Reckless Capitalist Banks Rescued by Government Socialism – Again! by Ralph Nader

Image by Alex Cameron via Flickr

Dandelion Salad

by Ralph Nader
The Nader Page, Mar. 20, 2023
March 22, 2023

Once again, government socialism – ultimately backed by taxpayers – is saving reckless midsized banks and their depositors. Silicon Valley Bank (S.V.B) and Signature Bank in New York greedily mismanaged their risk levels and had to be closed down. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), in return, to avoid a bank panic and a run on other midsized banks went over its $250,000 insurance cap per account and guaranteed all deposits – no matter how large, which are owned by the rich and corporations – in those banks.

Staying Alive in a Country of Death, by Brad Wolf

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by Brad Wolf
Guest Writer, Dandelion Salad
March 21, 2023

“I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore.”

So screamed the character Howard Beale in the 1976 movie “Network,” a prescient commentary on the corporate capture and slow suffocation of America. Howard was a prime-time news anchor who’d had enough.

Society’s Collapse Has Already Begun, by Rainer Shea

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by Rainer Shea
Writer, Dandelion Salad
Rainer’s Newsletter, Mar. 10, 2023
March 20, 2023

American workers are stuck in a prison, a prison that they’re kept in through the perpetual threat of homelessness. This isn’t truly a rhetorical point, it’s an empirically proven reality. Nearly two-thirds of the country’s workers are now living paycheck to paycheck, meaning this last year’s inflation has made them easier to coerce. That’s the directly stated goal of the capitalist ruling class at this stage. A Bank of America memo from last year said decreased worker living standards will represent greater leverage for employers. The consequences of this are the destruction of these people’s mental and physical wellbeing. They’re being strained, abused, and exploited while having to choose between this and living on the streets.

20 Years After the Invasion of Iraq, Will the Media’s Complicity be Flushed Down the Memory Hole? by Jeremy Earp

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by Jeremy Earp
Guest Writer, Dandelion Salad
March 18, 2023

“All wars are fought twice, the first time on the battlefield, the second time in memory.” — Viet Thanh Nguyen

As mainstream U.S. media outlets pause to remember the U.S. invasion of Iraq, it’s clear that there’s a lot they hope we’ll forget – first and foremost, the media’s own active complicity in whipping up public support for the war.

Michael Hudson: Why 3 US Banks Collapsed in 1 Week + Why the Banking System is Breaking Up + The Mechanics of a Bond Market and its Impact on the Banking Crisis

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by Michael Hudson
Writer, Dandelion Salad
March 16, 2023

Geopolitical Economy Report on Mar 14, 2023

Economist Michael Hudson analyzes the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank, Silvergate, and Signature Bank, explaining the similarities to the 2008 financial crash.

How U.S. Military Spending Works, by David Swanson

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by David Swanson
Writer, Dandelion Salad
Let’s Try Democracy, Mar. 10, 2023
March 15, 2023

Here’s how this works each year.

1) Biden proposes a massive increase in military spending — above and beyond both what he proposed the year before and what the Congress increased that to. If you look at U.S. military spending according to SIPRI in constant 2021 dollars from 1949 to now (all the years they provide, with their calculation adjusting for inflation), Obama’s 2011 record will probably fall this year. If you look at actual numbers, not adjusting for inflation, Biden has set a new record each year.

Finian Cunningham and Jodi Dean: Western Capitalism’s Historic Crisis: There’s Actually A Socialist Alternative

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by Finian Cunningham
Writer, Dandelion Salad
Ireland
March 14, 2023

Finian Cunningham on Mar 9, 2023

Western capitalism and its supposed democracy are in terminal crisis as increasing numbers of people reject the system’s abysmal economic failure: record levels of poverty, inequality and relentless militarism and warmongering.

God in Drag, by Kenn Orphan

Image by Multnomah County Library via Flickr

by Kenn Orphan
Writer, Dandelion Salad
Halifax, Nova Scotia
March 11, 2023

With the recent spate of vicious attacks on drag performers and drag shows, I’ve been thinking a lot about a brilliant quote by the late Ram Dass: “Treat everyone you meet as if they were God in drag.” And I think it gets to the heart of this manufactured controversy.

Chris Hedges and Kshama Sawant: Workers Strike Back

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Dandelion Salad
March 10, 2023

with Chris Hedges

TheRealNews on Mar 10, 2023

After over a decade on Seattle City Council, socialist Kshama Sawant is launching a national coalition called Workers Strike Back to fight for wages, universal healthcare, LGBTQ rights, a clean energy transition, and more.

Abby Martin: CIA Stories: The Jakarta Method

Screenshot by Dandelion Salad via Flickr

Dandelion Salad
March 8, 2023

with Abby Martin

Empire Files on Mar 6, 2023

Abby Martin speaks with journalist Vincent Bevins about the hidden CIA mass murder in Indonesia, which created the model for US extermination campaigns against communists in 22 countries during the Cold War.

Behind California’s Extreme Weather Emergency, by Scott Scheffer

Image by CAL FIRE Official via Flickr

Dandelion Salad

by Scott Scheffer
Struggle ★ La Lucha, Mar. 6, 2023
March 7, 2023

March 3 — While the giant U.S. energy corporations and banks seek out every way to profit from the climate change emergency that they inflicted on the world, extreme weather events are becoming the new normal.

Ralph Nader: Failing (Red)States

Image by Larry via Flickr

Dandelion Salad
March 5, 2023

with Ralph Nader

Ralph Nader Radio Hour on Mar 4, 2023

Ralph welcomes William Kleinknecht, author of States of Neglect: How Red-State Leaders Have Failed Their Citizens and Undermined America about how red state governors and legislatures fight culture wars while starving education and health care, empowering polluters, engaging in voter suppression, and neglecting their citizens’ well-being in the interest of cutting taxes for their wealthy donors.

Brian Becker: Why You Should Read The Communist Manifesto

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Dandelion Salad
March 4, 2023

BreakThrough News on Mar 1, 2023

The Communist Manifesto was a short but world-changing text that, despite being written in 1848, is a vital read for anyone who wants a better and more equal society. Brian Becker discusses the importance of the book, the historical context, and what it brought to the world.

Chris Hedges and Maximillian Alvarez: Workers are Essential, Capitalists are Not

Image by Eli Christman via Flickr

Dandelion Salad

with Chris Hedges

TheRealNews on Mar 3, 2023

TRNN Editor-in-Chief Maximillian Alvarez joins The Chris Hedges Report to discuss his recent book on the lives of frontline workers in the COVID-19 pandemic, The Work of Living.

How Does An Economic System So Hostile To Life Endure For Centuries? by Pete Dolack

Screenshot by Dandelion Salad via Flickr

by Pete Dolack
Writer, Dandelion Salad
Systemic Disorder, Feb. 28, 2023
March 2, 2023

When we conceptualize the power that maintains capitalism, violence and ideology readily come to mind. Despite the vast inequality, grotesque exploitation, contempt for life and the environment, chronic instability and the rebellions that repeatedly arise and sometimes take power, capitalism seems firmer in the saddle than ever, spreading its suffocating tentacles to virtually every place on Earth.