thegreanvillepostbiasrating--2020-07-04--REOPENING vs. LOCKDOWN is a FALSE DICHOTOMY

Please make sure these dispatches reach as many readers as possible .
Share with kin , friends and workmates and ask them to do likewise .
alifornia is seeing a surge in coronavirus infections , and most of our government misleaders , from Governor Gavin Newsom on down , are trying to sweep the true story under the rug with the same kind of blowhard fake news that we hear from the Trump administration .
The politicians don ’ t want to admit that the real problem is a serious lack of testing , contact tracing , and quarantining of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ us with a false dichotomy : “ reopening ” vs. lockdown .
But without adequate testing , contact tracing and quarantining , both of those options are deadly .
Lockdown is slow death and economic strangulation .
“ Reopening ” means a surge of death , but maximization of profit for the corporate elite .
The total number of reported coronavirus infections in California has now topped 200,000 .
The actual number of infections in the U.S. may very well be up to 10 times as many as have been reported , according @ @ @ @ @ @ @ based its story on data from the federal Center for Disease Control ( CDC ) .
But we don ’ t really know .
We don ’ t know because there hasn ’ t been anywhere enough testing to know .
And we don ’ t know how many non-symptomatic people are wandering around infecting those who haven ’ t met the virus yet .
We are all aware that this problem starts in the Very White House , where Trump and his cohorts are trying to wish away the pandemic .
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and local government leaders to be shouting to the rafters that we need more testing ?
You would think the Democrats especially would be eager to point the finger at the murderer-in-chief in Washington .
But that outrage against Trump and his minions has been muted , at best .
Our state and local politicians would rather brag about how they have managed to increase testing over time , rarely acknowledging that the amount of testing going on won ’ t successfully identify and isolate infections any more than rearranging the deck chairs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ship afloat .
Our weak-willed political leaders have long been schooled in this denial of reality .
These are the same misleaders who have grown accustomed to managing economic austerity for poor and working-class folks , because they are perpetually afraid of fighting to tax the rich .
They know who their true base is – the corporate elite that finance their campaigns and their careers .
Similarly , these same politicians are now kowtowing to the big business class that wants their economy “ re-opened , ” who want to force workers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it is , while holding the whip of unemployment and financial insolvency over our heads .
I have a friend who grew up in Iraq .
His family back home keeps asking him , “ What is wrong with America ?
” The irony of Iraqis watching the U.S. collapse is deep .
San Francisco is not exempt from this political madness .
We have heard over and over again that we are somehow sheltered from the storm .
It is true that Bay Area health officials got ahead of the curve with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ able to use that time to ramp up testing to the degree that is needed ?
Clearly not .
Are they now demanding the kind of mass testing that is necessary to safely “ reopen ” the economy ?
Clearly not .
These health officials also ultimately answer to the political elite and their big business masters .
Infections are now surging in the San Francisco Bay Area , although not so much , we are told , in San Francisco .
But here is a dirty little secret .
The reported number @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are the number of deaths and infections only of residents of the City by the Bay .
San Francisco is the commercial and cultural capital of the Bay Area .
As the economy “ reopens , ” San Francisco is increasingly being flooded with workers and visitors from surrounding counties .
These non-residents may get infected here , may get sick , may die , but that doesn ’ t affect San Francisco ’ s statistics even one little bit .
Instead they get added to the totals in their home counties – @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Clara and Marin – where infections are climbing .
When I asked local public health officials what is being done to statistically track non-residents who become infected in San Francisco , the answer was – nothing .
Here is what the “ Joint Information Center ” told me : “ San Francisco is not statistically tracking non-residents who may become infected in San Francisco .
Cases are reported to each individual ’ s county of residence .
If case investigators in the county of residence identify an exposure in San Francisco , that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ San Francisco know to follow up with contact tracing .
Currently , the statewide case tracking system does not provide a mechanism for interjurisdictional transfers to occur either.
” What this means is that San Francisco ’ s “ reopening ” risks making us not only the commercial and cultural capital of the Bay Area , but the infection capital as well .
And if you think that infections caused here but recorded in surrounding counties won ’ t come back to haunt ( and infect and kill ) us , then I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Just wait until the hotels open up again .
Recently San Francisco officials have decided to test all dead San Franciscans for coronavirus infections , not just those who showed COVID-19 symptoms .
That is called post-mortem testing .
It is a good thing .
Of course , what we need even more is a whole lot of pre-mortem testing .
That would be an even better thing .
Copyright © 2020 by Marc Norton First published by Broke-Ass Stuart - July 3 , 2020 https : //BrokeAssStuart.com/2020/07/03/reopening-vs-lockdown-is-a-false-dichotomy Puke if you must

Please make sure these dispatches reach as many readers as possible. Share with kin, friends and workmates and ask them to do likewise.
OpEds
C
alifornia is seeing a surge in coronavirus infections, and most of our government misleaders, from Governor Gavin Newsom on down, are trying to sweep the true story under the rug with the same kind of blowhard fake news that we hear from the Trump administration.
The politicians don’t want to admit that the real problem is a serious lack of testing, contact tracing, and quarantining of infected people.
Instead, they present us with a false dichotomy: “reopening” vs. lockdown. But without adequate testing, contact tracing and quarantining, both of those options are deadly. Lockdown is slow death and economic strangulation. “Reopening” means a surge of death, but maximization of profit for the corporate elite.
The total number of reported coronavirus infections in California has now topped 200,000. The actual number of infections in the U.S. may very well be up to 10 times as many as have been reported, according to the New York Times, which based its story on data from the federal Center for Disease Control (CDC).
But we don’t really know. We don’t know because there hasn’t been anywhere enough testing to know. And we don’t know how many non-symptomatic people are wandering around infecting those who haven’t met the virus yet.
We are all aware that this problem starts in the Very White House, where Trump and his cohorts are trying to wish away the pandemic. But wouldn’t you expect our state and local government leaders to be shouting to the rafters that we need more testing? You would think the Democrats especially would be eager to point the finger at the murderer-in-chief in Washington.
But that outrage against Trump and his minions has been muted, at best. Our state and local politicians would rather brag about how they have managed to increase testing over time, rarely acknowledging that the amount of testing going on won’t successfully identify and isolate infections any more than rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic would have kept the ship afloat.
Our weak-willed political leaders have long been schooled in this denial of reality. These are the same misleaders who have grown accustomed to managing economic austerity for poor and working-class folks, because they are perpetually afraid of fighting to tax the rich. They know who their true base is – the corporate elite that finance their campaigns and their careers.
Similarly, these same politicians are now kowtowing to the big business class that wants their economy “re-opened,” who want to force workers back to work no matter how unsafe it is, while holding the whip of unemployment and financial insolvency over our heads.
I have a friend who grew up in Iraq. His family back home keeps asking him, “What is wrong with America?” The irony of Iraqis watching the U.S. collapse is deep.
San Francisco is not exempt from this political madness. We have heard over and over again that we are somehow sheltered from the storm. It is true that Bay Area health officials got ahead of the curve with an early lockdown. But were they able to use that time to ramp up testing to the degree that is needed? Clearly not. Are they now demanding the kind of mass testing that is necessary to safely “reopen” the economy? Clearly not. These health officials also ultimately answer to the political elite and their big business masters.
Infections are now surging in the San Francisco Bay Area, although not so much, we are told, in San Francisco. But here is a dirty little secret. The reported number of deaths and infections in San Francisco are the number of deaths and infections only of residents of the City by the Bay.
San Francisco is the commercial and cultural capital of the Bay Area. As the economy “reopens,” San Francisco is increasingly being flooded with workers and visitors from surrounding counties. These non-residents may get infected here, may get sick, may die, but that doesn’t affect San Francisco’s statistics even one little bit. Instead they get added to the totals in their home counties – like Alameda, Contra Costa, Santa Clara and Marin – where infections are climbing.
When I asked local public health officials what is being done to statistically track non-residents who become infected in San Francisco, the answer was – nothing. Here is what the “Joint Information Center” told me:
“San Francisco is not statistically tracking non-residents who may become infected in San Francisco. Cases are reported to each individual’s county of residence. If case investigators in the county of residence identify an exposure in San Francisco, that county MIGHT [my emphasis] let San Francisco know to follow up with contact tracing. Currently, the statewide case tracking system does not provide a mechanism for interjurisdictional transfers to occur either.”
What this means is that San Francisco’s “reopening” risks making us not only the commercial and cultural capital of the Bay Area, but the infection capital as well. And if you think that infections caused here but recorded in surrounding counties won’t come back to haunt (and infect and kill) us, then I have an orange bridge to sell you.
Just wait until the hotels open up again.
Recently San Francisco officials have decided to test all dead San Franciscans for coronavirus infections, not just those who showed COVID-19 symptoms. That is called post-mortem testing. It is a good thing. Of course, what we need even more is a whole lot of pre-mortem testing. That would be an even better thing.
You can explore his writings at Marc Norton Online - Marc Norton has worked in the restaurant, hotel and food service industry his entire life. Over 90% of the workers in his union, UNITE HERE Local 2, are now out of work.You can explore his writings at Marc Norton Online - https://MarcNortonOnline.wordpress.com
Copyright © 2020 by Marc Norton
First published by Broke-Ass Stuart - July 3, 2020
https://BrokeAssStuart.com/2020/07/03/reopening-vs-lockdown-is-a-false-dichotomy
[post-views]
Puke if you must
This bloodsoaked monster is probably the most evil person on planet earth https://t.co/nGq2H1EPHt — Ben Norton (@BenjaminNorton) April 9, 2020


MALTHUS REVISIT’D

Prefatory Note : Many people on the radical left —including some of its most intelligent voices—are suspicious if not downright hostile to Malthusian and Neo-Malthusian arguments seeking to limit and ideally reduce the human population footprint on the planet .
Besides regarding Malthus as a misguided and above all anachronistic upper class philosopher , they advance a series of arguments that rest on largely irrefutable facts : ( a ) Malthus lived in an era when humans had not yet developed food technology to a level commensurate with the feeding of billions .
Malthus thought that , in general , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had `` natural limits '' to their growth .
In his view each species inhabited a semi-stable niche delimited by the balance of life and death , the latter , in the case of humans , dictated by the periodic occurrences of famines , pestilence and wars .
( b ) Radicals correctly point out that all this talk about limiting or reducing human population could be some sort of a convenient and sinister project of the ruling class which can neither employ nor adequately feed a growing `` surplus '' population in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ automation .
They suggest that deliberate population reduction will be implemented via compulsory vaccination campaigns , or via the release of bioweapons designed to attain such ends , including viral agents such as Covid-19 .
A smaller world population , they argue , is desired by the plutocrats because it is theoretically easier to manage and less likely to reach volatile levels conducive to revolutionary explosions in the near term .
( c ) Radicals also point out that for the rich countries to forbid or sabotage population growth , or economic development @ @ @ @ @ @ @ poor world , is the height of hypocrisy given the developed world 's own appalling track record of active destruction of the environment by criminal corporate operations ( vide BP 's poisoning of the Gulf of Mexico , as just one instance of a widely accepted business practice ) in addition to extravagant if not obscene levels of median consumption—especially in nations such as the US .
Furthermore , critics argue , every child born in America or Europe or any other developed nation represents an ecological footprint ranging from 12 to 16 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ India or Africa , and such trends are both diverging and expanding .
We could suggest a leveling off of economic growth in developing nations and a freezing of development in rich countries , until the former catch up , but ideas such as these are chimeras in a world lacking peace and equity in political power , and in which one malignant superpower has almost singlehandedly destroyed the possibility of a rational and fair one-world government .
People in the poor world are not in a mood to wait much longer , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` West '' —would hardly entertain such notions as they struggle to maintain their increasingly tenuous hold on power by keeping their home populations minimally satisfied .
Regardless of what the criminals and misleaders that run most of the world these days decide to do about global population , especially in the `` West '' , something that all Western radicals can support , in fact , should support , is a steady-state economy .
A point of agreement to launch this discussion is that growth in the GDP size of any nation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gains for the whole population .
In a highly class divided society , most of the gains facilitated by better productivity will be shoveled into the pockets of the already wealthy , with poorer sectors experiencing stationary or shrinking incomes .
In other words , size of GDP alone means little ; it is the type of distribution of the national pie—egalitarian or unequal— that explains whether the nation is better off as GDP grows or ( as we have seen historically in cases like Brazil , for example ) or worse off @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the upper 1 % have also meant increasing poverty in the lower sectors .
Second , and fundamental , continuing—infinite—economic growth , a mantra of capitalist politicians , corporate boardrooms , and economists , especially in the extractive industrial sector , implies a huge contradiction .
You ca n't have infinite growth of any consumption variable ( i.e.
, population ) in a very finite planet .
It 's an impossibility .
The idea that we can continue to increase human population indefinitely , with each person born anywhere on the planet , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) a fair amount of resources to live a decent and rewarding life , is therefore unrealistic and actually destructive , since as environmental tipping points are reached , a negative feedback accelerates the depletion of the remaining global assets .
We all know that nature has a wonderful way of renewing its life-giving platforms , but this is severely nullified when androgenic assault literals punctures the biosphere .
But , what is steady state economics ?
For one thing , let 's say it at the outset : a steady state economy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can continue to modernize and become ever more efficient ( which technically lightens the human footprint on the environment ) .
And , equally important , the economy can have a much better distribution of its aggregate income , making everyone better off .
Capitalism has a way of accelerating and magnifying the gravity of these issues .
A few years back , in an essay discussing these questions , I noted that , • Capitalism is addicted to eternal and aggressive growth ; this is a non-negotiable feature that defines it .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ many things , but you ca n't negotiate with him to stop breathing .
That 's a non-negotiable demand .
Same with capitalism and growth .
Constant growth is buried deep in the dynamic of capitalism and now in its mature executive sociology .
It 's not subject to negotiation .
Yet —as anyone , except capitalist diehards and those influenced by them can see—eternal growth is impossible in a finite planet that is growing smaller all the time , especially against the backdrop of continually expanding human populations .
Thus , a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ economic expansion as the key element in the road to `` the good life '' is insane , by definition .
• Capitalism , a highly hierarchical , inegalitarian system did not clash with the exploitative values of feudalism .
Capitalism is grounded in unequal distribution of income .
At the sociopolitical level , capitalist uprisings merely forced feudalism to amplify its privilege/exploitative sphere to embrace the rising class of rich merchants and bankers—the bourgeoisie .
Given this value orientation , capitalism can be clearly perceived as inherently indifferent and even hostile to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that capitalism simply thrives in right-wing dictatorships .
Chomsky calls capitalist structures `` tyrannies '' and he 's not exaggerating .
• As time goes by , the capitalist crisis can only worsen—the disappearance of jobs , environmental degradation , deeper recessions and inequality , antisocial production , etc.—grows in intensity and there is no possible cure within boundaries acceptable to the capitalist class .
This crisis is a direct result of capitalism 's core dynamic , and its social relations .
From Lou Dobbs to Alan Greenpan , to the regular business @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' trotted out to `` explain the economy , '' the corporate executive , or politico on the stump , the mantra is always the same : the GDP is a good barometer of the nation 's economy , and it better be growing .
But this worship of the GDP [ Gross Domestic Product ] as a reliable yardstick for general social well-being , intimately connected to the growth obsession , is just one of the multiple ways in which bourgeois economics contributes to the miasma of false consciousness .
The operating @ @ @ @ @ @ @ correlation between constant economic growth and increases in the quality of life for all , although there are several enormous flies in this lovely ointment .
To begin with , a bigger GDP does not automatically mean a better life for the vast majority .
The truth depends on how the national income is being distributed .
Forget the fabled `` trickle down '' effect and `` the lifting of all boats '' economic rapture expected to take place when the superrich are allowed to get away with practically anything .
Unadulterated poppycock @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gets a fair share is probably much better than a much larger pie in which 5 % of the top take 90 % of the pie .
What 's more , averages , so widely used in official statistics , lie .
The GDP is a rather obtuse , and severely biased yardstick .
It takes no account of infamous externalities : mounting social inequality , widespread environmental pollution , damage to people 's health as a result of industrial practices , or lethal threats to the planet itself .
It 's also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ underscore the best things in life not only for us , but for every sentient creature on earth—like the pure oxygen that a beautiful tree quietly affords us , or the advantages , let alone wonderfulness , of clean rivers and oceans—while it computes as `` gains '' things that in actuality represent tragedy and loss .
Thus a crackup on the highway resulting in a demolished car and someone 's death or somebody 's prolonged hospital stay , turns up on the capitalist ledgers as income generated for hospitals , doctors , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ funeral parlors , and car dealerships .
Similarly , the GDP robotically celebrates any construction , whether it be of prisons or family homes .
And following the same blind logic , it treats crime , divorce and other elements of social breakdown as economic gains .
It 's a measurement model in urgent need of revamping .
( See P. Greanville , Understanding American Capitalism , The Greanville Post , Jul 8 , 2011 ) Lastly , it 's worth pointing that due to their aversion to any redistribution of wealth , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to keep increasing their share of the pie while also managing to pacify the masses .
In short , the worship of `` economic growth '' as an unquestioned good is not only misguided , it is inherently dishonest .

Prefatory Note: Many people on the radical left —including some of its most intelligent voices—are suspicious if not downright hostile to Malthusian and Neo-Malthusian arguments seeking to limit and ideally reduce the human population footprint on the planet. Besides regarding Malthus as a misguided and above all anachronistic upper class philosopher, they advance a series of arguments that rest on largely irrefutable facts:
(a) Malthus lived in an era when humans had not yet developed food technology to a level commensurate with the feeding of billions. Malthus thought that, in general, animal populations, and certainly humans, had "natural limits" to their growth. In his view each species inhabited a semi-stable niche delimited by the balance of life and death, the latter, in the case of humans, dictated by the periodic occurrences of famines, pestilence and wars.
(b) Radicals correctly point out that all this talk about limiting or reducing human population could be some sort of a convenient and sinister project of the ruling class which can neither employ nor adequately feed a growing "surplus" population in the face of rapid advances in labor-saving automation. They suggest that deliberate population reduction will be implemented via compulsory vaccination campaigns, or via the release of bioweapons designed to attain such ends, including viral agents such as Covid-19. A smaller world population, they argue, is desired by the plutocrats because it is theoretically easier to manage and less likely to reach volatile levels conducive to revolutionary explosions in the near term.
(c) Radicals also point out that for the rich countries to forbid or sabotage population growth, or economic development guaranteeing higher consumption per capita in the poor world, is the height of hypocrisy given the developed world's own appalling track record of active destruction of the environment by criminal corporate operations (vide BP's poisoning of the Gulf of Mexico, as just one instance of a widely accepted business practice) in addition to extravagant if not obscene levels of median consumption—especially in nations such as the US. Furthermore, critics argue, every child born in America or Europe or any other developed nation represents an ecological footprint ranging from 12 to 16 times that of a child born in India or Africa, and such trends are both diverging and expanding.
We could suggest a leveling off of economic growth in developing nations and a freezing of development in rich countries, until the former catch up, but ideas such as these are chimeras in a world lacking peace and equity in political power, and in which one malignant superpower has almost singlehandedly destroyed the possibility of a rational and fair one-world government. People in the poor world are not in a mood to wait much longer, while the leaders of the developed world—the "West"—would hardly entertain such notions as they struggle to maintain their increasingly tenuous hold on power by keeping their home populations minimally satisfied.
Regardless of what the criminals and misleaders that run most of the world these days decide to do about global population, especially in the "West", something that all Western radicals can support, in fact, should support, is a steady-state economy. A point of agreement to launch this discussion is that growth in the GDP size of any nation does NOT signify income and well being gains for the whole population. In a highly class divided society, most of the gains facilitated by better productivity will be shoveled into the pockets of the already wealthy, with poorer sectors experiencing stationary or shrinking incomes. In other words, size of GDP alone means little; it is the type of distribution of the national pie—egalitarian or unequal— that explains whether the nation is better off as GDP grows or (as we have seen historically in cases like Brazil, for example) or worse off. That is, growing riches in the upper 1% have also meant increasing poverty in the lower sectors.
Second, and fundamental, continuing—infinite—economic growth, a mantra of capitalist politicians, corporate boardrooms, and economists, especially in the extractive industrial sector, implies a huge contradiction. You can't have infinite growth of any consumption variable (i.e., population) in a very finite planet. It's an impossibility. The idea that we can continue to increase human population indefinitely, with each person born anywhere on the planet, allocated, (as is his/her right) a fair amount of resources to live a decent and rewarding life, is therefore unrealistic and actually destructive, since as environmental tipping points are reached, a negative feedback accelerates the depletion of the remaining global assets. We all know that nature has a wonderful way of renewing its life-giving platforms, but this is severely nullified when androgenic assault literals punctures the biosphere.
But, what is steady state economics? For one thing, let's say it at the outset: a steady state economy does not signify stagnation. The economy can continue to modernize and become ever more efficient (which technically lightens the human footprint on the environment). And, equally important, the economy can have a much better distribution of its aggregate income, making everyone better off.
Capitalism has a way of accelerating and magnifying the gravity of these issues. A few years back, in an essay discussing these questions, I noted that,
• Capitalism is addicted to eternal and aggressive growth; this is a non-negotiable feature that defines it. You can make a man agree to many things, but you can't negotiate with him to stop breathing. That's a non-negotiable demand. Same with capitalism and growth. Constant growth is buried deep in the dynamic of capitalism and now in its mature executive sociology. It's not subject to negotiation. Yet —as anyone, except capitalist diehards and those influenced by them can see—eternal growth is impossible in a finite planet that is growing smaller all the time, especially against the backdrop of continually expanding human populations. Thus, a system like capitalism, that posits endless economic expansion as the key element in the road to "the good life"is insane, by definition. • Capitalism, a highly hierarchical, inegalitarian system did not clash with the exploitative values of feudalism. Capitalism is grounded in unequal distribution of income. At the sociopolitical level, capitalist uprisings merely forced feudalism to amplify its privilege/exploitative sphere to embrace the rising class of rich merchants and bankers—the bourgeoisie. Given this value orientation, capitalism can be clearly perceived as inherently indifferent and even hostile to democracy. Not surprising, then, that capitalism simply thrives in right-wing dictatorships. Chomsky calls capitalist structures "tyrannies" and he's not exaggerating. • As time goes by, the capitalist crisis can only worsen—the disappearance of jobs, environmental degradation, deeper recessions and inequality, antisocial production, etc.—grows in intensity and there is no possible cure within boundaries acceptable to the capitalist class. This crisis is a direct result of capitalism's core dynamic, and its social relations.
Regarding capitalism's GDP fetish, I argued that,
From Lou Dobbs to Alan Greenpan, to the regular business class teacher, the media "expert" trotted out to "explain the economy," the corporate executive, or politico on the stump, the mantra is always the same: the GDP is a good barometer of the nation's economy, and it better be growing. But this worship of the GDP [Gross Domestic Product] as a reliable yardstick for general social well-being, intimately connected to the growth obsession, is just one of the multiple ways in which bourgeois economics contributes to the miasma of false consciousness. The operating assumption is that there's a close correlation between constant economic growth and increases in the quality of life for all, although there are several enormous flies in this lovely ointment. To begin with, a bigger GDP does not automatically mean a better life for the vast majority. The truth depends on how the national income is being distributed. Forget the fabled "trickle down" effect and "the lifting of all boats" economic rapture expected to take place when the superrich are allowed to get away with practically anything. Unadulterated poppycock. A smaller pie in which everyone gets a fair share is probably much better than a much larger pie in which 5% of the top take 90% of the pie. What's more, averages, so widely used in official statistics, lie. The GDP is a rather obtuse, and severely biased yardstick. It takes no account of infamous externalities: mounting social inequality, widespread environmental pollution, damage to people's health as a result of industrial practices, or lethal threats to the planet itself. It's also stubbornly blind to the many realities that underscore the best things in life not only for us, but for every sentient creature on earth—like the pure oxygen that a beautiful tree quietly affords us, or the advantages, let alone wonderfulness, of clean rivers and oceans—while it computes as "gains" things that in actuality represent tragedy and loss. Thus a crackup on the highway resulting in a demolished car and someone's death or somebody's prolonged hospital stay, turns up on the capitalist ledgers as income generated for hospitals, doctors, nurses, drug companies, garages, funeral parlors, and car dealerships. Similarly, the GDP robotically celebrates any construction, whether it be of prisons or family homes. And following the same blind logic, it treats crime, divorce and other elements of social breakdown as economic gains. It's a measurement model in urgent need of revamping. (See P. Greanville, Understanding American Capitalism, The Greanville Post, Jul 8, 2011)
Lastly, it's worth pointing that due to their aversion to any redistribution of wealth, the ruling elites rely on constant growth to keep increasing their share of the pie while also managing to pacify the masses. In short, the worship of "economic growth" as an unquestioned good is not only misguided, it is inherently dishonest.


thegreanvillepostbiasrating--2020-07-05--India set to pose growing challenge to China at sea

- New Delhi is developing its strategic partnership with the US , Australia and Japan as part of efforts to @ @ @ @ @ influence in the Indian Ocean - Some observers say its relationship with Washington has already @ @ @ @ @ China Morning Post India is likely to pose an increased challenge to China at sea @ @ @ @ @ land , analysts said .
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also set out plans for @ @ @ @ @ ” to ensure security at sea that echoes similar proposals by the US .
“ @ @ @ @ @ not compete with the PLA Navy .
But by allying with Japan or the US @ @ @ @ @ a much better position , ” Li said .
“ The Indian Ocean is not @ @ @ @ @ and the PLAN will continue its normal voyages and activities , ” he said .

by Liu Zhen in Beijing
- New Delhi is developing its strategic partnership with the US, Australia and Japan as part of efforts to counter China’s growing influence in the Indian Ocean
- Some observers say its relationship with Washington has already developed in a quasi-alliance
South China Morning Post
India is likely to pose an increased challenge to China at sea following their recent confrontation on land, analysts said.
Last week, the Indian Navy and Japanese Maritime Self-Defence Force held a joint exercise in the Indian Ocean, as part of the nascent “Quad” that also involves the United States and Australia. India has already held regular bilateral exercises with the other three armed forces and has said it might invite Australia to join the “Malabar” war games it holds with Japan and the US. Lin Minwang, deputy director of Fudan University’s Centre for South Asian Studies, said the country’s relationship with the US had already developed into a quasi-alliance.
In recent years New Delhi has signed several agreements with Washington, some of which have significant military implications.
These deals include the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement to enable the use of each other’s land, air and naval bases for repair and resupply; the Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement that opened the way for sales of sensitive US military equipment; and the General Security of Military Information Agreement to share classified information.
Discussions are also under way to place liaison officers in each other’s commands.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also set out plans for an “Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative” to ensure security at sea that echoes similar proposals by the US.
“India’s strategic concern is targeted at China,” Lin said.
Tensions between India and China remain high following last month’s deadly border clash that killed 20 Indian and an undisclosed number of Chinese soldiers.
The Indian Navy was also taking part in a joint “China containment” effort with the US in the South China Sea and Indian Ocean, said Beijing-based naval analyst Li Jie.
“The Indian Navy alone cannot compete with the PLA Navy. But by allying with Japan or the US, it could be in a much better position,” Li said.
“India wants dominance in that region while the Americans are playing them off against China.” “India wants dominance in that region while the Americans are playing them off against China.”
The Indian Ocean lies at the centre of global oil transport networks, and is also a vital trade route for China, linking it to Europe, Africa and the Middle East.
President Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road Initiative , which aims to boost infrastructure and trade, includes a “maritime silk road” that passes through the South China Sea and Malacca Strait before entering the Indian Ocean.
The PLA Navy has become increasingly active in the region in recent years, starting with anti-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden in 2008.
Its submarines have also been detected in the area from 2013 onwards and in 2017 it opened its first overseas base in Djibouti
In addition, China has built ports in Gwadar in Pakistan, in Hambantota in Sri Lanka and Kyaukpyu in Myanmar under the Belt and Road Initiative, but critics – including India – have warned they have potential military uses.
India views China’s growing military presence in the Indian Ocean region – which involves building up a network of military and commercial facilities known as the “ string of pearls ” – as a major threat.
A recent report published in Modern Ships, a military magazine published by state-owned warship builder China State Shipbuilding Corporation, said the navy’s presence in the Indian Ocean was part of an “inexorable trend”, because its economic value to China was even higher than that of the Pacific.
But India’s geographic location means it can cut China’s trade routes to Europe using its air force and its naval expansion plans – including three aircraft carriers – would allow it to compete with China for air superiority across the Indian Ocean.
Li said the best way forward for the Chinese navy was to develop its capabilities and influence, but to show restraint while doing so.
“The Indian Ocean is not India’s ocean, and the PLAN will continue its normal voyages and activities,” he said.


thegreanvillepostbiasrating--2020-07-05--Uncovering John Bolton’s ‘distorted’ tales in ‘The Room Where It Happened’

Please make sure these dispatches reach as many readers as possible .
Share with kin , friends and workmates and @ @ @ @ @ .
Red Lines host Anya Parampil responds to ABC ’ s interview with former White @ @ @ @ @ Bolton about his new book “ The Room Where It Happened ” .
Anya Parampil @ @ @ @ @ Washington , DC .
She has produced and reported several documentaries , including on-the-ground reports @ @ @ @ @ Palestine , Venezuela , and Honduras .
is a journalist based in Washington , DC @ @ @ @ @ reported several documentaries , including on-the-ground reports from the Korean peninsula , Palestine , Venezuela @ @ @ @

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thegreanvillepostbiasrating--2020-07-05--Judge Orders ‘Destruction’ of Evidence Against Jeffrey Epstein

Another important dispatch from The Greanville Post .
Be sure to share it widely .
This article is part of an ongoing series of dispatches by historian Eric Zuesse “ Cooper & Kirk shall destroy ( a ) all materials from Giuffre v. Maxwell , No .
15 Civ .
7433 , currently in its possession , save for the transcript of Ms. Giuffre ’ s deposition in that case and ( b ) all work product derived from the Maxwell materials .
Cooper & Kirk shall submit to the Court an affidavit detailing the steps that it took to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ms. Maxwell was a ringleader in Jeffrey Epstein ’ s sex-trafficking scheme , a trusted lieutenant of Epstein ’ s who facilitated his purported trafficking of underage girls to prominent individuals .
Ms. Giuffre ’ s defamation action against Mr. Dershowitz alleges that Mr. Dershowitz was one of the prominent individuals who took advantage of Epstein and Ms. Maxwell ’ s trafficking scheme and that Ms. Giuffre was forced to have intercourse with Mr. Dershowitz when she was underage .
Ms. Giuffre alleges that Mr. Dershowitz ’ s false denial of such contact @ @ @ @ @ @ @ does not say that the names of the men on that list are to be kept confidential and not available to the press , but instead that Giuffre ’ s attorneys are to “ destroy ” it .
At issue here are two separate legal controversies : ( 1 ) a protective order issued in 2015 by Judge Robert W. Sweet in a since-settled defamation case between Giuffre and Epstein ’ s alleged groomer and girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell ; and ( 2 ) a more recent series of extant defamation , back-and-forth claims @ @ @ @ @ @ @ v. Maxwell protective order is the major legal lock-and-key which has long-protected the Epstein files .
A process is currently underway for both sides to sift through those documents and eventually make many of them available for public consumption .
Although other copies of that list might exist ( which are not likewise being ordered by Preska to be destroyed , but could possibly be brought forth as evidence in other trials ) , Judge Preska ’ s order prohibits Dershowitz ’ s use of Giuffre ’ s copy of that physical list @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , which isn ’ t between Giuffre and Maxwell , but instead between Giuffre and Dershowitz — who claims to be not on that list and to need that list in order for him to prove his personal defamation case against Giuffre , who says that he is on the list .
the Maxwell Protective Order prohibits information designated as CONFIDENTIAL from being “ disclosed or used for any purpose except for the preparation and trial of [ the Maxwell ] case.
” “ Critically , the agreed-upon unsealing procedure can only work @ @ @ @ @ @ @ participate .
Handing over to Mr. Dershowitz all of the materials from Maxwell , which would necessarily include all of the sealed filings that are the subject of the unsealing protocol , would threaten that balance .
Non-parties [ to the Giuffre-v.-Maxwell case ] may question the legitimacy of that process if Mr. Dershowitz can obtain , without any regard whatsoever for their interests , the sealed materials for the mere reason that disclosure would make mounting his defense and litigating his counterclaims against Ms. Giuffre more convenient [ in other words : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Giuffre ] .The Court will not risk collateral damage to the Maxwell unsealing process by modifying the protective order.
” The “ balance ” that ’ s referred-to there is allegedly the right of both the accuser Giuffre and the accused Maxwell to have their privacy protected .
Dershowitz says he wants this list in order to prove that his name isn ’ t on the list .
The Court ’ s “ Protective Order ” had been issued in 2016 in the Giuffre-v.-Maxwell case , so as to : “ protect the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ information that will improperly annoy , embarrass , or oppress any party , witness , or person providing discovery in [ Maxwell ] .
” ( Id . )
The order accordingly permits the parties to designate as CONFIDENTIAL certain materials produced in discovery that “ are confidential ” and that implicate “ common law and statutory privacy interests ” of Ms. Giuffre and Maxwell Defendant Ghislaine Maxwell ( “ Ms .
Maxwell ” ) .
“ Thus , given the public character of this litigation [ between Dershowitz and Giuffre ] and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , production of the Maxwell materials to Mr. Dershowitz would raise additional risk of leakage from the materials at issue in the Maxwell [ -v.-Giuffre ] unsealing process into filings in the Dershowitz action .
This would further undermine the unsealing process in Maxwell .
”

Another important dispatch from The Greanville Post. Be sure to share it widely.
This article is part of an ongoing series of dispatches by historian Eric Zuesse
U.S. District Court Judge Loretta Preska , who was appointed by George Herbert Walker Bush, and whom his son had considered promoting maybe to the U.S. Supreme Court, ruled in a case on July 1st, ordering the attorneys for one of Jeffrey Epstein’s alleged victims, Virginia (Roberts) Guiffre, to “destroy” a list of men who had taken advantage of Epstein’s “girls.” This action pertains to a case not only against Epstein, who is dead, but against his friend and colleague Ghislaine Maxwell, who happened to become arrested by the FBI in Bedford New Hampshire the very next day, on July 2nd
Judge Preska said that Giuffre’s attorneys
“Cooper & Kirk shall destroy (a) all materials from Giuffre v. Maxwell, No. 15 Civ. 7433, currently in its possession, save for the transcript of Ms. Giuffre’s deposition in that case and (b) all work product derived from the Maxwell materials. Cooper & Kirk shall submit to the Court an affidavit detailing the steps that it took to destroy the materials.”
Her order to the attorneys stated that Giuffre,
“alleged that Ms. Maxwell was a ringleader in Jeffrey Epstein’s sex-trafficking scheme, a trusted lieutenant of Epstein’s who facilitated his purported trafficking of underage girls to prominent individuals. Ms. Giuffre’s defamation action against Mr. Dershowitz alleges that Mr. Dershowitz was one of the prominent individuals who took advantage of Epstein and Ms. Maxwell’s trafficking scheme and that Ms. Giuffre was forced to have intercourse with Mr. Dershowitz when she was underage. Ms. Giuffre alleges that Mr. Dershowitz’s false denial of such contact defamed her.”
Preska’s order does not say that the names of the men on that list are to be kept confidential and not available to the press, but instead that Giuffre’s attorneys are to “destroy” it.
At issue here are two separate legal controversies: (1) a protective order issued in 2015 by Judge Robert W. Sweet in a since-settled defamation case between Giuffre and Epstein’s alleged groomer and girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell; and (2) a more recent series of extant defamation, back-and-forth claims between Giuffre and Dershowitz.
The Giuffre v. Maxwell protective order is the major legal lock-and-key which has long-protected the Epstein files. A process is currently underway for both sides to sift through those documents and eventually make many of them available for public consumption.
Although other copies of that list might exist (which are not likewise being ordered by Preska to be destroyed, but could possibly be brought forth as evidence in other trials), Judge Preska’s order prohibits Dershowitz’s use of Giuffre’s copy of that physical list, as being evidence in this trial, which isn’t between Giuffre and Maxwell, but instead between Giuffre and Dershowitz — who claims to be not on that list and to need that list in order for him to prove his personal defamation case against Giuffre, who says that he is on the list.
The Court’s ruling said
the Maxwell Protective Order prohibits information designated as CONFIDENTIAL from being “disclosed or used for any purpose except for the preparation and trial of [the Maxwell] case.”
The alleged reason that the ruling provides to “destroy” the list is that
“Critically, the agreed-upon unsealing procedure can only work as intended if non-parties are willing to participate. Handing over to Mr. Dershowitz all of the materials from Maxwell, which would necessarily include all of the sealed filings that are the subject of the unsealing protocol, would threaten that balance. Non-parties [to the Giuffre-v.-Maxwell case] may question the legitimacy of that process if Mr. Dershowitz can obtain, without any regard whatsoever for their interests, the sealed materials for the mere reason that disclosure would make mounting his defense and litigating his counterclaims against Ms. Giuffre more convenient [in other words: to assist Dershowitz’s case against Giuffre].The Court will not risk collateral damage to the Maxwell unsealing process by modifying the protective order.”
The “balance” that’s referred-to there is allegedly the right of both the accuser Giuffre and the accused Maxwell to have their privacy protected. Dershowitz says he wants this list in order to prove that his name isn’t on the list. The Court’s “Protective Order” had been issued in 2016 in the Giuffre-v.-Maxwell case, so as to:
“protect the discovery and dissemination of confidential information or information that will improperly annoy, embarrass, or oppress any party, witness, or person providing discovery in [Maxwell].” (Id.) The order accordingly permits the parties to designate as CONFIDENTIAL certain materials produced in discovery that “are confidential” and that implicate “common law and statutory privacy interests” of Ms. Giuffre and Maxwell Defendant Ghislaine Maxwell (“Ms. Maxwell”).
Bubbling underneath the debate about modification of the Maxwell Protective Order is a more practical concern: the temptation that the Maxwell materials might inspire for a litigant in Mr. Dershowitz’s position. As a general matter, Mr. Dershowitz’s battle with Ms. Giuffre has proceeded in very public — and frequently toxic — fashion. See, e.g., Alan Dershowitz Twitter Posts from June 22, 2020, available at https://twitter.com/AlanDersh (suggesting that Ms. Giuffre should be “prosecuted and sent to prison” for perjury). More importantly, and perhaps reflecting Mr. Derhsowitz’s desire to defend himself in the public eye, Counsel for Mr. Dershowitz noted at oral argument that “Professor Dershowitz obviously wants all information [contained in the Maxwell materials] to be out there, to be public … because he believes it exonerates him.” (Transcript at 21:21-24.)
That lengthy footnote concludes
“Thus, given the public character of this litigation [between Dershowitz and Giuffre] and what is at stake for the litigants, production of the Maxwell materials to Mr. Dershowitz would raise additional risk of leakage from the materials at issue in the Maxwell[-v.-Giuffre] unsealing process into filings in the Dershowitz action. This would further undermine the unsealing process in Maxwell.”


thegreanvillepostbiasrating--2020-07-05--Grayzone editors demolish latest CIA/Dems disinfo on Syria and Afghanistan “bounties”, but regrettab

Grayzone editors demolish latest CIA/Dems disinfo on Syria and Afghanistan “bounties”, but regrettably few are listening

is an American journalist , author , blogger , and filmmaker .
He was awarded the 2014 Lannan Foundation Cultural Freedom Notable Book Award for Goliath : Life and Loathing in Greater Israel , which was published in 2013 .
Max 's work since Trump came to power has become even more vital as a lucid deconstructer of numerous Deep State/Democrat plots to topple Trump and promote a new , and far more dangerous Cold War with Russia , China , Iran , and other nations opposing America 's relentless push for global hegemony .
Aaron Maté is Blumenthal 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at The Grayzone , founded by Blumenthal , an excellent site for brave , trailblazing anti-imperialist investigative journalism .
It is worth noting that the Wikipedia pages dedicated to Blumenthal , Maté and The Grayzone itself are models of insidious disinformation .
Anyone wishing to see how the imperial state and its key allies , especially Israel 's Hasbara , distort fact , destroy their enemies ' character image , and inject innuendo into anything they deem damaging to their nefarious projects , is welcome to examine these pages closely for their instructive @ @

Max Blumenthal
is an American journalist, author, blogger, and filmmaker. He was awarded the 2014 Lannan Foundation Cultural Freedom Notable Book Award for Goliath: Life and Loathing in Greater Israel, which was published in 2013. Max's work since Trump came to power has become even more vital as a lucid deconstructer of numerous Deep State/Democrat plots to topple Trump and promote a new, and far more dangerous Cold War with Russia, China, Iran, and other nations opposing America's relentless push for global hegemony.
Aaron Maté is Blumenthal's equally capable colleague (and co-editor) at The Grayzone, founded by Blumenthal, an excellent site for brave, trailblazing anti-imperialist investigative journalism. It is worth noting that the Wikipedia pages dedicated to Blumenthal, Maté and The Grayzone itself are models of insidious disinformation. Anyone wishing to see how the imperial state and its key allies, especially Israel's Hasbara, distort fact, destroy their enemies' character image, and inject innuendo into anything they deem damaging to their nefarious projects, is welcome to examine these pages closely for their instructive content.


thegreanvillepostbiasrating--2020-07-07--US national media is useless – so tell me the good local news sources?

It ’ s not just CNN , MSNBC , PBS , NPR , etc.
, but the major city newspapers too , as they are owned by the same corporations/conglomerates , after all .
Therefore , tuning into any of these stations/newspapers is to see the same story over and over and over ; to watch just one of them is to watch them all , such is their uniformity .
There is also a significant trend in US newspapers about which I have not read any comment : The New York Timeshas become not only the nation ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also a newswire .
Look at your major city daily and you ’ ll likely find that reprints of Times articles are not quite on par with usage of the Associated Press but certainly exceeds the number of Reuters articles .
That ’ s a significant development for US culture : it certainly increases the amount of NYC-centeredness , something which had already exploded with the advent of cable TV .
Using more Times articles also means less space for local coverage ( newspaper journalists always view everything as a constant and hierarchical @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) and thus the local culture suffers from exclusion .
Disagree with that ?
Consider radio : For much of the 20th century local US musical culture could be rewarded with local # 1 hits which were big regionally but never broke nationwide – this fostered a unique local musical arts scene , and explains why US musical culture was so vibrant and diverse in the 20th century .
But steady deregulation , beginning with Jimmy Carter , and permitting the rise of media conglomerate domination – sealed by the Clinton administration ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in a total stagnation , sameness and dullness in American music ( in every genre but country music ) .
Consider the incredibly banal and unexceptional “ Old Town Road ” by Lil Nas X – last year it inexplicably became the longest running # 1 hit ever in US history – it spent a stunning 19 consecutive weeks at the top of the charts .
Some say that Lil Nas X was only so heavily promoted by the media conglomerates because he became the first openly homosexual rapper , but that misses @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nearly all of the # 1 hits which have spent 10 weeks or more on the charts occurred after the Telecommunications Act of 1996 – the main story here is how the cultural omnipresence of media conglomerates has standardised US culture and eliminated once-vibrant regionalisms .
What holds true for music holds true for news .
However , it ’ s quite , quite a change in US newspapers to open one up these days and discover that half the national and world coverage are reprints from The New York Times .
Only @ @ @ @ @ @ @ latest allegations based on anonymous AND discredited sources – alleged Russian bounties on US soldiers in Afghanistan – but they did the same thing to provoke Gulf War II , of course .
For real news go local and – surprisingly – go to local public television If you really want to find some actual current information in the US you have to go to local public TV .
Take Chicago , for example , the 3rd-largest city in the US : The Chicago Tribune did just a terrible job precisely covering the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , rather nullifying the usual consensus that print is more intelligent than TV .
As a journalist whose background is in print please believe that I am usually biased in print ’ s favor , but there is a reality about print which is rarely stated : the very medium of print lends itself to conservatism when presenting new and urgent issues .
A huge part of this is caused by the “ objective ” method of reporting so popular in the US – to read the newspaper is to read a “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is always “ balanced ” ( i.e .
censored ) in favor of the corporate fascism and capitalism-imperialism upon which the US system is undoubtedly ideologically constructed .
Thus , even though for the first time in 50 years Americans were in the street demanding radical changes and revolution the average newspaper was unable to reflect those demands without an omnipresent , and editorially overt , status-quo-loving counterbalance of “ many believe these are mere rioters and that it useless to discover if there is a coherent ideology behind their actions ” .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ stick a microphone in someone ’ s face and that person can scream bloody murder – you can ’ t “ balance ” that via toning down their sentiments with a rewrite back at the office .
This explains why the only place I found some real discussion about actual issues which truly affect the average person is the local news on the local PBS channel ( PBS is the lone public TV channel in the US ) .
Chicago is an interesting place in the US because it ’ s the 3rd-largest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coverage , which is dominated by NYC , DC and LA .
However , to paraphrase the Rolling Stones : win over ( understand ) Chicago and you win over the bulk of the US .
Chicago is the undisputed Qom of neoliberal thought , and yet also gave the world May Day .
There ’ s no doubt that the average American peasant & worker lives/thinks/feels more like a Chicagoan than like any in that trio of rather incredibly resented US cities , so we can somewhat confidently extrapolate the current problems/solutions/rebellions/economic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of other cities both non-Americans and actual Americans never hear a word about in the national media , such as Cleveland , Tallahassee and Pittsburgh , to say nothing of Oskaloosa , the Quad Cities and anywhere in inland California .
So if you are looking for actual on-the-ground information regarding the US 2020 dystopia and the ongoing Summer of Hate as experienced by the average American , may I recommend you check out WTTW Channel 11 in Chicago – here is the home page for their main news program , Chicago Tonight @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the protests and I was surprised at what a solid ( but not “ leftist great ” ) job they did .
Contrarily , I saw much more cowardice , stupidity and craven compliance from national MSM journalists doing live coverage of the rebellions .
If you watch their “ full show ” or just certain clips you will find intensely critical local officials & local citizens , honest roundtable discussions , sound bytes which aren ’ t 5 seconds long , and reporters who actually know and care about what is going @ @ @ @ @ @ @ things absent in the national MSM .
In 2020 – that ’ s as precious as gold .
They travel all around the near-megalopolis and ask about things like : “ How is the Corona hysteria ruining your business ?
” instead of “ How is Russia ruining our country and your life ” ?
I have no idea why you would ever want to tune into CNN ’ s Chris Cuomo again : I have never seen any TV journalist use the words “ I ” and “ myself ” as often @ @ @ @ @ @ @ here ’ s a minute-by-minute breakdown of her in 2018 and the conclusion was clear : she is not a journalist but an unprincipled propagandist , just like how Tucker Carlson ’ s lawyer stated last month that his viewers should not expect him to state nor verify truthful facts .
The national news of Washington-based PBS or NPR ?
PBS fails to see the problem with using military brass as foreign policy analysts , LOL , while Neocon Public Radio is the most unabashed proponent of useless & divisive identity politics .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ see all of these places at once – just go check out The New York Times .
That is the echo chamber of the modern US – it will make you crazy , and it will certainly make you stupid with identity politics , Trump Derangement Syndrome and Russophobia .
With public TV you can actually find out what is going on with the average American in the average community – turn off the national MSM and go local : it ’ ll be nice to be reminded that you aren ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t totally out of touch .
A request for your help I don ’ t recall ever asking readers to share one of my articles , but I wish you would please share this one : I am hoping people can please pass on a truly reliable local TV news source other than in Chicago ?
Please comment below if you know of one – I will check the internet and find your comments .
If people give enough news sources I will make “ Part 2 ” to this article and list @ @ @ @ @ @ @ list be really useful ?
If a munitions plant poisons half of Texas , wouldn ’ t it be good to have a list at your disposal to find the good local news resource ?
During the recent rebellions there were major & unique happenings in places like Minneapolis and Memphis but I could not find a similar news program like Chicago Tonight to really find out the local assessments , problems and proposed solutions .
However , I have already asked dozens of journalists and activists and gotten scant replies – I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ national MSM ?
Really , you need to learn more about Chris Cuomo ’ s personal greatness ?
Given the current/looming economic disaster , even more than the upcoming presidential election , we really need to find out what the heck is actually going on in the US , no ?
And we can ’ t rely on the MSM for that .
So , if you could please pass on a reliable , quality local news recommendation I will be happy to compile them and include them all in an article on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Corona contrarianism ?
How about some corona common sense ?
Here is my list of articles published regarding the corona crisis .
Corona meds in every pot & a People ’ s QE : the Trumpian populism they hoped for ?
– March 23 , 2020 A day ’ s diary from a US CEO during the Corona crisis ( satire ) March 23 , 2020 Tough times need vanguard parties – are ‘ social media users ’ the West ’ s ?
– If Germany rejects Corona bonds they must quit the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : Waive or donate rent-profits now or fear the Cultural Revolution – March 31 , 2020 ( A Soviet ? )
Superman : Red Son – the new socialist film to watch on lockdown – April 2 , 2020 Condensing the data leaves no doubt : Fear corona-economy more than the virus – April 5 , 2020 Why does the UK have an ‘ army ’ of volunteers but the US has a shortage ?
– April 12 , 2020 No buybacks allowed or dared ?
Then wave goodbye to Western stock market @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the dollar will only strengthen post-corona , as usual : it ’ s a crisis , after all – April 16 , 2020 Same 2008 QE playbook , but the Eurozone will kick off Western chaos not the US – April 18 , 2020 We ’ re giving up our civil liberties .
Fine , but to which type of state ?
– April 20 , Iran ’ s ‘ resistance economy ’ : the post-corona wish of the West ’ s silent majority ( 1/2 ) – April 23 , 2020 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ loan down QE money this time ?
– April 26 , The end of globalisation won ’ t be televised , despite the hopes of the Western 99 % ( 2/2 ) – April 27 , 2020 What would it take for proponents to say : ‘ The Great Lockdown was wrong ’ ?
– April 28 , 2020 ZeroHedge , a response to Mr. Littlejohn & the future of dollar dominance – April 30 , 2020 Given Western history , is it the ‘ Great Segregation ’ and not the ‘ Great @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2020 The Western 1 % colluded to start WWI – is the Great Lockdown also a conspiracy ?
– May 4 , 2020 May 17 : The date the Great Lockdown must end or Everything Bubble 2 pops – May 6 , 2020 Reading Piketty : Does corona delay the Greens ’ fake-leftist , sure-to-fail victory ?
– May 8 , 2020 Picturing the media campaign needed to get the US back to work – May 11 , 2020 France ’ s nurses march – are they now deplorable Michiganders to fake-leftists ?
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t we called it ‘ QE 5 ’ yet ?
And why we must call it ‘ QE 2.1 ’ instead – May 16 , 2020 ‘ Take your stinking paws off me , you damned , dirty public servant !
’ That ’ s Orwell ?
– May 17 , 2021 The Great Lockdown : The political apex of US single Moms & Western matriarchy ?
May 21 , 2021 I was wrong on corona – by not pushing for a US Cultural Revolution immediately – May 25 , 2021 August @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and a new era of US labor battles begin – May 28 , 2021 Corona proving the loser of the Cold War was both the USSR & the USA – May 30 , 2021 Rebellions across the US : Why worry ?
Just ask Dr. Fauci to tell us what to do – June 2 , 2021 Protesting , corona-conscience , a good dole : the US is doing things it can ’ t & it ’ s chaos – June 3 , 2021 Why do Westerners assume all African-Americans are leftists ?
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ as Sal ’ s Pizzeria : When to ‘ Do The Right Thing ’ is looting – June 6 , 2020 The problem with the various ‘ Fiat is all the problem !
’ ( FIATP ) crowds – June 9 , 2020 Trump ’ s only hope : buying re-election with populist jobless benefits – June 16 , 2020 ( Hey , I took a break since this one – so sue me .
And maybe I should retire this list , LOL… . )
Further materials of interest- click here

This is part of a series of dispatches by correspondent Ramin Mazaheri
D
uring the recent wave of rebellions in the US I was reminded of just how woefully, woefully inadequate the US nationwide media truly is. I only foresee one solution to ferret out what is truly going on in the United States during the 2020 summer & fall of discontent – going local, nationwide.
(However, I do please need help with this solution – more on that shortly.)
It’s not just CNN, MSNBC, PBS, NPR, etc., but the major city newspapers too, as they are owned by the same corporations/conglomerates, after all. Therefore, tuning into any of these stations/newspapers is to see the same story over and over and over; to watch just one of them is to watch them all, such is their uniformity.
That’s a huge problem in creating a politically-intelligent citizenry.
There is also a significant trend in US newspapers about which I have not read any comment: The New York Timeshas become not only the nation’s “paper of record” but apparently also a newswire. Look at your major city daily and you’ll likely find that reprints of Times articles are not quite on par with usage of the Associated Press but certainly exceeds the number of Reuters articles.
That’s a significant development for US culture: it certainly increases the amount of NYC-centeredness, something which had already exploded with the advent of cable TV. Using more Times articles also means less space for local coverage (newspaper journalists always view everything as a constant and hierarchical battle for precious inch space, LOL) and thus the local culture suffers from exclusion. Disagree with that? Consider radio:
For much of the 20th century local US musical culture could be rewarded with local #1 hits which were big regionally but never broke nationwide – this fostered a unique local musical arts scene, and explains why US musical culture was so vibrant and diverse in the 20th century. But steady deregulation, beginning with Jimmy Carter, and permitting the rise of media conglomerate domination – sealed by the Clinton administration’s Telecommunications Act of 1996– immediately resulted in a total stagnation, sameness and dullness in American music (in every genre but country music).
Consider the incredibly banal and unexceptional “Old Town Road” by Lil Nas X – last year it inexplicably became the longest running #1 hit ever in US history – it spent a stunning 19 consecutive weeks at the top of the charts. Some say that Lil Nas X was only so heavily promoted by the media conglomerates because he became the first openly homosexual rapper, but that misses the larger trend: we see that nearly all of the #1 hits which have spent 10 weeks or more on the charts occurred after the Telecommunications Act of 1996 – the main story here is how the cultural omnipresence of media conglomerates has standardised US culture and eliminated once-vibrant regionalisms. What holds true for music holds true for news.
However, it’s quite, quite a change in US newspapers to open one up these days and discover that half the national and world coverage are reprints from The New York Times. Only an idiot would uncritically accept the Times latest allegations based on anonymous AND discredited sources – alleged Russian bounties on US soldiers in Afghanistan – but they did the same thing to provoke Gulf War II, of course.
For real news go local and – surprisingly – go to local public television
If you really want to find some actual current information in the US you have to go to local public TV.
Take Chicago, for example, the 3rd-largest city in the US: The Chicago Tribune did just a terrible job precisely covering the enormous local impact of the Floyd rebellions, rather nullifying the usual consensus that print is more intelligent than TV.
As a journalist whose background is in print please believe that I am usually biased in print’s favor, but there is a reality about print which is rarely stated: the very medium of print lends itself to conservatism when presenting new and urgent issues.
A huge part of this is caused by the “objective” method of reporting so popular in the US – to read the newspaper is to read a “balanced” accounting, but one which is always “balanced” (i.e. censored) in favor of the corporate fascism and capitalism-imperialism upon which the US system is undoubtedly ideologically constructed. Thus, even though for the first time in 50 years Americans were in the street demanding radical changes and revolution the average newspaper was unable to reflect those demands without an omnipresent, and editorially overt, status-quo-loving counterbalance of “many believe these are mere rioters and that it useless to discover if there is a coherent ideology behind their actions”.
Television, contrarily and undoubtedly, can stick a microphone in someone’s face and that person can scream bloody murder – you can’t “balance” that via toning down their sentiments with a rewrite back at the office.
This explains why the only place I found some real discussion about actual issues which truly affect the average person is the local news on the local PBS channel (PBS is the lone public TV channel in the US).
Chicago is an interesting place in the US because it’s the 3rd-largest city but totally absent from US national coverage, which is dominated by NYC, DC and LA. However, to paraphrase the Rolling Stones: win over (understand) Chicago and you win over the bulk of the US. Chicago is the undisputed Qom of neoliberal thought, and yet also gave the world May Day. There’s no doubt that the average American peasant & worker lives/thinks/feels more like a Chicagoan than like any in that trio of rather incredibly resented US cities, so we can somewhat confidently extrapolate the current problems/solutions/rebellions/economic catastrophes seen in Chicago to the myriad of other cities both non-Americans and actual Americans never hear a word about in the national media, such as Cleveland, Tallahassee and Pittsburgh, to say nothing of Oskaloosa, the Quad Cities and anywhere in inland California.
So if you are looking for actual on-the-ground information regarding the US 2020 dystopia and the ongoing Summer of Hate as experienced by the average American, may I recommend you check out WTTW Channel 11 in Chicago – here is the home page for their main news program, Chicago Tonight. I saw their live coverage of the protests and I was surprised at what a solid (but not “leftist great”) job they did. Contrarily, I saw much more cowardice, stupidity and craven compliance from national MSM journalists doing live coverage of the rebellions.
If you watch their “full show” or just certain clips you will find intensely critical local officials & local citizens, honest roundtable discussions, sound bytes which aren’t 5 seconds long, and reporters who actually know and care about what is going on around them – these are all things absent in the national MSM. In 2020 – that’s as precious as gold. They travel all around the near-megalopolis and ask about things like: “How is the Corona hysteria ruining your business?” instead of “How is Russia ruining our country and your life”?
I have no idea why you would ever want to tune into CNN’s Chris Cuomo again: I have never seen any TV journalist use the words “I” and “myself” as often as he does. Rachel Maddow – here’s a minute-by-minute breakdown of her in 2018 and the conclusion was clear: she is not a journalist but an unprincipled propagandist, just like how Tucker Carlson’s lawyer stated last month that his viewers should not expect him to state nor verify truthful facts. The national news of Washington-based PBS or NPR? PBS fails to see the problem with using military brass as foreign policy analysts, LOL, while Neocon Public Radio is the most unabashed proponent of useless & divisive identity politics. Bottom line: if you want to see all of these places at once – just go check out The New York Times.
That is the echo chamber of the modern US – it will make you crazy, and it will certainly make you stupid with identity politics, Trump Derangement Syndrome and Russophobia.
With public TV you can actually find out what is going on with the average American in the average community – turn off the national MSM and go local: it’ll be nice to be reminded that you aren’t alone and that all Americans aren’t totally out of touch.
A request for your help
I don’t recall ever asking readers to share one of my articles, but I wish you would please share this one: I am hoping people can please pass on a truly reliable local TV news source other than in Chicago?
Please comment below if you know of one – I will check the internet and find your comments. If people give enough news sources I will make “Part 2” to this article and list them.
Wouldn’t such a list be really useful? If a munitions plant poisons half of Texas, wouldn’t it be good to have a list at your disposal to find the good local news resource?
During the recent rebellions there were major & unique happenings in places like Minneapolis and Memphis but I could not find a similar news program like Chicago Tonight to really find out the local assessments, problems and proposed solutions.
However, I have already asked dozens of journalists and activists and gotten scant replies – I worry that everybody is glued to the national MSM? Really, you need to learn more about Chris Cuomo’s personal greatness?
Given the current/looming economic disaster, even more than the upcoming presidential election, we really need to find out what the heck is actually going on in the US, no? And we can’t rely on the MSM for that.
So, if you could please pass on a reliable, quality local news recommendation I will be happy to compile them and include them all in an article on this subject in the near future.
*********************************
Corona contrarianism? How about some corona common sense? Here is my list of articles published regarding the corona crisis.
[bg_collapse view="button-orange" color="#4a4949" expand_text="Further materials of interest- click here" collapse_text="Show Less" ]
Capitalist-imperialist West stays home over corona – they grew a conscience? – March 22, 2020
Corona meds in every pot & a People’s QE: the Trumpian populism they hoped for? – March 23, 2020
A day’s diary from a US CEO during the Corona crisis (satire) March 23, 2020
– March 25, 2020
Tough times need vanguard parties – are ‘social media users’ the West’s? –
March 26, 2020
If Germany rejects Corona bonds they must quit the Eurozone – March 30,
2020
Landlord class: Waive or donate rent-profits now or fear the Cultural Revolution – March 31, 2020
Corona repeating 9/11 & Y2K hysterias? Both saw huge economic overreactions – April 1, 2020
(A Soviet?) Superman: Red Son – the new socialist film to watch on lockdown – April 2, 2020
Corona rewrites capitalist bust-chronology & proves: It’s the nation-state, stupid – April 3, 2020
Condensing the data leaves no doubt: Fear corona-economy more than the virus – April 5, 2020
‘We’re Going Wrong’: The West’s middling, middle-class corona response – April 10, 2020
Why does the UK have an ‘army’ of volunteers but the US has a shortage? – April 12, 2020
No buybacks allowed or dared? Then wave goodbye to Western stock market gains – April 13, 2020
Pity post-corona Millennials… if they don’t openly push socialism – April 14, 2020
No, the dollar will only strengthen post-corona, as usual: it’s a crisis, after all – April 16, 2020
Same 2008 QE playbook, but the Eurozone will kick off Western chaos not the US – April 18, 2020
We’re giving up our civil liberties. Fine, but to which type of state? – April 20,
2020
Coronavirus – Macron’s savior. A ‘united Europe’ – France’s murderer – April 22, 2020
Iran’s ‘resistance economy’: the post-corona wish of the West’s silent majority (1/2) – April 23, 2020
The same 12-year itch: Will banks loan down QE money this time? – April 26,
2020
The end of globalisation won’t be televised, despite the hopes of the Western 99% (2/2) – April 27, 2020
What would it take for proponents to say: ‘The Great Lockdown was wrong’? – April 28, 2020
ZeroHedge, a response to Mr. Littlejohn & the future of dollar dominance – April 30, 2020
Given Western history, is it the ‘Great Segregation’ and not the ‘Great Lockdown’? – May 2, 2020
The Western 1% colluded to start WWI – is the Great Lockdown also a conspiracy? – May 4, 2020
May 17: The date the Great Lockdown must end or Everything Bubble 2 pops – May 6, 2020
Reading Piketty: Does corona delay the Greens’ fake-leftist, sure-to-fail victory? – May 8, 2020
Picturing the media campaign needed to get the US back to work – May 11, 2020
Scarce jobs + revenue desperation = sure Western stagflation post-corona – May 13, 2020
France’s nurses march – are they now deplorable Michiganders to fake-leftists? – May 15, 2020
Why haven’t we called it ‘QE 5’ yet? And why we must call it ‘QE 2.1’ instead – May 16, 2020
‘Take your stinking paws off me, you damned, dirty public servant!’ That’s Orwell? – May 17, 2021
The Great Lockdown: The political apex of US single Moms & Western matriarchy? May 21, 2021
I was wrong on corona – by not pushing for a US Cultural Revolution immediately – May 25, 2021
August 1: when the unemployment runs out and a new era of US labor battles begin – May 28, 2021
Corona proving the loser of the Cold War was both the USSR & the USA – May 30, 2021
Rebellions across the US: Why worry? Just ask Dr. Fauci to tell us what to do – June 2, 2021
Protesting, corona-conscience, a good dole: the US is doing things it can’t & it’s chaos – June 3, 2021
Why do Westerners assume all African-Americans are leftists? – June 5, 2020
The US as Sal’s Pizzeria: When to ‘Do The Right Thing’ is looting – June 6, 2020
The problem with the various ‘Fiat is all the problem!’ (FIATP) crowds – June 9, 2020
Politicisation of Great Lockdown result of ‘TINA’ economic ignorance & censorship – June 14, 2020
Trump’s only hope: buying re-election with populist jobless benefits – June 16, 2020 (Hey, I took a break since this one – so sue me. And maybe I should retire this list, LOL….) [/bg_collapse]


thegreanvillepostbiasrating--2020-07-06--~298~ The TRUTH About Epstein, & How Corporations Take Lives

This is my latest standup comedy hour-long special and it 's free for the first time .
I filmed in @ @ @ @ @ .
Enjoy !
Reviews “ GETS THE CROWD ROARING !
” – Rolling Stone “ @ @ @ @ @ prophetic voice in a field of formulaic blowhards and political opportunists .
His latest stand-up @ @ @ @ @ to tear our political establishment to shreds , and to then smash those shreds with @ @ @ @ @ see the elite forces that rule our lives in their truest form — as an @ @ @ @ @ idiocy.
” – Max Blumenthal , Grayzone Project , Killing Gaza “ Camp ’ s @ @ @ @ @ politically-driven comedy .
Razor-sharp , witty , acerbic , and somewhat off-the-wall at times , @ @ @ @ @ and social messages with the biggest dollop of humour going.
” – Steven Topple , @ @

This is my latest standup comedy hour-long special and it's free for the first time. I filmed in in Los Angeles in 2018. Enjoy!
Reviews “GETS THE CROWD ROARING!” – Rolling Stone “Lee Camp is a rare prophetic voice in a field of formulaic blowhards and political opportunists. His latest stand-up extravaganza showcases his unique ability to tear our political establishment to shreds, and to then smash those shreds with a righteous hammer until we see the elite forces that rule our lives in their truest form — as an utterly hilarious farce of bipartisan idiocy.” – Max Blumenthal, Grayzone Project, Killing Gaza “Camp’s show is a masterclass in politically-driven comedy. Razor-sharp, witty, acerbic, and somewhat off-the-wall at times, he delivers his on-point political and social messages with the biggest dollop of humour going.” – Steven Topple, Canary UK


thegreanvillepostbiasrating--2020-07-06--A Simple Proposal: A Way Out of This Mess!!

BE SURE TO PASS THESE ARTICLES TO FRIENDS AND KIN .
A LOT DEPENDS ON THIS .
DO YOUR PART .
irst off , this writer is simply a Socialist- not a Marxist or Trotskyite or Stalinist , Leninist or whatever flavor of left wing tastes there are .
All of them are categorically better than what we here in Amerika ( and most of the industrialized world ) live under .
That being Corporate Capitalism On Steroids !
Yes , what Adam Smith proselytized hundreds of years ago is nothing like what this current mess is all about .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ as one can get .
Not being an economist I will leave it at that for now .
Let 's just say that David Korten 's 1995 book ' When Corporations Rule the World ' explains how Neo Liberal mindsets serve not only our Military Industrial Empire , but ALL the nations that are held hostage by this way of thinking .
Is there a way out of this mess ?
Why not this : * Tax the Super Rich - We need to institute a ' Millionaire Surtax ' .
Easy to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Flat Surtax on any and all income over and above $ 1,000,000 per year .
Let the super rich be taxed on their first million of income as they are now .
Just surtax , with NO deductions , a flat 50 % of anything over that first $ million .
Come on , you mean someone currently earning let us say $ 10 million a year can not survive and prosper keeping $ 4.5 million tax free ?
Why not do a poll amongst those of us earning up to $ 1 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they think this would be fair .
Imagine how much revenue our Treasury would obtain .
Imagine how those extra $ billions could be used for a myriad of things , from upgrading our sagging infrastructure , offering Medicare for All , better schools , libraries ( who need books so dearly ) , public transportation ... and on and on .
The logical and rational solutions to the system-created mess are there alright , the big problem is how to implement them with no one espousing such ideas in the sellout criminal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ media backing , nor , for the matter a united left with a clear program .
* Immediate cut of 25 % from Military Spending- If you ask the average citizen how much of his or her federal taxes goes toward military spending , you will most likely get answers from 10 % to maybe 20 % .
The sad reality is that over half , 50+ % , goes down that rabbit hole !
What is publicized is that over $ 700 billion per year goes for just that .
Factor in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ go for similar means AKA NSA and CIA operations , and you can see the utter contempt that this empire has for its citizens .
Imagine what $ 175+ billion per year can do to once again MAGA ( Make America Great Again ) , not for phony walls at the border or more overkill WMDs .
* Closure of a multitude of our 1000 foreign military bases worldwide- Bringing home the majority of our personnel and equipment will save hundreds of billions of dollars , and take our jackboot off of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Then , to the joy of our Governors and business community , we can restock our domestic bases with millions of military personnel .
The towns around those bases would see real economic stimulus .
Everybody wins ... except the empire 's handlers .
* Institute an immediate UBI ( Universal Basic Income ) - In 2008-09 Uncle Sam just created money electronically to bail out the failed predators and scoundrels in the banking and real estate sector .
As public banking and UBI advocate Ellen Brown stated many times on my @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of anywhere from $ 1000- $ 2000 per month per citizen is not only NON INFLATIONARY , but true ECONOMIC STIMULUS .
This could mean the difference , for many of us , from being out on the street ... Period !
!
Plus , it could see mega millions of working stiffs finally being able to afford a home or apartment of their own , instead of being at the whim of Absentee Landlords .
With this current pandemic crisis one would think that the sharks who own hundreds of millions of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for back rent .
In conclusion , yes there are more needed changes in our current system .
I think , for the time being , these four ideas can bear the fruit we all envision .
Yes , this writer is what one would call a Reformer as opposed to a Revolutionary .
Alas , with the state of the sophistication level of the majority of our fellow citizens , this should suffice .

BE SURE TO PASS THESE ARTICLES TO FRIENDS AND KIN. A LOT DEPENDS ON THIS. DO YOUR PART.
Philip Farruggio OpEds
F
irst off, this writer is simply a Socialist- not a Marxist or Trotskyite or Stalinist, Leninist or whatever flavor of left wing tastes there are. All of them are categorically better than what we here in Amerika ( and most of the industrialized world) live under. That being Corporate Capitalism On Steroids! Yes, what Adam Smith proselytized hundreds of years ago is nothing like what this current mess is all about. This is actually as close to Fascism as one can get. Not being an economist I will leave it at that for now. Let's just say that David Korten's 1995 book ' When Corporations Rule the World' explains how Neo Liberal mindsets serve not only our Military Industrial Empire, but ALL the nations that are held hostage by this way of thinking.
Is there a way out of this mess? Why not this:
* Tax the Super Rich - We need to institute a ' Millionaire Surtax' . Easy to do. Just legislate a 50% Flat Surtax on any and all income over and above $ 1,000,000 per year. Let the super rich be taxed on their first million of income as they are now. Just surtax, with NO deductions, a flat 50% of anything over that first $ million. Come on, you mean someone currently earning let us say $ 10 million a year cannot survive and prosper keeping $ 4.5 million tax free? Why not do a poll amongst those of us earning up to $ 1 million per year, and see if they think this would be fair. Imagine how much revenue our Treasury would obtain. Imagine how those extra $ billions could be used for a myriad of things, from upgrading our sagging infrastructure, offering Medicare for All, better schools, libraries ( who need books so dearly), public transportation ... and on and on.
The logical and rational solutions to the system-created mess are there alright, the big problem is how to implement them with no one espousing such ideas in the sellout criminal political class, and with no detectable media backing, nor, for the matter a united left with a clear program.
* Immediate cut of 25% from Military Spending- If you ask the average citizen how much of his or her federal taxes goes toward military spending, you will most likely get answers from 10% to maybe 20%. The sad reality is that over half, 50+%, goes down that rabbit hole! What is publicized is that over $ 700 billion per year goes for just that. Factor in the 'Black Budget' of funds that go for similar means AKA NSA and CIA operations, and you can see the utter contempt that this empire has for its citizens. Imagine what $175+ billion per year can do to once again MAGA ( Make America Great Again) , not for phony walls at the border or more overkill WMDs.
* Closure of a multitude of our 1000 foreign military bases worldwide- Bringing home the majority of our personnel and equipment will save hundreds of billions of dollars, and take our jackboot off of the 100+ countries we currently have bases in. Then, to the joy of our Governors and business community, we can restock our domestic bases with millions of military personnel. The towns around those bases would see real economic stimulus. Everybody wins... except the empire's handlers.
* Institute an immediate UBI ( Universal Basic Income)- In 2008-09 Uncle Sam just created money electronically to bail out the failed predators and scoundrels in the banking and real estate sector. As public banking and UBI advocate Ellen Brown stated many times on my radio show, a Universal Basic Income of anywhere from $1000- $ 2000 per month per citizen is not only NON INFLATIONARY, but true ECONOMIC STIMULUS. This could mean the difference, for many of us, from being out on the street... Period!! Plus, it could see mega millions of working stiffs finally being able to afford a home or apartment of their own, instead of being at the whim of Absentee Landlords. With this current pandemic crisis one would think that the sharks who own hundreds of millions of rental properties would salivate when getting paid for back rent.
In conclusion, yes there are more needed changes in our current system. I think, for the time being, these four ideas can bear the fruit we all envision. Yes, this writer is what one would call a Reformer as opposed to a Revolutionary. Alas, with the state of the sophistication level of the majority of our fellow citizens, this should suffice.
PA Farruggio
July 2020