Tag Archive | revolving door

Too Big To Fail Cold Case File Is Closed

By shellybernal May 10, 2012 Leave a comment

How is it that two years after passage of the much acclaimed Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform (four years after economic crash), Too Big To Fail (TBTF)institutions are not only bigger, but also too big to regulate and too big to jail? Don’t be fooled into believing that because a law has been passed by Congress […]

Straw Man Schneiderman and Hypnotist Holder

By shellybernal May 1, 2012 Leave a comment

I’m still trying to recover from the over-the-top Hollywood-style movie script that The American Prospect published with protagonist NY AG Eric Schneiderman playing the role “The Man The Banks Fear Most.” That slap in the face left a handprint on my cheek! Clearly the objective facts, the track record, of the federal government demonstrate that […]

Revolving Door – Naming Names

By shellybernal April 28, 2012 Leave a comment

Having a difficult time understanding the revolving door concept? End The Lie has wonderfully illustrated the destructive influence of job swap musical chairs. Although these venn diagrams are one-sided and only highlight people from the Democratic party, they are factual and do demonstrate the magnitude of our revolving door between the federal government and the companies benefitting […]

The Lehman Lynching In 60 Minutes

By shellybernal April 22, 2012 Leave a comment

CBS aired a spectacular interview with Anton Valukas, the investigator appointed by the federal bankruptcy court to determine what caused the Lehman Brothers bankruptcy. Two years ago he submitted a 2,200 page report stating that there was enough evidence for a prosecutor to bring a case against top Lehman officials and the Ernst & Young […]

Capitalism Died and We Got TBTF

By shellybernal April 18, 2012 Leave a comment

Meet revolving door winner Peter Orszag who works at Too Big To Fail (and apparently too big to regulate) Citigroup. Orszag was director of the Congressional Budget Office from January 2007 to November 2008. On November 25, 2008, President-elect Barack Obama tapped Orszag for director of the Office of Management and Budget, the arm of […]

The Revolving Door Spins

By shellybernal March 18, 2012 Leave a comment

The majority of U.S. Congress members who left in 2010 are now employed to influence their previous colleagues. Of those who are now employed, 58% are lobbying or working for a PAC. A public official usually negotiates a deal to go to work for a lobbying firm or corporation while still serving the public. From that […]

Apply Common Sense To Buying Political Influence

By shellybernal March 14, 2012 Leave a comment

The focus should be on strengthening the voices of ordinary voters and limiting the influence of special interests on our government. In a blog titled “Common Sense Man” the following goals are suggested: ~ Clean funding for the campaigns of federal candidates, offering voters the choice of quality candidates free of the strings often attached to […]

Revolving Door of the Autocratic Elite

By shellybernal March 12, 2012 Leave a comment

‎372 former members of Congress now receive handsome compensation from lobbying firms and special interests groups as they influence the very federal government in which they used to serve. To find your state’s representatives, look at this database by Open Secrets. The whole point of having a Congress is to establish legislation to regulate society. […]

Top Justice Officials Are Connected to Mortgage Banks

By shellybernal March 8, 2012 Leave a comment

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder and Lanny Breuer, head of the Justice Department’s criminal division, were partners for years at a Washington law firm that represented the 4 largest mortgage-holding banks as well as Freddie Mac and MERS, a Reuters inquiry shows. Since their appointments, two subordinates have moved from their government departments to that […]

The Revolving Door of the Autocratic Elite

By shellybernal February 22, 2012 Leave a comment

Ever wonder how many lobbyists there are? How big is the industry of lobbying? As a snapshot, a total of 12,792 professionals actively lobbied our federal government in the first three quarters of 2011. An ex-member of Congress can look forward to $1 million or more a year as a lobbyist. […]

Street Justice