Here comes "The Squeeze"...are you going to stand by your fellow Americans?

Well we are coming up on the soon to be 3 year anniversary of the bailout of wallstreet and a the newly extended tax breaks for them as well.

There are proposed cuts to single mothers, social security, teachers, firefighters, police, child care, pell grants, medicare....the list goes on and on.

You'd think now we'd be standing up for ourselves and trying to rebuild the great middle class we once were. Instead all I see is cannibalism....people purposely supporting the demise of what little wealth we have left in the middle class. The supposed "class warfare" and "socialism" supposedly being brought to us the last 2 years was a complete farce....well almost. The only class warfare that is now being waged is the billionaires going after the middle class...the same billionaires enjoying the lowest tax rates in DECADES.

They don't have to protest the old fashioned way...nope...not at all. They don't have to sit outside in the cold freezing rain for days on end to fight for whatever it is they want. Nope. Their protesting comes through the corporate owned media and funding of our politicians through lobbyists. That's how THEY protest...or simply get you to do it for them.

And WOW they are great at it. Money well spent for them. They control the supposed "news" and public opinion...dazzling us with BS...pushing hard enough for us to target small pockets of the middle class.

There is class warfare happening right now...and it's the Billionaires/corporations winning. The anger of Wall Street has disappeared and they now have us focused on attacking OURSELVES. We now attack teachers and call them "Union thugs." That's what we've resorted to. That's how smart we are....when instead we should be fighting for FAIR TRADE to bring jobs back to this country....or ending the wars that is crippling our nation....but we don't.

Who's next on the list? Firefighters? Policemen? Are we gonna attack children next for the laziness in abiding by child labor laws?

For the life of me, I can't understand how we've actually arrived at the place we are now because the people of this country should be smarter than this.

My hopes is that eventually when the squeeze is at a fever pitch...and the upcoming cuts along with increased gas prices push us to the breaking point...we will finally come together as a nation...as we did during the great depression....and FINALLY...we will actually DO SOMETHING about it.

And btw.....quit watching corporate news....TURN IT OFF. Don't let it cloud your judgement. I haven't watched a single minute of Fox News, MSNBC, or CNN in the last year after being nothing but a worried news pig because of having a kid in the middle of the economic meltdown.

It's one of the best decisions I've ever made.

reply to post by David9176


Boy you have said a mouth full!
But haven't you guessed yet that people are being brainwashed by this stuff called Reality TV?
They are all waiting their chance to fight someone for a star or starlet or be the next fake millionaire that gets the beautiful girl.
IMHO, I really think Americans will have to hit rock bottom, like addicted people do, before anything will happen. They will have to donn the imperialists uniform and have all their rights gone before they will ever want them back.
Then they will have to fight.
Sad that only violence makes people open their eyes.

reply to post by David9176


Well, I absolutely agree with your premiss that the billionaires are out to take down the middle class and it would be a big mistake for working people to under estimate their ability to do so, especially in light of the "Citizens United" supreme court decision.

On the other hand, If you had been watching the MSM news outlets during the last year, you would know that they, (billionaires) have blinded the masses to their scheme by getting sources like Fox News, Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh to spew their fear mongering propaganda at every opportunity to anyone who would listen.

Fox News has been caught in so many lies lately that if it were not for the first amendment, they would have been locked up long ago. Not to mention when one of their mainstays says things like "You're going to have to shoot them in the head" and then some nut like Jared Loughner goes out and does it.

Yes, they now have us killing each other, while right before our eyes, they continue to rob us blind. By the way, S&F for keeping this topic in the limelight. People need to wake up to the reality of the situation at hand before there's nothing left to wake up to.

From an outsiders point of view, it seems the divisions are so deep that it will be impossible for one side to stand with the other. From my take they stand at polar opposites of the argument, Progressives and Conservatives are at complete logger heads in the US. The Conservatives protest for cuts, the Progressives against them. I see it on the boards here every day, 2 very different camps passionately arguing their case, but neither seeing the others point of view. Maybe as things start to squeeze, people will realize what side they really stand on?

reply to post by DaWhiz

Boy you have said a mouth full!

I could have stated much more...believe me!

But haven't you guessed yet that people are being brainwashed by this stuff called Reality TV? They are all waiting their chance to fight someone for a star or starlet or be the next fake millionaire that gets the beautiful girl.

As crazy as this may sound...i find more comfort if they are watching American idol than the news they will get on cable television...at least reality tv isn't going to lie to them. And trust me, I've said the same exact thing you have many times over on ATS and to others I know.

I really think Americans will have to hit rock bottom, like addicted people do, before anything will happen.

I believe so as well. When the government says they need to cut spending...they only mean spending to help americans....not the military...not subsidies and contracts to international corporations. It's an attack on the middle class. Why can't people see this? Both parents in most families already have to work...and god forbid if you are a single parent trying to make ends meet.

My father...who cannot work and has severe back and neck problems...is on both SS and Medicare. He used to be hardcore watcher of Fox News...believed it all. I had to remind him that they are going after the only thing that is keeping him going.....and boy has he changed his tune. My father was a big lover of Ronald Reagan and George Bush. He is now seeing the writing on the wall.

reply to post by woodwardjnr


All of the political parties are the same lot. You don't believe that they go golf and smoke cigars with each other right after they sling mud in a debate? It's a clever, but not to clever, control system. Your vote means nothing.

Work out, eat good food, stock rations and water purification, and get ready to make like Libya.

There are so many methods of distraction in play.
Remember that the Roman games were at their highest during the collapse of the empire.

These days the majority of men aged 16-28 who, in other countries would be the fighters of a revolution, are instead playing video games.
Movies, TV shows, Sports, Gambling,
Then there is: work.

These days people in the USA have NO TIME for revolution, NO TIME to even pay attention. They get the 5 minute sound bite on Fox and then base their entire political beliefs around said soundbite.

In order for people to continue living the idealized American dream, a person must work 40 hours a week or more. Then All the time to take care of kids, do chores, etc etc.... People always say they never have enough time. THEY ARE RIGHT.

People need to take the time to wake up and understand what is happening.

Jordan Maxwell, David Icke, Freeman, and others have warned us for years: Americans are (with the exception of an marginalized few) ignorant, ill-informed, lazy, and completely brainwashed. I'm pretty sure we are screwed. Nobody -- myself included -- seems to know what to do about it; nor do we have the time or energy to do so, since we are all so busy cranking out our niche of survival in the slave system. I'm almost to the point of giving up trying to wake people up, since I'm tired of being ignored, ridiculed, and written off as a fringe wacko. Corporatism, Zionism, and Mediocracy have won, and they have done it slowly and secretly. It almost seems that the only recourse left is to take up arms and storm the public establishments in our communities; and yet, I know that even that wouldn't work, since all the control-system has to do is drop a bomb on us; Gerald Celente recently said that 'when money stops flowing on Main St., blood will begin flowing in the streets'. How much blood (in the form of poverty, illness, starvation, unemployment, homelessness, inflation, etc.) is it going to take? I feel that it has become far too late to right the ship before it hits the iceberg. We're going down with the ship.

reply to post by Flatfish

Well, I absolutely agree with your premiss that the billionaires are out to take down the middle class and it would be a big mistake for working people to under estimate their ability to do so, especially in light of the "Citizens United" supreme court decision.

That was a major hit to the middle class...but was somehow championed on television as a "Victory for free Speech" when in fact it was the exact opposite. I completely agree with you.

If you had been watching the MSM news outlets during the last year, you would know that they, (billionaires) have blinded the masses to their scheme by getting sources like Fox News, Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh to spew their fear mongering propaganda at every opportunity to anyone who would listen.

Well I used to be a daily watcher...and I listened to political radio all day at work. I was a fiend....well more like a worried soon to be father worried about his job. Believe me I know what is going on and it's why I had to quit it all. It's not exclusive to just Fox News either...however I do feel they are the worst.

Well I was hoping that with the betrayal of president Obama that the left-right paradigm would fade. But with this wisconsin thing it seems people are going deeper into the paradigm.

I can not stand by the unions as long as their leadership is associated with National and International movements of communism, socialism and Islam. That kind of totaltarianism is not an option for US change. That is about the most disgusting "reform" I can think of. Anyone who reads the history of these thugs know they are murderous and oppressive to the hilt. The people of the nations they take over end up being slaves to their ignorant rule.

Fitting the corporations and our govenrment into their legal, constitutional role and constratiants on power and money is the option for reform in America. If Unions had leaders fighting for this, I would be more sympathic to their cause.

UN enforced lop sided trade agreements are not free markets. International power and interests have replaced National power and interests. We don't need our elite playing the roles of global ruler wannabes. We need to undo America's binds of foreign entanglement. We need to reform and enforce the law.

Originally posted by David9176

And btw.....quit watching corporate news....TURN IT OFF. Don't let it cloud your judgement. I haven't watched a single minute of Fox News, MSNBC, or CNN in the last year after being nothing but a worried news pig because of having a kid in the middle of the economic meltdown.

It's one of the best decisions I've ever made.

You've got that right. Better still, lets just walk away from the TV altogether, and start hanging out with one another again. That right there would change the country in a relatively short period of time.

A lot of what is happening to us is facilitated by the fact that we are isolated from one another.

reply to post by American-philosopher

Well I was hoping that with the betrayal of president Obama that the left-right paradigm would fade. But with this wisconsin thing it seems people are going deeper into the paradigm.

Right now...yes...because the target is the unions...what little is left of them. They are usually supporters of Democrats...so that makes sense.

Just wait till those cuts hit Republican supporters. The illusion that only "liberals" are taking government money is an absolute lie.

Like I stated...it's a squeeze...and it's going to hit most of us...conservative and liberals alike....and it's going to affect our family and friends who may be on a different political plain than we ourselves are. With less money coming in and prices going up for the average person....it's going to be tough.

Oh well at least billionaires still get everything they wanted.

reply to post by volitionawareness


So, you're an optimist through and through, I get it.

No really, it's never so bad that we should just give up. Where there's a will there's a way and when working people in this country get tired of being enslaved by the wealthy, they'll develop the will to make the necessary changes. I assure you, the ultra wealthy in America are in for a rude awakening, so don't give up just yet.

I really believe that no individual should be allowed to control vast amounts of wealth until they have proven their ability to perceive and handle the social responsibilities that go along with that control.

There was a reason that the highest tax rate used to be 90%. It was to insure that the greedy didn't ignore the social responsibilities that go along with controlling that much of the nation's wealth. Even during the Carter years, it was around 70% but today it's around 36% and the wealthy are continuously crying about how they are being overtaxed.

What we are witnessing is the apex of absolute greed and I'm sure it will soon come crashing down upon itself. Personally, this movie has been a long time in the coming and I can't wait to see it play out.

Originally posted by American-philosopher
Well I was hoping that with the betrayal of president Obama that the left-right paradigm would fade. But with this wisconsin thing it seems people are going deeper into the paradigm.

Actually, it looks like you're the one stuck in the "paradigm." What "the people" are doing is waking up to the reality that the ultra wealthy have been screwing them to the wall for years and it's time for working people to demand their fundamental human right to organize and negotiate for their fair share of the fruits of their labor.

reply to post by Illusionsaregrander

You've got that right. Better still, lets just walk away from the TV altogether, and start hanging out with one another again. That right there would change the country in a relatively short period of time.

A lot of what is happening to us is facilitated by the fact that we are isolated from one another.

Couldn't agree more!

good points op
star and flagged , spread the message

reply to post by Flatfish

Actually, it looks like you're the one stuck in the "paradigm." What "the people" are doing is waking up to the reality that the ultra wealthy have been screwing them to the wall for years and it's time for working people to demand their fundamental human right to organize and negotiate for their fair share of the fruits of their labor.

Absolutely agree. Billionaires and corporations are greatly organized....we are not....and they want to keep it that way. As long as we keep attacking ourselves they will continue to win.

Actually, it looks like you're the one stuck in the "paradigm." What "the people" are doing is waking up to the reality that the ultra wealthy have been screwing them to the wall for years and it's time for working people to demand their fundamental human right to organize and negotiate for their fair share of the fruits of their labor

reply to post by Flatfish


Well no there are still people out there like the tea party who tried to get involved even though for 5 days it was nothing but union supporters out there. Then you have republican establishment out there trying to use this as a focal point to break the unions. So I mean not all the people are waking up from being screwed. (sounds like I was saying something else right haha)

I hope we can all wake up... We just need our 100th monkey!! You know... the old story of an island that was tested for WMD's. Then monkeys were placed there to monitor how soon they could rebuild a habitat. Everything went fine except the coconuts that the monkeys ate were covered with radiation exposure. So the scientists took 10 or so and trained them how to wash the coconuts in the fresh water streams. Slowly other monkeys caught on, and they say that once the 100th monkey learned to do it, all 10,000 started washing the coconuts(sourced from the documentary Collapse on netflix)...

Dunno if anyone saw Max Keiser on AJ, live from Egypt showing how the protests have worked over there... heres the vid coding if anyone wants to see it, I wont interrupt the OP's thread with it. 1GI-_zMsKk4