suffragette
suffragette's JournalWhat Wall Street values is not what we value
Yet we take their valuation as an indicator of whether we are doing well as a nation or not.
And they revolve back and forth between government and their companies, ensuring their values are embedded in our culture.
I keep going back to the microcosm of the reasons they have so often downgraded Costco as a clear illustration of this. They have 'encouraged' Costco to cut jobs and pay rates, to pay CEOS and shareholders (the few) more on the backs of workers and customers by reducing pay and raising prices. When Costco has refused and instead kept doing what is fair, has made them successful and helps communities, Wall Street marks them down. What does that say in terms of the 'market' doing well? What benefits us more as a society?
Yet, it's the values of Wall Street that end up being promoted through them being retained as advisors and appointees at the highest levels.
More austerity coming to UK this summer? Requests for water cannon from Boris and police
While Oxfam reports that the 85 richest people in the world are as wealthy as the poorest half of the world - http://www.democraticunderground.com/1017170945 - the Association of Chief Police Officers and London's mayor are busy requesting water cannon in anticipation of summer unrest. And the police are directly linking the request to austerity measures.
Hmm - as the rich get richer, are they afraid the poor are getting the picture? Especially since austerity measures have shown a negative rather than a positive outcome (well, except for the already wealthy becoming ever wealthier).
Police to ask home secretary to approve use of water cannon across country
http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/jan/22/police-home-secretary-approve-use-water-cannon-austerity-protest
Chief constables are shortly to press the home secretary, Theresa May, to authorise the use of water cannon by any police force across England and Wales to deal with anticipated street protests.
The Association of Chief Police Officers says that the need to control continued protests "from ongoing and potential future austerity measures" justifies the introduction of water cannon across Britain for the first time.
~~~
The report says there is no intelligence to suggest there is an increased likelihood of serious riots within England and Wales, but states "it would be fair to assume that the ongoing and potential future austerity measures are likely to lead to continued protest".
More on Boris requesting water cannon:
http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/jan/08/met-police-water-cannon-britain
and
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/cartoon/2014/jan/08/steve-bell-boris-johnson-water-cannon
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