"We warned the president -- don't ever, ever agree with the Republicans,"

[stockholmer]

48. interesting points

Number one, we both seem to agree on the Fed. It needs to be nationalised, and returned to its original constitutional intent and place.

Number two, I am most definitely NOT arguing for a right-libertarian form of control. That would be an unmitigated disaster, as then the oligarchs would truly have free reign to run riot over all aspects of human life, be it political, financial, social, cultural, military, environmental, penal, etc. If you ever want to stop a libertarian/Austrian school adherent in their tracks, simply point out the origins of movement (pushed by City of London bankers) and also the fact that David Rockefeller's personal tutor in economics was none other than Ludwig von Mises himself.

Competition is a sin.
John D. Rockefeller

Kolko's (who comes from The New Left school of thought) main point is that the systemic private controllers used the coercive power of the state to further their dominance by pulling a sleight-of-hand. Under the guise of so-called regulation, they actually cemented their status at the top of the food chain, with so-called 'trust busting' and anti-monopoly regulation in reality written (or completely influenced) by themselves.

All the power that was supposedly rent asunder from the plutocrats grasp has been carefully, grindingly reassembled. This was baked in the cake. Think of the landmark AT&T breakup in the USA in 1984. AT&T is now, just 25 years later, basically rendered whole again, through M&A, and manipulation of both federal and local laws. In fact, they have gained the largest market share in an arena that barely existed in 1984 (cell phone service). The 1996 Telecommunications Act (passed under a Democratic president, I might add) aided greatly in this.

The repeal of Glass-Steagall, NAFTA, and the horrid Commodities Futures Modernization Act of 2000 (again all passed under a Democratic President) are also perfect examples of the dialectical nature of further oligarch power usurpation, regardless of who is in control. These massive bills all laid the foundations for the financial consolidation by the global bankster networks and an accelerated stripping away of economic and social gains from the populace at large.

The foxes are not only in charge of the hen-house, but they also control the very organs and institutions of authority that can potentially punish and stop them from the fowl slaughter they so deeply lust for.