Indian see white man about to shoot self in foot. Indian say NO...
Common sense - more important than greed._________________________featuring: reality, Faux "News" kryptonite
I guess I should mention that I recently went to Geneva Switzerland to speak at the United Nations.
Needless to say, it was quite an honor.
I'll explain later why we were there. But for now, I was in a five person presentation speaking about corporate accountability. This was my presentation:
Possibly the best way to insure corporate accountability is for us all to band together to prevent particular abuses – and when I say all of us, I even mean other corporations – even other corporations that might have been abusers themselves.
Typically when we think of corporate abuses, we think of human rights or environmental abuses. But quite often, an abusing corporation is abusing other corporations also.
When it comes down to corporate survival, even an abusing corporation might be willing to do the right thing, and support the reform of poorly written laws.
I'm here today because I'm convinced that we have a window of opportunity to save my Western Shoshone Homeland – the high deserts and remote mountain ranges of the Great Basin. This is a vast natural area taking up much of the States of Nevada and Utah in the very middle of the American West. Other than mining, very little human development has occurred here because of how little water there is. However, this is exactly what makes the Great Basin so wonderful, it still retains much of the beauty my ancestors have called home for thousands of years.
When the U.S. took this land from our ancestors, we signed the Treaty of Ruby Valley that guaranteed we would not be left homeless and without game to eat or water to drink. Sadly, this treaty has been more a treaty of convenience than integrity. Now, Las Vegas wants to drain much of the Great Basin for its own opulently wasteful uses. It doesn't take a hydrologist to figure out what the consequences are of exporting water from the desert. We are facing the potential “dust bowl” devastation of an area bigger than some of America's smaller States.
And why? Because the U.S. has delegated water laws to the States and our State's water laws are so poorly written. Which is why I'm here today. We need help in keeping my Native Homeland from being robbed of everything it has of value and eventually transformed into our Nation's waste dump. Water is life. And a corporate driven quasi-municipality wants to take our water.
Nevada's water laws were written a century ago to placate miners and farmers. In a nutshell, Nevada's water law states; “First in use, first in right.” Now, it only makes sense that Native Americans were using Nevada's water for thousands of years, so we should have some rights to these waters. Our Treaty with the U.S. Government and the Winter's Doctrine both reinforce these rights. However, Nevada's State water law pretends that Western Shoshone rights to our own Federally recognized water don't exist.
Slicing up the pie for those who can afford to take it is no way to manage water in the desert. In the real world today, “first in use, first in right” translates to “the first to waste our water can have it for free!” The consequences of this corporate give-away water law will be catastrophic for everyone and everything in the long run.
Irrationally, Las Vegas is simply reacting to irrational Nevada water law. Las Vegas wants to export water from the Great Basin because if they don't, multi-national corporations will.
The watergrab isn't really what the people of Las Vegas want. This is what the developers and politicians committed to before the price of desalination dropped. In fact, now; trading desalinated ocean water for a bigger allotment of the Colorado River is cheaper than piping it in from the desert for hundreds of miles.
What we need are water laws that respect Native Americans, Rural residents, future generations, and natural wild areas. What Nevada needs are guidelines for writing sustainable water law – and U.N. help pressuring the U.S. Government to live up to their own commitments with worldwide help pressuring local Nevada corporations (such as Las Vegas hotels) to convince Nevada legislators to re-write these laws.
If this strategy works, it might possibly set a precedent for how to reform water laws across our nation.
Though hardly reported by the mainstream “for profit” media, there's been a major change at the White House.
Every once in a while, buried within the news reports, are gems of information that (taken together) tell a bigger story of what is really going on. The days right after the 2010 mid-term elections hold historic evidence of the response to the Republicans winning control of the House of Representatives.
For instance; when the Democrats lost big, what did President Obama do? He went to India. Was he just sick and tired of those damn fool wing nuts who vote against their own best interests – and had to get away? Well, maybe. But more likely he realized he had to take action to hold onto what power he had left.
It had become obvious that some of the powers-that-be who propelled him into office were now working against him. In 2008, Barack Obama enjoyed hefty contributions from the big banks. In 2010, the tables appear to have turned. American Crossroads and Crossroads GPS spent 38 million dollars running attack ads etc. to defeat Democratic candidates. MSNBC News reports the bulk of funding for the Karl Rove-founded groups American Crossroads and Crossroads GPS “came from a small circle of extremely wealthy Wall Street hedge fund and private equity moguls... These donors have been bitterly opposed to a proposal by congressional Democrats – and endorsed by the Obama administration – to increase the tax rates on compensation that hedge funds pay their partners...”
It appears that Obama has lost his friends in high places.
Talk about fickle. Even after President Obama hired the Geithner team of ex-bankers to run the U.S. Treasury, wealthy Wall Street moguls still turned on him. Apparently, these moguls are insisting on total control. And it looks like they bought it. The mid-term elections have shown us something – the elections can be bought by the highest bidder. The Democrats were simply out bid.
So, what's the most powerful (elected) man in the world to do? Find some new wealthy supporters – fast. Which brings us to India.
Supporters in India would be nice, but not very politically expedient. No. President Obama was in India to support corporations back at home. One of those corporations was likely Monsanto, who wants to turn all of India's rural farms into big agribusiness cash cows. But even more importantly, Obama was likely in India to support our military/industrial complex. In the past, America stopped trading arms with India as a result of India's nuclear weapons development. Most likely, President Obama was in India to assure them that no matter what happens – no matter what India does; America will never halt arms trade to India again.
…
President Obama needs powerful friends to counter the angry Wall Street moguls who are trying to take him down. Apparently, those friends are from agribusiness and the military/industrial complex.
So, when it comes to the inevitable austerity measures the new House will be insisting on; don't expect the subject of across-the-board cuts to even be mentioned by the Obama administration. (And you might as well forget about us getting out of Afghanistan any time soon either.) As Obama must see it; waste at the Pentagon will just have to be tolerated to keep him from being forced out of power by Wall Street moguls.
We saw something very similar happen during the Presidency of Bill Clinton. After the fall of the Soviet Union, there just wasn't the need for such high military spending to fight a Cold War (that was over). President Clinton initially made a few cutbacks in military spending, and then changed his spending habits significantly during the Monica Lewinsky scandal. You may remember Bosnia. It appears that President Clinton gave in to the military/industrial complex to keep his job. It appears that to avoid a coup d'etat, Clinton spent our peace dividend.
It also appears that President Obama is now selling arms for our military/industrial complex in order to keep his job. That might not be so controversial had it not been for the fact that we have troops in Pakistan – and a nuclear war between India and Pakistan is far from out of the question. One can only wonder if Obama promised to keep selling U.S. arms to India even if India were to start a nuclear war.
But there's more...
What most Americans don't realize is that we are already involved in a covert war – a world war – a currency war.
We are only beginning to discover just how greedy some Wall Street moguls have become. This isn't just an American issue anymore. Worldwide, financial techniques are being used to take over. What's worse is that this underhanded buyout frenzy is being financed on the backs of ordinary Americans. The Federal Reserve Bank just keeps printing all that money (for the banks, not for us). This is not good. We have even been warned that the last time these techniques were used was just before World War II.
Former Wall Street economist and University Professor Michael Hudson states: “The object of warfare is to take over a country's land, raw materials, and assets... In the past, that used to be done militarily, by invading them. But today, you can do it financially, simply by creating credit, which is what the Federal Reserve has done.”
…
The big question is; now that President Obama knows what Wall Street wants to do to him (and the world), will he fight back? I believe the answer to that question lies with us. Will we fight back? President Obama has stooped to supporting big business and arms dealers because so many Americans have given up on supporting him. Many have lost their faith in Obama. But that doesn't mean we should lose faith in ourselves.
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The mid-term elections aren't the end of the world, but they just brought us a lot closer – at a time when we are running out of time.
At stake or our “entitlements.” You know; those social programs which the U.S. supported U.N. Universal Declaration of Human Rights declared as human rights back in 1948.
And also at stake; those pesky environmental laws that were written to keep us all from being poisoned.
And very likely also at stake; the political stability of the world.
If we don't fight back now, we could wind up in an endless world war, with no social safety nets, and pollution everywhere. What we are risking here in America is millions of untreated illnesses, persistent hunger and need, mass poisonings, wide spread aggravation and violence, and the untimely deaths of Americans by the tens of thousands – if not far more... This future is the opposite of what we want. In fact, this sure looks like we're in the process of creating a man-made hell.
I was watching the "for profit" news this morning and the new house members are all about cutting Government spending.
Of course, they only seem to be about cutting funds that might make it back to the taxpayers who paid in the money. No one even seems to be talking about military spending.
We all know that the Pentagon wastes billions and billions of dollars. So, why isn't Pentagon spending on the table?
It's as if these sell-out politicians want to maximize the killing. They want to keep the cash going to these "wars" (where there never actually has been an enemy army to shoot at), and they want to cut back on "entitlements" (you know; money for civilians such as medicare, social security, law enforcement, etc.).
Let's just find out where we are before we go and make all those entitlement cuts.
Let's audit the Pentagon.
I bet we can save billions without losing any defense services. It would be like money for nothing - which is what they're getting.
If we don't have to make cuts in social services (for the poor and taxpayers) we'll save money and lives.
I believe I've finally figured out the Tea Party. This is the Party of the exasperated. These are the people who have decided that, whatever it takes, they no longer want to be the Nation's beasts of burden.
The Tea Party followers are exasperated at watching for decades as their hard-earned tax dollars just leak away. And that leak has turned into a flood. Every month we hear about a massive new waste of money. Years ago, we heard about how the military was requisitioning toilet seats (etc.) at 10 times retail. More recently, we heard about 9 billion dollars in Iraqi reconstruction money that just “disappeared”. There was the Savings and Loan bailout in the 1980s, followed by the Enron/Worldcom/etc. scandals, and then the massive Bush bank bailouts. There are the multi-billion dollar taxpayer funded subsidies that go to the filthy rich fossil fuel industry. There has been the monopolization of just about everything over the past 30 years. And there has been the outsourcing of American jobs that has practically led to the collapse of our manufacturing industry in America.
The Tea Party followers have every right to be exasperated. Especially when they hear about so many of the greedy among the rich who don't pay their fair share of taxes – or even no taxes at all!
But what bothers me about the Tea Party is it appears that they would just be happy with a bigger slice of the pie. It appears they have given up on ever really fixing our system. In a way, this is giving up on America.
What has confounded me most about the Tea Party is that they are more angry at poor Mexicans on Medicare than big wealthy corporations on Fedicare. But what I now realize is that they now see this as a pecking order. If the rich can oppress them, maybe they can oppress the poor.
Sorry Tea Party, the rich already oppress the poor too. You've been left out in the cold again. You won't get your tax breaks – or at least not any more that you already get from the Obama administration. You won't get any more individual freedom than you already have. No, just more corporate freedom (to take advantage of us). In fact, all you will really achieve will be a reduction in your tax money coming back to you. Expect massive spending cuts on social programs you might benefit from. Expect the privatization of your Social Security – with consequences similar to what happened to your 401Ks. Expect to be disappointed – again.
A vote for the (big money dependent) Independents is a vote to be even more of a beast-of-burden for the powers-that-be. The big money hasn't spent millions to manipulate the elections to give you a break. Which is why we have to (together) get the big money out of elections.
They tell me that age brings wisdom. But I learned a long time ago that adage isn't always true. It was a long time ago I vowed never to join that sea of white hair I saw in a casino in Laughlin in the Winter time. And it was a long time ago I vowed not to be burdened with a preventable disease. Because sadly, all too often age just brings on the consequences of an irresponsible life. Nonetheless, it is true that age can bring wisdom, if one cultivates it. It was a long time ago I vowed to always be growing emotionally and intellectually. It was a long time ago I vowed to root out the truth.
...And I suspect that there are millions of people who are like me.
There is a slowly growing powerful and authentic revolution happening right now. Right now... We want to change. We want to adapt. We want to live better – not just now, but for a very long time.
For example; I recently read that in a survey, 90% of Americans want solar power.
We want to do the right thing. We want our society to mature gracefully.
...But wanting to do the right thing is far more difficult when there are very rich and powerful people who would rather we keep sending them money.
There are a handful of peculiarly selfish billionaires who have utilized “any means necessary” to stop this societal growth (maturation). Apparently, these self-appointed “ultra-conservatives” (actually proto-fascists) don't want to grow up. And apparently, they don't want us to change (and thus adapt) either. Because if we do, then we might not need them – and might stop sending them so much of our money. Apparently, all they want us to be their wage slaves forever. Apparently, all they want is to own everything. Apparently, all they can hope for is to live out their sick perception of life; that winning absolutely in an evil world requires one to be evil (also). And apparently, they're willing to lie, cheat, and squeal to get their socially perverted way:
They will pay people to lie for them, by omission; with millions of dollars in “advertisements.”
They will pay even more millions for even more lies to be repeated incessantly; with attack ads and (propaganda) pundit comments.
They will create unscrupulous organizations specifically for purpose of systematically monkey-wrenching all grass roots efforts to fix things (in ways that might detrimentally effect their bottom line).
They will buy off politicians; with “campaign contributions”.
They will buy off bureaucrats; with implied future job opportunities.
They will willingly subvert our laws and our constitution; with new laws – or exemptions.
And they will manipulate our laws so that they can manipulate our democracy – by manipulating as many susceptible minds as they can.
I know. That last comment sounds a little paranoid. Manipulating susceptible minds? Absolutely.
It is common knowledge that almost 20% of our population is easily hypnotized. If you've seen a hypnotist's act, it's amazing just how simple the process is. Some people seem to be practically hard-wired to be “subjects.” This is nothing to be embarrassed by. It is, however, something to always keep in mind – because not all aspiring hypnotists hope to become lounge acts.
Some aspiring hypnotists are hoping to influence an army of followers to do their bidding – which ironically is sometimes just to stay distracted.
I really like Matt Taibbi's definition of the Tea Party: “millions of pissed-off white people sent chasing after Mexicans on Medicaid by a handful of banks and investment firms who advertise on Fox and CNBC.”
Of course, Matt Taibbi left out the oil billionaires. The Koch brothers are the primary financial force behind the takeover (and subsequent sell out) of the Tea Party. Hey, isn't it strange that Koch Industries made their initial wealth in the Soviet Union – and now they fund Tea Baggers who call patriotic Americans (like our President) Communists (and Socialists, and Nazis, and whatever else their manipulated minds can dream up). And by the way, what a blatant conflict of interest for the Koch brothers, oil billionaires, to be funding climate change denial propaganda.
Republican Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger had a little something to say about their efforts to gut California environmental laws. Governor Schwarzenegger said; “Does anyone really believe that these companies, out of their black-oil hearts are really spending millions and millions of dollars to protects jobs? It's not about jobs at all. It's about their ability to pollute and thus protect their profits.”
We've been convinced by the (profits are more important than truth) mass media that it's all about the struggle between the Left and the Right. However, when it comes to politicians making executive decisions, there isn't really that much difference between Conservative and Liberal politicians. The proto-Fascists want us to believe that Republicrats are our only option. And because we've allowed money to rule our elections, they're right. Even the so called Independents are dependent upon corporate funding.
This isn't about the Left and the Right at all! This is about greedy powerful people (who have more than enough already) taking everything they can get – no matter what the consequences. This is about lying to us to steal our future. This is about psychopathic behavior. This is about our society being right on the verge of creating a wonderful future, and having it ripped away by selfish fools playing “monopoly” with our planet!
But some Americans think that if they side with the winning team, they can be winners too. Tragically, they're treating reality like a football game. They assume that if they root for the winning team, somehow they'll be pulled along by the super-rich "capitalists" coattails. No, actually that makes them the biggest losers – because they are the easiest to take advantage of (by the winning exploiters).
The economy (and the wars, and the environment, and our dysfunctional government) have left a number of Americans feeling vulnerable and frightened – or worse. Really bad things have happened to a lot of good people. Desperation is an option.
But there is no going back.
It just isn't physically possible.
It is time to grow.
In fact, it's time for a revolution of maturity.
The Democrats won't be our saviors, but at least they won't fight us as hard.
President Ronald Reagan once said; “The most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the Government, and I'm here to help.”
Well, I'm hearing something far scarier these days.
Organizations I've never heard of, with little traceability to their contributors, are endlessly running expensive attack ads on television; with the obvious intent of secretly taking over.
Essentially, this is what they're telling us:
“We're not from the government, in fact we're not going to tell you who we are – but we're here to help.”
That can't possibly be good.
Think about it. If those who wish to be puppet masters actually had good intentions, they would be proud to tell us who they are.
What do you think their plan is – other than taking as much as they possibly can? They definitely don't want to collapse our civilization (though they push us ever closer). They probably don't want to make us subjects of China (or at least most of them don't). But they probably don't really care if our economy tanks – as long as they make out. My guess is that they don't really have a plan.
Oh, they definitely have a scheme, but they haven't really thought through the possible consequences.
They want it all for themselves – and if we suffer; too bad. And if our political, economic, and natural systems fail, oh well... they're arranging to have custom life boats.
If you are one of them, I plead with you; taking advantage of the rest of the Nation is not sustainable. Eventually, even the custom life boats will leak. And until then, what kind of life is it to be locked up inside a gated community, afraid of the poor and unable to experience the natural world for the rest of your life?
Politics is not a game. Winning elections is not really the goal. Subjugating the other Party is not a worthwhile pastime. And manipulating the minds of voters for personal gain is just wrong. Nonetheless, playing politics has been happening on a massive scale in America – and ultimately, we all lose. We all lose because we end up fighting the wrong demons – and helping the real demons.
Would you argue with the unemployed that the economy has picked up? No. Of course not. They're unemployed. Nobody wants to tell someone who is suffering that most people aren't, so they should be happy. Obviously, that would only make the suffering even more unhappy.
Consequently; the Democrats are in a bind. Even though the recession ended in June of 2009, the Democrats are unwilling to brag about it. Their reason is simple. The press isn't backing them up. If someone on President Obama's staff were to stand up and say “hey, everything is alright now”, all the press would have to do is go interview a few poor people, and the Democrats will look like fools. In fact, I'm sure it's already happened.
But the fact remains; the recession ended in June of 2009, and hardly any of us realize it. Which is very curious. Not at any time in my life do I remember a situation like this. The press seems hesitant to report that the economy is out of the dumps. This is not normal. As soon as any previous recession ended, the press always seemed to cheer on the economy. But now, it seems all we hear about is the impending double dip recession. And for a while, all we seemed to hear about was the potential for double digit inflation. And at least so far – that hasn't happened either. So, why so glum?
It appears that the mass media wants people to be uncertain about the economy. This runs totally counter to what their advertisers typically want. Usually advertisers want you to think the economy is doing OK so you might be more willing to spend more money. However, something seems very different this time – and very ominous.
Could it be that history is now being rewritten as it happens in order to manipulate the mid-term elections – and ultimately the future of our Nation? What if this is a coordinated effort? And what if they have captured far more of our future than we realize?
Let's try a little thought experiment. What if Aldus Huxley and George Orwell had both actually predicted parts of the future of America with their books Brave New World and 1984? What would this future actually look like? What would some combination of the two predictions mixed in with American culture and a “laissez-faire” economic policy actually look like?
Well... if the powers that be did a good job, it would look rather normal – at least for a while.
For a while we might not think anything happened – at least not anything of significance. We'd continue to vote and shop and watch TV. We'd continue to think Americans are the good guys. And for a while, we'd continue to believe that our society's problems could be fixed by our elected “representatives.”
In other words, the Brave New World and 1984 scenarios could have already (at least partially) come true for us – if we have not quite noticed how far along we are.
Going back to the actual year 1984, things weren't the same. There was the Soviet Union back then. We Americans were convinced that those subjugated by the Soviet Union were already living the dystopian life written about by George Orwell. (And I still believe they were.) But with Ronald Reagan as President; many of us were convinced that America would stay a free country – with checks and balances – and a populous committed to fight for our freedom.
Yet, back in 1984, a major political upheaval was going on right here; the “Reagan Revolution” (which was actually more of a counter-revolution to the changes of the 1960s and 1970s). There was deregulation, tax breaks for the rich, Cold War escalation, and of course, big money in politics.
Big money hadn't been happy with President Jimmy Carter. When Carter allowed Ralph Nader and his team of lawyers help write many of the Nation's new regulations; well... for a short time big money had to live by some rules... and evidently, they didn't like that.
So, big money helped Ronald Reagan get elected.
(They tell me you get what you pay for.)
President Reagan deregulated the airlines and then fired all the air traffic controllers, destroying its Union (and weakening all other Unions). Now, flying ain't what it used to be and Unions barely make a difference for most of us.
President Reagan deregulated the financial institutions, which led to the Savings and Loan crisis and bail out.
And President Reagan effectively deregulated the monopolies, by not enforcing anti-monopoly laws. This led to what looks a whole lot like an Oligarchy in America.
Now combine all that with the fact that (if you pay attention), every day you can hear some U.S. Congressman talking 1984 style double speak – and even telling outright lies. And does the press challenge them? Not very often. In fact, you have to wonder when Fox has paid two million dollars (in contributions to the Republican Party and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce) to get Congressmen and candidates to talk like that.
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Though it doesn't have to be this way, something has changed. We're not in democratic republic land any more. No. This now looks a lot more like a corporatocracy.
But what does a corporatocracy look like?
Well... if the powers that be did a good job, it would look rather normal – at least for a while.
But the transfer of wealth to the wealthy can't look normal forever. Eventually, the economy breaks down. And then; the culprits have to blame somebody else. We recently saw this happen after the financial breakdown of 2008. A Democrat was elected as President because of how poorly the Republicans handled the economy. And now, two years later, there are Americans who have been convinced that this is all the Democrats' fault.
Of course, the economy is more complicated than that. The Democrats do share in some of the blame for the loss of our Nation's manufacturing sector and the financial breakdown of 2008, but they are not the primary culprits. That should obviously be the primary fault of the free market fanatics. It was the free market fanatics who allowed (or even perpetrated) the transfer of American jobs offshore. It was the free market fanatics who changed our laws to allow what was effectively gambling with our 401Ks. And it was the free market fanatics who monopolized everything, leaving us with numerous “too big to fail” companies that will have to be bailed out when their poor management gets them into trouble.
And what do the powers that be claim is the answer to these issues? Free market economics, of course! (Hey, it's making them richer.) And what are the powers that be doing to see that their invisible hand on the “free” market continues to treat us like an invisible fist? They're trying to manipulate our elections.
We have an election soon for Nevada U.S. Senator that will face the Democratic Senate Majority Leader, Harry Reid, against Republican/Tea Party candidate Sharron Angle.
Now, before we go any further, I need to explain my position on the Tea Party. I truly respect Representative Ron Paul. I respect his interpretation of the Constitution. And though I don't always agree with Ron Paul, I believe he provides needed input in Congress. If the Tea Party still represented the ideals of Ron Paul, I would be far more inclined to believe that the Tea Party now exists to improve our Nation.
But the Tea Party movement has been stolen, co-oped, and infused with the special interests of the greedy rich. What Sharron Angle stands for is; Wall Street gambling with our Social Security, tax breaks for the rich, the health “care” industry maximizing their profits instead of our health, banking without regulations, and essentially corporate anarchy in the name of Libertarianism. Or in other words; I believe that Sharron Angle is more than willing to allow our nation to slip into third world status to benefit the wealth of a few – hypocritically, in the name of freedom.
But that's not how a number of my neighbors feel. They practically see Senator Harry Reid as the anti-Christ. In fact, many of them have posters out on their neatly mowed lawns that say; “Vote for anybody BUTT Harry Reid.” Now that's a commitment. Anybody? Anybody?!!! What could Harry Reid have possibly have done so heinous that these people would be so angry at him? ...I'm still waiting... Nobody seems to have a rational argument for being so angry at Harry Reid. Which would leave me dumbfounded if it were not for the so obvious reason why they are angry. Their anger is not rational. It is emotional. We're talking almost mob mentality here. And it has been surreptitiously been brain-washed into them by a biased press.
Years of negative comments about Harry Reid on Fox “News” and negative commentaries and cartoons in the local Nevada newspapers have made an impression.
Mass media brainwashing should not surprise us. The advertising industry has made billions influencing our behavior for decades now. And as far back as a century ago, Lenin knew that to control the masses, he needed to control the press. Here in America, the government doesn't control the press, private interests do – but that can be just as dangerous.
Our little local weekly newspaper out here in Rural Nevada (Ely) is not actually what it seems. No one in town owns the paper. It is owned by a company out of Las Vegas, Stephens Media. But Stephens Media is owned by an investment group out of Arkansas, Stephens Group. And Stephens Group is owned by a very rich family in Arkansas with the last name Stephens.
Isn't Senator Harry Reid trying hard to bring solar power generation to Nevada in a big way? Doesn't he believe that it would be better for Nevadans to export power than to import it? I believe he even called Nevada potentially the “Saudi Arabia of solar power.” There are even new power lines being built into Rural Nevada to carry out some of that solar power. Unfortunately though, Stephens Group isn't invested in solar power. They're heavily invested in solar power's polluting competition. So you might suspect that they'd want to stop Harry Reid – even if what he plans to accomplish is the right thing to do.
There is a pattern here. It appears that this all comes down to rich people invested in an outdated, polluting, destructive industry trying to manipulate our government to keep on favoring their bad investments over better ideas.
Now think about this; why would some multi-billion dollar investment group care about a little local weekly newspaper in Rural Nevada? If every person in town bought a paper every week, that wouldn't amount to $5,000 a week – gross. Our little weekly paper isn't going to make anyone rich. And the Stephens are already very rich. It isn't about the money. Could it be about the influence?
Could you imagine the chilling effect on the Democratic Party? If the most powerful man in Congress (with a long reputation of honest, moral, and responsible leadership) could be brought down by an obvious Corporatist posing as an Independent; then no Democrat would be safe. The Republicans could win over Congress without actually having to win any more seats. Because, like after the 1994 mid-term Congressional election rout, the Democrats would just act more like Republicans afterwards.
So, we have a motive.
Have you ever heard of the “Club For Growth”? The Club For Growth is a Political Action Committee (actually a super PAC) that endorses and raises millions for candidates that support the Club's limited government, anti-tax, free market ideology. It is not a grassroots organization. No. It is an organization funded by rich people that wants our government too weak to control their actions. It is effectively another astro-turf organization intent on taking over our government so that its supporters can have free reign to run their exploitative industries however they want to and to keep all the money for themselves. And guess what... most of these PACs are packed with the heads of polluting, exploiting, job exporting, and multinational corporations. In case you haven't figured it out yet, these are the bad guys.
One of the biggest contributors to the Club For Growth is Jackson Stephens Jr. – from the Stephens family that owns Stephens Group that owns Stephens Media that owns our little local newspaper in Rural Nevada.
So, we have what looks like immoral behavior. But it isn't illegal, because our government has been "limited" – by you know who.
A quote from the Stephens Group website sort of sums it all up; “We like businesses that have an unfair advantage. That advantage is usually intelligence or hard work” (italics mine). This actually sounds like they're bragging that they don't play fair.
Is this really the behavior we want from those who ultimately control most of what we in Nevada know? HELL NO!!!
Actually, I love our little local newspaper. And I fear that if Harry Reid loses, the big money who want small government won't have a financial reason any longer to keep our little local newspaper going.
