world-austerity-report-pages1

WORLD AUSTERITY REPORT 

6

World Austerity Report: 

From the Desk of the Editors 

A BRIEF MISSION STATEMENT 

“Plenty is at our doorstep, but a generous use of it languishes in 

the very sight of the supply.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt, First 

Inaugural, 1933 

Those words are just as relevant today as they were in March of 1933. 

Unfortunately, today there is no FDR, no Harry Hopkins, no Henry Wallace, 

and worst of all, there is no New Deal. If you are reading this in the United 

States, then you are, indeed, standing amongst what little remains of the New 

Deal state. This is the state in which the middle class became the majority of 

the population. The state which checkmated Fascism and Communism. It put 

millions of Americans to work in a matter of hours and brought electricity to 

the poorest parts of the US. The New Deal also created the infrastructure which 

made possible an educated population capable of putting a human on the Moon 

and unlocking the secrets of the atom. 

The U.S. Constitution -not once, but twice- demands a promotion of the General 

Welfare. The General Welfare includes everyone; be it the college student, the 

farmer, the business owner, the janitor, the mechanic, the teacher...everyone. 

Without a doubt, the New Deal promoted the General Welfare. And today we 

can do even better. 

“...in every republic there are two parties, that of the nobles and that 

of the people; and all the laws favorable to liberty result from the 

opposition of these parties to each other.” – Niccolo Machiavelli, 

Discourses on Titus Livius, 1517 

Today, the plenty that is at our doorstep is currently being misused and wasted by 

those whom Roosevelt characterized as the “the rulers of the exchange of mankind’s 

goods” (i.e. Wall Street) and their “speculation with other people’s money.” In the 4 th 

Century BC the Greek philosopher Plato categorized this same class of rulers 

as The Few. In the Renaissance they were known as The Nobility. The Russians in 

the 1990’s used the term Oligarch. In the 1930’s many referred to them as Private 

Economic Interests. In 1935, one pro-New Deal reporter, Marquis Childs, referred 

to the aristocrats who hated Roosevelt as the “Two-percent.” And of course, today 

many refer to them as the 1%.

Plague and pestilence and plunder and pollution, the hazards of nature 

and the hunger of children, are the foes of every nation. – John F. 

Kennedy addressing the United Nations, 1963 

The greatest danger to the American public is the lowering of our standard of living. 

Over the last 45 years, since the defeat of the labor movement in 1968, our standard 

of living has been lowered by roughly two-thirds. And in its place, the nobility have 

triumphed. Simply put: the general welfare has been ignored. 

Our fight is not against our neighbors, or the church, or the state, or ourselves. The 

enemies of the modern world are disease, poverty, imperialism, war, genocide, 

nihilism, austerity, and the Oligarchical bankers who promote it. The reports and 

articles found in the W.A.R. are based largely on the AMERICAN SYSTEM OF 

POLITICAL ECONOMY: a strategy to curb the assault on the general welfare by 

promoting: 

1) A PROTECTIVE TARIFF to stop offshore slave-labor goods (i.e. Walmart) from 

not only under-cutting our own industry and manufacturing, but also driving down 

our wages and breaking unions. 

2) A NATIONAL BANK to foster and promote industry and manufacturing, as well 

as our national laboratories, biomedical research, and universities. 

3) INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS, even if they are only developed in one state. 

Today the term infrastructure would apply to the implementation and full 

maintenance of Medicare-for-All (Single-Payer Healthcare), Social Security, public 

education, public housing, high-speed Magnetic Rail, irrigation systems, bridges, 

anything that increases the overall health and productivity of the population. 

This is not an ideology. This is a strategy to uplift the nation, and everyone in 

it. In short, the utopias that we imagine for our world can only be realized in an 

atmosphere of prosperity, not austerity.

CONTENTS 

HISTORY 

2 

Tracing the Democratic Party’s Pivot to Wall 

Street 

Chris Brennan 

EXCLUSIVE REPORT 

8 

Trans Pacific Partnership: Corporate Rule of 

America 

Polly Cooke Hughes 

AUSTERITY NEWS 

12 

German Economy: A Process of Brutal 

Exploitation 

Dr. Webster G. Tarpley 

13 

Agenda 21: Eerie Observations from the Erie 

Canal 

Stephen Boss 

INTERNATIONAL 

15 

Ukraine’s Fascist Regime: A Short History & 

the Science of Color Revolutions 

Brandon Turbeville 

TAKE ACTION 

19 

It’s Easier than You Think: Contacting Your 

Legislators 

Polly Cooke Hughes

LETTERS TO THE CHEF 

22 

Recipe for Economic Development & 

American Revolution: 21 st Century Style 

Alain Lareau 

POLICY & PROGRAM 

26 

1% Wall Street Sales Tax: Unearned Income 

Must Pay! 

Brandon Turbeville 

EDUCATION 

35 

An Introduction to “Education Reform” 


38 

New York City: Propaganda Campaign Spends 

Millions to Save Charters 


May 2014 Issue 

40 

A Sneak Peek Into Next Month’s Issue

HISTORY 

Much of human history can be understood as a war of ideas. In order 

to understand the complexities of current economics and political 

formations it is essential to first grasp the historical backdrop.

Tracing the Democratic Party’s 

Pivot to Wall Street 

CHRIS BRENNAN 

he egalitarian Left is long 

overdue for soul searching. For 

decades the Democratic Party, 

ostensibly the instrument of progressive 

policy, has informally renounced 

its New Deal roots. Consequently, the 

middle class, long held as the linchpin 

America’s democratic system, has been 

dramatically attenuated from its peak 

in the post-New Deal state of the 1940s. 

In this reorientation of America, the 

physical economy — America’s highly 

skilled labor force, manufacturing capacity, 

and infrastructure — has languished 

to a near moribund state while 

a veritable financial casino economy 

has emerged transcendent. 

Although this phenomenon cannot be 

entirely ascribed to any single political 

leader or movement, its center of 

gravity is undoubtedly Wall Street. 

The Democratic Party — imbibing on 

years of “free-market” orthodoxy and 

neoliberalism, has rejected its erstwhile 

commitment to economic progress 

for the average person. Instead, it has 

enabled the financial interests of the 

owning and possessing class to enrich 

itself at the expense of the vast majority 

of Americans, leading to the glaring 

income disparities that have become 

a feature of current public discourse. 

For nearly all the twentieth century there 

was a dynamic left in the United States 

grounded in the belief that unrestrained 

capitalism generated unacceptable social 

costs. That left crested in influence between 

1935 and 1945, when it anchored 

a coalition centered in the labor movement, 

most significantly within the 

Congress of Industrial Organizations 

(CIO). It was a prominent voice in the 

Democratic Party of the era, and at the 

federal level its high point may have come 

in 1944, when FDR pro-pounded what 

he called “a second Bill of Rights.” Among 

these rights, Roosevelt proclaimed, were 

the right to a “useful and remunerative 

job,” “adequate medical care,” and 

“adequate protection from the economic 

fears of old age, sickness, accident, and 

unemployment. 

CARTER: AUSTERITY 

‘DEMOCRAT’ 

Reed traces the roots of the ideological 

shift to a Democratic defensive posture 

in the face of the triumphant conservative 

“Reagan Revolution” of the 1980s, 

noting that the “Democratic…center has 

moved steadily rightward since Ronald 

or slow the rightward tide. At the same 

time, business interests, in concert with 

the Republican right and supported by an 

emerging wing of neoliberal Democrats, 

set out to roll back as many as possible of 

the social protections and regulations the 

left had won. 

As this defensiveness overtook leftist interest 

groups, institutions, and opinion 

leaders, it increasingly came to define leftwing 

journalistic commentary and criticism. 

New editorial voices — for example, 

The American Prospect — emerged to articulate 

the views of an intellectual left 

that defined itself as liberal rather than 

radical. 

Although not without merit, this assessment 

falls short in identifying the true 

origins of the Democratic Party’s rightward 

economic reorientation. Before 

the advent of Reaganism, the fore-most 

tragedy to progressivism was the presidency 

of Jimmy Carter. This “tragedy” 

of the Carter tenure, as described by 

one journalist, Haynes Johnson in his 


This fundamental reality was recently 

Reagan’s presidency.” He posits: 

In the Absence of Power, has become 

explored in Harpers by political scientist 

Adolph Reed Jr. in perhaps one 

of the most incisive — though not perfect 

— much needed critiques of Left 

politics in recent times. Reed observes: 

[D]uring the 1980s and early 1990s, 

fears of a relentless Republican juggernaut 

pressured those left of center to take 

a defensive stance, focusing on the immediate 

goal of electing Democrats to stem 

eclipsed by the ensuing Reagan presidency. 

Reaganism was doubtless a resounding 

defeat for the Left, but the 

coming of Carter, a watershed event, 

set the Democratic Party on a rightward 

economic trajectory from which it has 

2

Jimmy Carter, April, 1980 

39th US President: 1977-1981 

yet to alter in any meaningful way. 

Nixon years. (Kaufman ibid.) Not sur- 

Surprisingly, any mention of Carter is 

prisingly, Carter’s characteristic “fuzzi- 

conspicuously absent from Reed’s anal- 

ness” was repeatedly targeted by his 

ysis. This glaring omission de-tracts 

Republican counterpart Gerald Ford. 

from Reed’s overall analysis because 

it is from the presidency of Carter that 

This studied vagueness inveigled the 

the Democratic Party repudiates its his- 

American people and allowed the even- 

toric relationship to labor and its com- 

tual con-tent of Carter’s economic pro- 

mitment to deliver economic progress 

gram — brutal austerity — to be im- 

to the average person. 

posed. But the American people were 

not fooled once his economic policy 

In fact, rather than progress the quint- 

was underway. As Stuart Eizenstat his 

essential feature of the Carter regime 

Chief Domes-tic Policy Advisor pointed 

are the limits to progress — the need 

out to Carter, his economic policy was 

of the American people to sacrifice and 

widely regarded “solely as austerity, 

limit the scope of their vision for the 

pain, and sacrifice.” Unsurprisingly, 

future — the need to adopt a mentality 

Carter’s approval rating dropped pre- 

of scarcity. In Civic Religion and the 

the present,’ which traditionally has 

cipitously to record lows as a result of 

Presidency, Pierre and Linder conclude 

been an essential foundation of leftist 

his austerity policies. 

that he “told the American people what 

thought and practice. ‘Instead of cham- 

they did not want to hear — that they 

pioning a radical idea of a new society,’ 

As eminent historian Arthur 

would have to renounce their profli- 

Jacoby observes in The End of Utopia, 

Schlesinger Jr., an aide to President 

gate lifestyles.” (Kaufman 1) Tellingly, 

‘the left ineluctably retreats to smaller 

Kennedy, posited, Carter was a 


in Carter’s 1977 inaugural address he 

asserts that “we have learned that ‘more’ 

is not necessarily better, that even our 

great nation has its recognized limits.” 

Carter’s ideological outlook could not 

be spelled out more explicitly. 

This position has been adopted as a 

central tenet of Democratic Party orthodoxy, 

and it has yet to be repudiated 

hitherto. Indeed, though not tracing 

ideas, seeking to expand the options 

within the existing society.’ ” 

Carter, similar to President Obama, 

entered the national political scene as 

a candidate who presented himself in 

studiously vague terms. Ideologically, 

he was difficult to pinpoint. Rather 

than concrete political program and 

measures, the crux of what Carter offered 

was himself alone. Kaufman ob- 

Democrat in name only; his actions 

were more characteristically 

Republican. He observes: 

“[T]he reason for Carter’s horrible failure 

in economic policy is plain enough. He is 

not a Democrat — at least in anything 

more recent than the Grover Cleveland 

sense of the word.” 

Grover Cleveland, it must be remem- 

this reality to Carter, Reed does touch 

serves, “Wherever he travelled, Carter 

bered, was an austerity Democratic who 

upon the pessimistic zero growth 

remained intentionally vague on the 

presided over an economic depression 

mentality adopted by the Democratic 

issues.” (Kaufman 12) Instead of con- 

in the late 19th century. According to 

Party, noting that the Democratic 

crete programmatic proposals, Carter 

Schlesinger: 

“shift requires, as the historian Russell 

ran on values, seeking to opportunis- 

Jacoby notes, giving up ‘a belief that the 

tically capitalize on the distrust of 

[Carter is] an alleged Democrat [who] 

future could fundamentally surpass 

Washington garnered by the corrupt 

won the presidency with demagogic 

3

Paul Adolf Volker, Federal Reserve Chair 

1979-1987. 

Education: London School of Economics 

Photo: Matt Phillips, Associated Press 

attacks on the horrible federal bureau- 

Carter nominated Paul A. Volcker as 

cracy and as president made clear in 

head of the Federal Re-serve. Volcker’s 

the most explicit way his rejection of… 

paradoxical remedy for purging the 

affirmative government…. But what 

economic system of inflation was to 

voters repudiated in 1980 [Carter’s 

inflict an economic depression. Volcker 

defeat] was not liberalism but the mis- 

proceeded to gut the US’s industrial 

erable result of the conservative eco- 

base with astronomical interest rate 

nomic policies of the last half dozen 

increases, with a prime rate as high as 

years. (Fink) 

22%, constricting productive activity. 

DEINDUSTRIALIZATION AND 

DISASTER 

Dr. Webster G. Tarpley usefully describes 

this in Surviving the Cataclysm: 

The Carter years not only saw a dramatic 

reduction of the Democratic 

Party’s efforts at social reform such 

as the war on poverty and programs 

for the working poor, but it also began 

the process of deindustrialization of 

the American economy. Carter, who 

presented himself as being above the 

fray of Washington politics, torpedoed 

a number of water and dam projects, 

which he considered to be government 

pork barrel profligacy. Sparking the ire 

of the congressional Democrats, the 

loss of these projects represented a blow 

to much needed jobs. Tellingly, Carter 

also ushered in the tendency towards 

deregulation of key industries such as 

oil and gas, airlines, banking, trucking, 

and public utilities — also a later 

hallmark of the Reagan regime. 

as one of the most crucial issues, reversed 

his policy, deciding instead 

that addressing inflation was of paramount 

importance. Trade unionists 

of the AFL-CIO, who were up until 

this point an integral part of the 

Democratic electoral base, anticipated 

Carter would propose a public works 

program of $30 billion to reduce unemployment. 

Carter’s refusal to enact the 

program, inter alia, produced resentment 

among industrial trade unionists. 

Kaufman comments that labor was in 

“open rebellion” against Carter. The 

AFL-CIO termed Carter’s new plan 

as “a retreat from the goals we understand 

President-elect Carter to have set 

during last year’s election campaign.” 

(Kaufman 29) Similarly, Democratic 

mayors, who needed an infusion of aid 

Volcker was a monetarist and “financial 

institutions conservative,” meaning that 

he cared little for the economic fate of the 

American people as a whole, but only reacted 

to threats to the big banks and to the 

Federal Reserve System…Volcker pushed 

US interest rates inexorably higher. In 

March of 1980, Carter and Volcker 

added a patchwork of credit controls, and 

Carter attacked the population for using 

credit cards too much. By April 1980, the 

prime rate charged by US money center 

banks to their most reputable customers 

had reached 20%. In the second quarter 

of 1980, the government’s estimate of the 

real Gross National Product was plummeting 

at a yearly rate of 10%; it was the 

sharpest single quarter drop in postwar 

US history. (Congressman Henry Reuss 

later complained that “ for the first time 

in history, a Democratic President put 

the economy into recession.”) 


Most notably, the systematic deindustrialization 

of the United States began 

under Carter, represented the loss of 

innumerable blue-collar jobs and the 

US’s preeminent productive capacity, 

a national asset. Carter, who originally 

claimed to regard unemployment 

for their cities, were shunned. These 

were the groups that elected him in the 

first place. 

More than any other event, the process 

of deindustrialization, and its corollary 

the defeat of labor, accelerated when 

These were, as German Chancellor 

Helmut Schmidt and others complained, 

the “highest real interest rates since the 

birth of Christ.” Volcker’s 21.5% prime 

rate vastly accelerated the deindustrialization 

on the battered US economy; it 

4

Carrie Furnaces. 

Rankin, Pennsylvania. Idle since 1982. 

Photo: Caters News Agency 


was compared by some to a Soviet thermonuclear 

attack. As a result of the unprecedented 

interest rates, the traditional 

industrial areas of the Great Lakes and 

the North Atlantic seaboard collapsed into 

a rust bowl. Steel mills, chemical plants, 

plus small and medium concerns that had 

been weakened by the oil shocks now had 

no strength left, and succumbed. (Tarpley 

279-282) 

The ravages of Volcker set the stage for 

“the Great U-Turn,” as termed by the research 

team of Harrison and Bluestone: 

the repudiation of the implicit social 

contract that governed labor relations 

since the postwar epoch. Harrison and 

Bluestone’s conclusions are that “the 4.5 

million people thrown on the streets 

as unemployed during the 1979-1982 

interval, even as US GNP fell by 4.9% 

in the last quarter of 1981 and by an 

additional 5.5% in the first quarter of 

1982, were the precondition for historic 

defeats of the labor movement whose 

effects are still being suffered.” 

Following Carter’s 1980 defeat, the 

Democratic Party never reaffirmed 

its relationship with labor. Walter 

Mondale, running in the presidential 

election of 1984, continued shunning 

blue-collar workers and unions, 

regarding them as a special interest 

group. Blue collar workers, repulsed by 

the austerity, economic calamity, and 

Malthusian zero growth grotesqueness 

of Carter, and subsequently gravitated 

to Reagan, who seemingly brimmed 

with optimism. If the Democratic Party 

did not regard blue collar workers as 

a worthwhile consideration, then the 

GOP was more than willing to absorb 

Gary, Indiana 

Photo: Elvin Wyly (2010) 

them into their electorate. These are 

the so-called “Reagan Democrats,” 

those lost to the follies of Carter. These 

working class whites continue to elude 

Democrats today. 

It must be remembered that the ensuing 

Reagan presidency proceeded to 

preside over perhaps one of the greatest 

explosions of usury and speculation 

ever witnessed with the advent of the 

hostile takeover and leveraged buyout 

bubble. It accelerates the deindustrialization 

and contraction of labor relations 

in America as well. 

Reed’s recent essay correctly laments 

the neoliberalism of the Clinton years 

and the Left’s subsequent complacent 

glorification of Clinton, which, 

in truth, was an extension of Reagan’s 

terms of political practice and debate. 

Some of his measures included effectively 

ending welfare, thereby pushing 

many into abject poverty; pushing 

the adoption of NAFTA to the detriment 

of labor and many congressional 

Democrats; and presiding over privatizations, 

and deregulation of Wall 

Street, all of which reverberate today. 

With the understanding that Carter 

initiated the Democratic rightward 

turn and the abandonment of the New 

Deal, that these neoliberal excesses of 

Clinton are not possible without Carter. 

Consequently, the current Obama 

regime which has paralyzed a multitude 

of meaningful progressive initiatives 

and transformative economic 

recovery is not possible without Carter 

either. 

5

As the debate over the future of progressive 

politics continues, stemmed by 

Reed’s recent analysis, progressives will 

do well to remember the lesson of the 

catastrophic Jimmy Carter presidency: 

a Democratic Party that is serious about 

progressive politics is not viable without 

a robust relationship to the labor 

movement, bread and butter economic 

issues, the rejection of a Malthusian 

zero growth mentality and an activist 

government. There is no future without 

repudiating the follies of Carter and 

recreating the New Deal coalition. 

Sources 

Reed Jr., Adolph, “Nothing Left: The Long, 

Slow Surrender of American Liberals,” 

Harper’s Magazine; March 2014 

Kaufman, Burton I., “The Presidency of 

James Earl Carter Jr.” University Press of 

Kansas, 1993 

Tarpley, Webster G. “Obama the 

Postmodern Coup: The Making of a 

Manchurian Candidate,” Progress Press, 

2008 

Tarpley, Webster G. ““Surviving the 

Cataclysm: Your Guide to the Greatest 

Financial Crisis in Human History,” 2nd 

Edition; Progressive Press, 2009 

Fink, Gary M. “The Carter Presidency: 

Policy Choices in the Post-New Deal Era,” 

University Press of Kansas, 1998 


6

EXCLUSIVE REPORT 

A section for the most timely and harrowing news. Whatever it may 

be, knowledge is the catalyst that sets us into action.

Trans-Pacific Partnership: 

Corporate Rule of America 


he Trans-Pacific Partnership 

(TPP) and other outrageously 

restrictive trade agreements are 

being negotiated secretly, and we must 

join the fight to stop them. The TPP has 

been dubbed “NAFTA on steroids”! 

Chile, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, 

Peru, Singapore, Vietnam, and Japan 

Trade Promotion Authority (TPA), 

better known as fast-track authority, 

For about five years, the TPP has been 

Decisions would be made, not by each coun- 

has been proposed to allow President 

in negotiations behind closed doors 

try, but by a global business tribunal. 

Obama to sign trade agreements, and 

and some 600 corporate “trade advi- 

then take them to Congress. However, 

sors,” industry leaders, corporations 

Create special protections and remove 

Congress’ power is limited. Limited on 

have online access to the working text. 

global barriers for “too big to fail” banks 

time allowed for debate, no amend- 

However, congress does not have this 

and Wall Street, but not offer protections 

ments, and no filibustering. Congress 

access. 

to smaller, community banks. 

can only take an up or down vote. That’s 

it. 

A committee of congressmen was 

Give preferred “investor state” status to 

allowed to read the proposed agreement 

foreign companies that operate within our 

Congress last approved fast-track au- 

and those allowed to see it could not 

borders—ultimately, this would encourage 

thority in 2002 for President George 

take notes or make copies. (Sen. Alan 

U.S. companies to offshore jobs. 

W. Bush and it expired in 2007. Now, 

Grayson has tweeted about how “bad” 

the Obama administration is negotiating 

three trade accords — the 1) Trans- 

TPP is but he “isn’t allowed to tell us 

why.” ) 1 

Would lower wages for US workers. 

Pacific Partnership (TPP) with 11 other 

nations, the 2) Transatlantic Trade and 

Investment Partnership (TTIP) with 28 

European countries and 3) a global services 

pact with about 50 nations. The 

White House has been urging Congress 

to get Fast Track approved quickly but, 

so far, TPA has not been approved as 

it has a lot of public and legislative 

opposition. 

DEAL MADE BEHIND 

YOUR BACK: 

President Obama has been negotiating 

in secrecy and pushing for fast track to 

be renewed. The president would sign 

the agreement, take it to Congress, but 

Congress would have limited debate 

time and could only vote up or down 

with NO amendments and no filibustering 

allowed. 

HERE ARE SOME TENETS 

OF THE TPP (AS OBTAINED 

THROUGH WIKI LEAKS) 

Would exempt foreign companies from 

environmental regulations. 

Would affect consumer protections for food 

safety. 

Would destroy collective bargaining 

and threaten already established worker 

protections. 

Would bring “Buy American” programs to 

a halt by allowing: 


1. Foreign companies to underbid U.S. 

TPP is a proposed agreement between 

Relinquish our rights to regulate within our 

companies on government contracts 

the U.S. and 11 nations that do business 

own borders (corporations would rule on 

paid for with our tax dollars 

throughout the Pacific Rim. Those 11 

this matter). 

nations are: Australia, Brunei, Canada, 

2. Foreign investors to file lawsuits in a 

8

TPP would only escalate the outsoucing of 

global business court to challenge “buy 

U.S. manufacturing jobs to low-wage East- 

local” programs claiming “buy local” 

Asian slave-labor. 

as unfair and would allow foreign 

Photo: Southern Baptist Convention 

investors to ask for compensation for 

anticipated lost profits. 

Would threaten to extend restrictive intellectual 

property laws and impose sanctions 

with respect to pharmaceutical pa-tents, 

which would then raise the cost of prescrip- 

The harm done to America’s manu- 

tion medicines. 

facturing sector was specifically mentioned 

and stated that trade deals have 

Internet restrictions. ISPs could become 

hurt, not helped, American companies. 

censors and block content sharing between 

Here is a quote from the letter: 

individuals. 

We believe any package should include 

Removing restrictions on U.S. stan- 

provisions to address currency manipu- 

dards for GMOs, making it impossible 

lation, stronger mechanisms to address 

for Americans to know what we are 

unfair labor practices, the ability of 

eating; will threaten Europe’s ban on 

communities to preserve their values, 

GMOs. (genetically modified organ- 

strong trade enforcement policies and 

ism) Encourage fracking and drilling; 

should provide innovative solutions to 

threaten environmental protections; ef- 

finance improvements to our crumbling 

fectively strip the EPA (Environmental 

infrastructure. 

Protection Agency) of its power to control 

damage caused by fracking. 

would introduce a rival measure giving 

The senators came up with some fine 

Congress more say over the final terms 

rhetoric, but you can discern from 

Drive up energy prices. The DOE 

of any agreements, given the pitfalls 

this quote that its lukewarm general- 

(Department of Energy) would lose 

of globalization for American workers. 

ization does not really oppose the free 

regulatory authority over fuel imports 

Separately, 151 Democrats have signed 

trade treaties (past or future). NAFTA 

and exports; oil and natural gas could 

a letter signaling opposition, and some 

has given us 20 years of low wages for 

be sold on the open market to the high- 

Republicans have also spoken against 

American workers and outsourcing 

est bidders. 

fast-track authority. 

of manufacturing jobs. The middle 


2. FAST TRACK: AN 

UNDEMOCRATIC HELL 

Since the first week of January, legislation 

to pass Fast Track was introduced 

by Sen. Max Baucus, Democrat 

of Montana, who was Chair of the 

Senate Finance Committee and has 

since become Ambassador to China; 

Sen. Orrin G. Hatch Utah, the commit- 

On Thur., Jan. 16, a second letter was 

sent to Harry Reid. This was signed by 

12 senators. Here are the basic points 

of what was in the letter along with one 

quote from the letter: 

Basically, TPP & TTIP would remove 

power from Washington and transfer it 

to corporate tribunals. These national 

corporations would become the most 

powerful legal entities in the world 

class has suffered enough. This letter 

was signed by Democrat Senators Al 

Franken, Tammy Baldwin, E. Warren, 

Chris Murphy, Tom Harkin, Carl 

Levin, Jeff Merkley, Jack Reid, Richard 

Blumenthal., Ed Markey, and Sheldon 

Whitehouse and Independent Bernie 

Sanders. 3 

IN JANUARY, A HEARING ABOUT 

THE TPA (fast track) was held by the 

tee’s senior Republican; and Rep Dave 

and would be making all economic 

Senate Finance Committee along with 

Camp, Republican Michigan, who is 

decisions. 

several CEOs. One of the most out- 

Chair of the House Ways and Means 

spoken was President Larry Cohen of 

Committee. 

Previous trade bills have been det- 

Communications Workers of America. 

Then, Rep Sander M. Levin of 

rimental to workers and national 

There were more supporters than de- 

Michigan, the senior Democrat on the 

competitiveness. 

tractors at the hearing. Four witness- 

Ways and Means Committee, said he 

es testified, and only Larry Cohen, 

9

President of the Communication 

Workers of America, spoke out against 

it. Committee members and Senators 

Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Bob Casey 

(D-PA), were opposed. During the 

of the largest steel mills in the country. 

hearing bore Sen. Hatch said to Larry 

But by the middle of the 1980s, steel 

Cohen: “You and I are living in an alter- 

mills were merging or closing due to, 

native universe.” And “Why can’t unions 

basically, international competition 

see that TPA is needed?” Sen. Hatch 

and approximately 40,000 steel mill 

asked Cohen. And, yet, Hatch prom- 

jobs were lost by the mid-1980s. The 

http://clkrep.lacity.org/onlinedocs/2014/14- 

ised transparency during the legislative 

steel mills provided good salaries, ben- 

0002-S4_reso_01-10-14.pdf 

process! Senators Cote, Stegemann, and 

Hatch all said that TPA will help pass 

efits, and stability for many American 

families. 5 

http://www.citizenstrade.org/ctc/ 

free trade agreements that will allow 

blog/2014/01/09/widespread-opposition- 

the export of more American goods 

Just imagine what would happen if 

camp-baucus-fast-track-legislation/ 

and employ more American workers 

Americans made computers. We would 

(Opposition to Fast Track) 

AND they pointed to NAFTA, which 

have more skilled workers in well- 

was put into effect twenty years ago. We 

paid jobs, we wouldn’t have to rely on 

Notes 

all know how great NAFTA has been 

China for imported electronic goods, 

1 Carter, Zach. “Alan Grayson On Trans- 

for the USA. 

and we would pay less for those goods. 

Pacific Partner-ship.” The Huffington Post. 

“Abraham Lincoln remarked that if we 

TheHuffingtonPost.com, 18 June 2013. Web. 

Cohen countered again saying that 

made our own steel, we’d keep the rails, 

26 Mar. 2014. http://www.huffingtonpost. 

NAFTA exported American jobs, not 

the jobs, and the money.” A protective 

com/2013/06/18/alan-grayson-trans-pa- 

goods. “It’s common knowledge that 

tariff, preventing the outflow of re- 

cific-partnership_n_3456167.html 

since NAFTA, trade deficits have gone 

sources across national borders, allows 

up five-fold,” he said. “The question is, 

for the growth of absolute profit in the 

2 “Secret Trans-Pacific Partnership 

where does production occur? A mul- 

economy, with technology, goods, ser- 

Agreement (TPP) - IP Chapter.” Wikileaks. 

tinational doesn’t really care, or can’t.” 

vices and wages all increasing upward. 

org. Web. 26 Mar. 2014. https://wikileaks. 

Cohen also stated, “We want world 

Find out more about protective tariffs 

org/tpp/#start 

trade. We must have world trade,” he 

at againstausterity.org. 

said. “We have a global economy in the 

same way we have a global climate. The 

idea is, how do we promote the kind of 

TAKE ACTION - STOP TPP 

NOW! 

3 Wright, D. S. “Senators Write Letter 

To Harry Reid Opposing Fast Track 

Authority For TPP.” Firedoglake News 

sustainable trade, and production that 

we can be proud of?” 4 

15% IMPORT TARIFF WILL 

DEFEAT TPP 

The answer to Mr. Cohen’s question is 

the reintroduction of a protective tariff. 

The United Front Against Austerity 

proposes a 15% tariff on imported goods 

to level the playing field. No more cheap 

Please call, write, and email your legislators 

today and tell them: 

1. Do not pass TPA (fast track) 

2. Stop secret negotiations of trade 

agreements 

3. Impose a 15% tariff on imported 

goods 

Unite with United Front Against 

Austerity. Together, we can return to 

“Made in America.” 

Desk. Firedoglake.com, 16 Jan. 2014. Web. 

26 Mar. 2014. http://news.firedoglake. 

com/2014/01/16/senators-write-letter-toharry-reid-opposing-fast-track-authorityfor-tpp-and-ttip/ 

4 “CWA President Larry Cohen: Senate 

Finance Committee Hearing on Trade.” 

YouTube. YouTube, 16 Jan. 2014. Web. 

26 Mar. 2014. http://www.youtube.com/ 

watch?v=QGWojLcOSB0 


labor, no more child labor, and no more 

Recommended Reading 

outsourcing of American jobs. 

http://againstausterity.org/program/protec- 

5 Nelson, Ted. “Why Is Gary Indiana So 

tive-tariff (Protective Tariff Info) 

Dangerous?” EHow. Demand Media, 14 

Remember the steel mills that were 

July 2011. Web. 26 Mar. 2014. http://www. 

flourishing in America in the 20th cen- 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Report_on_ 

ehow.com/info_8734196_gary-indiana- 

tury? The US Steel Mill in Gary, Indiana 

Manufactures (Alexander Hamilton on 

dangerous.html 

had 16,000 workers by 1920. It was one 

Tariffs) 

10

AUSTERITY NEWS 

A general collection of stories, snippets, and economic indicators to 

measure the declining levels of our living standards on a national 

and world-wide scale.

German Economy: A Process of 

Brutal Exploitation 

DR. WEBSTER G. TARPLEY 

round the world, dissatisfaction 

is growing with the Anglo- 

American economic model, 

which presents itself as a system of free 

markets and free trade. There is also 

growing dissatisfaction with the extreme 

disparities of individual income 

this model has created. Not surprisingly, 

many observers have seen an attractive 

alternative in the German social 

market economy, featuring a highly 

regulated system in which small and 

medium export-oriented companies 

are prominent, and in which trade 

unions play an integral part, both in 

factory councils and by placing representatives 

on corporate boards. 

But a closer look at Germany reveals 

that the social market economy of earlier 

decades now includes a vast low-wage 

sector of workers who have become 

second-class citizens, receiving much 

the same status which undocumented 

Hispanic immigrants in the United 

States would occupy under plans put 

forward by the Republican Party and 

supported by many Democrats. The 

German low-wage sub-economy has 

a name: it is called Hartz IV, named 

after the former personnel boss of the 

Volkswagen concern, and enacted into 

law under the auspices of the former 

Social Democratic Chancellor Gerhard 

Schröder -- with massive complicity 

from the neo-corporatist German trade 

unions -- and successively amended 

several times, thus accounting for the 

IV. German working people have just 

completed their eleventh year under 

the yoke of Hartz, which came into full 

effect in January 2003, and has been 

expanded and perfected by Europe’s 

reigning austerity enforcer, Christian 

Democratic Chancellor Angela Merkel. 3 million, 4 million, and then 5 million 

workers. Hartz wanted to prevent these 

The various Hartz plans started as a response 

to the permanently high levels collecting their full jobless benefits over 

millions of unemployed workers from 

of unemployment which have prevailed an indefinite period, as was often the 

in West Germany and then in reunified case before 2003. His response was to 

Germany, since the early 1980s. These design a system which shunted unemployed 

workers off the unemployment 

high jobless levels are themselves a 

reflection of the slowing of world economic 

progress in the decade after the rolls after about one or two years, de- 

insurance rolls and onto the welfare 

demolition of the highly successful 1944 pending on their age, and to impose a 

Bretton Woods system, which was terminated 

by Nixon and Kissinger on ment on these welfare recipients. 

stringent low-wage workfare require- 

August 15, 1971. During the 1980s and Workfare means that welfare victims 

1990s, Germany was afflicted by unemployment 

in the neighbor-hood of often functioning as strikebreakers, 

are required to work for their benefits, 

and always contributing to a race to 

the bottom in labor conditions. The 

workfare requirement, in the opinion 

of some, amounted to the institution of 

a kind of slave labor. 

This article first appeared on Press 

TV; W.A.R. does not own the rights 

to this article. To read the full article, 

please visit: www.presstv.com/ 

detail/2014/02/26/352307/germaneconomic-powerhouse-on-sand/ 

No, this is not a creature from the Star 

Wars “bar scene,” this is Angela Merkel, 

Chancellor of Germany, 2005 - present. 

Photo: Michael Sohn / AP 


12

Agenda 21: Eerie Observations 

from the Erie Canal 

STEPHEN BOSS 


ince his election, New York’s 

Governor Cuomo has been encouraging 

Villages, Hamlets and 

Townships to dissolve and be managed 

by County Executives. This practice in 

theory would eliminate redundancy 

(and many jobs) but will devastate 

northern communities. Communities 

that opt for dissolution are offered cash 

incentives to cover costs of merging. 

Quite a few of these pushes have failed, 

as people tend to appreciate the various 

layers of government, and the immediacy 

of small government. 

Our village’s mayor recently attended a 

Mayor’s Association meeting, and this 

topic was on the agenda. The tendency 

toward consolidation is influenced by 

“Agenda 21,” a construction of the UN, 

and has membership of many communities 

across the USA. Gov. Cuomo’s 

policies lean in this direction. There 

is a desire for local governments to be 

overridden, so that natural resources 

can be controlled by donors and political 

cronies, in my opinion. Upon 

inauguration, the governor passed an 

initiative called the “Land Bank.” This 

system allows selected municipalities 

to drastically speed up the foreclosure 

process on properties for delinquent 

taxes of as little as one year. 

These properties are immediately 

placed in a holding bank, awaiting deed 

and title transfer. Upon clearance, they 

get sold at auction. Of course, this practice 

happens largely in blighted cities’ 

poorest neighborhoods with large minority 

populations. If the first banking 

crisis didn’t grab their assets, this law 

will. 

Gov. Cuomo’s recent move to tax the 

financial industry on only 8% of their 

securities income is a wrong move. The 

state desperately needs the money for 

failing infrastructure, schools and 

social programs. Rather than giving 

Wall Street yet another break, we need 

to apply a 1% Wall Street Sales Tax. 

Former Cuomo backers are jumping 

ship; Howard Samuels is encouraging 

him to run as a Republican. That’s a 

novel idea and one that should catch on 

nationally, perhaps opening the doors 

for more traditional Democrats to seek 

office. 

Sources 

1. Kornbluh, Jacob. “JP Updates.” JP 

Updates. , 20 Mar. 2014. Web. 27 Mar. 

2014. http://jpupdates.com/2014/03/20/ 

nygov-cuomo-run-republican-says-formerprogressive-supporter/ 

2. “Governor Cuomo Signs Land Bank 

Legislation.” Governor.ny.gov. Office of 

Andrew M. Cuomo, 29 July 2011. Web. 27 

Mar. 2014. http://www.governor.ny.gov/ 

press/072911landbanklegislation 

Governor Andrew Cuomo (Democrat) is 

encouraged to run as a Republican. 

Photo: Buck Ennis 

13

INTERNATIONAL 

Under the umbrella of an empire -in its quest for unilateral domination 

- the internal population often suffers extreme forms of austerity.

Ukraine’s Fascist Regime 

Created By the West [Part II] 

BRANDON TURBEVILLE 

n my previous article dealing with 

de-stabilization mechanisms 

and color revolutions entitled 

“The History and Science of Color 

Revolutions, Part 1,” I briefly discussed 

the history of the theory behind such 

mass movements and the related mo- 

adolescents” must be organized by the 

bilizations of “swarming adolescents” 

agents directing the destabilization. 

the NED. Albert Einstein’s president 

as well as the purposes for which color 

[2006] is Col. Robert Helvey, a former 

revolutions are generally deployed. 

With this in mind, Jonathan Mowat’s 

US Army officer with 30 years of expe- 

excellent article, “The New Gladio In 

rience in Southeast Asia. He has served 

Whenever one discusses color revolu- 

Action: ‘Swarming Adolescents,’” which 

as the case officer for youth groups 

tions, however, it is important to un- 

I cited at length in my last article, goes 

active in the Balkans and Eastern 

derstand that this tactic is not merely 

into the recent history of color revolu- 

Europe since at least 1999. 

a recent invention on the part of the 

tion tactics along with a brief discus- 

ruling elite. In fact, this particular 

sion regarding the history of some of its 

Mowat then goes on to briefly describe 

method of destabilization has quite a 

individual and organizational players, 

Robert Helvey’s background in rela- 

long history, having been perfected in 

most notably Gene Sharp, Bob Helvey, 

tion to the color revolution industry. 

the late 1960s and refined into an art 

and The Albert Einstein Institution. 

He writes: 

form as time has progressed. 

Still, it is important to understand that 

Col. Helvey reports, in a January 29, 

It is also extremely important to un- 

these individuals and organizations are 

2001, interview with film producer 


derstand how color revolutions work, as 

well as how these methods are successfully 

deployed. Such an understanding 

is particularly relevant if one wishes 

to combat or, at the very least, avoid 

the tragic results of color revolutions in 

their own country or the propaganda 

narrative surrounding those revolutions 

in another part of the world. 

Because color revolutions, destabiliza- 

by no means the pinnacle of international 

destabilizations and color revolutions 

nor are they the sole facilitators of 

it. 1 Regardless, Mowat explains: 

The creation and deployment of coups 

of any kind requires agents on the 

ground. The main handler of these 

coups on the “street side” has been the 

Albert Einstein Institution, which 

was formed in 1983 as an off shoot of 

Steve York in Belgrade, that he first 

got involved in “strategic nonviolence” 

upon seeing the failure of military approaches 

to toppling dictators—especially 

in Myanmar, where he had been 

stationed as military attaché—and 

seeing the potential of Sharp’s alternative 

approach. According to B. 

Raman, the former director of India’s 

foreign intelligence agency, RAW, in a 

December 2001 paper published by his 

tions, and coups require much more 

Harvard University under the impetus 

institute entitled, “The USA’s National 

than propaganda inside or outside 

of Dr. Gene Sharp, and which special- 

Endowment For Democracy (NED): 

the country, it is necessary to orga- 

izes in “nonviolence as a form of war- 

An Update,” Helvey “was an officer of 

nize, train, indoctrinate, and mobilize 

fare.” Dr. Sharp had been the executive 

the Defense Intelligence Agency of the 

with “boots on the ground” inside the 

secretary of A.J. Muste, the famous U.S. 

Pentagon, who had served in Vietnam 

target nation. Since the movement will 

Trotskyite labor organizer and peace- 

and, subsequently, as the US Defence 

not be an organic one, the “swarming 

nik. The group is funded by Soros and 

Attache in Yangon, Myanmar (1983 

15

to 85), during which he clandestinely 

organized the Myanmar students to 

work behind Aung San Suu Kyi and 

in collaboration with Bo Mya’s Karen 

insurgent group. . . . He also trained in 

Hong Kong the student leaders from 

Beijing in mass demonstration techniques 

which they were to subsequently 

use in the Tiananmen Square incident 

of June 1989” and “is now believed to 

be acting as an adviser to the Falun 

Gong, the religious sect of China, in 

similar civil disobedience techniques.” 

Col. Helvey nominally retired from the 

army in 1991, but had been working 

with Albert Einstein and Soros long 

before then. 

Yet, as Mowat demonstrates, Helvey was 

by no means the backbone of the Albert 

Einstein Institute, despite his heavy involvement. 

Indeed, AEI relies heavily 

on the work of one of the leading figures 

of color revolutionary theory, Dr. 

Gene Sharp. Mowat states: 

Reflecting Albert Einstein’s patronage, 

one of its first books was Dr. Sharp’s 

“Making Europe Unconquerable: The 

Potential of Civilian-Based Deterrence 

and Defense,” published in 1985 with 

a forward by George Kennan, the 

famous “Mr. X” 1940’s architect of the 

Cold War who was also a founder of 

the CIA’s Operations division. There, 

Sharp reports that “civilian-based defense” 

could counter the Soviet threat 

through its ability “to deter and defeat 

attacks by making a society ungovernable 

by would be oppressors” and “by 

maintaining a capacity for orderly 

self-rule even in the face of extreme 

threats and actual aggression.” He illustrates 

its feasibility by discussing the 

examples of the Algerian independence 

in 1961 and the Czechoslovakian resistance 

to Soviet invasion in 1968- 

9. In his forward, Kennan praises 

Sharp for showing the “possibilities 

of deterrence and resistance by civilians” 

as a “partial alternative to the 

traditional, purely military concepts 

of national defense.” The book was 

promptly translated into German, 

Norwegian, Italian, Danish, and other 

NATO country languages. See the link 

to the Italian translation of the book 

(Verso un’Europa Inconquistabile. 190 

pp. 1989 Introduction by Gianfranco 

Pasquino) that sports a series of fashionable 

sociologists and “politologists” 

prefacing the book and calling for a 

civil resistance to a possible Soviet invasion 

of Italy. 

Such formulations suggest that Albert 

Einstein activities were, ironically, coherent 

(or, possibly updating) the infamous 

NATO’s “Gladio” stay-behind 

network, whose purpose was to combat 

possible Soviet occupation through a 

Gene Sharp, founder of Albert Einstein 

Institution, recipient of Ford Foundation 

grants, International Republican Institute, 

& National Endowment for Democracy. 

Photo: Mattias Lundblad 


16

panoply of military and nonmilitary 

means. The investigations into Gladio, 

and those following the 1978 assassination 

of former Prime Minister Aldo 

Moro, also shed some light (immediately 

switched off) on a professional 

possibly concurrently with his position 

apparatus of destabilization that had 

at the Albert Einstein Institution, the 

been invisible for several decades to 

Washington-based Center for Strategic 

the public. 

and International Studies (CSIS) reports 

that Gen. Atkeson, who also ad- 

Achieving in civilian form what had 

It is noteworthy that the former deputy 

vised CSIS on “international security,” 

not been possible militarily is the whole 

chief of intelligence for the US Army 

served as “national intelligence officer 

purpose of the color revolution, despite 

in Europe, Major General Edward 

for general purpose forces on the staff 

the fact that military involvement may 

Atkeson, first “suggested the name ‘ci- 

of the director of Central Intelligence.” 

follow the initial destabilization cam- 

vilian based defense’ to Sharp,” John 

paign. Learning the ins and outs of the 

M. McCartney, Coordinator of the 

A 1990 variant of Sharp’s book, 

color revolution technique, however, 

Nonviolent Action for National Defense 

“Civilian-Based Defense: A Post- 

will provide a much needed service 

Institute, reports in his group’s CBD 

Military Weapons System,” the Albert 

in terms of preventing that goal from 

News and Opinion of March 1991. By 

Einstein Institution re-ports, “was used 

being met. 

1985, Gen. Atkeson, then retired from 

in 1991 and 1992 by the new indepen- 

the US Army, was giving seminars 

dent governments of Estonia, Latvia, 

Notes 

at Harvard entitled “Civilian-based 

and Lithuania in planning their defense 

1.Mowat, Jonathan. “A New Gladio In 

Defense and the Art of War.” 

against Soviet efforts to regain control.” 

Action.” Online Journal. Reposted by 

ColorRevolutionandGeoPoli-tics.blogspot. 


The Albert Einstein Institution reports, 

in its “1994-99 Report on Activities,” 

that Gen. Atkeson also served on 

Einstein’s advisory board in those 

years. Following his posting as the head 

of US Army intelligence in Europe, and 

As we shall see below, with such backing, 

Col. Helvey and his colleagues have 

created a series of youth movements 

including Otpor! in Serbia, Kmara! 

in Georgia, Pora! in Ukraine, and the 

like, which are already vi-rally replicating 

other sects throughout the former 

Soviet Union, achieving in civilian form 

what had not been possible militarily in 

the 1980s. The groups are also spreading 

to Africa and South America. 2 

com. Accessed on July 3, 2013. 

See also, Tarpley, Webster G. Obama: The 

Postmodern Coup. Mowat, Jonathan. 

“A New Gladio In Action: ‘Swarming 

Adolescents.’” Progressive Press. 2008. Pp. 

243-270. 

2. Mowat, Jonathan. “A New Gladio In 

Action.” Online Journal. Reposted by 

ColorRevolutionandGeoPoli-tics.blogspot. 

com. Accessed on July 3, 2013. 

See also, Tarpley, Webster G. Obama: The 

Postmodern Coup. Mowat, Jonathan. 

“A New Gladio In Action: ‘Swarming 

Adolescents.’” Progressive Press. 2008. Pp. 

248-250. 

17

TAKE ACTION 

“Today, the news is scandals; that is news, but the many 

children who don’t have food - that’s not news. This is grave. 

We can’t rest easy while things are this way.” – Pope Francis 

Indeed, this is no time to be uninvolved. There are many ways to make 

your voice be heard: social media, petitioning, demonstrations, letters 

to Congress, blog posts, etc. Each of us can do our part to bring about 

positive changes in our lives.

It’s Easier Than You Think To 

Contact Your Legislators 


he 21st Century finds too many 

Americans plagued with apathy 

and complacency toward politics. 

We have become consumed with 

our daily lives and for many just with 

issues of basic survival. If we are to turn 

legislation in favor of corporations. The 

around the austerity imposed on citi- 

decision by the Supreme Court regard- 

zens by our government (federal, state, 

ing Citizens United secured the practice 

and local) and return to a prosperous 

of allowing individuals to anonymously 

country for any American willing to 

contribute to foundations and the fund- 

learn and work, then we must be dili- 

ing becomes unlimited! This is a fight 

gent in keeping constant communica- 

we must take up now. After all, our leg- 

tion with our legislators. 

islators all come up for reelection, and 

the elections from 2014 through 2016 

OUR LEGISLATORS DO LISTEN to 

are crucial. We must unite and take 

their constituents, especially during 

action now. 

or faxed directly to your legislators can 

an election year. So many Tea Party, 

be optimally dynamic. It only takes a 

Republican, and Democrat candidates 

WHAT CAN YOU DO? Attend meetings 

few minutes to send an email or make 

are under the thumb of huge corpo- 

of like-minded organizations in your 

a few calls. Make it a habit by doing it 

rations, Wall Street financiers, bil- 

community, run for your local school 

weekly and let your voice be heard! 


lionaires with wide open wallets, not 

to mention the American Legislative 

Exchange Council (ALEC) that write the 

board or city council, or just show up 

at a protest or demonstration to hold 

a sign about an issue you feel strongly 

about. If possible, attend your state’s 

legislative committee meetings or town 

hall meetings many legislators hold, 

especially during campaign season. 

Even if you can’t participate in this type 

of activism, you can do something! You 

can contact your legislators via email, 

fax, or phone. A link is provided below 

to contact directly your state’s legislators. 

A phone call speaking to your leg- 

TO GET YOU STARTED, 

THERE IS A SAMPLE ON 

THE NEXT PAGE 

Personalize it with a specific issue and 

your own thoughts. Most legislators 

will ask for your name, city, state, and 

email address in order to send them an 

email. Most will also ask you to choose 

an issue category from a drop-down 

box on the site. 

Use These Links to Find Your Legislators 

islator or a member of his staff can be 

very effective. An email or letter mailed 

For House of Representatives: http:// 

www.house.gov/representatives/#state 

For the Senate: http://www.senate.gov/ 

general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm 

19

Dear (Senator or Representative) 

____________: 

I am writing to you today with concern about _____________. 

(Fill in the blank with the issue you are writing to him/her about.) This 

issue is important to me because (insert a personal story here if 

possible or state that as a citizen you are for/against the specific issue.) 

As a constituent, I follow closely the issues that are affecting the 

United States. 

I hope I can give you my support in the next election as a 

candidate who is agreeable to the issues that are important to 

me and to the State of ___. Thank you. 

Sincerely, 

(Provide your name.)

LETTERS TO THE CHEF 

A special section that combines both delicious recipes to enjoy and 

recipes of uplifting ideas for turning the tide from austerity to 

prosperity for all hard-working Americans.

Recipe for Economic 

Development and American 

Revolution: 21 st Century Style 

ALAIN LAREAU 

elcome to the launch of 

W.A.R., the World Austerity 

Report. I am pleased to acclaim 

we enjoy the association of a 

group of very talented and dedicated 

editors. I take this opportunity to call 

Steak, which is tough if you treat it as a 

on all activists of goodwill to bring 

sirloin. My grandmother fed me a lot of 

many submissions of articles and essays 

Cube Steak (similar to Chuck) but she 

to our editorial board as we endeavor to 

always made it taste good with a light 

Ingredients 

cover a broad range of austerity-related 

brown sauce. 

Bone in Chuck Roast, thicker the better, 

topics. 

2 in. if you can get it. Potatoes (peeled 

There are delicious meals to be had 

or not). Carrots (chopped or not). 

Austerity must STOP. Economic 

with the non-sirloin beef cuts at the 

Onions (this is the best part) whole or 

Prosperity may be had as long as we 

market, and when cost for the budget 

in half Salt perhaps as much as 1/3 of a 

demonstrate the political will to bring 

is an issue you may want to know about 

cup or more. 

it forth. As I am hoping to whet your ap- 

this one particular meal I enjoyed when 

petite, I will start with “THE RECIPE” 

I was young: Chuck Roast dinner with 

Equipment Needed 

Potatoes, Onions, and Carrots. 

The classic oval enameled roasting pan 

Chained CPI got you down? 

with cover. 

Many will say the source definition of 

Tired of eating Cat Food? 

the word “recipe” is to “get, or gather, 

Technique 

together,¨ so it IS a list but not JUST a 

Hot Air Roasting with no water, with 

Wishing you could afford Steak? 

list. When I write down a recipe I often 

bone in roast rubbed with Salt. 

Do you wonder where is the political 

will to do a simple thing like raise the 

cap on the Social Security tax structure 

to keep the fund healthy? 

What should be our next move? 

AL’S BONE-IN CHUCK 

ROAST RECIPE 

format it with the intention of having 

it go into someone else’s recipe box. 

Some folks like to have the origin of 

the dish or the context of the cuisine 

at the top and, as a fellow born (1960) 

in a Massachusetts sea-coast town who 

learned it from his mom whose parents 

in turn were French-Canadian emigrants, 

I like to make a recipe personal 

and I also like to set a synopsis of both 

the equipment employed and/or the 

Instructions 

1) Roast at 375 degrees, meat only uncovered 

for 60 minutes at least, but Add 

a little water (no more than 1/8 cup) at 

30-45 minutes. 

2) After 1 hour of cooking time, Add 

vegetables, placing onions atop the 

roast. 


So first the SIZZLE. Are you like me- do 

philosophy employed. Very important 

3) Check every 20 minutes & add more 

you love a good steak? I enjoy a nice red 

to some people! I will also include the 

water if needed. 

Sirloin when I can afford it, but often 

challenge of a recipe —do it up right— 

I purchase the Round Steak when the 

anyway, if it it’s not a challenge, why 

4) After 1 hour, add 1/8 cup or more 

budget permits. 

bother? 

water and cover (slight steam pressure 

drives flavor back into the meat). 

What about that other beef, the Chuck 

22


Note 

If roast is large may roast 2-1/2 hours, 

then pull meat and soft vegetables out 

and set aside to keep warm. 

5) Add water to pan to fill to 1/2-3/4 

inches 

6) On stove, boil the potatoes and recover 

meat drippings 10 min., longer 

if you want softer potatoes. Serve as 

platter meal at family table. If it comes 

out right you will know it, I promise. 

There it is. 

Keeping the water at just the right 

amounts and carefully watching the 

progress of this dish is the secret to 

this meal. Quite a meal it is too, but 

add water too soon and too much and 

you wasted your time. 

AN ECONOMIC RECIPE 

The word ‘recipe’ as we said, can be interpreted 

as to “get, or gather, together.” 

So it is a list; that is the way we see them 

most often but a recipe needs to also 

describe method and technique. When 

cooks pass their recipes back and forth 

they change them a little each time. We 

are not afraid of too many cooks in the 

kitchen and when we are proud of our 

recipes we allow and welcome testing 

and modification. 

I boast that I know how to generate 

a true and real economic prosperity, 

where to find all the needed ingredients 

and that all budget cuts are unnecessary 

and counterproductive. 

Therefore, when budget cuts kill it 

constitutes murder. This introduction 

of “The Recipe” is intended to be spread 

as an invitation for discussion that can 

transform and reshape itself as the 

banter develops in the same fashion 

as the cooks and chefs would do with 

their recipes. There is a section of our 

population that is of particular risk. the current rhetoric describing that any 

We at United Front Against Austerity proposed changes to Medicare or Social 

(UFAA) had recognized this during our Security will only affect programs of 

founding conference back in October of people below a certain specified age.” 

2012. We warned “Do not be fooled by I go on record, offering my personal 

perspective, telling you the elderly are 

in extreme danger and you must prepare 

now to defend them. I fear that if 

the people do not rally to protect the 

elderly the Nation may lose its soul. 

At the time you were not being told that 

the cuts proposed to Medicaid will hurt 

the most because that is how the nursing 

homes are funded. We made a call 

to action, no cuts are necessary and we 

are here to explain why and to tell what 

we can do instead. 

If our government were not in a state 

of hijack, it would be a simple matter 

of passing a bill to provide funding to 

Medicaid dispensations to people above 

a specified age expanded to provide for 

total needs, which makes sense because 

the total of our physical economy is bequeathed 

to us by all those gone before 

us. 

Do it up right - Al’s Recipe for Chuck Roast 

with Potatoes, Onions, & Carrots 

23

This means that the older ones among 

us have more right to its use than 

anyone else. The funding for this expenditure 

should come from revenue 

derived from Capital Gains Tax specifically 

because the piling up of monetary 

purchasing power garnered from the 

Capital Gains of financial instruments 

represent an extraction, a redistribution 

of wealth away from the people. 

A properly adjusted Capital Gains Tax 

commandeers this looting from the 

people back to the people and it is very 

moral to appropriate this to the elderly. 

Providing a boon to the geriatric care 

sector is a jobs program and since everyone 

gets old there can be no playing 

favorites here. This is a description 

of something you should expect to see 

in a sane economy. Alas, the government 

is in a state of hijack. The two 

major parties are in a state of hijack. 

The banks are in a state of hijack. The 

news media is in a state of hijack, even 

the universities are in a state of hijack. 

So an increase in the Capital Gains tax 

rate is not (politically) feasible; another 

way must be found. 

The means of funding must make sense 

to the broad majority of citizens and 

since we cannot rely on party pundits 

or media outlets, we need to do this 

ourselves. The answer UFAA has come 

up with is a Transaction Tax on the quadrillion 

dollar turnover on Wall Street 

where presently no sales tax is levied at 

all. Let the popular name for this push 

be “The 1% Wall Street Sales Tax.” The 

slogan may be “Stop The Cuts-Tax Wall 

Street.” Keep in mind this will have to 

be accomplished in an environment 

where the massive fraud and looting 

in the banking and investment sector 

has brought no prosecutorial response 

from government whatsoever. 

We warned: 

The austerity push is coming down 

the pike regardless of who is winning 

the Presidential election or wining the 

control of Congress. There is no time to 

lose; you must begin organizing now. 

We will develop for you a step-by-step 

description of all the necessary ingredients 

for a full blast economic recovery. 

After all, where is the will of our current 

legislators to raise the cap on the Social 

Security tax structure to keep the fund 

healthy? Would that not be an excellent 

“next move”¨ to protect this “right” for 

all Americans? Join in the banter. Let 

many chime in here and there, tweak 

the Recipe, make it your own. Pass it on 

to your children. Please feel free to contact 

UFAA. We welcome your Letters to 

the Editor or even Letters to the Chef. 

Let’s come up with more ingredients to 

make this recipe of ”NO AUSTERITY” 

a success for every citizen of America. 


24

POLICY & PROGRAM 

“Power concedes nothing without a demand!” 

– Frederick Douglass

1% Wall Street Sales Tax: Big 

Banks Caused This Crisis, Make 

Them Pay 

BRANDON TURBEVILLE 

s the March 1 deadline rapidly 

approaches for what has been 

termed the “Sequestration,” the 

majority of Americans seem unable to 

do anything other than sit idly by and 

While not openly labeled as Austerity 

wonder to themselves what programs 

measures, the growing cuts to the 

and agencies will be cut under the guise 

American social safety net and U.S. 

of “balancing the budget,” “reducing 

critical infrastructure coupled with 

afford to maintain a social safety net 

the deficit,” and “cutting government 

alarming increases in taxes for low 

system without vastly increasing taxes 

spending.” 

income to upper middle income work- 

or simply abolishing the program alto- 

ers should leave no doubt as to what 

gether are reported back to uninformed 

Unfortunately, by applying terminolo- 

is actually taking place within the 

constituencies of both political parties 

gy to the latest “crisis” in Congress such 

United States. Although nomenclature 

to be parroted back to them in times 

as the “Debt Ceiling,” “Fiscal Cliff,” and 

and terminology may be different in 

of national debate in the form of man- 

now the “Sequester,” the mainstream 

the public discourse, make no mis- 

dates and demands. 

media, along with the relevant govern- 

take that Americans have much more 

ment agents, major banks, and corpo- 

in common with the Greeks, Spanish, 

From Libertarians who oppose social 

rations, are able to hype the popula- 

Irish, and other Austerity victims than 

safety net programs on ideological 

tion into a state of hysteria and fear 

they may wish to admit. 

grounds (as promoted by the subversive 

(for those that actually pay attention 

Rockefeller family) and Conservatives 

to anything other than the latest tele- 

Largely at the forefront of any bud- 

who have money and expect to con- 

vision show) so that the general public 

getary discussion in the United States 

tinue to have money (hence the lack of 

will be thoroughly convinced that the 

only way to avoid imminent disaster is 

to reach a compromise in the form of 

cuts, firings, and a general reduction of 

standards of living. 

In reality, the creatively-named 

“Sequester” is nothing more than semantic 

jargon devised for purposes of 

the implementation of austerity measures 

against the American people. It is 

is the issue of government spending 

as it relates to programs such as 

Medicare, Social Security, Medicaid, 

Unemployment Insurance, Food 

Stamps, etc. – programs that have been 

given the politically charged name of 

“entitlement programs” in or-der to 

associate the spoiled child mentality 

with programs that have actually been 

funded by the taxes of working people 

during the course of an entire lifetime. 

concern for anyone who may not enjoy 

their level of comfort at the moment) 

to Socialists who are willing to bleed 

the average citizen for every-thing he is 

worth (for little in return but that which 

government decides is appropriate) and 

Liberals who are willing to both fleece 

taxpayers and compromise the programs 

these taxes would allegedly go 

to support, it is clear that the working 

men and women of the United States 


quite clear that, although the Sequester 

and those who have been victimized 

itself exempts many social safety net 

Constant propaganda from both pil- 

by Wall Street parasitism and the folly 

programs in terms of its automatic 

lars of the left/right paradigm have 

of Free Trade are left completely alone 

spending cuts pending a failure of 

contributed to the brainwashing of 

and to themselves. 

Congress to reach an agreement, the 

the American population regarding the 

social safety net is very much on the 

programs mentioned above. Most nota- 

Yet, amongst all of the reasons put for- 

table in the course of those discussions. 

bly, claims that the United States cannot 

ward as justification for the dismantling 

26

of the social safety net, few mention the 

Wall Street bailouts and the $27 trillion 

worth of credit ex-tended to bankrupt 

institutions under the concept of “too 

big to fail.” Likewise, few tend to mention 

the financial costs of administer- 

the tax should be split evenly be-tween 

ing a global war of terror on virtually 

the Federal government and the States. 

every continent or the development and 

maintenance of a police state here at 

The following is a brief explanation of 

home. Neither are the consequences 

how this program would achieve such 

of prosecuting an unbelievably stupid 

a lofty goal and how it should be imple- 

though it had earned profits of $4.4 bil- 

and non-productive War on Drugs dis- 

mented in order to achieve maximum 

lion. Yet it also received a tax refund 

cussed when it comes to questions of 

effect. In short, it is the argument for 

from the IRS. In BoA’s case, however, 

what should be cut from the Federal 

the creation and implementation of the 

the refund was to the sum of $1.9 bil- 

budget. 

Wall Street Sales Tax. 

lion. It should also be pointed out that 

Instead, the talk immediately turns to 

the social safety net and the programs 

THE CASE FOR THE WALL 

STREET SALES TAX 

BoA received over $45 billion from the 

U.S. Treasury and $1.3 trillion in zero 

interest credit from the Federal Reserve 

that are currently keeping millions of 

during the “financial crisis” of 2008. 

Americans alive. 

1) Wall Street Pays No Tax 

BoA was able to repeat their tax dodge 

Wall Street banks are, by definition, 

again in 2011. 

Yet there is a more immediate and pref- 

corporations. However, like most major 

erable way to address the concerns re- 

corporations that are supposed to pay 

Likewise, Citigroup paid 0% Corporate 

garding the social safety net than any 

a 35% tax on their profits, Wall Street 

Income Tax on $4 billion profits while 

raise in taxes on an American popula- 

banks pay almost none of the Corporate 

Wells Far-go paid nothing for at least 

tion that is already taxed to death or 

Income Tax. That is, many of them pay 

the years 2008, 2009, and 2010. Tarpley 

by the dismantling of the social safety 

nothing at all. 

writes: 

net system. 

For instance, according to statistics 

Another spectacular example of Wall 

This new method of support for the 

procured by Senator Bernie Sanders 

Street’s tax dodges is General Electric, 

social safety net system is as simple as 

of Vermont and Citizens for Tax Justice, 

which long ago ceased being an indus- 

the Wall Street Sales Tax, a move which 

Goldman Sachs, one of the most infa- 

trial corporation and became a hedge 

would solve both the “crisis” of the 

mous zombie institutions, only paid 

fund in drag, built around its financial 


social safety net as well as the general 

budgetary crisis at all levels of government 

in the United States of America. 

The Wall Street Sales Tax should be 

applied at the rate of 1% to financial 

market trans-actions such as stocks, 

bonds, flash trading, e-trading, highfrequency 

trading, debt instruments, 

and the notional value of derivatives. A 

reasonable exemption of $1 million per 

person per year should be enacted in 

1.1% tax on its total profits in 2008, 

the year of the worldwide derivatives 

crisis. Although Goldman Sachs actually 

earned a profit of $2.3 billion that 

year, it also received a $278 million tax 

refund from the IRS. 

As Webster Griffin Tarpley points out: 

This scandalous situation did not prevent 

Lloyd Blankfein, Goldman’s boss, 

arm, GE Capital. 

GE racked up worldwide profits of 

$14.2 billion in 2010, but managed to 

avoid the federal corporate in-come 

tax completely. Instead, GE accountants 

were able to secure a $3.2 billion 

refund from the US Treasury. This 

happened even though GE was laying 

off 21,000 US workers and closing 20 

US factories over the years 2007-2009. 

order to prevent the placement of taxes 

from appearing on CBS television to 

on individuals who shift around per- 

demand draconian cuts in the meager 

And these results were typical of GE’s 

sonal financial assets or make invest- 

entitlement payments received by the 

performance over the most recent 

ments for their 401(k) or other retire- 

poor, the sick, and the old. 

decade: GE paid a 2.3% tax rate on 

ment account. The 1% tax should be paid 

profits during 2002-2011, and suc- 

by the seller of the instrument, not the 

In 2010, Bank of America (BoA)also 

ceeded in paying zero federal corpo- 

buyer, and the proceeds accrued from 

paid no Corporate Income Tax even 

rate income tax in 2002, 2008, 2009, 

27

and 2010 (See Citizens for Tax Justice 

and Jake Tapper, “General Electric Paid 

No Federal Tax-es in 2010,” ABC News, 

March 25, 2011). 

The scandal is especially despicable 

because GE boss Jeffrey Immelt was 

serving as Obama’s business liaison 

in his capacity as Chairman of the 

White House Council on Jobs and 

Competitiveness. Rapacious predators 

like Immelt apparently believe that 

good corporate citizenship starts with 

evading all taxes. 

All of this open tax evasion is, of course, 

contrasted by the meticulous methodology 

used to fleece the average American 

taxpayer for every single cent possible. 

However, aside from the obvious person-al 

income/corporate income discrepancy, 

Wall Street banks also pay no 

sales tax on their immense number of 

transactions that occur in the form of 

derivatives, stocks, bonds, debt instruments, 

and other so-called “financial 

products.” 

derivatives which cross the exchanges 

in New York and Chicago, as well as the 

over-the-counter derivatives which are 

contracted behind the scenes. If sacrifices 

are required, this is obviously the 

place to start. 

Obviously, when the suggestion is made 

regarding the implementation of a tax 

on such a wide variety of financial instruments 

and such a powerful cartel 

of corporate and banking interests, the 

next logical question turns toward the 

possibility and method of successful 

implementation. 

Thus, it is important to note that between 

the years of 1914 and 1966, 

the U.S. Federal government did 

successfully implement a financial 

transaction tax of between 0.04% 

(0.0004) and 0.1% (0.001). Although 

the amount of tax percentage is much 

smaller than the 1% being discussed in 

this article, the ability of the Federal 

government to operate and maintain 

such a tax is clearly demonstrated. 

Indeed, current tax policy shows that 

the U.S. Federal government is still 

capable of maintaining a tax on financial 

transactions as the Section 31 fee, a 

minute tax of 0.0034% on stock transactions 

is used to fund the Securities and 

Exchange Commission (SEC). In 1998, 

this amazingly small tax brought in $1.8 

billion to fund the SEC. 

This, of course, is in direct contrast to 

the fact that individual Americans pay 

any-where from 6% to 12% on transactions 

involving a variety of goods ranging 

from entertainment to necessity, 

even groceries in some areas, depending 

on the state. As Tarpley writes in 

this regard: 

This outdated approach goes back to 

when the stock and bond markets were 

considered capital markets. But today, 

in the ear of high frequency trading 

and flash trading in which one computer 

can carry out a million traders 

per second using algorithms, we are obviously 

dealing with a high-tech gambling 

casino that poses grave dangers 

to the public. 

In short, the greatest single flow of untaxed 

money is the stocks, bonds, and 

New York State even has a very small 

financial transaction tax on their law 

books that brings in close to $25 billion 

per year according to some estimates 

but, ever since the 1970s, all of 

the money earned by this tax is given 

straight back to the Wall Street bankers 

due to threats made by financial 

institutions that they will move their 

operations to another state in order to 

avoid the tax. It should be pointed out, 

of course, that a nationwide Federal tax 

Trader on the floor of the New York Stock 

Exchange (NYSE) 

Photo: AP 


28

would effectively neutralize any threats 

by financial institutions to move outside 

of New York or any other state in order 

to negotiate lower or no taxation. 

Another important point is that, for the 

most part, financial instruments such 

as stocks, bonds, futures, options, and 

indices (and virtually all of their other 

various incarnations and combinations) 

are traded through public exchanges. 

Thus, they can easily be tracked for the 

purposes of taxation. 

Yet, as Webster Tarpley points out, “the 

real mother lode of transactions is to be 

found in the area of derivatives.” 

Unfortunately, because the main applicable 

legislation in regards to “over-thecounter 

derivatives,” the Dodd-Frank 

Bill, fails to force the institutions and 

individuals engaging in such trades to 

report them, it is somewhat harder to 

determine the actual amount of these 

instruments. This is also partly because 

“over-the-counter derivatives” “take 

the form of private contracts between 

counterparties.” 

stand “in excess of two quadrillion dollars 

in notional value.” Other estimates 

put the notional value of derivatives in 

the range of six to seven quadrillion 

dollars due to the fact that these derivatives 

are constantly being bought 

and sold. 

The revenue that would be generated 

from a 1% Wall Street Sales Tax could be 

expected to reach a figure of approximately 

tens of trillions of dollars. 

Of course, any new form of taxation on 

the trading of financial products would 

more likely than not cause the amount 

of trading currently taking place to go 

down ) with some possibly ceasing altogether). 

Even in this event, it is reasonable 

to assume that the Wall Street Sales 

Tax would still provide several trillion 

dollars in tax revenue. 

2) The Wall Street Sales Tax Discourages 

Dangerous Forms of Speculation 

As mentioned above, the implementation 

of a 1% Wall Street Sales Tax would 

naturally cause the amount of trading 

of the affected financial instruments 

to go down. It is even possible that the 

trading of some exotic forms of these 

instruments may cease altogether. But, 

while this may seem to present a problem 

in terms of reduced tax revenue, 

this should largely be the only concern. 

Even so, as mentioned previously, the 

expected revenue of the 1% Wall Street 

Sales Tax is still in the figure of several 

trillion dollars. 


Thus, due to the lack of reliability on 

the exact number of these instruments, 

it should be specified that the 1% Wall 

Street Sales Tax should be paid by the 

seller, not the buyer. Furthermore, 

it should be specified that any overthe-counter 

derivatives contracts for 

which the 1% Wall Street Sales Tax has 

not been paid cannot be enforced in 

a court of law. This would effectively 

mean that, if the seller of an over-thecounter 

derivative does not pay the 1% 

Wall Street Sales Tax on his product, 

the buyer that loses out on the derivative 

would then be able to legally back 

out of the deal with the backing of the 

law, thus turning the tax-dodging seller 

into the ultimate loser. 

Still, it is fundamentally important to 

understand that the reduction in derivatives 

trading, computer-based transactions, 

and speculation is by no means a 

negative development. After all, it was 

derivatives that were responsible for 

the 2008 financial crisis that has spread 

and continues to spread concurrently 

across the entire globe. Financial speculation 

has been responsible for the rise 

in consumer prices in staple goods and 

as well as those goods that have become 

virtual necessities in today’s society. In 

Dr. Webster G. Tarpley, economist, 

historian, author, activist, journalist, 

lecturer, multilingual, Fulbright Scholar. 

According to Webster Tarpley’s estimates, 

world derivatives currently 

29

addition, debt instruments have been 

instrumental in attacking the currency 

and economic stature of sovereign 

nations. 1 

Thus, if the trends of speculation, derivatives 

trading, computerized trans- 

the U.S. Constitution clearly enumer- 

actions, and debt instruments are re- 

ates the ability of Congress to impose 

duced or even eliminated, one would 

such taxes. It states: 

be hard-pressed to provide a clear and 

convincing argument outside of the 

The Congress shall have Power to lay 

undying respect and love for the U.S. 

most militant ideology that could jus- 

and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and 

Constitution should recognize the 1% 

tify their return. Even in the unlikely 

Excises, to pay the Debts and provide 

Wall Street Sales Tax as an opportunity 

event that projected tax revenue does 

for the common Defence and general 

to both reduce the Federal and State 

not reach the levels estimated in this ar- 

Welfare of the United States; but all 

budget deficit as well as the influence of 

ticle and by economists such as Webster 

Duties, Imposts and Excises shall be 

Wall Street in a clearly Constitutional 

Tarpley, the reduction in the financial 

uniform throughout the United States. 

manner. 

instruments listed above should itself 

be considered a positive outcome. 

Thus, the 1% Wall Street Sales Tax exists 

4) The 1% Wall Street Sales Tax Largely 

well within Constitutional boundar- 

Solves the Budget Deficit and Social Safety 

As Tarpley writes: 

ies. Any challenges to the 1% Wall Street 

Net Funding Crisis 

Sales Tax would effectively seal their 

The Congressional Budget Office has 

A society which taxes the sales of indus- 

own fate before getting off the ground 

estimated the U.S. Federal Budget 

trial manufacturing and agricultural 

due to hundreds of years of legal prece- 

Deficit at the end of 2012 at close to $1.1 

products, but which establishes a tax 

dent and clearly defined (in this regard) 

Trillion dollars. In addition, each U.S. 

exemption for speculation, derivatives, 

cases of imposed taxation. In the case 

state maintains a budget deficit (with 

and financial services has tilted the 

of the 1% Wall Street Sales Tax, there 

the exception of Alaska, Arkansas, 

playing field in favor of a parasitical 

is no legitimate Constitutional or legal 

Montana, North Dakota, West Virginia, 

casino economy of the type which has 

argument against its implementation. 

and Wyoming) measured in the mil- 

historically led to widespread immis- 

lions to billions of dollars. As reported 

eration and recurring financial panics. 

Any individual that argues against the 

by Stateline, the news reporting agency 

implementation of the 1% Wall Street 

of the Pew Charitable Trusts, the total 

3) The 1% Wall Street Sales Tax Is 

Sales Tax, without subsequently argu- 

of all State budget deficits combined 

Completely Constitutional 

Acknowledging the many legitimate 

issues taken with the Income Tax by individuals 

across the political spectrum, 

the fact is that the Constitutional question 

of taxation is not applicable to the 

1% Wall Street Sales Tax. Although the 

16th Amendment clearly allows for the 

collection of an income tax, there does 

exist some controversy as to whether 

or not the individual is required to pay 

ing for the removal of all forms of taxation, 

is essentially lobbying for a double 

standard between individual citizen 

la-borers and Wall Street Parasites. To 

agitate against the Wall Street Sales Tax 

is to agitate for taxation on the transactions 

of the poorest citizen while, at 

the same time, providing a free ride for 

rich bankers and vampiric financial institutions. 

This agitation, if realized, 

would entirely remove the burden of 

equals $111.9 billion. 

However, while a $1.112 trillion 

American budget deficit at first sounds 

like an impossible number to bring 

under control, one must bear in mind 

the estimates of just the initial revenue 

from the 1% Wall Street Sales Tax. As 

mentioned above, such proceeds are 

conservatively projected to reach the 

level of several trillions of dollars. More 


this tax by law. Setting that issue aside, 

funding the Federal and State govern- 

optimistic and even per-haps more ac- 

however, there is no controversy sur- 

ments off the shoulders of the wealthy 

curate estimates suggest revenue in the 

rounding the Constitutional applica- 

Wall Street bankers and thrust it onto 

range of tens of trillions of dollars. 

tions of the various Sales Taxes cur- 

the backs of the poor, working, and 

rently in effect. 

middle class alone. 

With proceeds of these numbers divided 

evenly between the Federal govern- 

ARTICLE 1, SECTION 8, CLAUSE 1 of 

Those individuals who state their 

ment and the States, both the Federal 

30

and State budget deficits could be eliminated 

after the first intake of revenue 

is completed, all without cutting and 

gutting the social safety net, reducing 

the desired results and moral implica- 

military spending, or slowing the oper- 

tions of such a program, Austerity mea- 

ation of government agencies. With the 

sures are inherently foolish in terms 

proceeds of the 1% Wall Street Sales Tax 

of reducing deficits and funding pro- 

flooding the coffers of Federal, State, 

grams in that this method has failed on 

one being proposed by various sources 

and Local governments, proponents of 

every occasion where it has been imple- 

such as David Altman of the New York 

Austerity measures could then be seen 

mented. In reality, Austerity measures 

Times, presents numerous undesirable 

as the irrational pro-monopolistic agi- 

only create bigger budget deficits and 

effects in addition to falling short of at- 

tators that they are. 

financial crises in the next fiscal year. 

taining any real revenue. Any program 

Regardless of the success or failure of 

that would require such an extensive 

5) The 1% Wall Street Sales Tax Is The Best 

Austerity, however, such methods are 

census of personal wealth and taxable 

Option 

the antithesis to those who desire a 

assets is not only bound to face innu- 

Broadly speaking in terms of the social 

rational, civilized society. Any discus- 

merable Constitutional challenges, it 

safety net programs and Federal and 

sion of Austerity must immediately be 

will require a virtual police state to en- 

State budget deficit issues being dis- 

dismissed as foolishness and insanity. 

force and administer. Regardless, it is 

cussed during Congressional side- 

also a fact that wages are much harder 

shows such as the “Sequestration,” the 

Likewise, any discussion of raising the 

to hide from government investigation 

1% Wall Street Sales Tax is not only 

income tax or the implementation of 

than other forms of income and assets 

the best option in terms of conve- 

a Federal Sales Tax (other than the 1% 

such as those favored by rich elitists 

nience, fairness, and positive results, 

Wall Street Sales Tax) should immedi- 

who are able to hide their assets away 


it is the only method capable of actually 

achieving the goals for which it is 

created. Competing approaches either 

fail to achieve the necessary revenue, 

levy unfair taxation, or produce results 

which are entirely counter to any rationally 

desired outcome. 

The most obviously abhorrent method 

of reducing or eliminating the budget 

deficit and managing the funding of 

ately be abandoned. Higher taxation on 

an already overtaxed citizenry will only 

serve to reduce the amount of economic 

activity in the long run and to further 

burden those suffering the most in what 

can only be described as a worldwide 

economic depression. Propositions such 

as the Fair Tax should be included in 

this delineation as they are by nature 

regressive taxation and impose heavier 

burdens on the poor, working, and 

in various offshore accounts, funds, 

and foundations, thus continuing 

to leave massive loopholes for Wall 

Street parasites and wealthy financiers 

while cracking down upon the average 

American worker. Even if the Wealth 

Tax is able to accrue the optimum 

amount of money its proponents argue 

it can deliver, it pales in comparison to 

the 1% Wall Street Sales Tax in that it 

could not exceed over several hundred 

the social safety net is that of Austerity. 

lower classes. These types of taxation 

billion dollars of yearly revenue. The 1% 

This approach is, essentially, the cut- 

cut only into the amenities of the rich 

Wall Street Sales Tax on the other hand, 

ting of services, government labor, and 

but cut deeply into the necessities of the 

is estimated to rake in several trillion 

government spending which is more 

poor despite tools like the “prebate” dis- 

in revenue at the very least. 

often than not accompanied by an in- 

cussed by proponents of the Fair Tax. 

crease in the taxes of the lower, work- 

It should also be pointed out that the 1% 

ing, and middle class. Even aside from 

In the same vein, a Wealth Tax, like the 

Wall Street Sales Tax is the only option 

31

that actually discourages dangerous 

speculation and encourages tangible 

production. 

CONCLUSION 

of a police state at home. In addition, 

the United States faces increasing economic 

destabilization, unemployment, 

fraudulent food shortage, health and 

healthcare crises, environmental deg- 

of civilization as we know it and subsequent 

imposition of Fascism on a global 

scale. 

As Greece, Spain, Ireland, and many 


radation, and the ultimate collapse of 

others continue to be hammered 

The United States now finds itself in an 

the availability and the ability to pro- 

by Austerity measures, the United 

unmistakable crisis situation. Caught in 

vide for the basic necessities of life. In 

States is falling prey to the same phi- 

the grips of a worldwide economic de- 

short, the United States (along with 

losophies and political smokescreens. 

pression, the U.S. now faces the perils of 

the rest of the world) is facing the very 

Yet, the United States stands at an 

imperialism abroad and the imposition 

real possibility of a complete collapse 

even greater disadvantage than its 

32

European counterparts due to the fact 

that Americans are unfortunately still 

unable to understand the nature and 

dangers of Austerity. Thus, the dismantling 

of what was once the economic 

powerhouse of the world is taking place 

The 1% Wall Street Sales Tax is the sole 

virtually unbeknownst to those who 

method that can attract revenue in the 

stand to become its greatest victims. 

range of tens of trillions of dollars ca- 

SOLUTIONS 

pable of fully funding the social safety 

net and the U.S. government as well 

inject and promote economic solutions 

based upon the American System of 

as effectively eliminating the budget 

Economics, independent of the false 

In relation to the crisis of the social 

deficit at the Federal and State levels. 

left/right paradigm and the two existing 

safety net as well as the U.S. and State 

All of this while discouraging danger- 

major parties. 

budget deficit, that solution exists in the 

ous forms of speculation and deriva- 

form of the 1% Wall Street Sales Tax. 

tives trading. Contrary to many other 

As Paul Adams writes for Activist Post: 

proposals being floated in the public 

Most of the current American finan- 

arena by often questionable sources, 

Contrary to what many popular and 

cial quagmire can be traced back to 

the 1% Wall Street Sales Tax is entirely 

pessimist economists say, the U.S. and 

the antics and schemes of Wall Street 

Constitutional. 

world economies can return to boom- 

at some point or other. The lack of adequate 

funding for the U.S. government 

can be directly related to the fact that 

SUPPORT THE 1% WALL 

STREET SALES TAX 

ing economic growth within two or 

three months. Contrary to what the 

Malthusian global elites espouse, there 

the burden of funding falls on the backs 

can be plenty of food, clothing and 


of the poor, working, and middle class 

while Wall Street pays nothing. This 

free ride afforded to Wall Street must 

end. 

While the concept of taxing Wall Street 

turnover has been circulating for some 

time, the credit for the revision, fine 

tuning, and detailed articulation of the 

1% Wall Street Sales Tax should largely 

be given to Webster Griffin Tarpley. 

Currently agitation for the 1% Wall 

Street Sales Tax is being undertaken 

most notably by the United Front 

Against Austerity, a coalition of a wide- 

shelter for everyone once we support 

skilled labor and the production of real 

goods rather than cancerous financial 

speculation. 

Indeed, the solutions are there for the 

taking. However, since the political will 

does not currently exist among elected 

politicians and the Corporate Govern 

ment system obviously does not want 

to see them implemented, it is up to the 

ranging organizations attempting to 

American people to demand that the 

1% Wall Street Sales Tax immediately 

be enacted. 

Idle spectatorship is no longer an 

option. Active participation is the only 

legitimate path to take. 

33

EDUCATION 

Educators and education are under a relentless barrage of scams and 

undermine the foundation of public schools, a fundamentally sound 

Democratic American Institution. Ingrained in “education reform“ 

are curriculums of indoctrination , union-busting charter schools, 

and high-powered testing that lead to faulty data and segregation. 

Alleviating policies must be adopted around the wellbeing of children 

and teachers.

An Introduction To “Education 

Reform” 


n the name of reform, the democratic, 

public institution of education 

is being reduced to a narrow 

curriculum of national standards that 

have coerced American States into accepting 

them by claiming false suc- 

President George Bush’s No Child 

cesses and tying them to much-needed 

Left Behind initiative (NCLB), which 

federal funding. This “reform” is unfair 

has proven to simply be a utopia for 

to all but the privileged, and it is funded 

education. NCLB designated that 

typical classroom by placing them in 

and pushed unabashedly by wealthy 

every child, no matter what age or 

smaller classrooms and teaching them 

corporations and individuals to estab- 

skill level, with our without disability 

by specialized teachers. The charters 

lish for-profit schools that have been 

or English–speaking limitations, must 

would remain within the public school, 

filled with children who are over-tested. 

perform at 100% by the end of 2010. 

offer non-traditional teaching to help 

Just a few of the many facets of the im- 

Of course, the rhetoric of leaving no 

students with disabilities or behavior- 

plementation of this “reform” include: 

child behind sounds hopeful and pro- 

al issues or with low English-speaking 

ductive; however, we all know each of us 

skills to become successful, and would 

1) Common Core national standards 

has strengths, weaknesses, and varied 

be accountable to the public, just as 

2) Charter Schools and Vouchers 

skill levels that prevent the majority of 

public schools are accountable (Reign 

3) No Child Left Behind 

us from performing at 100% in all con- 

of Error, Diane Ravitch, 2013). 2 

4) Race to the Top 

tent areas: math, English/language arts, 

science, and social studies. NCLB set 

Prof. Budde’s idea was hijacked quickly 

The task of writing national standards, 

up American public schools for abject 

as charters were introduced, not to help 

currently for math and English/lan- 

failure. This “failure” of schools was a 

struggling students, but to be public or 


guage arts, began in 1996 and the 

Common Core standards adoption by 

States and implementation was completed 

by 2010. The National Education 

Association, by federal law, could not be 

involved; however, the standards were 

written by the National Association of 

Governors, led by then Governor Jeb 

Bush, and was heavily funded by the 

Gates Foundation, the Walton Family 

Foundation, the Eli Broad Foundation, 

setup for the encroaching destruction 

via the Common Core, charter schools, 

vouchers, for-profit training companies, 

and billionaires (such as Bill Gates 

who has been an outspoken proponent) 

intent on privatizing schools for tremendous 

profits. 1 

Charter schools have been wildly debated 

by State Legislatures, teachers’ 

unions, local school boards, and par- 

private schools with the objective of 

making money, and lots of it! Charters 

were set up as privatized, for-profit 

businesses at the expense of taxpayers, 

students, teachers, administrators, 

parents, and school boards. Private 

and public charters receive taxpayer 

funding, teachers do not always have 

to be certified by the Department of 

Instruction, they are not accountable 

to a locally elected school board—they 

and many other think tanks, corporations, 

and billionaires looking to 

ents over the past few years. The idea of 

charter schools was first introduced by 

basically do not have to conform to the 

legalities of public schools. 3 

broaden their power and assets by turning 

public education into a for-profit 

venture. 

Ray Budde, University of Massachusetts 

professor, et.al. in 1988. The idea was 

that charter schools would be estab- 

WHAT ABOUT THE 

VOUCHERS? 

lished to assist public schools by teach- 

Charter schools often provide vouchers 

Common Core was a result of then 

ing students who did not do well in a 

to under-privileged children in urban 

35

American classroom. 

Photo:AP David J Phillip 

settings, admit special education 

children, poor/low income children, 

and children with behavioral issues. 

How-ever, research has proven that the 

majority of charter schools will: 

grant money. Since so much of federal 

1) Not hire enough or any special educa- 

and state funding for public schools has 

tion teachers 

been cut, most states have been eager 

to apply for this grant. However, in 

2) Suspend or expel behaviorally chal- 

order to receive the grant, a State must 

lenged children after even a minor 

adopt the Common Core standards in 

infraction 

its entirety. 

3) Keep only students with high enough 

Each State applies and competes for this 

skill levels to pass 

grant and, once received the Common 

testing has been tied to teacher evalu- 

Core demands spending in excess of the 

4) Hire inexperienced, non-certified 

ations, which alone is unfair as teach- 

grant funds as each child is required 

teachers and overuse computers for 

ers have a wide range of students who 

to have a computer, each child must 

instruction 

cannot pass all the tests. Just as No 

take the multitude of tests online using 

Child Left Behind actually did the op- 

materials from Pearson Education or 

5) Pay their owners/presidents exorbitant 

posite and left many children behind 

PARCC that must be upgraded every 

salaries (e.g., Eva Moskowitz, President 

to flounder in this utopia, the testing 

three years. This puts a tremendous 

of Success Academy Charters, NYC earns 

annual salary of $475,000.) 4 

Charter schools are not more successful 

and have not proven to be better 

equipped to meet the needs of all children, 

but those pushing for the destruction 

of public schools continue to spew 

rhetoric and propaganda. 

THE STANDARD-BEARER 

OF OVERBEARING 

STANDARDS 

To be in compliance of the Common 

requirements have reduced children 

to robots memorizing data and regurgitating 

the information. This does not 

promote critical thinking or analysis 

skills, and this type of teaching and 

training has caused more students to 

experience anxiety and panic attacks, 

teachers are being unfairly terminated 

(when all students do not pass tests) and 

administrators have been dictated to 

about procedures, training, and teaching. 

Public schools have been closed as 

they are declared “failing” only to be 

replaced by for-profit charter schools. 5 

financial burden on schools, but especially 

on rural and poor school districts! 

I have really just scratched the surface 

and generally introduced you to 

the privatization scheme of our public 

schools. For the next World Austerity 

Report, I will provide deeper analysis 

of the roles played by Pearson 

Education Company, Microsoft, Teach 

for America, and the many foundations 

and individuals (i.e., Bill Gates, Arne 

Duncan, Michelle Rhee, et.al) that have 

poured billions of dollars and/or time 


Core standards, schools must adopt the 

into this scheme along with an update 

standards in their entirety, make no 

To complicate matters, President 

on actions many States, unions, orga- 

changes to the standards, and apply the 

Obama has continued this privatiza- 

nizations, and individuals are taking to 

myriad of testing to all students from 

tion scheme by demanding that states 

stop this profiteering. 

kindergarten through 12th grade. The 

compete for the Race to the Top federal 

36

Recommended Reading 

Reign of Error by Diane Ravitch, copyright 

2013 


http://edushyster.com/ (a blog by Jennifer 

Berkshire) 

http://preaprez.wordpress.com/ (a blog by 

Fred Klonsky) 

http://dianeravitch.net/category/ 

education-reform/ 

Footnotes 

1. Hughes, Polly. “Common Core: Walmart’s 

Answer to Education in the Age of 

Austerity.” AgainstAusterity.org. United 

Front Against Austerity, 17 July 2013. Web. 

Mar. 2014. http://againstausterity.org/ 

article/common-core-walmarts-answereducation-age-austerity 

2. Ravitch, Diane. Reign of Error: The 

Hoax of the Privatization Movement and 

the Danger to America’s Public Schools. 

Print. Reign of Error by Diane Ravitch 

3. Bidwell, Allie. “AFT, Advocacy Group 

Want More Accountability for Charters.” 

US News. U.S.News & World Report, 26 

Feb. 2014. Web. 25 Mar. 2014. http://www. 

usnews.com/news/articles/2014/02/26/ 

teachers-union-advocacy-group-call-formore-charter-school-accountability 

4. Monahan, Rachel. “Top 16 NYC Charter 

School Executives Earn More than 

Chancellor Dennis Walcott.” NY Daily 

News. New York Daily News, 26 Oct. 2013. 

Web. 25 Mar. 2014 http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/education/top-16-nyccharter-school-execs-out-earn-chancellordennis-walcott-article-1.1497717 

5. Schiffman, Lizzie. “Chicago 

Charter Schools Return Erratic State 

Test Results.” The Huffington Post. 

TheHuffingtonPost.com, 30 Nov. 2011. Web. 

25 Mar. 2014. http://www.huffingtonpost. 

com/2011/11/30/chicago-charter-schoolsr_n_1120683.html 

37

New York City: Propaganda 

Campaign Spends Millions to 

Save Charters 


losing public schools and opening 

private charter schools are 

very popular in many major 

American cities: Philadelphia, D.C., 

New Orleans, St. Louis, Chicago, New 

York, to name a few. Earlier last year, 

CHARTERS: PRIVATE 

INTERESTS, PUBLIC FUNDS 

then Mayor Rahm Emmanuel closed 

many Chicago schools, forcing chil- 

Private charters were opened in public 

of her schools AND he intends to charge 

dren to walk through neighborhoods 

schools, provided with space with- 

rent! The horror! 

of gangs to attend schools that were 

out paying rent, given public fund- 

hostile rivalries. Teachers fought back. 

ing, hired non-educators to teach 

So, what did Ms. Moskowitz do? With 

Students fought back – hard. But, 

and to run the schools while paying 

the help of Gov. Cuomo and several 

Emmanuel won and closed 47 public 

exorbitant salaries to the presidents 

wealthy benefactors, a whopping $3.6 

schools in June 2013. 

of the charters. Just look at this one: 

million has been spent on an ad cam- 

teacher/union-hating Eva Moskowitz, 

paign attempting to paint de Blasio as 

Meanwhile, a fight over public schools 

CEO of the Success Academy Charter 

a horrible mayor who is a racist and 

versus charter schools was brewing in 

Schools, earns a whopping $475,000 

wants to harm the poor, the down- 

New York City, a city that elected a new 

annual salary. Success Academy had 

trodden children in NYC! Two of the 

mayor last November, Bill de Blasio, 

22 charter schools when de Blasio was 

charters de Blasio denied were not even 

who deceptively ran as a progressive 

Democrat. On the education front, he 

ran on a promise of preschool education 

for every child in NYC paid for 

by a small (actually, tiny) tax on the 

wealthiest. That won him over by many 

teachers, their unions, and education 

activists. 

Former Mayor Bloomberg was on the 

same path as Rahm Emmanuel: de- 

elected. All 22 of these charters were 

co-located in public schools and paid 

no rent while receiving public taxpayer 

funding which, in turn, deprived public 

schools of needed funding. 

There are approximately 420,000 

school age children in New York City; 

of those, the 22 Success Academy charters 

taught only about 6,700 or .016% of 

all the school-age children! 

open, so there were no students to be 

hurt by an eviction from their schools, 

as the ads claim. 

Who won? According to The New 

York Times March 30, 2014 article 

“State Protections for Charter Schools 

Threaten de Blasio’s Education Goals” 

by Javier C. Hernandez, Cuomo and Eva 

won and the children lost. 


clare the failure of public schools, cut 

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo and 

funding to public schools, then close 

Last month, a firestorm was unleashed 

Republicans in the State Senate seized 

public schools and open charter schools 

when the mayor failed to renew three 

on the momentum, and on Saturday 

to “supposedly” provide the poor, the 

(yes, just three) of Eva Moskowitz’s char- 

they announced an agreement that 

minorities, the disabled with better op- 

ters. She was and is furious. Governor 

would provide charter schools in New 

tions and “choice.” Michael Bloomberg 

Cuomo, a Wall Street Democrat, was 

York City some of the most generous 

loved charter schools. 

furious. How dare he not renew all 22 

protections in the country. 

38


Under the deal, the city would be required 

to find space in public buildings 

for charter schools, which operate independently 

of the school district but 

receive public funds. If the city could 

not, it would have to cover the cost of 

renting private space, up to $40 million. 

Charter schools could challenge 

the city’s selection of space through an 

arbitration process. 

TREAD CAREFULLY 

DEBLASIO 

Now, I’m not all that fond of Bill de 

Blasio as he has proven to be a faux 

progressive. The Tax Wall Street Party 

had a candidate, Randy Credico, who 

ran on a platform of equality and civil 

rights. Credico would have fought hard 

to end the charter school takeover, and 

de Blasio made many misstatements 

about his “progressive” stances. At best, 

he’s been on the edge of issues and his 

appointment of the “stop and frisk” 

commissioner William Bratton was a 

hugely disappointing act of betrayal to 

his many minority supporters. 

Mayor de Blasio, though he should 

have closed many more charters, at 

least took a tiny step toward ridding 

NYC of three of the money-sucking, 

for-profit charters. But, the $3.6 million 

ad campaign against him is working. 

New Yorkers now, according to polls, 

apparently disapprove of de Blasio’s 

handling of education. 

We’ll be watching New York City and 

Mayor de Blasio very closely. Let’s push 

him to keep his campaign promises and 

beef up his actions with a steady, dedicated 

fight against charters for the most 

important reasons that public schools 

should be defended: the children. 

Sources 

Barro, Josh. “Is Bill De Blasio Really That 

Left Wing?” Houston Chronicle. Business 

Insider, 18 Sept. 2013. Web. 06 Apr. 2014. 

Karni, Annie. “Rivalry between Mayor De 

Blasio and Eva Moskowitz Stretches beyond 

Charter Schools.” NY Daily News. N.p., 16 

Mar. 2014. Web. 06 Apr. 2014. 

Klein, Rebecca. “Chicago Schools 

Transition-Smooth Or Rocky?” The 

Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 

09 Dec. 2013. Web. 06 Apr. 2014. 

Mazelis, Fred. “World Socialist Web Site.” 

New York’s “progressive” Mayor De Blasio 

Continues. International Com-mittee of the 

Fourth International, 3 Feb. 2014. Web. 06 

Apr. 2014. 

“Mission.” Success Academy. N.p., n.d. Web. 

06 Apr. 2014. 

“New York QuickFacts from the US Census 

Bureau.” New York QuickFacts from the US 

Census Bureau. USCB, n.d. Web. 06 Apr. 

2014. 

Ravitch, Diane. “The “New York Times” 

Misses the Big story about Millions for 

Charter TV Ad Campaign.” Diane Ravitch’s 

Blog. N.p., 20 Mar. 2014. Web. 06 Apr. 

2014. 

Ravitch, Diane. “Walton Foundation Hires 

Bloomberg Deputy.” Diane Ravitch’s Blog. 

N.p., 18 Sept. 2013. Web. 06 Apr. 2014. 

Torres, Alecy. “De Blasio Chooses Former 

Giuliani Police Commissioner to Head 

NYPD.” Http://www.nationalreview. 

com/. National Review, 5 Dec. 2013. Web. 

21 Mar. 2014. 

The New York Times: http://www.nytimes. 

com/2014/03/31/nyregion/state-protections-for-charter-schools-threaten-deblasios-education-goals.html 

Mayor Bill de Blasio puts up a 

weak defense against Gov. Cuomo’s 

campaign to keep all charters open at 

taxpayer expense 

39

SNEAK PEEK 

The Mass Strike Upsurge and the Impact 

on the U.S. Political System. 

The Nationalizing of the United States 

Federal Reserve 

The Need for a Fusion-Based Economy 

An update on the Situation in Ukraine and 

Crimea 

A New Section: Austerity Ghoul of the 

Month and More. 


40

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR 

Please, feel free to write to us your concerns, comments or questions 

to the World Austerity Report team. If you have a message you would 

like in our publication contact us at: 

WorldAusterityReport@gmail.com

World Austerity Report 

CORE TEAM 

CREATOR, EDITOR 

Sean Yingling 

COPY EDITOR 


DESIGN EDITORS 

Blake Hughes 

Stephen Boss 

SECTION EDITORS 

Alain Lareau 

Stephen Boss 

Sean Yingling 

Blake Hughes 

Alain Lareau 


Letters to the Chef 

Austerity News 

International News 

Policy & Program 

History 

Education 

ARTICLE CONTRIBUTORS 

Chris Brennan 

New York City 

Polly Cooke Hughes Wisconsin 

Alain Lareau 

Maryland 

Stephen Boss 

New York State 

Webster G. Tarpley Washington D.C. 

Brandon Turbeville South Carolina 

TYPEFACES 

Libre Baskerville 

Open Baskerville 

Xolonium 

Archivo Narrow 

Impallari Type 

Issac Moore, James Puckett, Rob Mientjes 

Severin Meyer 

Omnibus Type 

COVER DESIGN 

Blake Hughes

world-austerity-report-pages1

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?