Top Geithner Aide Fought CEO Pay Reform
As a Goldman Sachs lobbyist, Mark Patterson once worked against a bill to curb executive compensation. The legislation's sponsor: Barack Obama.
On Wednesday afternoon, as President Barack Obama was leaving the White House for a town hall meeting in California, he spoke for 15 minutes to reporters about the AIG controversy. Responding to the rising rage over the $165 million or so in bonuses paid to executives at the bailed-out insurance firm, Obama noted that he was quickly developing policies to prevent future AIG-like catastrophes. And he slammed Wall Street's culture of "excess greed, excess compensation, excess risk taking." To demonstrate that he's committed to battling such greed, the president cited his work in the Senate to rein in executive compensation. Noting that he and Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) had each introduced legislation on this front in 2007, Obama declared that "there were some people who attacked us, saying government has no business doing that."
One of Obama's opponents at that time was Mark Patterson, a lobbyist then for Goldman Sachs, the investment banking firm, which opposed the Frank-Obama initiative. Yet Patterson is now chief of staff to Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, the embattled point man in the Obama administration's endeavor to undo the notorious AIG bonuses. That is, a Washington influence-peddler who worked against Obama's effort to limit excessive corporate pay is now a key member of the Obama administration team that is supposed to contain excessive compensation in the AIG case and in general.
In 2007, Frank, the chairman of the House financial services committee, introduced H.R. 1257, the Shareholder Vote on Executive Compensation Act. The bill required public companies to allow shareholders to hold nonbinding votes on executive compensation plans. The measure—dubbed "say on pay"—was a modest step, though only one of the few attempts then to address exorbitant salaries. It did not limit pay for corporate managers; the legislation would merely permit shareholders to express their displeasure with compensation packages. Corporations would be free to ignore the outcomes of these symbolic votes. Still, the banking industry opposed the bill. And Goldman Sachs, for which Patterson was a registered lobbyist from September 2005 to April 2008, was no fan of "say on pay." Sachs' chief executive, Lloyd Blankfein, who took home at least $70 million in 2007, has argued that shareholders are "less sophisticated and have less understanding" of compensation issues than corporate board members.
According to lobbying disclosure forms (PDF), Patterson was one of four Goldman Sachs lobbyists registered to work on HR 1257. How the group tried to influence congressional action on the bill is not revealed in the documents, but given Goldman Sachs' opposition to this reform, Patterson and the others were surely not trying to help the measure pass. (In January, a Treasury official confirmed to the Associated Press that Patterson's lobbying portfolio included this compensation measure.)
Despite industry opposition, the House approved Frank's bill on a 269-to-134 vote on April 20, 2007. That same day, Obama introduced a version of the legislation in the Senate. The bill, which initially attracted only five cosponsors, was referred to the Senate banking committee. Weeks later, Obama sent a letter to Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.), the chair of that committee, asking him to hold a hearing on the proposed law. Obama wrote:
I believe public discussion and debate over executive compensation packages would force corporate boards to think twice before signing over millions of dollars to CEOs. Certainly, many CEOs are ably steering their firms and deserve their paychecks. But the rate at which executive pay has grown, as compared to stagnating wages among American workers, is rightfully frustrating shareholders and employees alike, especially given the lackluster performance of many of the companies paying these high salaries.
Dodd, then running against Obama in the Democratic presidential primaries, apparently was not convinced. He held no hearings on the bill, and the measure met a quiet death in his committee. (Whatever Patterson had done, he could claim a success.) But on the campaign trail last year, Obama repeatedly touted the legislation to show he was serious about corporate reform. At an Indiana press conference in April 2008, he said of the measure, "This isn't just about expressing outrage. It's about changing a system where bad behavior is rewarded—so that we can hold CEOs accountable, and make sure they're acting in a way that's good for their company, good for our economy, and good for America, not just good for themselves."
As vice president for government relations at Goldman Sachs, Patterson, who had previously been policy director for Sen. Tom Daschle, handled a wide assortment of financial, banking, patent, energy, and insurance issues. He worked on tribal gaming matters. And he was registered to lobby on credit default swaps and carbon trading. Because of his lobbying activities, Patterson did not meet the tight ethics rules Obama adopted to slow down Washington's ever-spinning revolving door. His appointment—which was not subject to Senate confirmation—was questioned by White House reporters and criticized by government reform outfits. But the Obama administration granted Patterson a waiver, and the ex-Goldman Sachs lobbyist was able to join Treasury. (Goldman Sachs has been one of the biggest beneficiaries of the federal rescue of AIG; the fallen insurance firm, which has received $170 billion in funds from the Federal Reserve, has used that money to pay Goldman Sachs $6.8 billion.)
A spokesperson for Goldman Sachs would not provide any details regarding Patterson's lobbying. And the Treasury Department and the White House each declined to comment on Patterson's past lobbying for Goldman Sachs or his present work for Geithner.
On Wednesday, while recounting his and Frank's attempts to enact "say on pay" legislation, Obama pointed to their measures as examples of "smart regulations" that enhance "oversight, transparency, accountability." And he remarked, "All we're trying to say is you've got to be accountable to somebody. And it's that measure of accountability that I think is part of what has made America strong, and we have to get back to those kinds of values." But Geithner's right-hand man was not long ago paid well to undermine those values. How Patterson has gone from serving Goldman Sachs to serving the Obama administration is a tale that could use some more transparency.
UPDATE: After this story was posted, a Treasury Department spokesman issued a comment: "Mark Patterson is in full compliance with the administration’s strict ethics policy, and has recused himself from discussions on this and all other issues he worked on during his time in the private sector." Does this mean that Geithner's chief of staff cannot be involved in conversations and decisions regarding corporate compensation issues, including the AIG bonuses? If so, wouldn't that place Geithner at a disadvantage as he tries to handle such matters? We've asked Treasury for a response to these questions.
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The Treasurey Department
I have zero confidence in the Treasury Department and the Fed. Not because I think that $165 million is an insurmountable problem by itself, but because of all of the indications of lying, misleading, and general actilng in bad faith. I don't trust those people to be responsible in handing trillions of dollars because they can't be open and truthful about this $165 million. The evidence at this time is that the Fed knew about it, some members of Congress knew about it, and Treasury knew about it. The only people involved who didn't know about it were Bernanke, Geithner, Obama, and the entire MSM.
Great post!Thanks!
Obama Lied - This article proves it!!
Obama lied about no having lobbyist serve in his administration. He actually gave the guy who opposed his executive pay compensation a waiver. I am totally disgusted.
Lobbyist...
Former Obama Supporter: It must be nice that you're so perfect. So sorry you're disgusted. Things happen, and people need to get over it and make the best of their mistakes. I'm not condoning it, but that's life in Washington. I'm hoping that it will change during this administration. The fighting in Washington is in a sorry fix, that's for sure.
Frankly, I'm not too happy with the way the party of "No" is acting either. They're pretty sneaky and self-righteous t hese days. But, it's what they do...make up stories and hope some of them stick. Life's too short to be totally disgusted, though.
Don't judge President Obama
Don't judge President Obama off of that act alone. Their might be underlying circumstances, including but not limited to: confessions, information that may lead to prosecution for misuse of funds. You know, there may be bigger fish that President Obama wants to fry.
Maybe its time to start questioning Obama's judgement....
...while I am not ready to throw the bum out, but I am beginning to wonder about some decisions that are coming out of this Whitehouse. I see Daschle's name coming up here. That was one crappy choice for to lead the charge for health care reform. He sucked almost as bad as Reed as leader of the Senate, he worked for big insurance and had a huge tax problem. Who thought that was good? Giethner, good lord, can we all accept that he was an idiotic choice to run Treasury?
Obama has yet to fire all of George Bush's US Attorney's, like every Administration has done before him. Each passing day makes it harder and harder to do. We are going to end up with partisan hacks running justice. I know the guy's busy, but doesn't he have someone running this stuff like a head honcho, chief of staff kinda guy, oh yeah, he does. And there in lies the problem! 90% of the stupid mistakes coming out of the Obama admin could be tied directly to one man: Rahm Emmanual! To prove my point Rahm and his pal Axelrod, media stategist ha, came out and told us this week that the largest wave of popular anger in recent history wasn't really that bad, people weren't sitting around the kitchen table talking about AIG bonuses. The same day a poll came out showwing 87%! of the American people were paying close attention! Jackasses!
Okay, can we fire Geithner
Okay, can we fire Geithner now? He should never have been appointed in the first place, with his too-close ties to the very companies whose risk taking got us into this mess. Now that we have actual proof of his inherent conflicts of interest, BOOT HIM OUT.
Is there a Treasury-GS mandate?
It seem that somehow, somewhere along the line, there must have been a highly secretive negotiation that gave Goldman Sacks unprecedented authority within the U.S. Treasury. I am very gratified to see that this issue is honing in on the real investigation to be made here, which is simply:
What is the influence of GS within the U.S. Treasury Dept.?
When did it start and with whom?
Who has been, and is, involved in supporting and furthering it?
What has been the benefit in full, to-date, for GS through this involvement?
Expose this, and we will see a great deal become clear about our current financial system, and the many ways that the American people have been at the mercy of a small group of people for quite some time.
Just one person's two cents...
Goldman Sachs executives should be indicted
I absolutely agree with the need to investigate how GS is corrupting American politics. There needs to be a special prosecutor assigned to investigate this. And Paulson should be subpoenaed to testify. The MSM made such a big deal about the corruption of Blagojevich when that was small fries compared to what has been going on with GS and the Department of Treasury. Did you know that the current CEO of AIG, Liddy, was sitting on the GS board when he was picked by then Sec-Treas Paulson?
Obama needs to dump Geithner and bring in an academic with no direct ties to Wall St. to run Treasury. We need some fresh ideas to "change" the way that Wall St. operates. Remember "change you can believe in"? Did you have Geithner as Treas-Sec in mind when you heard that slogan? I know I didn't. And why is GS lackey Kashkari still running the TARP program at this point.
Read more about how Goldman Sachs has defrauded the American public here.
See we could have
Elected McCain/Palin and had Phil Gramm at the Treasury.
It would have been so much better
McCain/Palin + Phil Gramm
ah yes, a U.S. Treasury Secretary that gave away the store with the repeal of Glass-Steagall. I presume your comment is intended as snark.
The Best Government Money Can Buy!
"According to lobbying disclosure forms, Patterson was one of four Goldman Sachs lobbyists registered to work on HR 1257. How the group tried to influence congressional action on the bill is not revealed in the documents."
Once again, this to me is the crux of the problem. Just how did these lobbyists try to influence Congressmen? By the promise of campaign funds (subtle bribery) or trips to exotic locales (overt bribery) or merely by offering measured arguments to support their positions.
We'll apparently never know, but we do know how most decisions are made in our Congress: by use of the almighty dollar into campaigns or into pockets!
I'm one of the many
I'm one of the many Americans who volunteered for President Obama's campaign, and I'm still glad I did. But boy, I could not be more disappointed by what's happening at the Treasury.
Obama said no lobbyists, but then he allows a former Goldman Sachs lobbyist to influence economic policy?! And he claims to stand for regular Americans, but then he's making decisions that largely benefit greedy bankers?! I know the banking system is in trouble, but can we really expect the people who broke it to come up with the best solutions? Those people only care about one thing: fattening their own wallets.
President Obama, I hope you realize that we can only stand behind you for so long. If you continue to say one thing and do another, I suspect your support base will erode very quickly.
Partisan politics is an illusion used by the corrupt elite
These people are out and out thieves and liars. Geithner is a tax cheat and a frontman for the banking cartel, which exercises its power through the illegal and unconstitutional Federal Reserve.
The cartel must be broken up, and these AIG-Goldman Sachs racketeers imprisoned.
Giving trillions of dollars to privately held banks is TREASON.
Incest
This is a great story. After reading about how Treasury is a "ghost department" that hasn't made any hires, what we've learned is that everyone who HAS been hired, just like the boss, is a Wall Street insider. Just this week the Wall Street Journal reported that CITIGROUP'S TOP ECONOMIST was going to work for Treasury. No sane person could think that fellow had the interests of average Americans at heart -- he probably doesn't even know any average Americans. There is a chilling continuity at Treasury from Clinton thru Bush to Obama -- the guys who got drunk & ran the ship aground have been hired to pilot it to safe waters -- while they're still drunk.
The Constant Weader at www.RealityChex.com
?? Who & How much ?
When these folks are known, maybe, just maybe, they will be a little ashamed of what they did.
Top Geithner aide..........CEO pay reform
To catch a thief one has to hire a thief! I am not implying that Geithner's aide in question is a thief. But, he had been hired by thieves and knows how they work and exactly they had wanted him to keep hidden, out of sight, out of mind! Whose eyes and whose minds? Guess!
AIG et. al.
I hope they go down in flames. I hope that 'securities' and so forth become things of the past, and people actually end up having to do 'work' in order to earn 'money', and this whole upper-crust-wannabe investor/scamster/shamster garbage ends up in the toilet, where it belongs. We have GOT to get ourselves solvent, again, nationally, and tolerating scammy business practices is not 'the haps'. AIG got bought up by the government. That means that the government can also just turn right around, and hang a 'closed' sign in the window, until they finally decide what to do with it. And, maybe just closing the place for a couple years until they can figure out A: what AIG even really does, and B: how to cause them to do it correctly, yeah, maybe just closing AIG's doors until they get those 2 answers figured out would be in the public's interest.
The stock market and the securities market and so forth all offer one simple promise: You'll be able to earn money here without doing any work to get it. We'll finance your 'retirement' and stuff. Retirement? Really? Maybe AIG is a 'ponzi' and they just haven't figured it out, yet.
Klaatu marachas necktie
Working an honest job for an honest wage
dskaugrud
Honestly? Honesty? You figure? In a world where he who controls the rule book RULES the world. It is not surprising that "America's best and the brightest" have become scammers, schemers and exploiters. THAT"S WHERE THE MONEY IS!
Honest work became a quaint concept in the booming 80's and never recovered. Getting rich has everything to do with being at the right place at the right time, working for Microsoft and getting stock options worth millions, or opening a private medical clinic where the doctor / owner can extract a cool million a year for his own pocketbook by overcharging his patients and underpaying his staff, or working in a boom cycle as a mortgage broker, banker, Wall Street broker or real estate sales person and grabbing all the money you can and damn the consequences. It is the system right, and you didn't make the rules...well sort of anyway...
If you made big money during the boom then why feel guilty about it. Hank Paulson, Secretary of the Treasury made his $900,000,000 at Goldman Sachs before going into government service in 2006, and he did his part to save the economy...oh ya that's right, he saved Goldman Sach first...hummm go figure.
More of the Same Old stuff
The connections of Goldman Sachs to Our Fed, Our Treasury, Geithner, Bernacke, Greenspan, AIG, Paulson,,,,,and many more, is amazing, and VERY worthy of investigations from CREDIBLE media sources, watchdog groups, and (not likely)Our Congress -if it could untangle itself from the greed and corruption.
GOP LIES OF MASS DESTRUCTION NEVER END
The #1 truth in Washington today is that the GOP killed American Democracy and Capitalism when Bush created the GOP Aristocracy where corruption, greed and hate ruled with Lies of Mass Destruction.
So today the GOP is trying to blame everything on President Obama, using Hitler's "Make the lie big, make it simple, keep saying it, and eventually they will believe it” to cover-up their failures to protect America.
The people who believe GOP Lies of Mass Destruction today are just as bad as Germans who believed Hitler, and America came closer to dictatorship than it has ever come during the Bush Autocracy.
Chris Dodd
It is well know this Senator has been and still remains one of the Biggest CROOKS in Congress. Hopefully he will be taken out next year.
...to catch a crook..
A lttle off the subject (maybe...) and without using names the government could be using a NASCAR ploy.......To catch a cheater, find a cheater....who else knows the rules of the game....And it worked for NASCARs' inspectors to this day.
Instead of party politics maybe we could be "Americans"...........novel thought !
Patterson is a pussycat
Patterson is a pussycat compared to some of the aborted picks Geithner has tried to staff his Treasury department with.
Rodgin Cohen certainly comes to mind.
What kind of grand bargin has Obama made with the International Financiers to get stuck with a snake like Geithner?
Does he think they will really let him make the other reforms he wants for a free hand in the world of high finance? He should reconsider, you can never trust a snake not to bite you.
Obama's Economic Advisors
Recently noticed is left leaning bloggers debating whether Obama is moderate or prudent. Considering his economic "team," it is difficult to conclude he is anything but a moderate. We have had George I and II, and now we have William I and II. Indicative is chief economic advisor Lawrence Summers, a sexist anti-intellectual of "women can't do math and science" notoriety. Geithner is Lawrence's acolyte, and appears an unimaginative technocrat. A banking career leaves him unable to think in terms other than banking. Leading Obama to this sorry group of mercantilists is his own insecurity. Embarrassingly publically labeling himself a "mutt," he revealed an insecurity in what he is. Always striving to please by fitting in, he pronounced himself neither "red" nor "blue," but "purple" in the early campaign. Continuing the color imagery, Obama has resolved his racial identity by choosing "white," presumably because that is where success lies. Doing so, he has striven to belong by conforming to "white" convention. Neo-classical mercantilism being the convention of current economic thinking, he is a neo-classical mercantilist.
RESPONSE TO: "Obama's Economic Advisors"
Anonymous, no matter how much you may misperceive 'he has striven to belong by conforming to "white" convention' it is impossible for President Obama to come anywhere close to the never-ending betrayals of black people by the GOP's KKK Southern power base that still hate as much as they did in the days of slavery.
Make no mistake about it, the GOP KKK South is still dedicated to destroying all civil rights legislation today, and the GOP's highest priority is to impoverish the entire black race especially with the help of Uncle Toms like Justice Clarence Thomas.
The reality for all of us who have to actually work for a living is that President Obama is America's greatest Black and White Hope today for people of all races, creeds and colors, in a Washington that is betraying all of America for paramount cultural values of greed, corruption and hate.
That’s why far too many Americans are suffering the consequences of the GOP Depression of 2009, which is really the way the GOP leadership wants it, to impoverish 99% of Americans so they can create the dictatorship they prayed for when Bush was elected in the first place.
all i have to say is
thank god for mother jones
Al Capone spent his last
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tagged as:
- solution
Al Capone spent his last days on Alcatraz Island for income tax evasion...same as Geitner's crime.
Corruption in the Senate and House...corruption on all levels of government has got to stop. We've got to make this clear so long as hard earned money from working class continues to be stolen to support the lifestyles of those in power.
It's time government as we know it be turned inside-out...smoked out! Like R. Nader said...what this country needs is a second party...not a third! Not that I'm fond of how Nader handled the last three elections, but he was right on so many issues... He said California should allow the utilities to go bankrupt rather than bail them out. We bailed them out and guess what...they went bankrupt anyway.
What's the worse thing that could happen if "we the people" demanded our leaders clean house? We could let our desires be known, first by not paying our taxes until ALL the bonuses paid out with TARP or other bail-out monies are returned...whether these were "legal" or not. We could refuse to buy any new cars or other goods until our leaders realize we mean business. (The way the economy is headed this may be inevitable anyway...). Some will advocate civil disobedience...even violence to accomplish cleaning house. I don't advocate violence, but we've got to find a way to hold our leaders accountable. Jail sentences are in order for anyone taking bribes...and we could have a special election with a referedum defining campaign contribuitions over $50 a bribe. The referendum could take place April 15th. (I don't buy Barak's indication there's been too little time in office to make the needed change...).
Seriously, if our elected President running on a platform of change doesn't get off his duff, there's got to be a way for a mass movement resisting tax payments to gain momentum. If 50 million people refused to pay income tax so long as the bonuses aren't recovered, I doubt 50 million people would go to jail...and another 100 million would jump on the band wagon. Again, whether these bonuses were "legal" is not the issue. The issue is we the people never authorized our hard earned money to be shitted down the hole in this manner. We have a say in this. The tea tax imposed by the British was 3% I believe...certainly less reason for a revolt than what's happening now.
And how to convince groups like True Majority, Move-On to take a less passive role? The latest from Daniel Mintz (MoveOn.org), is a virtual tomato thrower. What a pile of crap. Let's get serious about launching a referendum...including a law requiring TARP monies paid to millionaires be returned...or a tax referendum, or even moratorium until the crooks (and there are many known) pay up. We can make laws TODAY specifying what we will or will not tolerate. For example...anyone found remotely connected with funneling monies away from the intended mortgage modifications be sentenced to a one year term (minimum). The time spent goes up according to the amounts of money involved.
One could argue...we need to avoid chaos and anarchy. But what do we have now? Our public servants (even city and county levels) are running amuck... self serving interests certainly before those they represent. The simple fact union membership has dwindled to 7% for the private sector, yet remains at over 30% for the public sector is telling...not only because the general public accepts this, but because public employees in many cases are making twice what those paying their salaries are making!!!
One last comment... The Middle East hot pot continues to be stirred, be it because our leaders believe we must continue to control the price and flow of oil throughout the world...or because they believe our economy can only survive if it's based on war industry. The latest Holbrook concerns...the ineffective attempt to contain the opium market in Afghanistan...which kind of sounds like our ineffective attempt to contain the war on drugs on our own turf. So long as there's obscene profits associated with illegal drugs, we'll have problems. The Prohibition Era fostered Al Capone and others' empires...and once repealed, the illegal drug trade became the basis for crime empires. Drugs are the main cause of neighborhood crime...from a battered wife or husband, theft to support a habit, on to the more serious involving innocent bystanders. They're the cause many neighborhoods become permanently blighted...stigmatized. It's far less costly for any society to offer rehabilitation rather than fight a war than can never be won so long as there's so much profit involved.
I like how China punishes
I like how China punishes those who act against the interest of the country. These people are traitors, and deserve to be treated as such.
CHANGE the debate
Once again, the media has distracted the American people. All the debate on Geithner , AIG bonuses,, etc. etc. are just a distraction from holding accountable those responsible for this miserable misadventure. The gnats in the media are avoiding the most important issues for fear their role or lack of a role in them will be exposed. For example, why is the media chasing 165 million dollars in bonuses over here when there is 125 BILLION borrowed tax dollars missing over there? Where was the media’s outrage when the billions were reported unaccounted for in Iraq? On page 13C? (Mother Jones and a few others excluded) We are still borrowing 10 billion dollars per month and can’t account for most of it. Why is their 50 percent plus unemployment in Iraq when billions are being borrowed in our name to stimulate their economy and put them on the path to Bush freedom? Come on David! (and other REAL journalists) lead the way. Get back on the stick!!!! Your country needs you.
Curious why the media is treating this president different.
Robbin Callahan-Lowe
Fort Gratiot, Michigan
Obama Needs We The People
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tagged as:
- solution
OK people, don't forget, Obama said it wasn't about him, it was about us! He said we were the ones we have been waiting for! Things are the way they are because we the people got lazy over the past years, hired overseers (Congress, Representatives, Governors, Mayors, etc.) and we didn't watch what they were doing! We trusted that the people we elected had our best interest at heart. Wrong! We trusted that they were honestly looking out for the little people back home, not taking bribes from the big companies and their rich friends to undo laws and legislate huge amounts of money for their pet projects. Wrong there too!
Obama is exposing so much by putting these people in the spotlight and it is upon we the people to investigate, more broadly expose and demand that he finish the job. It has to come from we the people! Obama knows that he needs we the people to do things he alone can't do. And yes, it is a strategy to hire your enemy then watch them to get evidence to end the activity. Plus, to hire people who don't have a clue how these insiders work would be devastating to the recovery.
Come on folks, lets stop being driven by "news" reports in MSM and get our thinking heads on. The man just got into office and what he is discovering is very serious. If he were to just fire everyone and shutdown every crooked company our country would really collapse. This fix requires time and patience. Many things have to be put in place to replace what has to go. This requires surgery! Obama is brilliant and has just begun to unravel the web of crooks and wrong doings!
Obviously the Congress is too corrupt to act, so we the people must demand their removal to jail or obscurity and vote in new honest representatives who are committed to the recovery of our country next year. Again, Obama has exposed to us something that we may have forgotten, that the responsibility for our countries legislation rests with the people sent to represent we the people in Washington, not the President. The President is the overseer of the governing and spokesperson for we the people.
Through Obama, we have found out things about Congress that we were never told before! Obama is showing us that governing should come from the people, not one man or woman sitting in Washington, we the people must monitor and let these representatives know what we are thinking about all issues coming before them! We have a short time to vet our next representatives, governors, commissioners, mayors, judges, etc so get to work! If no changes are made, it will be because we the people have abdicated the responsibility for change into these so-called leaders hands!
On the financial front we the people must force the Justice Dept to eventually jail these gangsters after the JD gathers required evidence. JD must also reverse the changes in the laws that these huge companies lobbied and Congress passed, which rendered what they are doing lawful. What they are doing is unlawful if I or you are doing it! So many laws changed, so many "Codes" and "Regulations" created, court replaced by administrative hearings in front of corrupt judges (most of whom are republicans) or rubber stamping actions against we the people by court clerks, unlawful attacks on we the people ignored by the so-called legal system... what are we the people to do? Fight back!
Each of us pick an area of interest and become an expert in fixing it on behalf of we the people and band together with others of like mind to affect policy! Become aware of the big picture and then look at how the little things affect the big picture instead of allowing yourself to get emotional about every news report about a little picture item. Don't forget Obama said he needed we the people to help him make the necessary changes, so let's stop blogging our small minded opinions and get active making we the people as a group heard on big issues so that we the people can take our country back to lawfulness, financial stability and peace leadership together!
Obama is depending on us! We the people are the real power that makes this country what it is, so lets take back the responsibility of holding our elected officials accountable to we the people who voted for them not to the companies that can pay them off! We the people must demand that it be unlawful for any company to become a monopoly or so big that it can bring our country down. This country is our country isn't it? Let's Act Like It! Stand Up For What's Best For The Entire Country, Not Best For The Rich Or For What Pays The Most! YES WE CAN!
RESPONSE TO: "Obama Needs We The People"
RESPONSE TO: "Obama Needs We The People" Very well said, it's really up to US.
I must confess that I used to be a republican, but Bush-Cheney taught me a very hard lesson in no uncertain terms, that the GOP leadership is some wierd combination of:
Fascists (overthrowing the Constitution and betraying our military),
Communists (selling America out to China to destroy Capitalism), and the
al Qaeda (from 2001 thru today, the GOP has been giving us something much greater than terrorists to worry about --->
RNC Traitors destroying the American Way of Life).
Thank God for President Obama, he has the biggest reconstruction to make since the Civil War when the KKK South (now known as GOP South) tried to destroy America last time.
Thank you for your work on
Thank you for your work on this, Mr. Corn.
I have no idea how to write
I have no idea how to write a good speech on this topic.
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