The Triumph of Propaganda

The American Thinker ^ | January 02, 2011 | Nemo Almen

[Scanian]

It is not difficult to deprive the vast majority of independent thought.[i]

Does anyone remember what happened on Christmas Eve last year? In one of the most expensive Christmas presents ever, the government removed the $400 billion limit on their Fannie and Freddie guaranty. This act increased taxpayer liabilities by six trillion dollars; however, the news was lost in the holiday cheer. This is one instance in a broader campaign to manipulate the public perception, gradually depriving us of independent thought.

Consider another example: what news story broke on April 16, 2010? Most of us would say the SEC's lawsuit against Goldman Sachs. Goldman is the market leader in "ripping the client's face off,"[ii] in this instance creating a worst-of-the-worst pool of securities so Paulson & Co could bet against it. Many applauded the SEC for this action. Never mind that singling out one vice president (the "Fabulous Fab") and one instance of fraud is like charging Al Capone with tax evasion. The dog was wagged.

Very few caught the real news that day, namely the damning complicity of the SEC in the Stanford Ponzi scheme. Clearly, Stanford was the bigger story, costing thousands of investors billions of dollars while Goldman later settled for half a billion. Worse, the SEC knew about Stanford since 1997, but instead of shutting it down, people left the SEC to work for Stanford. This story should have caused widespread outrage and reform of the SEC; instead it was buried in the back pages and lost to the public eye.

Lest we think the timing of these was mere coincidence, the Goldman lawsuit was settled on July 15, 2010, the same day the financial reform package passed. The government threw Goldman to the wolves in order to hide its own shame.

[DontTreadOnMe2009]

For the full story read:

Griftopia: Bubble Machines, Vampire Squids, and the Long Con That Is Breaking America [Hardcover]

Matt Taibbi (Author)

4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (118 customer reviews)

[EverOnward]

bookmarked — to order book

[RoadTest]

“It is not difficult to deprive the vast majority of independent thought.”

It certainly worked at the last Presidential election didn’t it?

Of course it helped that there was no viable alternative candidate. It helped even more that millions of Americans have been Socialized by the government school systems.

[CPT Clay]

Can the House put the cap back on?

[Para-Ord.45]

BM

[FromLori]

I wouldn’t be too worried about Goldman Sucks

Totally Busted: The Truth About Goldman’s Bailout by the Fed

http://www.economicpolicyjournal.com/2010/12/totally-busted-truth-about-goldmans.html