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by Philip A. Farruggio
Featured Writer
Dandelion Salad
8 July, 2010
Those who run things, the powerful in media, politics and industry, they’ve got an easy job. Why? Well, upwards of 90% of you out there are fast asleep, and you don’t even know it. You rely on television nightly news, the mainstream papers or talk radio to inform you. Sadly, all they will throw at you are either half truths , outright distortions or …… Lies ! Take the Tuesday , July 6th issue of USA Today’s MONEY SECTION, usually a good source of facts. I guess things are so bad now, that they play with things as well. The headline, in bold print says ” Expect Lots of Layoffs at State , Local Levels ….. Tight budgets, lack of Medicaid help put governments in a bind. “Then it goes on to state, in paragraph 2 of the article: “Up to 400,000 workers could lose jobs in the next year as states, counties and cities grapple with lower revenue and less federal funding… “Yet, they never go on to state WHY. there is ‘Less federal funding’. Notice how they mention Medicaid spending, as if all the other types of services will not soon follow into the abyss. If you weren’t asleep, you would sense that all local , county and state services will be axed- police, fire, public works, libraries, schools, road repair, hospital workers, emergency services like ambulances….. Even the dogcatcher for goodness sakes! Cut! Cut! Cut!
You see, proper journalism would focus in on the real causes of any problem, you know: ‘ Kid caught up in tree ‘ was caused by his ladder falling. Well, let’s ‘ cut to the chase ‘ and deal with why our communities are broke. Our system of government has always relied on Federal block grant money. Simply put, Uncle Sam has always given money to the states to then flow down to local counties and towns for funding of many services. Well, the ‘ tap is sealed ‘ folks. Why? Well, let’s see, sleeping beauties, how about A) Invasion and occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan, B) Bailouts of the Wall Street con men ( and women ) and C) supporting our almost 800 military bases in over 100 countries? Column A has cost you the taxpayer almost one trillion dollars. Column B about the same. Column C over a hundred billion each year. Then, in support of columns A and C, we have almost 50% of all federal tax dollars going to defense spending AKA Military Spending AKA contracts to War Industries…… You know, the ones that Eisenhower called the ‘ Military Industrial Complex ‘ . Do yourselves all a favor and get the documentary ‘ Iraq For Sale ‘ . It came out a few years ago and is perhaps 75 minutes long. See who profits from our invasions and occupations. Please, never call them wars. The War on Iraq was over within weeks. In Afghanistan there never was one! No, they are occupations of sovereign nations, plain and simple. And , they have helped to just about bankrupt…… YOU!!!
Philip A. Farruggio is son and grandson of Brooklyn NYC longshoremen. He is an activist leader and free lance columnist. Since the 2000 elections, he has written over 150 columns, many posted on various sites worldwide. Recently, he is finding a home at www.dandelionsalad.wordpress.com, or at his own blog at www.opensalon.com. Philip can be reached at paf1222@bellsouth.net.
see
The Charge of the Media Brigade By John Pilger
General Atomics Afraid of Peace of the Action by Cindy Sheehan + Protest video: Jews Against Zionism
Talk about hot by Bruce Gagnon
Afghan War: Petraeus Expands U.S. Military Presence Throughout Eurasia by Rick Rozoff
Iraq For Sale: The War Profiteers (must-see video)
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