Digby’s latest Post Stock market highs — and high unemployment: the new normal? struck me today because of a comment that Thurbers made on my post last night.
“We the People” are closer to the abused employees and/or the defrauded customers of Amy’s Baking Company. We are the real victims, but despite our numbers we are the ones with the least recourse and the least power to change the narrative.
– Thurbers comment 8 Firedoglake
It reminds me of the spot on Onion story, American People Hire High-Powered Lobbyist To Push Interests In Congress.
I’m really sick of how “the economy” is the stock market. It. Is. NOT. I also know that the constituents of unemployed and underemployed aren’t out there putting pressure on congress or the President. (I’m thinking of paraphrasing SF Writer Harlan Ellison, “Dear Obama and Congress. Fuck you. Hire me!”)
When I was traveling cross country to see my sick mother two years ago unemployment was the real issue on people minds, I asked them why they thought the media was writing about the deficit. They didn’t have an answer. I asked if they had heard of Pete Peterson. Nobody had. “Would it surprise you to know that he is a billionaire and is making sure the media cover the deficit and ignore unemployment? Did you know that he is spending at least 500 million dollars to make sure the press cover this?” Nobody had heard of him.
One guy (an owner of a Popeye’s chicken franchise) said that there was probably some billionaire (he suggested George Soros) spending lobbying money to demand more government jobs. Or maybe the Unions were. I said, “Soros isn’t spending his money on this. The unemployed aren’t spending their money on this, they think it should be obvious. I don’t know what the Unions are doing, but they aren’t the force they once were.”
So my question is, if our elected representatives aren’t pushing for jobs, our liberal billionaires aren’t pushing for jobs, and we don’t have any highly paid lobbyists pushing for jobs, is there anyone who “counts” pushing for jobs? (And by that I mean someone who could get the attention of our congress, President or media.)
The media don’t want to write about the lack of jobs because “Stock market!” and frankly those stories are boring, nobody wants to write them and nobody wants to read them. Gawker is having a series on them and it’s like reading the sad stories on “Queen for a day” that women would tell so they could get a washing machine.
It feels like the unemployed have no leverage, no voice and nobody who is going to be their voice since they don’t have anything go give to the people who should be listening and who can make changes.
There is no sense of urgency about this problem in DC. Remember the urgency during the airlines slowdown? Inconvenience the politicians with jobs, HAIR ON FIRE TIME. Millions unemployed year after year? They quote Jesus, “The unemployed will always be with us.”
The media need deadlines. Where is the ticking time bomb of this issue? Where is the disaster coverage of this disaster?
And why the hell aren’t the conservatives trying to hang unemployment around Obama’s neck? Because it might help unemployed people get government jobs? How many jobs is the trumped up Benghazi scandal creating?
I didn’t mean this to be yet another long winded Vulcan post, but Digby’s blog still doesn’t have a place to comment and so I’m bringing it to you.
I’d like to think that DC responds to events, but after new gun laws following Newtown got voted down, even though the majority of the voters wanted them, I’m thinking we need more than an event. you need a goddamn money canon to shoot down the halls of Congress
People sometimes talk about the people marching on Washington to get their attention. (“This time let’s bring with real pitchforks!” They don’t care, only the hotels and restaurants in DC care. What will get their attention is if we jam more money down their throat than the other people bribing them. Since we can’t do that, then we need to cut off their money streams so that votes actual count for something again. The reason that everyone is talking about getting money out of politics is that until that happens my voice is drowned out.
Speaking of money. I want something good to come out of the IRS scandal. Something the right doesn’t want.
I want Congress to rewrite the 501 c code laws. People are complaining about the IRS? Well the IRS is complaining too. “Give us better bright lines so we can define what “social welfare groups” can and can’t do.
I want them to change the rules so big corporations and rich individuals can’t give anonymous money. I want to chase away the people who want to hide behind a front groups. “But that will hurt liberal groups too! Yeah right, as if George Soro is trying to hide. You don’t hide unless you are afraid that people will use that information against you. If they aren’t doing anything wrong what are they afraid of? I’m looking at you Ham Rove. Sure they will find another way, 527’s, laundering money through belief tanks and dead people foundations. but if they want to cry about the IRS thwarting them, let’s really give them something to cry about.
Photos top: Shane Gorski bottom: RhonsTopModel Creative Commons Attribution license
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