The Panama Papers: 'Biggest Leak in History' Exposes Global Web of Corruption
"An anonymous source, an enormous cache of leaked documents, and a year-long investigative effort by around 400 journalists from more than 100 media organizations in over 80 countries have yielded the Panama Papers, an unprecedented look at how the world's rich and powerful, from political leaders to celebrities to criminals, use tax havens to hide their wealth."
Thursday, April 7, 2016
The Panama Papers Show it’s Time for ‘No Representation Without Taxation’
http://www.politicususa.com/2016/04/06/panama-papers-show-time-no-representation-taxation.html
"The 1 Percent have shown how much they object to being taxed, while perfectly willing to levy taxes on people they deny representation by obstructing their voting rights."
"The 1 Percent have shown how much they object to being taxed, while perfectly willing to levy taxes on people they deny representation by obstructing their voting rights."
The Lessons in the Panama Papers
The Lessons in the Panama Papers
"The Panama Papers reveal the widespread use of shell corporations in the British Virgin Islands, the Seychelles in the Indian Ocean, and Panama. Historically, North American investors prefer tax havens in the Caribbean or Panama, with an estimated 54 percent of offshore investments going to those areas. Other popular tax dodging destinations were Switzerland, Ireland, and the Channel Islands, off the coast of England. Transnational corporations also have an estimated $2 trillion in assets hidden in offshore tax havens or stashed in subsidiary corporations in countries with minimal or no corporate taxation."
"The Panama Papers reveal the widespread use of shell corporations in the British Virgin Islands, the Seychelles in the Indian Ocean, and Panama. Historically, North American investors prefer tax havens in the Caribbean or Panama, with an estimated 54 percent of offshore investments going to those areas. Other popular tax dodging destinations were Switzerland, Ireland, and the Channel Islands, off the coast of England. Transnational corporations also have an estimated $2 trillion in assets hidden in offshore tax havens or stashed in subsidiary corporations in countries with minimal or no corporate taxation."
The Panama Papers Problem
The Panama Papers Problem
"The worst criminals on earth are not the poor who sit behind bars in jails and prisons. The biggest thieves are found among the rich. The 1% can buy legislation, politicians and the media to carry out and hide their dirty work. If they can’t change the laws to benefit themselves in their homelands they simply send their money elsewhere through shell holding companies. This transfer of wealth, much of it diverted from what ought to be tax payments, is an open secret. Panama, the Cayman Islands, British Virgin Islands, Luxembourg and Switzerland are known for securing the money and secrets of the rich and the well connected. The leak of 11.5 million documents from the Panama based Mossack Fonseca law firm brings into the light of day what was long known but passively accepted."
"The worst criminals on earth are not the poor who sit behind bars in jails and prisons. The biggest thieves are found among the rich. The 1% can buy legislation, politicians and the media to carry out and hide their dirty work. If they can’t change the laws to benefit themselves in their homelands they simply send their money elsewhere through shell holding companies. This transfer of wealth, much of it diverted from what ought to be tax payments, is an open secret. Panama, the Cayman Islands, British Virgin Islands, Luxembourg and Switzerland are known for securing the money and secrets of the rich and the well connected. The leak of 11.5 million documents from the Panama based Mossack Fonseca law firm brings into the light of day what was long known but passively accepted."
The Panama Papers Reveal all Our Worst Fears of the 1 Percent Are True
http://www.politicususa.com/2016/04/05/panama-papers-reveal-worst-fears-1-percent-true.html
"The 1 percent are not our friends, Corporations are not your friends. They have only their own interests at heart. The government is something you can at least vote out of office and get new people in who might or might not do better. With corporations, you lack even the possibility of influencing their actions. Republican voters, feeling oppressed and poor in their Red State hovels, might want to look long and hard at what these documents reveal about their would-be saviors."
"The 1 percent are not our friends, Corporations are not your friends. They have only their own interests at heart. The government is something you can at least vote out of office and get new people in who might or might not do better. With corporations, you lack even the possibility of influencing their actions. Republican voters, feeling oppressed and poor in their Red State hovels, might want to look long and hard at what these documents reveal about their would-be saviors."
Campbell Brown: The New Leader of the Propaganda Arm of School Privatization @alternet
Campbell Brown: The New Leader of the Propaganda Arm of School Privatization @alternet:
"Perhaps guided by the old adage that you have to spend money to make money, the champions of education "reform" have poured billions into the effort to privatize and profit from America’s schools. Those funds are used on multiple fronts: launching charter schools, underwriting the political campaigns of politicians, and of course, investing in media to propagate the free-market privatization vision. Among the most visible properties in this effort is the Seventy Four, the well-funded, power broker-backed education news website run by former journalist-turned-school privatization activist Campbell Brown. Launched last year, the site’s reported $4 million annual budget comes from a collective of school privatization’s big hitters: The Dick and Betsy DeVos Family Foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Jonathan Sackler (of OxyContin producer Purdue Pharma) and the Walton Family Foundation. Philanthropy of this sort has an endgame—the privatization of America’s public schools—and media manipulation is an essential part of a winning strategy."
"Perhaps guided by the old adage that you have to spend money to make money, the champions of education "reform" have poured billions into the effort to privatize and profit from America’s schools. Those funds are used on multiple fronts: launching charter schools, underwriting the political campaigns of politicians, and of course, investing in media to propagate the free-market privatization vision. Among the most visible properties in this effort is the Seventy Four, the well-funded, power broker-backed education news website run by former journalist-turned-school privatization activist Campbell Brown. Launched last year, the site’s reported $4 million annual budget comes from a collective of school privatization’s big hitters: The Dick and Betsy DeVos Family Foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Jonathan Sackler (of OxyContin producer Purdue Pharma) and the Walton Family Foundation. Philanthropy of this sort has an endgame—the privatization of America’s public schools—and media manipulation is an essential part of a winning strategy."
A Corporate/Billionaire Austerity Budget Or A People’s Prosperity Budget?
A Corporate/Billionaire Austerity Budget Or A People’s Prosperity Budget?
"Austerity - the current "donor class" budgeting that benefits billionaires, Wall Street and giant corporations through cuts in things government does to make our lives and economy better, combined with cuts in taxes for billionaires and giant corporations. Austerity literally takes money out of the economy and "eats the seed corn." When there are fewer jobs and people really need to find work, employers can pay as little as they can legally get away with, and pit the employees against each other. Meanwhile tax cuts defund our government's ability to regulate what corporations and Wall Street do."
"Austerity - the current "donor class" budgeting that benefits billionaires, Wall Street and giant corporations through cuts in things government does to make our lives and economy better, combined with cuts in taxes for billionaires and giant corporations. Austerity literally takes money out of the economy and "eats the seed corn." When there are fewer jobs and people really need to find work, employers can pay as little as they can legally get away with, and pit the employees against each other. Meanwhile tax cuts defund our government's ability to regulate what corporations and Wall Street do."
Paul Ryan is still a grifter: The GOP has become a tax-avoidance scam for the 1 percent
Paul Ryan is still a grifter: The GOP has become a tax-avoidance scam for the 1 percent
"The modern Republican Party has devolved into a tax avoidance scam for rich people. The scam is a masterpiece of psychological manipulation, in which the racial, cultural and economic anxieties of (mostly white) voters are exploited, in order to get those voters to support policies that transfer ever-greater percentages of wealth from themselves to the top 0.1 percent."
"The modern Republican Party has devolved into a tax avoidance scam for rich people. The scam is a masterpiece of psychological manipulation, in which the racial, cultural and economic anxieties of (mostly white) voters are exploited, in order to get those voters to support policies that transfer ever-greater percentages of wealth from themselves to the top 0.1 percent."
Ted Cruz’s Tax Plan For ‘Hard-Working Americans’ Is Really A Gift To The Wealthy
http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2016/03/28/3763943/cruz-tax-plan-ad/
"Yet the details of Cruz’s plan would significantly skew the playing field in favor of the wealthy and corporate interests."
"Yet the details of Cruz’s plan would significantly skew the playing field in favor of the wealthy and corporate interests."
Rove Suggests Disregarding Millions Of Republican Voters, Nominating A ‘Fresh Face’ For President
http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2016/04/01/3765610/rove-fresh-face-republican-nominee/
"Republicans have a big problem. The party’s two leading candidates for the GOP presidential nomination are both viewed unfavorably by a majority of the voting population and are only getting more unpopular."
"Republicans have a big problem. The party’s two leading candidates for the GOP presidential nomination are both viewed unfavorably by a majority of the voting population and are only getting more unpopular."
Coca-Cola Dumps Trump And Declines To Sponsor The Republican Convention
http://www.politicususa.com/2016/03/30/coca-cola-declines-sponsor-republican-national-convention-hate.html
"Hateful rhetoric has its costs, and one of them is that no matter how much money companies will pour into dark money outlets like SuperPACs, they don’t want to be publicly associated with the kind of hate speech and violence Donald Trump ignites."
"Hateful rhetoric has its costs, and one of them is that no matter how much money companies will pour into dark money outlets like SuperPACs, they don’t want to be publicly associated with the kind of hate speech and violence Donald Trump ignites."
Watch: Elizabeth Warren DESTROYS The Myth That Trump Is A Good Businessman
http://occupydemocrats.com/2016/03/31/watch-elizabeth-warren-destroys-myth-trump-good-businessman/
"The truth is, he inherited a fortune from his father, he kept it going by cheating and defrauding people, and then he takes his creditors through Chapter 11. He started out rich and cheated his way to getting richer” she said, then going on to insinuate that Trump has broken the law but just hasn’t “been caught.” Trump has been selling the American people the fiction that he is a “dealmaker” that can “fix” the economy, which is actually doing just fine. MarketWatch estimates that Trump has left some $13 billion on the table in his business dealings, underperfoming throughout his 40 years of “dealmaking.” He’s filed for bankruptcy four times and grossly overestimates his personal wealth at every turn. His tax plan would skyrocket our national debt to $34 trillion dollars. There’s nothing encouraging about any of that, and when taken in combination with his racism, narcissism, and ignorance, it’s clear he is the most unqualified man to run for President in the history of our nation."
"The truth is, he inherited a fortune from his father, he kept it going by cheating and defrauding people, and then he takes his creditors through Chapter 11. He started out rich and cheated his way to getting richer” she said, then going on to insinuate that Trump has broken the law but just hasn’t “been caught.” Trump has been selling the American people the fiction that he is a “dealmaker” that can “fix” the economy, which is actually doing just fine. MarketWatch estimates that Trump has left some $13 billion on the table in his business dealings, underperfoming throughout his 40 years of “dealmaking.” He’s filed for bankruptcy four times and grossly overestimates his personal wealth at every turn. His tax plan would skyrocket our national debt to $34 trillion dollars. There’s nothing encouraging about any of that, and when taken in combination with his racism, narcissism, and ignorance, it’s clear he is the most unqualified man to run for President in the history of our nation."
Fact Checkers Prove That 91% of the Things Donald Trump Says Are False
http://www.politicususa.com/2016/03/31/ninety-one-percent-donald-trump-false.html
"Think of the aging wealthy man who believes the young girl is with him because he’s so hot. That’s the base level deception and emotional motivation driving the Republican party voters – they want someone who makes them feel good about themselves, who holds up a mirror that makes them hot, right and rich. They love the lie because ideologies comfort the voter. Everyone wants to feel like they are right, righteous, and morally superior. The problem comes when people can’t accept reality because reality says they were not right. And instead of admitting that and adjusting course, they demand that everyone get blamed equally while still claiming they never made a mistake. (And the “fourth estate” not only allows this but plays dumb regarding basic facts in order to make this work.) This level of petulant avoidance of reality is what got the Republican party to the point where their base loves the biggest liar the best. They don’t care that Donald Trump lies; they love him because his lies soothe them. His lies appease them. His lies make them feel justified and righteous. His lies make them feel good about who they are. The voters are the children who do not want to be grown ups and the grown ups in the party have indulged them and fed them candy to keep from having to parent, and now they are stuck with a monster of a child."
"Think of the aging wealthy man who believes the young girl is with him because he’s so hot. That’s the base level deception and emotional motivation driving the Republican party voters – they want someone who makes them feel good about themselves, who holds up a mirror that makes them hot, right and rich. They love the lie because ideologies comfort the voter. Everyone wants to feel like they are right, righteous, and morally superior. The problem comes when people can’t accept reality because reality says they were not right. And instead of admitting that and adjusting course, they demand that everyone get blamed equally while still claiming they never made a mistake. (And the “fourth estate” not only allows this but plays dumb regarding basic facts in order to make this work.) This level of petulant avoidance of reality is what got the Republican party to the point where their base loves the biggest liar the best. They don’t care that Donald Trump lies; they love him because his lies soothe them. His lies appease them. His lies make them feel justified and righteous. His lies make them feel good about who they are. The voters are the children who do not want to be grown ups and the grown ups in the party have indulged them and fed them candy to keep from having to parent, and now they are stuck with a monster of a child."
Wednesday, April 6, 2016
NBC Publishes 23 Conflicting Positions By Donald Trump
NBC Publishes 23 Conflicting Positions By Donald Trump
"What cable news will never acknowledge, however, is that the definition of Republican has morphed in the past thirty years into "someone who denies facts in favor of whatever Fox and Rush Limbaugh tell them to believe." You really think a group that is convinced Barack Obama is a Kenyan Muslim Usurper who wants to Destroy America" (tm) is going to care that their Great White Hope Trump has, as he calls it "flexibility" when it comes to issues? You really think people who are fed a media diet of sixteen lies an hour care if Trump is telling the truth?"
"What cable news will never acknowledge, however, is that the definition of Republican has morphed in the past thirty years into "someone who denies facts in favor of whatever Fox and Rush Limbaugh tell them to believe." You really think a group that is convinced Barack Obama is a Kenyan Muslim Usurper who wants to Destroy America" (tm) is going to care that their Great White Hope Trump has, as he calls it "flexibility" when it comes to issues? You really think people who are fed a media diet of sixteen lies an hour care if Trump is telling the truth?"
Leaked Emails Reveal How White Supremacy Groups Are Plotting To Help Trump
http://occupydemocrats.com/2016/04/05/leaked-emails-reveal-white-supremacy-groups-plotting-help-trump/
"the white nationalist American Freedom Party (AFP) have decided to “tone down” the rhetoric in order to get Trump elected"
"the white nationalist American Freedom Party (AFP) have decided to “tone down” the rhetoric in order to get Trump elected"
White nationalists robocall “every Wisconsin landline” with promises Donald Trump “will respect all women”
White nationalists robocall “every Wisconsin landline” with promises Donald Trump “will respect all women”
"It apparently only cost 6,000 bucks to reach every landline left in Wisconsin and that is exactly how much one of Donald Trump’s top white nationalist supporters paid to encourage Wisconsinites to support his guy in Tuesday’s Republican primary."
"It apparently only cost 6,000 bucks to reach every landline left in Wisconsin and that is exactly how much one of Donald Trump’s top white nationalist supporters paid to encourage Wisconsinites to support his guy in Tuesday’s Republican primary."
GOP Hate Exacts a Toll @alternet
GOP Hate Exacts a Toll @alternet:
"They condemn marriage equality. They throw a hissy fit about what bathroom transgender people use. They try every dirty trick in the book to prevent black people from voting. They blame undocumented immigrants for crime and unemployment. They actually suggest armed patrols of American Muslim communities. And then something unexpected happened. Corporations started getting squeamish about all that hate. Big, burly, traditionally GOP-donating corporations! Corporations warned some governors that they’d withdraw investment if the states didn’t reverse gay-bashing legislation. And now corporations are telling Republicans they’re not so sure they’ll pony up for the 2016 GOP convention because they don’t want to be associated with the Republican candidates’ hate mongering. Hate may have brought the GOP a load of publicity but it lost the party a bushel of bucks."
"They condemn marriage equality. They throw a hissy fit about what bathroom transgender people use. They try every dirty trick in the book to prevent black people from voting. They blame undocumented immigrants for crime and unemployment. They actually suggest armed patrols of American Muslim communities. And then something unexpected happened. Corporations started getting squeamish about all that hate. Big, burly, traditionally GOP-donating corporations! Corporations warned some governors that they’d withdraw investment if the states didn’t reverse gay-bashing legislation. And now corporations are telling Republicans they’re not so sure they’ll pony up for the 2016 GOP convention because they don’t want to be associated with the Republican candidates’ hate mongering. Hate may have brought the GOP a load of publicity but it lost the party a bushel of bucks."
How Donald Trump is destroying the entire Republican Party
How Donald Trump is destroying the entire Republican Party
"The latest national poll showed that 73% of female voters dislike him, up from 57% in October . This is remarkable, because it would be difficult to imagine nearly three quarters of women, or men for that matter, agreeing on anything that didn’t involve violence or a virus. But the hatred is well-deserved. Throughout Trump’s entire campaign, he has made it clear that misogyny is his go-to position on women."
"The latest national poll showed that 73% of female voters dislike him, up from 57% in October . This is remarkable, because it would be difficult to imagine nearly three quarters of women, or men for that matter, agreeing on anything that didn’t involve violence or a virus. But the hatred is well-deserved. Throughout Trump’s entire campaign, he has made it clear that misogyny is his go-to position on women."
73 percent of women voters have an 'unfavorable' view of Donald Trump
http://www.dailykos.com/stories/2016/3/25/1506168/-73-percent-of-women-voters-have-an-unfavorable-view-of-Donald-Trump
"To repeat that, according to the most recent CNN poll 73 percent of American women have an "unfavorable" view of Donald Trump. That poll is matched by an NBC poll putting the number at 70 percent, and even that may be underestimating the antipathy America’s women hold toward the walking septic tank that is Donald Trump."
"To repeat that, according to the most recent CNN poll 73 percent of American women have an "unfavorable" view of Donald Trump. That poll is matched by an NBC poll putting the number at 70 percent, and even that may be underestimating the antipathy America’s women hold toward the walking septic tank that is Donald Trump."
Donald Trump Really Doesn’t Like the First Amendment
http://inthesetimes.com/article/19002/donald-trump-v.-first-amendment
"Donald Trump is a man who has no respect for—or even much knowledge of—the document that founded the country he wants to lead. His policies and actions have indicated that the First Amendment will be no impediment to his hateful reign."
"Donald Trump is a man who has no respect for—or even much knowledge of—the document that founded the country he wants to lead. His policies and actions have indicated that the First Amendment will be no impediment to his hateful reign."
Donald Trump Is Dangerous to Women @alternet
Donald Trump Is Dangerous to Women @alternet:
"What’s more important is the fact that Trump either believes or plays to the most misogynist elements of this country, the consequences of which are very real. When asked about issues of importance—from women’s reproductive rights to whether he’s down with the KKK—he says yes and later sort of says no, a way of cynically and calculatedly playing both sides of the fence to be sure he doesn’t alienate those who see themselves in the mirror of his terribleness. (Case in point: His backpedalling on Wednesday's remarks.) He stokes anger and hatred toward women and then stands back and watches as his crowd—who were pretty hateful to being with—has their worst ideas of women confirmed and even applauded."
"What’s more important is the fact that Trump either believes or plays to the most misogynist elements of this country, the consequences of which are very real. When asked about issues of importance—from women’s reproductive rights to whether he’s down with the KKK—he says yes and later sort of says no, a way of cynically and calculatedly playing both sides of the fence to be sure he doesn’t alienate those who see themselves in the mirror of his terribleness. (Case in point: His backpedalling on Wednesday's remarks.) He stokes anger and hatred toward women and then stands back and watches as his crowd—who were pretty hateful to being with—has their worst ideas of women confirmed and even applauded."
Exclusive: Interview With Progressive Superstar Running For Congress, Zephyr Teachout
http://www.addictinginfo.org/2016/03/24/exclusive-interview-with-progressive-superstar-running-for-congress-zephyr-teachout/
"In January 2016, Ms. Teachout, currently as Associate Law Professor at Fordham University, announced she is running for New York’s 19 th Congressional District seat."
"In January 2016, Ms. Teachout, currently as Associate Law Professor at Fordham University, announced she is running for New York’s 19 th Congressional District seat."
Trump's favorability with American voters sinks to a new low
http://www.dailykos.com/stories/2016/3/29/1507734/-Trump-s-favorability-with-American-voters-sinks-to-a-new-low
"Not bad—32 points underwater. We're actually betting he can do even worse if he makes it to the general election. But it does pose a challenge for Trump as he heads into contests in the next 17 states: The lower his numbers sink, the less likely he is to secure the 1,237 delegates necessary to avoid a contested convention."
"Not bad—32 points underwater. We're actually betting he can do even worse if he makes it to the general election. But it does pose a challenge for Trump as he heads into contests in the next 17 states: The lower his numbers sink, the less likely he is to secure the 1,237 delegates necessary to avoid a contested convention."
Trump Promises To Punish Women After He Outlaws Abortions (Updated)
Trump Promises To Punish Women After He Outlaws Abortions (Updated)
"Not only does he have no idea how the world works, how to run a company without massive start up capital from his father, answer a question directly, run an honest campaign or fix his mismatched concealer/foundation oompa-loompa situation, but now he wants to somehow take over running my uterus in addition to every other woman in the United States?"
"Not only does he have no idea how the world works, how to run a company without massive start up capital from his father, answer a question directly, run an honest campaign or fix his mismatched concealer/foundation oompa-loompa situation, but now he wants to somehow take over running my uterus in addition to every other woman in the United States?"
In Trump’s World, Women Have Always Been Objects
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/to-donald-trump-women-have-always-been-objects-hello-misogyny-2016_us_56f3f66ae4b02c402f66908a
"As far as Trump is concerned, women are objects — the shinier the better. He has said that it doesn’t matter what the media says about you “as long as you’ve got a young and beautiful piece of ass.” He has spoken explicitly about how beautiful his daughter is and how she has “the best body,” even going so far as to suggest that if she wasn’t related to him, he would date her. He has implied that female journalists’ success hinges on their attractiveness, and called a member of The Washington Post’s editorial board “beautiful” just this week. And as much joy as Trump seems to take in linking women’s success and worth to their good looks, he has been equally, if not more, gleeful in his “take down” of women whose looks he doesn’t consider worthy of his approval."
"As far as Trump is concerned, women are objects — the shinier the better. He has said that it doesn’t matter what the media says about you “as long as you’ve got a young and beautiful piece of ass.” He has spoken explicitly about how beautiful his daughter is and how she has “the best body,” even going so far as to suggest that if she wasn’t related to him, he would date her. He has implied that female journalists’ success hinges on their attractiveness, and called a member of The Washington Post’s editorial board “beautiful” just this week. And as much joy as Trump seems to take in linking women’s success and worth to their good looks, he has been equally, if not more, gleeful in his “take down” of women whose looks he doesn’t consider worthy of his approval."
5 Vilest Right-Wing Moments This Week: Trump and Cruz Blow Our Minds @alternet
5 Vilest Right-Wing Moments This Week: Trump and Cruz Blow Our Minds @alternet:
"The short version: Every woman Donald Trump has ever met or heard about he seems to have insulted or belittled or treated purely as a sexual object."
"The short version: Every woman Donald Trump has ever met or heard about he seems to have insulted or belittled or treated purely as a sexual object."
Global Forecasting Service Rates Trump As High Threat To World Security And Economic Stability
http://www.addictinginfo.org/2016/03/24/global-forecasting-service-rates-trump-as-high-threat-to-world-security-and-economic-stability/
"But this year, conservatives look determined to use Trump as their own personal battering ram to destroy the federal government even if it means bringing about perpetual war and the disintegration of the world economy in the process. And that’s why the Global Forecasting Service has officially rated Trump a high impact threat even though they believe it is unlikely he will beat his eventual Democratic opponent. But just in case he does win, the GFS analysed what is at risk if he should somehow ascend to the presidency."
"But this year, conservatives look determined to use Trump as their own personal battering ram to destroy the federal government even if it means bringing about perpetual war and the disintegration of the world economy in the process. And that’s why the Global Forecasting Service has officially rated Trump a high impact threat even though they believe it is unlikely he will beat his eventual Democratic opponent. But just in case he does win, the GFS analysed what is at risk if he should somehow ascend to the presidency."
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