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“It was like someone poured molasses on the enforcement division,” said one manager about the Bush II Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) during the chairmanship of Christopher Cox.20 As financial fraud raged on Wall Street, Cox’s management slowed financial law enforcement at every stage of a case.212223 To open a case, an investigator had to […]

The debate on a U.S. national health insurance bill has ranged over three main plans: at one end, the single-payer system most favored by the people; at the other end, the all-private system favored by insurance companies; and in the middle, the public option among private options, favored by the majority Democratic leadership.x10 Since that […]

As the U.S. Congress works on a national health care bill, people have lined-up behind three main proposals. The one most favored by citizens and doctors — and many Democratic lawmakers — is the single-payer system, which would improve and extend Medicare to all persons.x1 With this system everyone chooses one’s own doctors, and no […]

In the 1990’s right-wing talk spread to nearly every radio dial in the United States, and, day-after-day, pelted liberal-thinking citizens with scorn, and railed against use of government to help the people — even knocking long-established programs such as the minimum wage and social security.x70×71×72 Behind that barrage, a Republican majority rode into Congress, and […]

In September last year, the Bush regime left behind its old refrain that “the fundamentals of the economy are strong,” and went to Congress for a quick $700B to bail out collapsing banks stuck with toxic assets.x60×61 Then-Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson called for giving himself total control of the fund and making his decisions “non-reviewable […]