I have always thought that the readers here at EP do a fine job of digging for the truth and exposing the frauds. And, true to its namesake, I think we are all populist by nature.

One of the things I like most about Naked Capitalism is the daily links that Yves provides. They are wide ranging, only sometimes graphical or analytical, but always apropros to the bigger picture.

So I was thinking if there is a way of doing something similar here at EP. Provide links to other reports, essays, analyses without paraphrasing and just invite general discussion or further original blog posts.

For instance, I came across this article by Mike Whitney at Counterpunch today, which presents a scathing argument that the efforts to fix the financial crisis, to date, have done nothing more than exacerbate the chasm between the Wall Street economy and the real economy. Please check it out, I think Mike makes a very compelling case and I doubt many of the readers here would disagree.

Likewise, I read this mesmerizing account of what is happening in Dubai right now, revealing all of its worts and accomplishments. This, I think, is Pulitzer Prize worthy stuff that causes one to reflect on the truth that surrounds them, no matter where they live. It is a microcosm of our domestic situation here, and a cautionary tale taken to the extreme.

I know that instapopulist is really set up to accomplish what I am suggesting here. I guess what I'm really proposing is some sort of mechanism for just quick posting links to articles that require no further explanation. It is another way for each of us to expose others to what we, individually, think is important. And from those individual suggestions, it is possible that collectively, we can actually create a narrative for others to ponder.

Anyway, its just a thought and I hope you can find the time to read and comment on the articles I have linked to.

Honestly I think how the media portrayed it versus what people are really pissed about are two different things. I also think they are trying to misdirect the rage building up with the people.

So, in other words, they do a rally about "high taxes", when people are really pissed about what they are doing with their money. They said it was about the Stimulus, when the real rage is over the TARP, PPIP, the Federal Reserve financial commitments.

So, in other words, our little neocons trying to funnel Populist outrage to their own agenda and since people want to speak out but the grassroots isn't effectively organizing, they get swayed to this instead.

I think we are going to see more informal gatherings much like the flash mobbing flash pillow fight. The internet has allowed individuals to paste together real grass roots efforts and a central controlling figure is a thing of the past. Maybe there is an Acorn hiding in the Tea Party or a George Soros. The Tea Parties were so disjointed I don't see how there could be a kabal behind them.

Now people are prone to conspiracies and I'm ready to jump in with the best of them but I just don't see the concerted effort from some ka-zillionaire. There have been so many names floating on the internet that it should make the Snopes.com list.

I am in the 15% fed tax bracket. My property taxes (paid with after tax money) equals 16% of after tax annual pay; I am self employed so I pay the full social security and mediare; I pay a 1% local earned income tax and State tax is 2 percent. You add them all together and you get 49% in taxes. I am no were near the $250,000 earner that the government banters about, I am a little wage guy. I didn't even try to add in all the sales taxes and hidden taxes they call fees.

If people were not such sheep they could add up the figures for themselves and I think they would start scratching their heads. Maybe it would be a soft scratch but at least they would start to go hm?

You don't need a $billionaire to figure out that 49% is a lot of tax to pay for someone earning the USA median wage. I have few doubts that to pay back the $trillions that GWB ran up and the $trillions that Obama is running up that taxes and fees will at some point in the future rise. The game politicians play is to keep the nasty stuff from hitting on their watch.

I no longer participate in the politician's games.

Have people forgotten about the September 25, 2008 protest outside Wallstreet against George bush?

trust me, there are traders...particularly of the institutional variety who would pounce on these guys if it put their holdings in jeopardy. Secondly, the government isn't that stupid, I suspect thats one of the hidden reasons for the stress tests. If they see that giving back the money will only mean costing them more money down the road, then they'll say no on any give backs. Last, but not least, any bank that gets "sick" in this environment will simply get gobbled up, and it would be Uncle Sam that will promote such actions.

It's time to give us taxpayers back our money. I want all the 700+ billion back.

my attitude is anything that stops this massive feed to these banks is probably good, so if they return the actual money that's positive despite whatever funky bookkeeping might be going on.

ft:

Jamie Dimon on Thursday expressed JPMorgan Chase’s desire to be free from government intervention, calling the US Treasury’s toxic assets plan “irrelevant” to his bank and saying the lender could immediately repay $25bn in federal aid without raising new capital.

It appears JPMorgan Chase is also reporting amazing profits. Gee, how can that happen. The good news is that they are now reporting to return the $25 billion dollars, but what's going on here really with this sudden profits? It is funneling, mark-to-market, or simply the TARP funds themselves?

It seems also to me that these contract bidders, somehow have all of the right elements in place to obtain the contracts but inability to really execute.

I mean the medical and pharmaceutical companies are stuck with pathetic systems, clearly not designed on the best database back end, inflexibility and incompatibilities.

Same with the health insurance industry and then our government, lordy, lordy, they keep awarding these large contracts to companies like SAIC, Accenture, IBM, etc.
and can't even get a working line of code.

It's like they discount technical expertise 100% and are shocked with advanced skills actually matter.

Another example would be the immigration system. Ya know, the credit rating agencies know, pretty much in real time, exactly what kind of toilet paper you just bought or how many drinks in what bar you just had....

yet when it comes to contracts, they can't even get it together to validate social security numbers.

or is it possible shoppertrak wants to minimize a decline?

This drives me nuts actually with government. Of course they award contracts to their lobbyist pals who then cannot deliver on the software, infrastructure....but that aside,
why can't they get accurate solid real time data?

We have the banking industry, credit scoring companies, Google, even the grocery profiling our every move, in real time. Yet when it comes to economic stats they are stuck in the 1950's.

I personally don't see how feeding the zombie banks plus refusing to deal with trade policy, wages is going to not prolong a recession.

I need to write an update on trade policy with Obama but from the reports I've read (sorry to say) it's like he is just continuing on with Bush's agenda.

Mexican trucks, such an example, are a huge issue with the Teamsters and rightly so. They want to enable Mexican truckers to be in the U.S. so the Mexicans would be paid Mexican wages, Mexican safety standards in direct competition with U.S. truckers. Never mind the obvious problems with smuggling, security.

Well, Congress finally passed an amendment to stop Mexican trucks and now Obama is going to try to reinstate the program.