Guest killtoy Posted January 4, 2003 Share Posted January 4, 2003 found this from Greg Palast's book "The best democracy money can buy" Last week, I mailed my overseas ballot for the US presidency - and you can wipe that smug little grin off your face. I won't put up with condescending comments about America's democratic rituals from a nation with an unelected House of Lords occupied by genetic fossils and, soon, Chris Woodhead. In fact, you could think of the $3 billion spent in the US campaign in positive, New Labour terms. Call it 'the efficient privatisation of the democracy' - though an outright auction for the presidency would be more efficient still. If the guy who lost the vote, George W Bush, nevertheless wins the White House, he'll have surfed in on a crushing wave of nearly half a billion dollars ($447 million), my calculation of the suffocating plurality of cash from corporate America, a good 25 per cent more than Al Gore's take. George W could not have amassed this pile if his surname were Jones or Smith. The key to Dubya's money empire is Daddy Bush's post-White House work which, incidentally, raised the family's net worth by several hundred per cent. [....] Daddy Bush has many friends who filled up his sonny-boy's campaign kitty while Bush performed certain lucrative favours for them. In 1998, Bush père created a storm in Argentina when he lobbied his close political ally President Carlos Menem to grant a gambling licence to Mirage Casino corporation. Bush wrote that he had no personal interest in the deal. That's true. But Bush fils did not do badly. After the casino flap, Mirage dropped $449,000 into the Republican Party war chest. The ex-president and famed Desert Strormtrooper-in-Chief, also wrote to the oil minister of Kuwait on behalf of Chevron Oil Corporation. Bush says honestly that he, 'had no stake in the Chevron operation'. Following this selfless use of his influence, the oil company put $657,000 into Republican Party coffers. Most of that loot, reports the Center for Responsive Politics, came in the form of 'soft money' That's the squishy stuff corporations use to ooze around US law which, you may be surprised to learn, prohibits any donations to presidential campaigns in the general election. Not all of the elder Bush's work is voluntary. His single talk to the board of Global Crossing, the telecoms start-up, earned him $13m in stock. The company also kicked in another million for his kid's run. And while the Bush family steadfastly believes that ex-felons should not have the right to vote for president, they have no objection to ex-cons putting presidents on their payroll. In 1996, despite pleas of US church leaders, Daddy Bush gave several speeches (he charges $100,000 per talk) sponsored by organisations run by Rev Sun Myung Moon, cult leader, tax cheat - and formerly, the guest of the US federal prison system. There are so many more tales of the Bush family daisy chain of favours, friendship and campaign funding. None of it is illegal - which I find troubling. But I don't want to seem ungrateful. After all, the Bushes helped make America the best democracy money can buy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElectricitySucks Posted January 4, 2003 Share Posted January 4, 2003 hoompas and stuff.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
podrido Posted January 4, 2003 Share Posted January 4, 2003 didnt know it went that deep with you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest BROWNer Posted January 4, 2003 Share Posted January 4, 2003 actually his name is greg PALAST. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest LizzyMcGyver Posted January 4, 2003 Share Posted January 4, 2003 Originally posted by podrido didnt know it went that deep with you haha. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Feäà m3 Posted January 4, 2003 Share Posted January 4, 2003 Thanks for that! That was very informative!;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
optimo Posted January 4, 2003 Share Posted January 4, 2003 hey im not here to debate whether or not the president is in fact good or bad.. but one thing strikes me clearly, he must be doing something right to have a record high approval rating. ps if you didnt know, war is actually good on the economy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest exhibitone Posted January 4, 2003 Share Posted January 4, 2003 he does have a high approval rate he is still kinda stupid Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
effyoo Posted January 4, 2003 Share Posted January 4, 2003 Originally posted by MURDER INC. ps if you didnt know, war is actually good on the economy. It may be good for the economy, but are the consequences going to be worth it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neversaydie Posted January 4, 2003 Share Posted January 4, 2003 Originally posted by MURDER INC. hey im not here to debate whether or not the president is in fact good or bad.. but one thing strikes me clearly, he must be doing something right to have a record high approval rating. ps if you didnt know, war is actually good on the economy. yeh people dieing for bullshit like the war we're about to get into is worth money, but then again your still trying to think if the president is good or bad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grittylifer Posted January 4, 2003 Share Posted January 4, 2003 ""FEILDS OF BLOOD TO GRAZE THE CASH COW""=Mos Def or Twalib Qauli from Dj. Meuts mix tape that was a freebie with the presale ordering of the VAPORS magazine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest socrates Posted January 4, 2003 Share Posted January 4, 2003 "If the guy who lost the vote, George W Bush, nevertheless wins the White House" He won the votes that counted..the electoral college...in terms that you will understand.....Thomas Jeffferson the guy who put his "tag" on that decleration thingy helped create it because in simple terms that you will understand and as is proven daily "people are dumb"....also you have to give politicians a reason to campaign and care about states other than california, new york, texas, illinois, and pennsylvania......I hate the man with a passion but al ogre winning would have been buying in too..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GLIK$ Posted January 4, 2003 Share Posted January 4, 2003 FUCK OFF HIPPIES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bodice_ripper Posted January 4, 2003 Share Posted January 4, 2003 ^^^ nicely constructed argument there, who helped you with it? ps, good article Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest sneak Posted January 4, 2003 Share Posted January 4, 2003 Originally posted by MURDER INC. ps if you didnt know, war is actually good on the economy. yours or iraqs? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
optimo Posted January 4, 2003 Share Posted January 4, 2003 The United States economy.. haha just look at WWII.. we had been in the deepest depression ever for over 10 years, once the war started, economy boomed, jobs were found and we flourished. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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