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MONEY matters

Mark Zaifman's thoughts on money, global economic trends and politics
Consumer Watchdog-Power to the People with Consumer Financial Protection
Mark Zaifman   |    Fri, Nov 09, 2012 @ 12:12 PM
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Patriotic Millionaires for Fiscal Strength
Mark Zaifman   |    Fri, Nov 18, 2011 @ 11:29 AM

No, this is not an oxymoron. Over 200 people that make over one million dollars per year are asking, practically begging, the leaders in Washington to raise their taxes. I have never seen anything like this in my life.

To counter the image that most if not all wealthy people are greedy and only care about their own self interest, this group of citizens are determined to shake things up and let us all know that they deeply care about the social contract we have with all our fellow citizens and that they are deeply passionate about our collective common good.

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Robert Reich Speaks on Class Warfare in the US
Mark Zaifman   |    Wed, Nov 16, 2011 @ 11:52 AM

I'm a big a fan of former U.S. Secretary of Labor Robert Reich, so I wish I could have been on the steps of Sproul Hall at UC Berkeley last night where Reich gave the annual Mario Savio Memorial Lecture.

Reich called his speech "Class Warfare in America," and he talked about the concentration of wealth in the US at the top of the economic pyramid, and what he called, "the irresponsible use of wealth to undermine our democratic system.”

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Occupy Wall Street, Learning to Share the Wealth
Mark Zaifman   |    Mon, Nov 07, 2011 @ 12:00 PM

Last week Lemony Snicket's Daniel Handler wrote these 13 Observations on Occupy Wall Street. I caught him on Rachel Maddow's show last Friday where he shared the story of how these observations came about.

While taking a swim at his health club, he found he had to share a lane as it was a little more crowded than usual. The guy he was to share the swimming lane with wasn't too happy about it, and had no intentions of sharing his lane because, "I'm a major donor in this building, so I don't think I have to share a lane."

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Has The United States Become a Banana Republic?
Mark Zaifman   |    Tue, Jul 26, 2011 @ 11:27 AM

I don’t know about you, but I’m disgusted with the politics surrounding the increase of the debt limit. This is routine housekeeping work that has turned into hostage taking. Republicans seem to have lost any interest in the belief that we’re all in this together and that we should be looking out for the common good of all and not just the few at the top.

Burn the village to save the village. Let the country default on its debt. The rhetoric being touted by Republicans is dangerous and corrosive to our society as a whole. Those of us in the silent majority that are fed up with this lack of compromise and putting our country first need to let our voices be heard.

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The US Debt Clock Keeps Ticking
Mark Zaifman   |    Mon, Jan 31, 2011 @ 10:56 AM

If the US debt clock unnerves you, it should. Take action by visiting Harvard Professor Lawrence Lessig’s site: fix congress first for political reform we desperately need.


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United We Stand, Divided We Fall
Mark Zaifman   |    Thu, Nov 04, 2010 @ 11:15 AM

Whatever your political persuasion may be, the one thing I think we can all agree on as a country, united we stand, divided we fall. As someone that has loved politics for as long as I can remember, it’s hard to witness the lack of civility in our daily discourse. Please read this article with an open mind and please, pass it on to your friends and colleagues. Our best days are ahead of us as long as we learn how to work together again as one nation undivided.

William Thomas says it well in his article, “He’s your President for Goodness Sake!”

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“Inside Job” – Wall Street and Recent Crash Documentary
Mark Zaifman   |    Mon, Oct 11, 2010 @ 04:23 PM

There have been a lot of books written, articles published as well as countless TV and Radio shows on the who, what and why of the recent stock market crash. In my opinion, “Inside Job” a new documentary is one of the best out there and is in the running for an Oscar. Documentarian Charles Ferguson’s exploration of the 2008 financial crisis and its deep roots walks a fine line, explaining complicated economic concepts while trying not to talk down to lay viewers. If you don't have time for the whole documentary - check out the trailer.

 

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Trickle Down Economics
Mark Zaifman   |    Fri, Jul 16, 2010 @ 10:53 AM

As someone that majored in tax accounting during college, it always amazed me how President Reagan and the majority of the Republican’s were able to sell the concept of trickle-down economics to the American people. Yes it was the 80’s and by the mid to late 80’s the economy started to really take off. But then as now, most of the benefits accrued to the wealthiest in our society. Even the first President Bush labeled it voodoo economics.

If you’re a believer in supply side macro-economic theory, then you believe that lowering tax rates on the wealthy is the engine that will drive economic growth and prosperity. If all goes according to plan, money will “trickle” down to the less affluent and all will be well. I couldn’t disagree with this more. Exhibit A-President George W. Bush who was a huge proponent of this economic theory.

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Robert Redford to President Obama: Lead us, Mr. President
Mark Zaifman   |    Sat, May 22, 2010 @ 05:57 PM

Robert Redford to President Obama: Lead us, Mr. President

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