Top Senate Democrat: bankers "own" the U.S. Congress

Just in case anyone is still confused over who really runs things:

Sen. Dick Durbin, on a local Chicago radio station this week, blurted out an obvious truth about Congress that, despite being blindingly obvious, is rarely spoken: "And the banks -- hard to believe in a time when we're facing a banking crisis that many of the banks created -- are still the most powerful lobby on Capitol Hill. And they frankly own the place." The blunt acknowledgment that the same banks that caused the financial crisis "own" the U.S. Congress -- according to one of that institution's most powerful members -- demonstrates just how extreme this institutional corruption is.

LINK

There's an audio link here.

Of course JP Morgan bought our former PM, Phony Bliar for a cool £2 million a year some time ago (who says you can't get value for money in this country anymore?). The secretive Carlyle Group went shopping for John Major after he left office.

The Carlyle Group has an interesting roster of ex-Presidents and Prime Ministers in its ranks, including the Bush and Bin Laden families.

Since one of their businesses is arms manufacturer, these former politicians prove to be very useful in getting contracts, especially in the lucrative "war on terror".

 

For 14 years now, with almost no publicity, the company has been signing up an impressive list of former politicians - including the first President Bush and his secretary of state, James Baker; John Major; one-time World Bank treasurer Afsaneh Masheyekhi and several south-east Asian powerbrokers - and using their contacts and influence to promote the group. Among the companies Carlyle owns are those which make equipment, vehicles and munitions for the US military, and its celebrity employees have long served an ingenious dual purpose, helping encourage investments from the very wealthy while also smoothing the path for Carlyle's defence firms.

 

But since the start of the "war on terrorism", the firm - unofficially valued at $3.5bn - has taken on an added significance. Carlyle has become the thread which indirectly links American military policy in Afghanistan to the personal financial fortunes of its celebrity employees, not least the current president's father. And, until earlier this month, Carlyle provided another curious link to the Afghan crisis: among the firm's multi-million-dollar investors were members of the family of Osama bin Laden.

LINK

I wonder which large bank or corporation has an eye on "call me Dave's" price tag?

Regulators exist to ‘serve the banks,’ next House finance chairman declares

"In Washington, the view is that the banks are to be regulated, and my view is that Washington and the regulators are there to serve the banks," Bachus told The Birmingham News in an interview.

LINK

Nothing new about that.

Will Rogers said nearly 100 years ago "We have the best Congress money can buy."

Only NUTTY CONSPIRACY THEORISTS believe that money controls political life.

I mean come on guys, think about it. Why would rich bankers use their money to influence political decision making in their favour? That's just silly.

There is clearly a blurring of the boundaries between business and politics at the highest levels around the world and these guys seem to really like a good bit of a warring. Very profitable.

The money people have always controlled the world in every way.Two words spring to mind, greed and power.

Certainly big money controls the Republican party. Their whole political agenda is geared towards protecting the extremely wealthy from paying their fair share of taxes.

People called "lobbyists" have been in Washington for 200 years. Many politicians are in the pockets of these lobbyists.

On a similar note here is a well referenced article offering analysis of the US economy as a giant fraud

http://antioligarch.wordpress.com/2010/12/19/prosecuting-wall-street-fraud-the-us-economy-is-a-giant-ponzi-scheme/

Interesting stuff

well I am truly shocked that big business control pretty much everything and that effectively the new world order is real