2017- Netflix- Saving Capitalism

A book called Saving Capitalism For the many, not the few.

 Robert B. Reich- former Secretary of Labour under President Clinton.

Introduced Bill Clinton to Hilary.

As Secretary of Labor. Robert wanted to help the middle class and the working poor, but more and more of the nation's income was going to the top.

As more and more money goes to the top going into the profits of major industries.

Executives and shareholders- The vicious cycle as income and wealth go to the top so does political power. They have more and more ability to influence the game.

In 1964 -77% said they trusted government to do the right thing it dropped to 20% in 2017.

Robert Reich “Nobody, nobody should be working full time and not making it. Nobody in our society the richest country the richest nation in the history of the world should feel as frightened and anxious as insecure as so many people do today.”

Executives of Corporations get huge subsidies. Corporations get thousands of subsidies and tax breaks Back in 2017 the top 4 Big oil companies got 4 billion in subsidies they had a net income of $50 billion. Google received 632 million,

with a net income of 15.6 billion a year.

USDA gives 20 billion in subsidies mostly to the largest producers. These subsidies are cost-tax payers 10’s of billions every year.

Some estimates believe that corporate welfare is $100 Billion. More than 22 billion more than the Department of Education gets in funding. Most of the subsidies and tax breaks have no economic justification at all that are there because individual corporations or specific industries have lobbied to get them.

“My friends we are on the way to becoming a two-tiered society composed of

a few winners and a larger group of Americans left behind.”

We pay so much for pharmaceutical drugs because pharmaceutical companies have laws and rules that protect them and that gives them huge market power,

and it also gives them huge political power. Political power enables them to tilt the market in their direction. In June of 2003, the Medicare Modernization Act came

up for a vote in the House if passed it would bar the government from interfering with negotiations between manufacturers, pharmacies, and prescription drug plan sponsors. As new drugs hit the market patients would have no choice but to pay the costs set by the drug companies. The vote passed 220 to 215. The government regulation only benefits a few at the top.

A fortune is being spent on lobbying by big business. The revolving door is a major problem. In 1970 3% of retiring representatives turned to lobbying; in 2017 it was 42% and half of all retiring senators had turned to lobbying.

Corporate interests spent $34 for lobbying compared to every dollar spent by unions and all public interests combined.

2016 Corporations spent 3.15 billion dollars. They spent the equivalent of 5.9 million per member of Congress.

Researchers from Princeton and Northwestern University wanted to find out how much political power ordinary citizens had Examined a 20-year period from 1982 to 2002.

If large corporations and wealthy individuals wanted a law passed there is a 60%

Chance of getting it passed. If they don’t want a certain law, it doesn’t get passed.

Every day voters pass laws almost no one supports 30% of the time. Issues that almost everyone supports win 30% of the time.

They concluded in their own words that: The preferences of the average American appear to have only a minuscule near zero, statistically nonsignificant impact on public policy.

The U.S. Supreme Court overturned laws on the books that have been around for over a century allowing corporations to spend freely on political campaigns.

Democrat Senator Chuck Schumer: “The bottom line is this the Supreme Court has just determined the winners of November elections it won’t be Republicans,

It won’t be Democrats it will be corporate America.

Dark Money- Political campaign contributions made without disclosing donors' identities.

Cronyn capitalism needs to stop.

Cleveland 2016 Presidential Campaign Debate Night

Mr. Trump U have also donated to several Democrat candidates U explained away the donations by saying that U did that to get business-related favors. U said recently when U give, they do whatever the hell U want them to do. Donald said: “U better believe it. I will tell U our system is broken I have given to many people, and when they call, I give. When I need something from them two years, three years later, I call them and they are there for me, that is a broken system.”