Brexit: ‘just the tip of the iceberg’, says Greenspan

A Journal of People Report

The verdict was delivered. The world was shocked. And then came the epiphany.

Britain has voted for ‘Brexit’, as it is being called, notwithstanding the warnings from economists, experts, businessmen and political leaders.

How would Brexit effect the economy of Britain?

Alan Greenspan, the chairman of the U.S. Federal Reserve during the 1987 stock market crash and the bursting of the dot-com bubble, told CNBC, in an interview, “There’s nothing like it, including the crisis — remember October 19th, 1987, when the Dow went down by a record amount 23 percent? That I thought was the bottom of all potential problems. This has a corrosive effect that will not go away”.

The new struggle of Colombia’s women guerillas

A Journal of People report

After half a century of armed struggle, one of the longest in the world, FARC, the leftist Colombian guerilla group, and the Colombian government are now poised to sign a final peace deal by as soon as July 20. What once was a dream to many, now is a reality.

Following the peace deal, the men and women members and combatants of FARC shall return home. They will lay down their arms but not their revolutionary spirit. They shall fight no more amid deafening gun fires and dead bodies, but in the broader theatre of politics. Wit shall reign over weapons, war cries will be replaced by slogans. And a march they shall continue, not aiming to occupy enemy territories, but in protest to challenge the injustice and oppression that still prevails, and they shall march forward with the united voices of the people. 

Landmark Survey Finds Special Interests are Pouring Money into Local Elections

by Lauren McCauley, staff writer

Common Dreams | 26 June, 2016

The lower cost of state and local elections makes it relatively easy for dark money to dominate. (Image: Charles Mann Photography/iStockphoto.com)

While the outsized influence that Big Money is having on federal elections is well-documented, the local impact of the Supreme Court’s 2011 Citizens United ruling has not been fully realized—until now.

The Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law on Sunday published a landmark report (pdf) documenting how secret donations have corroded democracy at the state level, where it is “arguably most damaging.”

Betraying Progressives, DNC Platform Backs Fracking, TPP, and Israel Occupation

by Lauren McCauley, staff writer

Common Dreams | 25 June, 2016

Members of the Democratic party Platform Committee, including (from left to right) American Federation of State, County, and Muncipal Employees executive assistant to the president, Paul Booth, U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.), former White House Energy and Climate Change Policy director Carol Browner, and Palestinian rights academic James Zogby. (Photo: DNCC)

Despite its claims to want to unify voters ahead of November’s election, the Democratic party appears to be pushing for an agenda that critics say ignores basic progressive policies, “staying true” to their Corporate donors above all else.

During a 9-hour meeting in St. Louis, Missouri on Friday, members of the DNC’s platform drafting committee voted down a number of measures proposed by Bernie Sanders surrogates that would have come out against the contentious Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), fracking, and the Israeli occupation of Palestine. At the same time, proposals to support a carbon tax, Single Payer healthcare, and a $15 minimum wage tied to inflation were also disregarded.

Standing on Backs of Global Poor, Filthy Rich Getting Even Filthier

by Nadia Prupis, staff writer

Common Dreams | 24 June, 2016

“For every person with more than $30 million, there are over 4800 people living in extreme poverty,” said Jenny Ricks of the Fight Inequality Alliance. (Photo: Glenn Halog/flickr/cc)

The wealth gap keeps growing as the world’s richest get richer at the expense of the poor, according to a new study released this week by an alliance of major organizations.

The World Wealth Report from Oxfam, Greenpeace, and other groups found that while the total number of millionaires in the world jumped to 15.4 million—up by nearly 5 million since 2009—more than 702 million people remain in poverty around the globe.