Corporations Will Not Save Us ►►https://youtu.be/nulcmxH9FGg
#BlackLivesMatter #GeorgeFloyd #VirtueSignaling -
End the War on the Poor: Rev Dr William Barber and Robert Reich
Former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich sits down with Reverend Dr. William Barber II, a lifelong and outspoken advocate for social and economic justice. The two discuss the work of Rev. Dr. Barber's Poor People's Campaign, the lasting damage this pandemic will have on our most vulnerable communities if our lawmakers don't act, how those with wealth and power use racism to divide those with neither, what messaging progressives should use when discussing the intersection of race and class, the importance of both symbolic and systemic change, and how the poor and working class can unite in this moment to build the nation we haven't yet been.
Reverend Dr. William Barber II is President of Repairers of the Breach, a nonprofit organization that trains faith leaders to pursue policies and organizational strategies that empower marginalized communities, and President of North Carolina's NAACP chapter. Since 2017, he has also co-led a revival of the Poor People’s Campaign, a movement seeking to unite poor and working class Americans across the country to demand bold policies that lift communities out of poverty, including living-wage laws, single-payer healthcare, and an end to mass incarceration.
You can learn more about the Poor People's Campaign here: https://www.poorpeoplescampaign.org/ -
Monopoly Mayhem: Corporations Win, Workers Lose | Robert Reich
Former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich breaks down how monopolies like Amazon, Facebook, and JPMorgan Chase are boosting record corporate profits at the expense of workers and consumers.
Big corporations have become so dominant that workers and consumers have fewer options and have to accept the wages and prices these giant corporations offer. At the same time, worker bargaining power has declined as fewer workers are unionized and technologies have made outsourcing easy, allowing corporations to get the labor they need for cheap.
Because of these deliberate power shifts, even before the pandemic, a steadily larger portion of corporate revenues have been siphoned off to profits, and a shrinking portion allocated to wages.
Coupled with the abandonment of antitrust enforcement, we’re now living in a new Gilded Age, as consolidation has inflated corporate profits, suppressed worker pay, supercharged economic inequality, and stifled innovation.
Perhaps the worst consequence of monopolization is that as wealth accumulates at the top, so too does political power.
These massive corporations provide significant campaign contributions; they have platoons of lobbyists and lawyers and directly employ many voters. So items they want included in legislation are inserted; those they don’t want are scrapped. They get tax cuts, tax loopholes, subsidies, bailouts, and regulatory exemptions.
The financial returns on their political investments are sky-high, tipping the scales in favor of corporate America and away from workers. As a result of this power shift, workers have less choice of whom to work for, keeping their wages low and their benefits minimal. Corporations have imposed non-compete, anti-poaching, and mandatory arbitration agreements, further narrowing workers’ alternatives.
All of this has pushed a larger portion of national income into profits and a lower portion into wages than at any time since World War II. Most of the increasing value of the stock market has come directly out of the pockets of American workers. Shareholders have gained because workers stopped sharing the gains.
This is all about power. We must rebalance the power of workers and corporations to create an economy and a democracy that works for all, not just a privileged few.
Watch More: The Monopolization of America ►►https://youtu.be/KLfO-2t1qPQ
RepresentUs
-
How one man restored voting rights to 1.6 million people
Learn more about our broken political system and join the movement to fix it: www.represent.us/solve-the-problem
After serving time in prison, Desmond was denied the right to vote in Florida. Instead of giving up, he went on to lead the largest expansion of voting rights in half a century. Desmond Meade is proof that one person really can make a difference. -
Democracy in the Time of COVID
Join the movement: www.represent.us
As our nation faces crisis after crisis, the dangerous and damaging effects of our broken political system are cast in stark relief. Our crashing economy, skyrocketing death toll, and social unrest are emerging as Exhibits A, B, and C of our government’s failure to perform its most basic function: protecting the people.
RepresentUs Co-Founders Josh Silver and Joshua Graham Lynn give a provocative presentation on the new strategy to protect our elections and defend our republic this November and beyond.
This is your chance to:
-Hear how the anti-corruption movement is responding to the COVID-19 pandemic
-Learn the concrete steps you can take to help ensure every American can vote safely in 2020
-Get the latest updates on the most important campaigns to fix our democracy in 2020
-Catch a sneak peek at where the movement is going in 2021, 2022, and beyond -
Unbreaking America: Justice for Sale
http://represent.us/ua-justiceforsale
Americans agree: our criminal justice system is broken. But most people don’t realize how lobbyists and politicians are keeping it that way. Omar Epps and Desmond Meade explain how our broken political system is making the problem worse, and what the anti-corruption movement can do to fix it.
***** The Problem ******
AMERICA INCARCERATES MORE PEOPLE THAN ANY OTHER COUNTRY IN THE WORLD.
Both per capita and in total numbers, the U.S. jails more people than China, Russia, or any other nation — and this falls disproportionately on black Americans and other people of color. While crime rates around the country have dropped, incarceration rates are only going up. If we do nothing, one in four black men, one in six Latinos, and one in seventeen white men born today will end up in jail.
PRIVATE PRISONS PROFIT FROM LOCKING PEOPLE UP — AND YOU’RE PAYING FOR IT
Private prison corporations spent $64 million over the past 10 years lobbying for longer sentences, stricter laws, and tougher enforcement. They even write the laws that give them tax kickbacks in exchange for outsourcing nearly-free prison labor. This year alone, they’ll make $6 billion in revenue. That’s $6 billion of your tax dollars.
91% OF AMERICANS WANT TO SEE THE SYSTEM FIXED… BUT POLITICIANS AREN’T LISTENING TO THE PEOPLE
Conservatives, progressives, and moderates alike want to see the criminal justice system reformed. But like nearly every other issue you care about, our corrupt political system caters to a handful of special interests and billionaires instead of upholding the will of the American people.
****** The Solution ******
WE CAN'T FIX THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM UNTIL WE END CORRUPTION. So let's get to work.
THE AMERICAN ANTI-CORRUPTION ACT MAKES CORRUPTION ILLEGAL.
The Anti-Corruption Act bans gifts from special interests to politicians, closes the revolving door between Congress and lobbying firms, and makes sure voters have a stronger voice so politicians actually represent us. The Act is popular with both conservatives and progressives because it’s not about giving power to one party or the other; it’s about fixing the systems behind America’s biggest problems.
WE HAVE TO GO AROUND CONGRESS TO PASS THESE LAWS.
Politicians benefit from the system just the way it is, so they have no incentive to pass anti-corruption laws. That means it’s up to us, the voters, to do it. Throughout American history, major federal reforms started with passing laws state by state, paving the way for federal reform. We’re using the same proven strategy – and it’s working. The anti-corruption movement has already won more than 100 victories across the America.
CAMPAIGNS AROUND THE COUNTRY NEED YOUR HELP.
From anti-gerrymandering to ranked choice voting and lobbyist gift bans, Americans across the political spectrum are working together right now to pass strong anti-corruption laws at the ballot this year. But they can’t do it alone.
IT’S TIME TO END THE CORRUPT STATUS QUO.
Join us: http://represent.us/ua-justiceforsale
#unbreakingamerica #justiceforsale #omarepps
https://act.represent.us/sign/Justice-for-Sale-Sources/
CREDITS:
Omar Epps
Desmond Meade
Directed by: Michael Marantz
Writers: Joshua Graham Lynn, Ryan Kleier, Michael Marantz
Research: Jack Noland, Ryan Kleier
Animator / Animation & Illustration: Visual Creatures
Composer: Garth Stevenson
Director of Photography: Don Davis
Producer: Ari Hakim
Assistant Director: Miles Johnstone
Associate Producer / Post Producer: Zach MacDonald
1st Assistant Camera: Kevin Yoshimitsu
2nd Assistant Camera: Kevin Hooper
DIT: Felix Arceneaux, Willis Chung
Gaffer: Paul Hauser
Best Boy Electric: Eric Fleetwood
Lighting Board Operator: Gustavo Oliva
Key Grip: Archie Ciotti
Best Boy Grip: Chad Teglas
Script Supervisor: Tara Riddell
Sound Mixer: Daniel McCoy
Boom Operator: Amanda Pust
Teleprompter: Jeff Dunham
Editor: Zach MacDonald
Assistant Editor: Koby Leff
Mix Engineer: Brandon Hickey
Hair & Makeup: Angelina Butera
Wardrobe Stylist: Jane Vernon
Production Manager: Mike Suzuki
Production Coordinator: Katie Hoagland
Production Assistants: Mariama Bonetti, Patrick Gilman, Esther Ancrum
Special Thanks
Erin Dicker
Camera: The Camera Division
VTR: Stu Susten
Teleprompter: Greenberg Teleprompt
Stage: BLT Studios
Stage Manager: Steve Martin
Production Supplies: BLT Studios
Catering: McCrafty’s, Taqueria El Tapatio
Craft Service: Danny Crowley
Production Trucking: Galpin -
What is Vote by Mail?
COVID-19 shouldn’t force people to choose between their health and their right to vote. That's why we support Vote by Mail. It gives people the option to cast a ballot safely and securely without leaving the house.
Here’s how it works:
1) You get mailed a ballot.
2) You can take your time with it, do your research, at your kitchen table, with your family.
3) Mail it back postage free before election day, or, drop it off at a secure “lock box” or polling station.
4) Or completely lose it and go to the polls anyway.
But this way, it’s your choice.
No waiting. No rushing. No hackable electronic voting machines. Just you and your ballot.
It’s more secure, because there’s a literal paper trail, and all ballots are counted in one centralized secure location overseen by judges.It fights fraud with barcodes and duplicates.
And just like our military serving overseas, you can mark your second and third choice, so your ballot isn’t wasted if your first choice drops out (this is called Ranked Choice Voting, btw).
And the states that have implemented this? They see a higher turnout every year. Meaning more votes cast, more people heard from, and a more representative process.
At RepresentUs, we’re bringing conservatives and progressives together to fight corruption, and make our government listen to us. The People.
If you want your city or state to enact measures like this, go to https://represent.us to find out how you can help.
#votebymail #election2020 #representus -
How Immigration Detention is a For-Profit Business
The immigration crisis isn't a crisis. It's an industry. And politicians, private prisons, and lobbyists are the ones profiting. Here’s a story about how the for-profit prison industry has screwed over Americans on the right, left, and center through corruption, cronyism, and former KKK leaders.
http://represent.us/private-prisons
To for-profit prison executives, immigrants are like… corn. A commodity that needs to stay stocked to keep prisons – and the executives’ wallets – full. So when immigrant detention starts to decline, industry lobbyists jump into action.
Between 2008 and 2014, during which immigration was indeed declining, that action amounted to $13 million in lobbying from one of the largest private prison groups, Core Civic.
In 2009, Senate Democrat and former “Exalted Cyclops” KKK member Robert Byrd invented just the thing to help out his industry lobbyist BFFs: a bed quota. With a bed quota, American taxpayers are forced to pay for 33,400 immigrant detention center beds at all times – regardless of whether the beds are used or needed.
Enter Rep. John Culberson (TX), former Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) director, and recipient of more than $89,000 from for-profit prison lobbyists throughout his career. Culberson embraced the lobbyists' demands and encouraged America to make use of all the beds, regardless of the ebb and flow of actual immigration.
Let’s detain people just for fun! And while we’re at it, we’ll pay for their beds, their healthcare, housing, food, and anything else we can think of to put on the taxpayer’s bill. That’s right. By unnecessarily locking up immigrants, Congress has created a soup-to-nuts nanny state, funneling your tax dollars away from your healthcare, and giving it to immigrants.
Through campaign cash, lobbying money, and other super-legal donations, the private prison industry has placed profits over human lives and over American interests.
They’re not keeping us safer – in fact, when we try to detain enough immigrants in order to meet an arbitrary bed quota, we suck up resources that could have been used to go after dangerous criminals.
Plus, it’s not even solving the problem of illegal immigration. If these industry-backed strategies were working, we’d see illegal immigration declining, but a study in the Stanford Law Review found the opposite.
And while the private prison industry keeps taxpayer money flowing into their pockets to pay for empty beds, immigrant healthcare, food, and housing, many American citizens go without food, housing, or healthcare.
Even on seemingly divisive, partisan issues, corruption invades our government and takes resources and rights away from all Americans. Whether it’s taxes, immigration detention centers, or the opioid crisis, corruption impacts every issue and person you care about.
So here’s how we end it.
We’re going around Congress to pass common-sense, bipartisan reforms at the state and local level to break this cycle and unrig our political system. Things like: closing the revolving door so that lobbyists can't use future job offers to bribe politicians, making it illegal for lawmakers to accept money from lobbyists, and other popular reforms.
We’ve already won over 100 victories, but we’ve got a lot more to do and we need your help. Join the movement at http://represent.us
#immigration #privateprisons #corruption
Sources:
http://grassrootsleadership.org/reports/payoff-how-congress-ensures-private-prison-profit-immigrant-detention-quota#5
https://immigrantjustice.org/sites/default/files/content-type/commentary-item/documents/2017-01/Immigration%20Detention%20Bed%20Quota%20Timeline%202017_01_05.pdf
https://www.opensecrets.org/industries/summary.php?ind=G7000&recipdetail=H&sortorder=A&cycle=All
https://www.cnn.com/2018/03/02/politics/ice-immigration-deportations/index.html
https://www.freedomforimmigrants.org/detention-statistics
https://immigrationforum.org/article/math-immigration-detention-2018-update-costs-continue-mulitply/
https://www.stanfordlawreview.org/online/detention-as-deterrence/
https://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/12/opinion/sunday/bruni-america-the-clueless.html
https://oig.justice.gov/reports/2016/e1606.pdf
https://www.motherjones.com/crime-justice/2017/06/lawsuit-accuses-private-prison-company-of-illegally-funding-a-trump-super-pac/
https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2018/01/companies-that-funded-trumps-inauguration/ -
Why Colorado is the gold standard for Vote by Mail
www.represent.us/votesafely
America has one of the worst voter turnout rates of all developed countries. But by passing Vote by Mail in every state, we can make it easier for everyone to vote, and still prioritize security and accuracy.
Here's how Vote by Mail works in Colorado, known as the gold standard for this policy:
-All registered voters are automatically mailed a ballot before every election.
-All signatures on mail ballots are compared to on-file signatures. Any discrepancies are examined by a bipartisan team of judges, and then further investigated if needed.
-Voters can submit ballots at secure 24/7 drop boxes or voting centers.
-It’s required that all votes are cast on paper ballots, to ensure there’s a paper trail that can be verified.
-Voters can still go vote in person, both during an extended early voting period and on Election Day.
-Post-election audits are mandatory after every election to ensure accuracy
Voters like this policy: In Colorado, 95% of those who used mail-in ballots were satisfied with the experience.
And turnout increased in Colorado among younger voters, Republican voters, and independents.
Now, as we face a pandemic, we need secure Vote by Mail more than ever.
Go to represent.us/votesafely to see the vote by mail options in your state.
Sources:
https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/05/21/u-s-voter-turnout-trails-most-developed-countries/
https://www.fairvote.org/voter_turnout#voter_turnout_101
https://www.voteathome.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/ColoradoVotingReport_WEB2.pdf
https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/letting-people-vote-at-home-increases-voter-turnout-heres-proof/2018/01/26/d637b9d2-017a-11e8-bb03-722769454f82_story.html -
How Congress Became America's Biggest Drug Dealer
Every 11 minutes, an American dies from an opioid overdose. And the reason it's happening isn’t bureaucratic, scientific, or economic. Here’s why you can blame corruption, politicians, and the pharmaceutical industry for this reality: Congress has become America's biggest drug dealer. http://represent.us/opioids
It started when the FDA – the people who are supposed to make sure our food and drugs are safe — approved Oxycontin for market, despite the fact that it's glorified heroin. Over the next few years, opioid addiction and deaths skyrocketed. Pharmacies were filling enough opioid prescriptions to dose everyone and then some, fueling the black market drug trade. A single county in West Virginia with a population of 25,000 received 11 million doses of opioids.
And the distribution of these prescription painkillers seemed a bit sketchy… But don’t worry, we have a government agency for that! Thankfully, the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) stepped in, stopped these obviously illegal drug distributions, and that was that!
Psych. Instead, the DEA actually stopped intervening in these cases. In 2011, there were 65 “immediate suspension orders” to stop drug companies from filling these suspiciously high orders. By 2016, there were only 11.
And they didn't just stop intervening – they actually switched sides. The same report found that between 2001-2010, an astonishing 58% of FDA drug assessors left their jobs at the FDA to go work for pharmaceutical companies. And since 2000, at least 56 DEA and Justice Department officials left the fight against opioids and joined pharmaceutical companies and the law firms representing them.
That’s right. During the nation’s largest drug epidemic in decades, the people in charge of overseeing pharmaceuticals and protecting our health and safety… went to work for the companies destroying American lives for profit.
Why did the FDA and DEA fail Americans so badly? Because our politicians have their own crippling addiction – to money.
In 2016, Congress passed a law making it nearly impossible for the DEA to deploy its most powerful weapon in the fight against the #opioidepidemic – stopping those massive, suspicious prescription orders from flooding our streets with narcotics.
Why? Well, it's a little technical and complicated, so I’ll let Joe Rannazzisi, the former head of the DEA’s Office of Diversion Control, explain it:
“The drug industry, the manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors and chain drugstores, have an influence over Congress that has never been seen before.”
Turns out it's actually as simple as a few greased palms and a couple million dollars. Or to be more accurate, hundreds of greased palms and hundreds of millions of dollars. Nine out of ten members of Congress take money from pharmaceutical lobbyists. Pharmaceutical companies and drug manufacturers have spent a quarter billion dollars lobbying lawmakers since 1990.
In particular, the two cosponsors of the 2016 bill to hamstring the DEA, Rep. Tom Marino of Pennsylvania and Sen. Orrin G. Hatch of Utah, are some of Big Pharma’s best friends. So close, in fact, the drug dealers companies literally helped write the 2016 law that got the pesky DEA off their backs. The same year, pharmaceutical companies were some of the Congressmen’s top donors.
The story of the Opioid Crisis is really a tale as old as time: Lobbyists give their friends a few million dollars and a trip to the Bahamas, and in exchange, these lawmakers turn around and sell out the taxpayers — whether that’s in healthcare, education, or the economy. This is not a partisan issue; it's a societal rot that is sinking the entire country.
But we have a plan to end this corrupt cycle.
We’re going around Congress to pass common-sense, bipartisan reforms at the state and local level to break this cycle and unrig our political system. Things like: closing the revolving door that lets lobbyists use future job offers to bribe politicians, making it illegal for lawmakers to accept money from lobbyists, and other common sense, popular reforms.
We’ve already won over 100 victories, but we’ve got a lot more to do and we need your help. Join the movement by visiting http://Represent.Us
RepresentUs is a non-partisan, grassroots campaign to end the #corruption caused by money in politics. -
Lobbyist Gold Rush during the Coronavirus Epidemic
Congress just passed the largest stimulus package in history. The bill offers workers and businesses critical relief during the coronavirus epidemic. The problem: Lobbyists played a major role in writing this bill.
Some aides have compared the lobbying frenzy around the stimulus bill to a gold rush. The new bill gives $500 billion to major industries across America. As Congress deliberated the bill, their phones rang off the hook and their inboxes were flooded with emails from lobbyists. Some politicians even got personal calls from CEOs of major companies.
From the candy industry to alcohol beverage producers, sneaker companies, and more, every industry wanted a piece of the stimulus pie. Aggressive lobbying came from groups directly impacted by the crisis, like the restaurant and airline industries, as well as industries trying to sneak in unrelated policies..
All of this points to the desperate need for tougher lobbying restrictions and strong anti-corruption laws to protect the American people, so that special interests can’t use a national emergency to push their own agendas.
Congress needs to focus on the needs and demands of the American people during this crisis.
Join the movement to end political corruption: http://represent.us
Sources:
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/12/coronavirus-lobbyists-flooded-with-calls-from-worried-corporate-clients.html
https://www.wsj.com/articles/lobbyists-pile-on-to-get-wins-for-clients-into-coronavirus-stimulus-package-11584792000
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/20/us/politics/coronavirus-stimulus-lobbying.html
https://thehill.com/business-a-lobbying/business-a-lobbying/488762-coronavirus-sets-off-industry-scramble-for-aid-from
#lobbyists #bailouts #corruption -
Jennifer Lawrence: We Need Vote at Home During COVID-19
A message from our board member Jennifer Lawrence:
We need to be able to vote without getting sick or infecting others.
This post is part of a plan to make sure every registered voter can cast their ballot. I’m asking you to do what I did and follow these 3 simple steps:
Step 1: Go to http://Represent.Us/VoteAtHome and follow the instructions to request your mail-in or absentee ballot.
Step 2: Some states won’t let you mail in without an ‘excuse’ but a bill in Congress right now could fix this. Go to Represent.Us/VoteAtHome for instructions on how to call them — Republicans and Democrats alike — in support of Vote at Home.
Step 3: Share this post on social media and tag at least three of your friends to also make calls and share to keep this chain going until every single voter knows how to get their ballot. Use hashtag #VoteAtHome.
RepresentUs is a non-partisan, grassroots campaign to end the corruption caused by money in politics.
Follow us!
FB: https://facebook.com/RepresentUs
Twitter: https://twitter.com/representus
Instagram: https://instagram.com/representus/
#jenniferlawrence #voteathome #representus -
Filing Your Taxes Sucks: Here's the Truth About Why
Besides corruption, what’s the number one thing Americans of all political stripes agree on? That's right... Doing your taxes sucks.
But why does filing your taxes have to be so bad? We're here to break down the reasons why (spoiler alert: corruption IS involved) but before we dive in, consider joining the movement to fix our broken political system by visiting us at https://represent.us/taxes2
Back in the ‘90’s, the internet became the cool new way to file taxes, and everybody — you, me, and the IRS — breathed a sigh of relief. We can save time, money, and trees by filing our taxes online, instead of on paper.
And then we thought: While we’re at it, why not modernize how we do our taxes? What if we just file directly on the IRS website? Hell, what if the IRS just… told us how much we owed them? Other countries do it, Ronald Reagan was down for it, it would save taxpayers time and money — what’s not to love?
For tax filing services, a lot. When we make paying taxes easier on taxpayers, we cut out the middle man: the H&R Blocks and Turbo Taxes that charge Americans to help them navigate the gazillion forms, boxes, questions, and deductibles.
Like any good idea, the easy and cheap methods we could institute to file taxes were quickly shot down in Congress, in favor of helping out the lawmakers' BFFs: corporate lobbyists.
Keep watching to find out more about corporate lobbyists' role in our tax system and how they (and congress) are responsible for trapping us in an endless, idiotic cycle we like to call The Stupidity Paradox™.
RepresentUs is a non-partisan, grassroots campaign to end the corruption caused by money in politics.
Follow us!
FB: https://facebook.com/RepresentUs
Twitter: https://twitter.com/representus
Instagram: https://instagram.com/representus/
#corruption #taxes #lobbyist -
Demand Vote At Home During Coronavirus
The coronavirus is a public health crisis, but the Senate can pass a new bill that protects voters and our elections. Head to https://Represent.Us/VAH to send a message to your Senators today.
America is in the middle of a coronavirus pandemic and voting in-person at the polls could put people at risk. But we can hold elections without voting in person. There’s a bill in the Senate right now that would allow Americans to vote at home during a public health emergency -- like coronavirus without anyone having to risk their health at crowded polling locations.If passed, the bill would:
1. Allow all voters to request a mailed ballot,
2. Protect election security.
3. And ensure states protect the right to vote in case of an emergency.
It’s safe, secure, and protects voter participation. Every state needs Vote at Home during this crisis.
RepresentUs is a non-partisan, grassroots campaign to end the corruption caused by money in politics.
Join the movement to fix our broken political system at https://Represent.Us
#voteathome #coronavirus #representus -
Tucker Carlson on How Corruption is Destroying America
In under 5 minutes, Tucker Carlson makes a compelling case for how corruption is destroying America. Wealthy donors and corporations have outsized influence over our political process - and Americans are falling behind. It doesn't matter if you're a Republican or Democrat - this is an issue that affects EVERYONE.
Video Editor: Hannah Collins
Institute for Local Self-Reliance
-
ILSR Research Cited in Congressional Hearing on Monopoly Power in Tech
On July 29, 2020, the House Judiciary Antitrust Subcommittee held a hearing investigating monopoly power in online platforms, featuring testimony from the CEOs of Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google.
During the hearing, Congresswoman Mary Gay Scanlon referenced findings in ILSR's "Amazon's Monopoly Tollbooth" report to interrogate Jeff Bezos about how Amazon is extracting increasingly more from small businesses. -
Composting at Home: An Introduction to the Basics
Are you sheltering-in-place at home? Looking for a way to recycle your food scraps? Interested in producing your own “black gold” for your yard or garden? Need an activity to do with your children? Want to avoid greenhouse gases from landfills and incinerators and store carbon in local soils?
Learn how to home compost!
Webinar led by Brenda Platt of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance and Rhonda Sherman of North Carolina State University. -
Amazon's Growing Political Influence
ILSR's Stacy Mitchell explains Amazon's growing power in DC in this clip from PBS Frontline's "Amazon Empire" documentary. -
Amazon Wants to be Our Commerce Infrastructure
ILSR's Stacy Mitchell explains how Amazon is making itself part of our commerce infrastructure in this clip from PBS Frontline's "Amazon Empire" documentary. -
Amazon's Long Term Monopoly Strategy
ILSR's Stacy Mitchell talks about Amazon's long term plans to gain market power in this clip from PBS Frontline's "Amazon Empire" documentary. -
Webinar: Equitable Community Solar
A discussion about establishing community solar programs that center marginalized communities and those disenfranchised by racial, economic, and social inequity.
For more information, see our recent report: https://ilsr.org/report-designing-community-solar-programs-that-promote-racial-and-economic-equity/ -
Community Choice Energy: Enabling Communities to Center People and Planet
In this webinar, ILSR's John Farrell explains where, how, and why community choice energy policies are gaining popularity, and the many benefits they offer, including the accelerated adoption of renewable energy. For more information, check out ILSR's recent report: https://ilsr.org/report-community-choice-energy/ -
Compost Climate Connections Webinar Series: Carbon Farming Trials in Colorado
Our Compost Climate Connections webinar series features the crucial role of compost to protect the climate.
Compost is an essential ingredient in carbon farming as it provides soil both organic matter and beneficial microbes. For the fifth webinar of the series, we are joined by Dan Matsch of Eco-Cycle and Mark Easter of Colorado State University’s Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory (NREL). In Boulder County, Colorado, Eco-Cycle and NREL have established carbon farming pilot projects to adapt the science used in the Marin Carbon Project in California for the Rocky Mountain climate. This webinar will explore two of the pilot projects now underway in Boulder County and City of Boulder agricultural open space. In both projects, compost application is one of five treatments being measured. -
Webinar: Using Compost for Ecological Sanitation in Haiti to Mitigate & Adapt to Climate Change
Our Compost Climate Connections webinar series features the crucial role of compost in mitigating and building resilience to climate change.
For over a decade, SOIL (Sustainable Organic Integrated Livelihoods) has been incubating climate-positive sanitation solutions in frontline communities across Haiti that have been intentionally designed to mitigate the environmental impacts of poor waste management and offer a restorative alternative to traditional sanitation practices. By harvesting the nutrients in human waste, SOIL is protecting vulnerable aquatic ecosystems and groundwater sources while simultaneously restoring soil fertility, improving the viability of reforestation efforts, helping farmers grow more food, and sequestering carbon. -
From Crops to Co-ops: Small Towns Want Better Internet (Episode 5)
From Crops to Co-ops follows the story of one small town, like many others, where residents are working to improve Internet access for everyone. In the fifth and final episode of the silly animated series put on by ILSR's Community Broadband Networks team, the residents of Villageville finally find a solution!
Share this resource with others who are interested in exploring options for improving connectivity in their local communities.
Learn more:
ILSR.org
MuniNetworks.org -
From Crops to Co-ops: Small Towns Want Better Internet (Episode 4)
The frustrated residents of Villageville are airing their grievances about poor quality Internet access. Is there anything they can do to change things? What will does CenturyLink have to say about all this? Find out in episode four!
Small towns across the country need better Internet access, but low population density means large companies often won’t invest in the infrastructure needed to get them connected. We wanted to tell their story, so the Community Broadband Networks team at ILSR dusted off our acting and animation skills to bring the residents of Villageville to life!
Share this resource with others who are interested in exploring options for improving connectivity in their local communities. -
From Crops to Co-ops: Small Towns Want Better Internet (Episode 3)
What are all these kids doing on Grumpy Gary's lawn?! The students of Villageville are struggling to get homework done via satellite Internet access. Will their parents take action to get them connected to broadband?
We wanted to tell the story of small towns working to improve local Internet access, so the Community Broadband Networks team at ILSR dusted off our acting and animation skills to bring the residents of Villageville to life in the From Crops to Co-ops series!
Share this resource with others who are interested in exploring options for improving connectivity in their local communities.
Learn more:
ILSR.org
MuniNetworks.org
Rideshare Professor
-
Uber shares fall on mixed Q2 earnings results. Booking down 73%
-
4 analysts talk about Uber's 2Q earnings report, Uber second quarter earnings
4 analysts talk about Uber's 2Q earnings report, Uber second quarter earnings -
Ellen's Game of Games on NBC is looking for Essential workers with personalities. Sign me up
NOW CASTING!! Ellen's Game of Games on NBC is looking for Essential/Amazon/Fed-Ex workers to be contestants for Season 4! If you have a great, fun personality, love Ellen and love games then we want to meet you! Please contact me directly by direct message or email with name, age, occupation and location at pasternakkendra@gmail.com to be considered or tag the most outgoing Essential/Amazon/Fed-Ex workers you know in the SoCal area! -
Why Gig Workers are joining Kover. The Benefits, Perks and Pricing.
http://www.KOVER.Ai
Benefits, Perks and Pricing.
Uber, Lyft, Amazon Flex, Instacart, Postmates, Uber Eats, Doordash, Grubhub, Shipt and many other Gig Companies -
This is a must for every Gig Worker You do not want any surprises. www.Kover.ai has you covered.
http://www.KOVER.AI
This is a must for every Gig Worker You do not want any surprises. www.Kover.ai has you covered.
#Uber
#Lyft
#Instacart
#Doordash
#Grubhub
#Doordash
#AmazonFlex
#Shipt
#UberEats
and many other gig working companies. -
Anthony Levandowski sentenced to 18 months in prison, as new $4B lawsuit against Uber is filed
Another lawsuit filed against Uber -
Walmart PLUS or Amazon PRIME?
Walmart PLUS or Amazon PRIME?
#AmazonPrime
#Walmart Plus
#Amazon -
Keith Wishon, Uber Driver wins $200,000 after buying scratch tickets with a $10 tip. Congratulations
Keith Wishon, Uber Driver wins $200,000 after buying scratch tickets with a $10 tip. Congratulations
#Lottery
#LotteryWinner
#Uber -
How would you have handled this Lyft passenger if he broke through your Coronavirus barrier?
How would you have handled this Lyft passenger if he broke through your Coronavirus barrier?
#Lyft
#rideshare -
How to make the BIG money with Uber, Lyft and Limo trips. Sharing my money-making formula.
http://www.RideshareDrivingSchool.com use code RDS30
How to make the BIG money with Uber, Lyft and Limo trips. Sharing my money-making formula.
#Uber
#Lyft
#rideshare -
OUR HOUSE MONDAYS- where Gig Workers meet and share
-
Uber Eats delivery guy eats customers Buffalo Chicken Wings
Uber Eats delivery guy eats customers Buffalo Chicken Wings
#UberEats
#Uber
Civic Economics
Prime Numbers: Amazon and American Communities
New study reveals explosive growth of third-party sales, sales tax avoidance (Published on: https://civiceconomics.wordpress.com/2018/04/04/prime-numbers-amazon-and-american-communities/) A …
DLBN Podcast – Hosted by Al Norman & Steve Anthony
- The Ripple Effect Podcast 36 (Al Norman)(1) 56:31
