Friday, December 15, 2006

The Modern Feudalism: From GHN


Comment: Recently it seems that many Americans are unaware of the disintegration of our property rights, amongst just a few, via contracts and the limitations these documents put on our constitutional rights (this includes the corporate HOAs you join when you sign the rights to your home away via a vendor's lean). Common in business but now they impact almost every aspect of our lives, including our homes and families and even the very neighborhoods we choose to live in. This article by Craig Harfoot seems to sum it all up quite well from the Georgia Homeowner News (see below).

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Corpocracy, Constitutional Feudalism


The gangs of corporations known as the Chambers of Commerce are behind inflation, eminent domain, job loss, illegal immigration, and energy price inflation.


Recently I was having a conversation with a retired gentleman wearing a hat which he did not remove indoors. We were talking about a very common topic these days, the high energy prices and the mild weather. Our conversation came to deregulation of natural gas and the part Southern Company and the Chamber of Commerce had in its passage in the state legislature.

I stated whether he believed that we had a democracy or a republic it didn't matter. The nonpartisan Chamber of Commerce funds or reimburses all winning candidates debt or personal expenditures. I stated we were seeing an oligarchy. He disagreed. His reply was one I have never heard voiced before. He stated we did not have a republic or a democracy. He called it a Corpocracy, the rule of corporations. I believe he hit the nail on the head.

I have been aware for some time now that makes no difference which party is in power. First they divide us then the winner rules from the middle as corporations grow more powerful. Everybody gets it when eminent domain is used to bestow an individual's property to developers. The Chambers of Commerce fund the elections of the winning candidates. I learned this by going to the election office and reading the financial disclosure forms of political candidates. The leadership hierarchy reveals the biggest most powerful corporations control the agenda of the Chambers of Commerce.

The evidence is everywhere. The antitrust laws do not seem to affect the continuing consolidations of corporations on a daily basis. CBS, Disney, Sony, GE, Time Warner, CNN, AOL and Turner South are just a few of the corporations in one conglomerate today.

Less than a hundred years ago we had thousands of local independent banks. The margin call by J.P. Morgan precipitated the run on the small banks making them insolvent. He was able to buy up their assets for pennies on the dollar. Control of the supply of money by a few caused the great depression. Booms and busts are controlled by those who control money and those savers and borrowers who are preyed upon by these financial manipulators. The banking lobby gutted the predatory lending law passed under Governor Barnes in Georgia. Since the great depression independent banks have been swallowed up after constriction by acquisition merger.

Right here in Atlanta BOA, Bank of America has gotten so large that they started paying below par rates on IRA's to drive money from their bank. They have more than the allowed percentage of assets on deposit as a result of their last merger. I asked an investment manager at the bank were they loaning money to the real estate high rise speculators in Atlanta. He said no, they were investing heavily in China as they were receiving double digit returns on their money. I asked if my IRA money was being used for that. He stated no, it was the bank shareholders money that was being used. I asked if I could transfer my IRA's to Treasury Bills directly. Three month T-bills are paying higher interest than the bank is for longer term IRA's. The answer was no. Only a non guaranteed principal T- Bill fund managed by the bank was available.

I am a saver for retirement but in the last five years the interest on my savings shrunk to 1% while the bank loaned it out at over 5%. During the same time many banks loaned the artificially low interest money with little or no equity. It was the fuel driving rapid residential growth at inflated prices. Banks continued to approve loans on inflated home prices on interest only loans and 40 year mortgages. Those sale prices were used as the basis to raise our property taxes. Lenders robbed the savers and buried the borrowers in debt using adjustable rate mortgages. The labor used to build all the homes was predominately illegal for the last ten years. Still after 9/11 we have permeable borders.

Now we hear that the savings rate of Americans is as low as the time leading to the Great Depression. Shelter prices, food, and heating are the basics. How are Americans to save in an economy when basic necessities prices are now inflating due to energy prices? During this inflation of housing prices banks were more willing to loan amounts over $100,000 on a refinanced home than amounts less than $100,000 when the bankers knew people were using the equity to put in the stock market. How many offers do you continue to get each day to refinance?

The building boom repeated itself in the Sun Belt from Florida to California, and the targeted fuel of choice to power the new construction was natural gas to fuel gas fired turbine generators. These turbines are very much the same as a jet engine and could burn petroleum or methane. Power plants using steam turbines can use geothermal, coal, petroleum, natural gas, nuclear energy or any thing that will transform water to steam. All the demand pressure was shifted to deregulated natural gas by Enron, Mirant, Southern Company, the entire power generation sector. Local transit authorities such as MARTA and Cobb County Transit converted their buses to natural gas.

Our leadership gives lip service to energy conservation but we were motivated to war for secure oil supplies. War continues to keep oil prices high. The constant corporate agenda is world corporocracy, business without borders. Governments whose elected leaders serve global corporations goal of one world under control of merged corporations. Inflation is how they finance that never ending war as they tout world peace as the stated objective.

At a CEO conference in Atlanta Erik Vonk set out the vision of replacing the American worker with the human resource unit. We all see that in play now, illegal immigration, pension loss and healthcare costs rocketing out of reach. The government has done nothing to address any of the problems in a positive way. Ford and General Motors are closing plants. They are following the path of the natural gas burning fertilizer plants, and foundries that have already shut down after natural gas prices just began to increase years ago.

Production operations moved to China financed with our money by American banks. Balance of trade is predicated on manufactured exportable goods or natural resources. When America used her resources to produce finished goods our house was in order and we were a creditor nation. When we exported our colonial raw materials times were not so good. Our credits were squandered on war. J.F. Kennedy wrote that while he was a Senator in 1953 we gave France one billion dollars to fight the Vietnamese. In the same time frame we were fighting in Korea. The outcome was a divided Korea.

Prior to the Civil war our national debt was 64 million dollars at the end it was 2.8 billion dollars owed to the British and Europeans who financed it. Some historians assert that the British helped instigate the war. The resulting debt was acknowledged and paid by constitutional amendment.

We were taught why the US civil war was fought in school. Abolish slavery/ preserve the Union from the northern perspective. The Southern view was unfair taxation of slave states due to changing representation in the House and Senate as Free states were added and the states right to succeed from the Union. My biggest question is how did they get Northern Christians to kill Southern Christians over money? What message was the Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, ministers preaching to their congregations on both sides of the Mason Dixon line? Were there Constantine's of the day saying it was gods will to go to war and kill your brothers? What happened to Christ's message contained in the "sermon on the mount" also known as the beatitudes?

We were not taught that the same amendment which freed the Southern slaves but not the Northern slaves has ever been expanded to give the constitutional rights of actual living men to created entities, corporations. You can be sued by a non living entity, a creation of the state known as a corporation. This door was opened in the Georgia legislature in 1798. The legislature gave the Grand Lodge of Georgia a non living entity legal standing as living person that could sue its members for nonpayment of dues. A Frankenstein, made up of living or dead persons' assets that can live forever.

Corporations can now grow to bigger than goliath stature and crush any adversary and somehow enjoy the constitutional privileges as "WE THE PEOPLE" through their deep pockets and legion of lawyers cloaked in the corporate veil. The corporations control has evidently reached the Supreme Court in light of their ruling on the use of eminent domain by developers. Their latest ruling on eminent domain supports sustained development a chamber objective.

Corporations now want protection from class action law suits from living people. The lobbying scandals in Washington and the Enron trial are related. The lawyer connected corporate monster is the zombie that is being fed real people and their assets with the aid of the government. Lawyer lobbyists and corporate connected elected lawyers; have co-opted the people's government to be the corporation's servant. Public service now means feeding the people and their assets to the corporate monsters. The prescription drug plan is an example.

We were taught about American Liberty as the ideal Icon complete with green statue goddess of liberty. Does it really matter who wins if both candidates serve the corporate agenda? Our children are sacrificed to the goddess and they spend what we have not yet produced to wage war to bring the all of humanity under their global corporate fiefdom.

We all seem to work for corporations today. The corporate veil of governmental protection is sought by developers and others to give them personal immunity from creditors and financial loss by their own misdeeds. In Georgia consumers "we the people" have no protection from the corporate veiled predators. Buy a million dollar house and its buyer beware. We have portable debt through credit cards that the minimum payment has just been raised. Welcome to the global company store. We are witnessing and living constitutional feudalism and exporting it to the rest of the world through every war we fought and have financed with our national debt and tax money.

Karl Marx a British Free Mason started the socialist version and it was financed with five million dollars from J.P. Morgan and other capitalists to eject Russia's Czar the richest king in the world at that time. Many other lesser kings were deposed in WW1. Of late we are seeing the merger of these supposedly competing ideas of communist socialism and capitalism and the one shared value of both is the control of religious people, or their eradication. Their tool of choice is the corruption of truth propaganda.

Do you think Gorbechev took down that Berlin wall because Reagan told him to? The communist boogieman was replaced by the Muslim religious terrorist boogieman. The most recent media instigation involves insulting the Muslims of the world. A group that doesn't have "turn the other cheek" and "forgive you enemies" as a core principle. The Danes could have sent their paparazzi to photograph the Amish. It is against their religious belief prohibiting the making of graven images as spelled out in the ten commandments of the Old Testament Bible or Torah. Mohammed a student of Christianity and Judaism borrowed it with other laws and incorporated it into what he taught in the sixth century. He organized the fight against the Roman emperor Constantine's version of Christianity conquering the world with the sword and his soldiers not afraid of death. The Amish would not riot and kill due to the photographic transgression but they would shun the perpetrators.

Everybody gets to this question. What are you going to do about it? What Can I do about it? The answer is do not support what you know to be wrong. Live the truth. Don't be trapped by your own greed or fear. Use the system we have to get people who will represent you in office not mega corporations whose agenda is business without borders.

We will "discover" the "visa" to new world order "master" on the American express is portable debt till death. Mortgage is from Latin it means debt gauged till death. This debt will be increasingly harder to pay off. Inflation of basic necessities will continue to outstrip wages especially as plants are closed and salaries are cut. We the people can not continue to allow the corporations to manipulate us by divisive issues. The winner rules from the middle of those never to be resolved issues, while they continue to grant corporations and themselves money that we and our children have not yet earned or produced through debt. The constant revenue stream that funds their global business without borders agenda is supplied by we the people and our choices. The same agenda drives sustainable development as we are witnessing here in Metro Atlanta.


Craig Harfoot

11 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

9:58 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Related piece by Harfoot:

Who can we belive in a politcal system built on the confidence game?
May 26, 2006, 11:16 am EDT


The rosy picture the media paints of our economy has little to do with reality in the light of day. Just look around and answer the question yourself. Do we have more or less discretionary income? Are the people we know in small business doing better or worse? Why do we need cheerleaders or nay Sayers?

If our leaders can not or will not tell us the unvarnished truth who can we believe? We the people, the huddled masses have been divided and thus conquered by those that steal from us by legislation for a very long time. The insider trading scandals in the stock market were supposed to restore confidence in the market that has stolen our pension savings. Enron and deregulation of natural gas was the prelude to energy price inflation con.

The money that was pulled out of the stock market fueled the housing boom that had no qualified buyers. 41% of metro Atlanta's homes from 2001 to 2004 were sold interest only at artificially inflated prices due to no equity financing and over optimistic appraisers. In California cities the percentage was over 53%. The savers money parked in the banks was used against them in an inflationary scheme. Banks paid savers lower than1% while they loaned interest only loans to people to buy houses that they could barely afford. The slightest hiccup in their income or interest rate increase would precipitate foreclosure.

Atlanta is one of the few cities with cranes all over the skyline. A realtor sponsored newspaper states there are over 3,000 unsold condo's in Buckhead and more are starting to come out of the ground. A couple of weeks ago Donald Trump the King of net worth debt was the key note speaker of the latest edition of how to appear rich by going in debt way over your head. I know you have seen the TV real estate missionary's tell you how they received cash at closing by signing deeds to secure debt. This is how our property values have been artificially doubled and tripled causing our property taxes to double and triple.

Recruiting for debt assumers must be down in light of recent moves by the big investors with ties to banks and financing. Warren Buffett's company has bought Atlanta based Harry Norman Realtors. A partner in a local bank and Realty company has started a company to buy fix up and hold houses for 5 to seven years.

I live in an affluent area of East Cobb County two weeks ago I saw a neighbors entire contents of their house set out in the yard. Days latter a for sale sign was placed in the yard and then a dumpster appeared for the belongings. I called the ReMax agent listed and got a secretary who stated that it was a foreclosure but could not tell me a price. I asked the name of the bank that had foreclosed. She said she could not tell me due to a confidentiality clause. I was also told that they had the exclusive rights to sell that banks foreclosures. I asked if the agent would call me back with the price when they knew what it was to be. She said no that I would have to keep calling back and asking. I said to her I that it was strange that they showed so little interest in marketing the house.

Georgia has non judicial foreclosure. The deed to secure debt is a acknowledgement of the amount of monetary debt listed in the note and the lender is given the property in the deed to secure debt. All the owner of this type of deed owns is the debt. Non payment will trigger the lender to notify you that you are in default. Eviction follows. The lender already owns the property but now they must pay the taxes not you.

How does the lender afford to pay taxes on a lot of houses? The lender can sell the property on the court house steps for whatever they can get. Lately there are a lot of insider deals going down. If the loan amount was $400,000 and the court house sale nets $150,000 the $250,000 difference is still owed by the borrower. The debt can follow them and their wages garnished or other assets attached. The lender can write the bad debt off as a business loss. The shareholders in the financial institution will eat that loss.

Jenny Pruitt was bought by a Warren Buffett/ Berkshire Hathaway subsidiary MidAmerican Energy Holdings Co. creation HomeServices. To Atlanta residents Harry Norman and Jenny Pruitt will continue to appear to be competitors. Harry Norman Realtors started in 1930 the year after the Great Depression started. Is that the clue to what comes next? Who starts realty companies when qualified buyers are scarce? MidAmerican Energy Holdings company bought Edina Realty and Iowa Realty in 1998 at the onset of natural gas deregulation the prelude to Enron and others run on energy prices.

Before Bernakes statement deflated the stock market, Last year the local Federal Reserve Bank official Jack Gyunn told the Association of Financial Analysts that energy prices would go up. This was before the Hurricanes hit. I watched the markets after Mr. Guynns' remarks and the self fulfilling prophecy came true because the movers and shakers acted on it. After the storm there was a feeding frenzy.

If Bankers create risky loans and see that legislation is put in place to limit bankruptcy protection and the Federal Reserve spokesman prophesies energy speculation who should we investigate and prosecute next?

Look at who funds the winning candidates in you elections. Financial disclosure forms are required reading for an informed electorate. After reading the local commission candidates reports I jumped in a special election race and ran without money intentionally. The same nonpartisan players' money elects the servants to their schemes. Pay attention before they take your freedom and make you homeless.

9:59 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

See this FBN piece on co-opted power (feudalism alive and well in our local FBRP):

GOP Exec Committee Hiring Lawyer To Keep Fund-raiser Away From Party Chairman
by Bob Dunn, Dec 14, 2006, 10 42 pm

The Fort Bend County Republican Party Executive Committee acted to assert control of the coveted Lincoln Day fund-raising event on Thursday night, giving the party vice chairman authority to hire a lawyer to protect the party’s interests – possibly from its own chairman.

In a remarkable meeting that began with more than a dozen impassioned speeches and ended only after several votes overruling procedural decisions by Fort Bend County Republican Party Chairman Gary Gillen, the party’s executive committee approved a series of resolutions intended to thwart Gillen’s recently stated intent to operate the Lincoln Day Dinner event through a political action committee.

Gillen was defiant in the face of the actions by the executive committee – which is made up of Fort Bend County’s elected Republican precinct chairs – and said after the meeting the resolutions aren’t legally binding and won’t change his plans to proceed with the event under the control of Fort Bend Republican P.A.C. . . (from http://www.fortbendnow.com/news/2333/gop-executive-committee-votes-to-hire-lawyer-to-protect-fund-raiser-from-party-chairman)

10:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Comments on piece above:

1 Hal - Dec 14, 11:24 pm
Let the popcorn flow. Republicans in legal battles with fellow Republicans. Democrats are notorious for our divisive behaviors, Bill Clinton said it best:

“Democrats want to fall in love, Republicans want to fall in line.”

Apparently we are dealing with a new paradigm. Democrats want to fall in love. Republicans want to tear each others’ throats out.

Please . . . continue. And be sure to keep it in the full view of the public. ’08 is going to make ’06 look like a political fluke.

2 intheknow - Dec 15, 12:45 am
Hal — Please don’t confuse this battle to establish some accountability and oversight within the local GOP party mechanisms and to thwart a rogue Chairman with softened resolve to beat Democrats. That ain’t happening, honey. Ft. Bend is and will remain Republican for the forseeable future. Any attempt to extrapolate this to anything else is just wishful thinking.

3 anon - Dec 15, 05:43 am
“I regret very much that anyone would believe I acted in self-interest,” Gillen said. “I did not. Promoting personal agendas and striking out in anger at fellow Republicans is no way to build party unity.” — Gillen

What a sincere statement. . . I have land to sell. What an obvious power grab. Take the money and you own the party. It’s just the reverse tactic pulled by his predecessor. You are right Hal it is a good show at least and highlights many of the weaknesses of our party.

4 Hal - Dec 15, 06:01 am
Whatever you say, Liz. . .

5 John Cobarruvias - Dec 15, 07:26 am
Don’t Bogart the popcorn Hal! I’ll bring the milk duds.

This is Titanic III. And we still know how it is going to end!

This is such a joyous season and the Fort Bend Republican party is the gift that just keeps on giving!

(Much like the jelly of the month Club)

6 BG - Dec 15, 09:16 am
John,

Only a hardcore liberal Democrat from another county would view the Fort Bend Republican Executive Committee exerting responsible governeance and demanding accountabiity as a negative.

Oh wait . . . the Democrats are that same party in Louisiana that reelected Jefferson of “Gee, how did that cash get into my freezer?” to Congress and seriously thought about putting someone who had been impeached for ethical lapses into the Chair position of the House Intelligence Committee.

Obviously, it’s more fun for a Dem to talk about other people’s accountability and to criticize Repubicans who are taking action than dealing with the three ring circus in Congress with ringmaster Pelosi.

Glad you have something to keep you occupied John.

7 Liz Mitton - Dec 15, 10:09 am
Last night’s meeting was an inspiring example of the democratic process and the importance of grassroots involvement at its best.

While some speakers were obviously passionate about their feelings, the meeting demonstrated in micro why our form of democratic government works so well.

Mr. Gillen has an opportunity again now to do the right thing, act as a statesman and truly do something that will put the local Party on a focused path and a positive future.

Let’s give Gary the benefit of the doubt and allow that he may have made the decision to begin the PAC in good faith. Gary, should reciprocate by allowing that while well intentioned, he has reconsidered his actions in light of last night’s overwhelming objections by the Executive Committee.

Withdraw the PAC, Gary, and work with the majority to make the Lincoln Day Dinner the best ever. If you do so in earnest, you will be demonstrating true leadership. Do it for the good of the Party.

8 Dennis - Dec 15, 10:09 am
So the FB Republican Party chairman wants to act in defiance of the duly elected members of the executive committee. This is a surprise? Since when did Republican autocrats value things like democracy and the rule of law? Once again, I am reminded why I am proud to be a Texas Democrat.

9 BG - Dec 15, 10:42 am
Dennis,

Yep, be proud of your party where you reelect guys like Jefferson in Louisiana (who got caught storing cash in his freezer) to Congress and the Dem’s didn’t worry about accountabilty.

Personally, I’m proud of the Fort Bend Executive Committee which is made up of grassroots Precinct Chairs and their strong stand for accountability.

That stand for ethics and accountabity bodes well for the renewal of healthy governance of the Repubican Party in Fort Bend.

10:01 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

It's hard to believe we went through this in the mid 40s, but we are living it now in America.

10:18 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Ck this link out:

http://www.ahrc.com/new/index.php/src/news/sub/article/action/ShowMedia/id/1509

Is this going on in Missouri City? You bet, just check out Meadowcreek and hundreds of court filings on record through acs (court connect). Many of these foreclosure filings!

2:12 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

See Meadowcreek related links for Mo-City:

http://www.fortbendweb.com/webapp/cgi-bin/index.cgi?action=viewnews&id=661

2:16 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Get on the petition drive to stop this abuse of homeowners nationwide:

http://www.petitiononline.com/homeback/petition.html

2:17 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

"Everybody gets to this question. What are you going to do about it? What Can I do about it? The answer is do not support what you know to be wrong. Live the truth. Don't be trapped by your own greed or fear. Use the system we have to get people who will represent you in office not mega corporations whose agenda is business without borders."

Well said!

6:22 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

There are some people who live in a dream world, and there are some who face reality; and then there are those who turn one into the other.

~ Douglas Everett

6:41 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

9:44 AM  

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POLLHOST POLL RESULTS:

POLLHOST POLL RESULTS:

 

Question: Do you trust Allen Owen, mayor of Missouri City, TX, to represent you rather than his Houston corporate backers?

 

Results:

 

3%  participating said yes  (n20)

 

91%  participating said no  (n573)

 

6%  participating responded not sure  (n39)

 

(N) sample =  632

 

Stay tuned as more surveys for coming elections are posted!

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