"Major commercial and investment banks—and the hedge funds that ran alongside them—were the big beneficiaries of the twin housing and equity-market bubbles of this decade, their profits fed by an ever-increasing volume of transactions founded on a relatively small base of actual physical assets. Our future could be one in which continued tumult feeds the looting of the financial system, and we talk more and more about exactly how our oligarchs became bandits and how the economy just can’t seem to get into gear. Recovery will fail unless we break the financial oligarchy that is blocking essential reform." Simon Johnson, The Quiet Coup, May 2009 "The great enemy of freedom is the alignment of political power with wealth. This alignment destroys the commonwealth - that is, the natural wealth of localities and the local economies of household, neighborhood, and community - and so destroys democracy, of which the commonwealth is the foundation and practical means.” Wendell Berry "The ferocity of media attacks on him [Bernie Sanders] often indicates that corporate power brokers are afraid his strong progressive populism is giving effective voice to majority views of the public... For corporate elites determined to retain undemocratic power, a successful Bernie 2020 campaign would be the worst possible outcome." Norman Solomon "Today in America, the middle class is disappearing. For many, the American dream has become a nightmare. The business model of Wall Street is fraud. In my view, there is no better example than the recently-exposed illegal behavior at Wells Fargo. We have got to end the two-tier justice system — one for the poor and working class and one for Wall Street and the wealthy — that has existed for far too long in this country. Wall Street won’t change until we make it clear that no bank is too big to fail and no CEO is too big to jail. Billionaires and Wall Street should not be buying elections. The reason that Congress isn’t doing what the overwhelming majority of Americans wants has everything to do with the power of the monied interests. Let us bring our people together to take on and defeat a ruling class whose greed is destroying our nation. Our government belongs to each and every one of us, not just the few.” Bernie Sanders
