Corporate Hush Money is Paid to the American Media

Commenter mp at eschatonblog.com asks: Why are national ads so crappy?

Ads are "beards" for the hush money Corporations pay the Media, in the form of "ad sales".

Kinda like baseball cards in packs of bubblegum. People used to buy the gum with the intention of chewing it and the baseball card was the "prize". Nowadays the baseball card is what you buy and you throw away the gum. Similarly, Corporations used to buy ads with the intention of selling something through those ads. The acquiescence of the Media was just a welcome side-effect (the 'prize'). Nowadays, the acquiescence is what the Corporations buy, ad they'd just throw away the ads, if they could pass it off.

What do you want to bet that BP is continuing to buy "ad time", but the networks have agreed with BP not to air them? This makes sense. But since Media outlets keep that "ad revenue" number under lock and key, only another intrepid, non-bought-off Media outlet will uncover the corruption.

Let's Go Easy On The Little States

Why are some states perpetually taker states, and others year after year provider states? - Question from commenter mp at eschaton

Some states have industry and centers of business, commerce, and education and sports and culture.

Other states are filled with hill people and raccoons and possum. These states have socialized the productive states' assets. It's partly why The Colonies decided to Unionize.

Not everyone can be above average.

We Are Nature

Nature is like a can with BB-gun pellets in it, with one BB-sized hole in it, which is being shaken. Every so often a BB flies out, because it happened to go precisely through the hole.

Humans are like intelligent BBs that have landed next to the can and see the hole and the occasional BB that flies out. Some say "God" is shooting the "chosen" BBs out of the hole. I say, "Why complicate things? The can is the Universe; the BBs are atoms & molecules that interact electrically and can align such that they self-catelize and replicate." (To me, an engineer, that statement is not "complicated".)

Anyway, we are here and we have scant evidence of life after death, so I say let's help each other and Nature be better. Let's leave the place better than we found it: let's leave it a happier, wiser place.

The Treasury is Not a Piggy Bank

When confronted with government handouts that Republicans/Libertarians/Teabaggers receive, the typical response is, "That’s just my money coming back to me. I pay a lot in taxes."

The Treasury is not like a savings account where you can take out the money you put in. It is instead like an insurance policy against tribalism. The problem is, the Corporatists sing the praises of and encourage "tribalism", to keep people distracted from the fact that Corporate CEOs are skimming money off the top of every transaction Americans make.

In Addition To Voting...

America needs to get Corporate Money out of politics and the "news" media. Until then, our national discourse will consist of shouting and hand-wringing, all while Corporate CEOs continue to rake in the sweet sweet cash.

Gearing Up for the 2010 General Election

The local Democratic Parties NEED activists right now.

They need someone to knock on doors and show their face in public and say, "Yeah, I'm a Democrat and damn proud of it! We need to get out and vote Democratic! If we sit on our hands and let the other side win, it will hurt all of America. We can't let personal frustration that things are not changing fast enough allow the other side - the side of lies and hate and paranoia and greed - we can't let them win just because things move slow in Washington. Imagine if we had president McCain and VP Palin today. Most likely it would be President Palin and VP Cheney! How horrible would that be?"

I am personally gearing up and getting my talking points together so I can be genuinely enthusiastic about going out and canvassing.

"Truth" = "Beauty"

With great truth comes great responsibility. Those who are bearers of the truth have an OBLIGATION to bring others around to its realization. Nature weeps when lies win out over truth, and confusion is allowed to trump clarity.

Why are NATO troops still being killed in Afghanistan/Iraq?

"What's the point?" asks Atrios.

Depends on who the audience is:

Corporate propaganda to the American People: Safe from terrorism - fight 'em over there

Corporate propaganda to Think-They're-Smart Americans: The Military Industrial Complex employs a LOT of Americans. No wars: no jobs.

Corporate propaganda to politicians: The Military Industrial Complex contributes a lot of $$ to your campaigns, and, with the MIL on your candidate's side, your candidate looks "tough".

Corporate propaganda to themselves: The Military Industrial Complex has the inherent right to make money, given that it is protecting America.

Corporate Lingo

BP said it could handle a disaster 10-times larger, and now proves it can't (and probably none in the rest of the Oil Cartel can, either, and the government can't either).

"Contractual obligations" means something different to the Corporate Party, than it does regular Americans, I suppose.

And so does "Loan Officer", for that matter. But that's another Cartel altogether.

Suckers

Eschaton poster Duane V:
Give a sucker a mortgage and a job and tell him he's pulled himself up by his bootstraps, he'll believe anything.

Hannity: "You want lower taxes on the rich."

Repub Sucker: "Why? I'm not rich."

Hannity: "What? Have you completely given up? YOU could be rich some day. And when that day comes the government is going to demand a cut. Why not keep that cut as small as possible? What did the government do to help YOU out."

Repub Sucker: "Say, you're right, Sean. You're a great American."

Hannity: "You're a great American. Now go out and tell your friends what we discussed. And make sure you vote for those who want your taxes low when you make your first million. OK?"

Repub Sucker: (tears in his eyes) "OK. Thank you Sean."