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To: axial who wrote (108516)	2/19/2010 7:01:30 AM
From: suanny	1 Recommendation Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 116555

At the end of the day the "GORILLA IN THE ROOM" are the trade pacts signed in the 90s which favor corporations over unions and the entire public outside of corporate boards and a few top execs,and they passed without much of a fight,to give you an idea just how much power unions and the voting public actually have.Once those treaties were signed the race to the bottom began.The American public is subject to whatever wage and benefit package any foreign government feels is good enough for their workers,LOWEST COMMON DENOMINATOR.If the Indian or the Chinese say I CAN NAME THAT TUNE IN ONE NOTE than the ball is in your court.My point is the real power is in the hands of the few,the corporations not the unions or these treaties would never have been signed.In fact even an overwhelming majority of voters can not match the power wielded by the corporations proven by the bailouts and almost any other action taken by our government.The fat cats have left the banquet room and left only 3 crumbs on the floor when you show up with a couple of friends to feast when a union guy shows up with a contract that states he is entitled to all 3 crumbs,then you state that he is unrealistic,I would suggest that neither one of you has any power at all.If you want to change anything you have to go where the power resides and you are sadly mistaken if you think it is with the unions.

To: axial who wrote (108516)	2/19/2010 7:36:52 AM
From: axial	2 Recommendations Respond to of 116555

"Corporations buy politicians. They create false advocacy (Astroturfing). They buy advertising. They buy lobbyists. They buy bloggers. They buy writers for magazines and newspapers, and they buy the newspapers and magazines too. They buy TV and radio stations. They buy PR firms. They have wealth, power and resources beyond that of government or the people. They control the message, the messengers, and the media." --- Totally Corrupt TV: Corporate Lobbyists Pose as Disinterested Experts on Cable News Covert corporate influence-peddling is taking over cable news. -SNIP- "These incidents represent only a fraction of the covert corporate influence peddling on cable news, a four-month investigation by The Nation has found. Since 2007 at least seventy-five registered lobbyists, public relations representatives and corporate officials--people paid by companies and trade groups to manage their public image and promote their financial and political interests--have appeared on MSNBC, Fox News, CNN, CNBC and Fox Business Network with no disclosure of the corporate interests that had paid them. Many have been regulars on more than one of the cable networks, turning in dozens--and in some cases hundreds--of appearances. For lobbyists, PR firms and corporate officials, going on cable television is a chance to promote clients and their interests on the most widely cited source of news in the United States. These appearances also generate good will and access to major players inside the Democratic and Republican parties. For their part, the cable networks, eager to fill time and afraid of upsetting the political elite, have often looked the other way. At times, the networks have even disregarded their own written ethics guidelines. Just about everyone involved is heavily invested in maintaining the current system, with the exception of the viewer." alternet.org Jim