Thursday, December 8, 2011

GOP and Wall Street Are Frightened of Elizabeth Warren

I love the idea of Elizabeth Warren in the U.S. Senate. It was she who was the mind behind the creation of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. In the Senate she will be a strong advocate for the middle class, and will stand up to Wall Street and the greed, fraudulent activities, and corruption that has become commonplace over the last few decades. And great news! Warren has taken a 49%-42% lead in a recent poll in her home state of Massachusetts over incumbent Scott Brown (R). In last night's interview with Lawrence O'Donnell, it is easy to see why Republicans and Wall Street are pouring money into Scott Brown's campaign and into PACs fighting for him. They are scared to death of Elizabeth Warren winning and will go to any length to discredit her, even to downright lie. Enjoy!


Wednesday, December 7, 2011

A Letter I Wrote To My Senator, Jeff Sessions


Mr. Sessions,

I have written to you about this subject before, and needless to say, I found your response less than satisfactory. You must think that because the majority of Alabamians vote Republican, they blindly agree with your views, regardless of how those views are against their best interests. Let's not even pretend here. The people who vote for you and secure your election to office are not your constituents. The big money special interests in the financial sector and large corporations are your constituents, Mr. Sessions. We both know that. You and the rest of the Republican party work night and day to protect them and their tax breaks. If not, you would not have voted against the bill last week to continue a payroll tax cut for the middle class while charging a 3.2% surtax on millionaires, on income over $1 million. And then the GOP countered with a proposal that would have laid off 200,000 government employees? That is ludicrous! My next point is that Republicans never want to pay for a tax cut, unless it's one for the middle class. The GOP moans and groans about the debt and deficit, but let's be honest, the unpaid-for Bush tax cuts for the wealthy of 2001 and 2003 are one of the primary causes of our national debt. And you, sir, voted for them both times. The wealthy in this country, over the last 30 years, have enjoyed the best wealth increase in this nation's history, thanks in large part to the Republican policies of deregulation and tax cuts. However, the middle class has seen its standard of living stagnate and decline, directly because of Republican policies of deregulation and tax cuts that have mainly benefited the wealthiest among us. You cannot convince me that these guys are "job creators". They've had it better than at any other time in American history and have only shipped jobs overseas or reduced the workforce. And if you truly believe that giving tax breaks to the wealthiest 1% is going to create jobs after the last 30 years proves this is wrong, you are only lying to yourself.

The real reason I am writing to you is because I want you to change your position on confirming Richard Cordray as head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. This Bureau is important to protect consumers from the predatory practices that led to the financial meltdown and market crash of 2008. It will help protect consumers, your real constituents, the people who actually vote for you and elect you, from the despicable practices and abuses that have led so many into financial ruin. In your previous response to my communications you mentioned upholding current law and not expanding the size of government and some other standard Republican answers. But I don't buy that. I'm not going to let you get away with that. This is too important to me and to your constituents. Too many of them are being abused and mistreated by financial firms and have nowhere to go or turn to. There should be an agency with teeth that can stand up to the big banks and stand up for the little man, and for all the reasons I have stated in this letter. If you continue to block the confirmation of Rich Cordray as the head of the CFPB, you will continue to show the people of Alabama who your true constituents are: the big banks and financial firms of Wall Street, and not those that have voted for you and have no other voice in their government and no other protection from those large financial firms.

It is your duty as our Senator to represent the best interest of your voters, your electorate, not the special interests, and not Wall Street. Come to your senses and do what is right for the people who voted for you and put you in your office. Vote to protect our interests. Vote to keep our taxes low, we are suffering. Vote to increase taxes on the 1%. They can afford it. It's increasing the debt anyway. Vote to confirm Mr. Cordray to protect consumers. Otherwise you are voting against Alabamians.

Sincerely,
Joshua LaDeau

12/8/2011
Update:

As expected, my Senator, Jeff Sessions, as well as every other Republican Senator except one, voted against the confirmation of Richard Cordray as head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Each and every Republican in the Senate has shown that it is more important to protect Wall Street and the large financial firms and to allow them to continue in their corruption than to protect consumers from these institutions and their corruption. Hey Alabama, Hey middle class! Wake up! Pay attention! The Republican party is the party of, by, and for the 1%! If you do not belong to the wealthiest 1%, the Republican party does not care about you. They are legislating against you. They are only working for the benefit of the wealthiest individuals and corporations and Wall Street firms. That is why each and every one of them voted against a payroll tax cut for the middle class last week, only because it would have been paid for with a 3.2% surtax on millionaires and billionaires. That is why each and every Republican voted against 4 jobs bills brought up by President Obama in the month of November. Because they would have been paid for with a small tax increase on millionaires and billionaires. The reason the economy is in the tank right this very moment, is because of the policies of Reagan and George W. Bush. Deregulation and tax cuts for the rich have caused a mass siphoning of wealth from the middle class to the top 1%. Taxes must go up on the wealthy. The middle class have been taxed to death. We cannot be squeezed anymore. But as long as Republicans continue to be elected to office, especially in majorities, these wrongs will never be righted. Open your eyes, do some research, and for the love of all that is good, STOP watching Fox News. It is not news, it is the Republican propaganda machine. There is no truth to be found there, only spin and lies, hate and deceit.