Occupy Banksters & Crony Capitalism & GREED

Majority of Americans say banks, large corporations benefitted most from U.S. economic policies
Pew Reasearch Center | Bruce Drake | 09/20/13

The public sees clear winners and losers as a result of the government's economic policies following the recession that began in 2008.

In the public's view, the beneficiaries of these policies are large banks and financial institutions, large corporations and wealthy people, according to a survey conducted earlier this month. Sizable majorities say government policies have helped all three at least a fair amount -- 69% say that about large banks and financial institutions, 67% large corporations and 59% wealthy people. ... Read more

The Five Craziest Arguments At Wednesday's Climate Hearing
ThinkProgress.org | Ryan Koronowski | 09/19/13

On Wednesday, EPA administrator Gina McCarthy and Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz testified before a subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee about the impact of President Obama's Climate Action Plan. The Republican side of the dais argued against doing anything about carbon pollution, but they also spent much of their time focused on inaccuracies and misconceptions about climate change.

McCarthy and Moniz, central to the president's climate plan, did their best to explain it to the assembled members. Ranking member Henry Waxman (D-CA) said this was the "first time in a long time that this committee is holding a hearing on climate change" and instead of addressing the urgency of action, GOP members wasted time complaining about how many cabinet-level officials showed up, for example. ...

Climate Change Devastating Ocean Fisherman: 'Sometimes We'll Catch 5,000 Pounds Of Jellyfish'
ThinkProgress.org | Katie Valentine | 09/24/13

For many U.S. fisherman, there's no debate about climate change. It's here, and already majorly impacting their industries.

In New Jersey, Rutgers scientists have documented for 24 years how climate change is affecting the state's oceans through weekly fish surveys. The researchers are finding fewer and fewer northern species and more and more southern species -- fish like the Atlantic croaker, which historically have rarely ventured into the cool waters surrounding New Jersey. Mackerel and clams, which were once common, are now moving north, forcing fisherman to reevaluate what they fish for.   "As far as fishermen are concerned, climate change is here. ... Read more

Extreme Energy Extraction Roadtrip -- The Scary Ways We're Ruining the Country to Get Fossil Fuels
AlterNet | Tara Lohan | 09/11/13

The view from a Cessna reveals some dirty secrets. Flying at 2,000 feet above the forests of Appalachia I can see what the steep, tree-fringed roads fail to show: unnatural flat tops, seams of coal exposed like black-topped runways, impoundments of foul water perched above homes and schools. A naked honesty is revealed. This is what we have done, what we continue to do. We deface the mountains, denature ecosystems.

This is probably not news to you. Appalachia has long been one of the centers of American energy extraction, a place whose history is almost synonymous with coal. Since the 1830s the region has shoveled 35 billion tons of coal into the furnace of our economy. This is often called "cheap" energy and, at $100/megawatt-hour, it is -- as long as you don't look too closely. ... Read more