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How Capitalism Destroyed American Democracy: Part 2 (of 3)

Ding! Americans do not live in a democracy but a plutocracy. Wake up and smell the coffee.

(CALGARY, Alberta) - In Part 1 (“How capitalism destroyed American democracy, Part 1” http://www.salem-news.com/articles/september242009/us_democracy_9-24-09.php ), I reviewed Vance Packard’s 1960 book The Waste Makers. I argued that any appearance of democracy in North America has been nullified and undermined by the twin capitalist idols of growth and consumption.

Many, if not most Americans, believe that growth and consumption are good things . But Packard noted that US oil consumption had tripled in the fifteen years since end of WW II. “With only one seventh proved reserves, the US is consuming more than half the world’s production.”

GI Bill: Veterans Bailed Out or Thrown Anchor?

Veterans are waiting long periods for college funding that has been promised to them, too long in some cases.

(SANTA ROSA, Calif.) - Veterans from all over the country will be hitting the road on October 2, 2009, to collect "emergency payments" of up to $3,000 from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), making up for delays in the new Chapter 33 Post 9/11 GI Bill. While the new GI BIll is a great improvement over previous educational benefits, many veterans have yet to see any benefit, or money, at all. Many are taking out loans and incurring additional debt due to the delay.

According to the VA website, Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki announced the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has authorized checks for up to $3,000 to be given to students who have applied for educational benefits and who have not yet received their government payment.

Medical Insurance Multi-Millionaires: A Reprise

The Congress is supposed to be thinking (??) about monitoring or controlling this banditry. I have a strong suspicion congresspersons are benefiting from these scallywags pilfering.

(MOLALLA, Ore.) - I posted the original article on Salem-News.com, Medical Insurance Multi-Millionaires in a Multi-Billion Dollar Boondoggle, on August 13, 2009. I was sooo far off about the money grabbing proclivities of these Jesse James – type bandits that I am profoundly embarrassed. I figured these gonifs were only high-grading maybe a few million dollars each for their rainy-day expenses.

Then I hear on TV news that in each of the ten biggest medical insurance money factories that the C.E.O.’s were “stealing” more than $10 million per year. How about the lesser bandits?? The precise figure wasn’t given but 10 million bucks will buy a lot of chopped liver and the caviar and champagne that goes with it.

My Son Has a Girlfriend; Now What Do I Do?

While I’ve been experiencing some vicarious feelings from my youth, being a father to a son who has begun dating and now has a new girlfriend is completely new to me.

(AGOURA, Calif.) - My son has his first girlfriend and I am pleased that he is now old and mature enough to enter the dating stage. I’m excited for him. In a funny way, I’m re-living vicariously my long-forgotten feelings of first love and all the nervousness, anxiety, and “What am I going to do?” anxieties I felt at his age.

Nonetheless, I need to allow him to have his space, and keep my distance while still making sure that they’re acting appropriately. But I don’t fully know how much to ask, observe, or try and find out. Mostly, I think I need to let him discover for himself.

Oregon`s Poverty Rate Rises in First Year of Recession

In the survey released Tuesday, the seven other states that saw an increase in poverty from 2007 to 2008 were California, Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii, Indiana, Michigan and Pennsylvania.

(SILVERTON, Ore.) - Oregon was one of only eight states to see its poverty rate rise during the first year of the recession, according to results of the American Community Survey (ACS) released Tuesday by the U.S Census Bureau.

The survey estimated that 13.6 percent of Oregonians -- more than 506,000 people -- lived in poverty in 2008. That rate was significantly above Oregon's 12.9 percent poverty rate in 2007, according to Joy Margheim, policy analyst with the Oregon Center for Public Policy. "We weren't winning the war on poverty before the economic downturn, much less now," Margheim said.

We`ve Got the News, You`ve Got the Brawn, Let`s Make Lots of Money

There are no limitations in sight for us, and Salem-News.com's popularity and growth is a daily factor. It is a new time and people who can share this bright vision need to reach out.

(SALEM, Ore.) - Salem-News.com is in need of financial assistance. We have huge numbers of visitors and a five out of ten ranking on Google. That is the same level as Portland's television stations. This has taken five years of hard work to achieve. We did this for Salem, Oregon which is a place that often feels overlooked in terms of media coverage.

We changed that, and we want to continue to provide news for residents of this state. We need a partner to join us and shore us up. We are on the verge of launching a new section that is a guaranteed moneymaker. It is time for us to figure out where this is going.

Benny & Sid Presents Chapter 2 of the Serialized Graphic Novel The Truant Officer

We've got a president who accepts the challenge dumped into his lap by the economic mismanagement of this nation by every president since Jimmy Carter.

(Your City, USA) - The unemployment numbers are obscene. Good men and women pick themselves up morning after morning and do their rounds only to be told to come back the next day.

"Sorry Mac, I've got nothing for you today." They grit their teeth into what passes for a smile and move on.

Maybe he's a logger. Maybe she's a waitress. Maybe they've got kids who need glasses and grandma needs a triple by-pass. Do they deserve a break? Could these good people use government health insurance? Damn right.

4-Day Old Baby Kidnapped by Man Posing as Immigration Official

A brand new infant is taken by an unidentified white female adult driving a police-type car.

(NASHVILLE, Ore.) - The State of Tennessee issued an Amber Alert Tuesday afternoon after a child was abducted in Nashville. Police say the suspect posed as an immigration worker.

A news release stated, "The suspect demanded that the child's mother turn over the child and when she refused the suspect stabbed the child's mother approximately eight times. The mother survived but the suspect was able to leave with the child."

Former Marine Dies From Injuries Recieved During Assault: Suspect at Large

The person-of-interest is described as being medium height with a medium build. He has dark eyes, dark hair with a weathered, drawn face. He is also described as having a bad complexion.

(SALEM, Ore.) - The Marion County Sheriff's Office is seeking the public help to identify a person of interest from an incident that occurred earlier this month involving a local man who was a drill instructor during his earlier years as a U.S. Marine.

Weekend in Palestine: Part 1

Part one in a memorable account and photo essay of a day on the West Bank.

(JERUSALEM) - It was an extremely hot day when we all grouped up from a Hostel in Jerusalem. It was not easy getting up early in the morning after a rather heavy night of enjoying the night life in this city... which seemed to go on forever. The place was bustling with young college type people who somehow managed to find enough money on their student loans to pay for Israel's extremely expensive and heavily taxed drinks, especially the liqueur.

We woke up around about 7:30 a.m. due to the hostel only having two showers, and we were told we had to get to another hostel "dead on" at 9:00 a.m.