As hard as Third Way corporate liberals try to usurp the progressive mantra everyone sees the path these globalists took to undermine democracy, civil protections, Rule of Law simply to enrich a few in the US.....there is nothing Progressive about all of this. As with Obama's campaign speeches in 2008 where he promised all progressives wanted to hear and then preceded to ignore all of those promises.....the democratic base will not be fooled by this new rhetoric!!!!! WE NO THE GOALS ARE PROFITS NOT PUBLIC INTERESTS!!


Jeffrey D. Sachs Jeffrey D. Sachs, Professor of Sustainable Development, Professor of Health Policy and Management, and Director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University, is also Special Adviser to the United …

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America’s New Progressive Era?

• NEW YORK – In 1981, US President Ronald Reagan came to office famously declaring that, “Government is not the solution to our problem. Government is the problem.” Thirty-two years and four presidents later, Barack Obama’s recent inaugural address, with its ringing endorsement of a larger role for government in addressing America’s – and the world’s – most urgent challenges, looks like it may bring down the curtain on that era.
  

Reagan’s statement in 1981 was extraordinary. It signaled that America’s new president was less interested in using government to solve society’s problems than he was in cutting taxes, mainly for the benefit of the wealthy. More important, his presidency began a “revolution” from the political right – against the poor, the environment, and science and technology – that lasted for three decades, its tenets upheld, more or less, by all who followed him: George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and, in some respects, by Obama in his first term.

The “Reagan Revolution” had four main components: tax cuts for the rich; spending cuts on education, infrastructure, energy, climate change, and job training; massive growth in the defense budget; and economic deregulation, including privatization of core government functions, like operating military bases and prisons. Billed as a “free-market” revolution, because it promised to reduce the role of government, in practice it was the beginning of an assault on the middle class and the poor by wealthy special interests.

These special interests included Wall Street, Big Oil, the big health insurers, and arms manufacturers. They demanded tax cuts, and got them; they demanded a rollback of environmental protection, and got it; they demanded, and received, the right to attack unions; and they demanded lucrative government contracts, even for paramilitary operations, and got those, too.

For more than three decades, no one really challenged the consequences of turning political power over to the highest bidders. In the meantime, America went from being a middle-class society to one increasingly divided between rich and poor. CEOs who were once paid around 30 times what their average workers earned now make around 230 times that amount. Once a world leader in the fight against environmental degradation, America was the last major economy to acknowledge the reality of climate change. Financial deregulation enriched Wall Street, but ended up creating a global economic crisis through fraud, excessive risk-taking, incompetence, and insider dealing.

Maybe, just maybe, Obama’s recent address marks not only the end of this destructive agenda, but also the start of a new era. Indeed, he devoted almost the entire speech to the positive role of government in providing education, fighting climate change, rebuilding infrastructure, taking care of the poor and disabled, and generally investing in the future. It was the first inaugural address of its kind since Reagan turned America away from government in 1981.

If Obama’s speech turns out to mark the start of a new era of progressive politics in America, it would fit a pattern explored by one of America’s great historians, Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., who documented roughly 30-year intervals between periods of what he called “private interest” and “public purpose.”

In the late 1800’s, America had its Gilded Age, with the creation of large new industries by the era’s “robber barons” accompanied by massive inequality and corruption. The subsequent Progressive Era was followed by a temporary return to plutocracy in the 1920’s.

Then came the Great Depression, Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal, and another 30 years of progressive politics, from the 1930’s to the 1960’s. The 1970’s were a transition period to the Age of Reagan – 30 years of conservative politics led by powerful corporate interests.

It is certainly time for a rebirth of public purpose and government leadership in the US to fight climate change, help the poor, promote sustainable technologies, and modernize America’s infrastructure. If America realizes these bold steps through purposeful public policies, as Obama outlined, the innovative science, new technology, and powerful demonstration effects that result will benefit countries around the world.

It is certainly too early to declare a new Progressive Era in America. Vested interests remain powerful, certainly in Congress – and even within the White House. These wealthy groups and individuals gave billions of dollars to the candidates in the recent election campaign, and they expect their contributions to yield benefits. Moreover, 30 years of tax cutting has left the US government without the financial resources needed to carry out effective programs in key areas such as the transition to low-carbon energy.

Still, Obama has wisely thrown down the gauntlet, calling for a new era of government activism. He is right to do so, because many of today’s crucial challenges – saving the planet from our own excesses; ensuring that technological advances benefit all members of society; and building the new infrastructure that we need nationally and globally for a sustainable future – demand collective solutions.

Implementation of public policy is just as important to good governance as the vision that underlies it. So the next task is to design wise, innovative, and cost-effective programs to address these challenges. Unfortunately, when it comes to bold and innovative programs to meet critical human needs, America is out of practice. It is time to begin anew, and Obama’s full-throated defense of a progressive vision points the US in the right direction.




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WHILE YOUR THIRD WAY DEMOCRAT INCUMBENT PRETENDS THERE IS A STAGNATION CAUSED BY THE RECESSION THAT REQUIRES CORPORATIONS RECEIVE ALL KINDS OF CONCESSIONS, WE KNOW THAT ALL OF THESE US COMPANIES ARE GROWING OVERSEAS IN LEAPS AND BOUNDS.......THEY ARE NOT INVESTING IN THE US BECAUSE THEY INTENT TO GROW OVERSEAS AND NOTHING SHORT OF LIMITING GOVERNMENT REVENUES AND RETRIEVING TRILLIONS IN FRAUD WILL BRING THE FOCUS BACK TO DOMESTIC MARKETS.

POLITICIANS ARE LYING TO YOU AND ME WHEN THEY ACT AS THOUGH CORPORATIONS ARE SUFFERING WITH THE FISCAL CLIFF AND BUDGET DECISIONS.  IT IS RIDICULOUS.

ALSO NOTE THAT THIS IS A HEALTH CARE CORPORATION.  THIS IS WHY HEALTH CARE IS SO COSTLY......AND THIS IS FOR WHAT ALL US HEALTH CORPS ARE WORKING......GLOBAL DOMINANCE.   WILL THAT BRING DOWN PRICES?  HOW ARE GAS PRICES GOING FOR YOU?

Baxter Said to Near Deal to Buy Gambro for $4 Billion By Aaron Kirchfeld, Jacqueline Simmons and Ryan Flinn - Nov 24, 2012 7:26 AM ET

Baxter International Inc. (BAX), the U.S. maker of blood products and intravenous drugs, is near an accord to buy Swedish kidney-dialysis competitor Gambro AB for about $4 billion, according to a person familiar with the talks.

An agreement may be signed in one or two weeks as the two parties discuss final terms, said the person, who asked not to be identified because talks are private. Baxter, which has been negotiating with Gambro for almost a year after weighing a bid for years, would be able to cut costs in areas such as research and development at the combined company, the person said.

The combination would help Deerfield, Illinois-based Baxter expand its dialysis-equipment business, whose machines can be used in home treatment. Gambro, which is jointly controlled by Sweden’s EQT Partners AB and Investor AB (INVEA), sells its equipment largely to hospitals and clinics.

Baxter gained 4.1 percent to $68.81 at the close of trading in New York yesterday, its biggest single-day gain in a year and highest price since September 2008, after the Wall Street Journal originally reported the talks.

Investor AB (INVEB)’s policy “is not to comment on rumors,” Magnus Dalhammar, a spokesman for the company, said in a phone interview today. Investor owns 49 percent of Gambro.

Jussi Saarinen, a spokesman for EQT, which owns the other 51 percent through its IV fund, wasn’t immediately available. A spokeswoman at Baxter couldn’t immediately be reached for comment outside normal office hours.

Renal Products Baxter is the world’s second-largest provider of kidney dialysis, trailing Bad Homburg, Germany-based Fresenius Medical Care AG, according to a Fresenius annual report. Gambro is ranked third. Renal products accounted for about 18 percent of Baxter’s $13.9 billion in revenue last year, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

Investor, the holding company for Sweden’s billionaire Wallenberg family, and EQT, a private-equity firm backed by the family, bought Gambro in 2006. The two investors sold non-core businesses and invested in Gambro after sales were dented by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s decision in 2006 to ban some of its dialysis monitors because of production flaws.

Gambro last year sold its CaridianBCT blood-machine unit for $2.63 billion, including debt, to Terumo Corp. (4543), Japan’s largest medical-device maker.

Baxter’s shares have risen 39 percent this year, giving the company a market value of about $38 billion. The company also had about $3.2 billion in cash and near-cash items at the end of September.

Baxter has completed four acquisitions this year, according to data compiled by Bloomberg, with the largest being its $325 million purchase of Synovis Life Technologies Inc. for its line of soft-tissue repair products.

To contact the reporters on this story: Aaron Kirchfeld in London at akirchfeld@bloomberg.net; Jacqueline Simmons in Paris at jackiem@bloomberg.net; Ryan Flinn in San Francisco at rflinn@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Jacqueline Simmons at jackiem@bloomberg.net; Reg Gale at rgale5@bloomberg.net


Baxter International Reaches New 52-Week High (BAX) By TheStreet Wire 11/23/12 - 10:48 AM EST Find out if (BAX) is in Cramer's Portfolio.

Editor's Note: TheStreet ratings do not represent the views of TheStreet's staff or its contributors. Ratings are established by computer based on metrics for performance (which includes growth, stock performance, efficiency and valuation) and risk (volatility and solvency). Companies with poor cash flow or high debt levels tend to earn lower ratings in our model.

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) hit a new 52-week high Friday as it is currently trading at $67.11, above its previous 52-week high of $66.88 with 462,299 shares traded as of 10:26 a.m. ET. Average volume has been three million shares over the past 30 days.

Baxter International has a market cap of $36.27 billion and is part of the health care sector and health services industry. Shares are up 33.6% year to date as of the close of trading on Wednesday.

Baxter International Inc., through its subsidiaries, develops, manufactures, and markets products for people with hemophilia, immune disorders, infectious diseases, kidney disease, trauma, and other chronic and acute medical conditions. The company has a P/E ratio of 16.1, below the S&P 500 P/E ratio of 17.7.





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THIS EXPOSE ON LIFE AT COMMUNITY COLLEGE LEVEL MIRRORS THE STATE OF POLITICS IN AMERICA.  WE HAVE THIRD WAY CREATING THE SAME AUTOCRATIC CIVIC ENVIRONMENTS AS REPUBLICANS AND IT IS HAPPENING BECAUSE THESE POLITICIANS ARE WORKING TOWARDS ONE GOAL.....THE ENRICHMENT OF CORPORATIONS.  OBAMA KEEPS TALKING ABOUT THE FAILURES OF 'TRICKLE DOWN', BUT HIS POLICIES ARE ENTRENCHED IN THAT VERY POLICY.

CC governance: Feudalism or dictatorship On many community college campuses, “corruption, cronyism, abuse of power, and fiefdom-building constitute business as usual,”

writes Rob Jenkins, a Georgia Perimeter College English professor, on the Chronicle of Higher Education.

Feudalism and Soviet-style dictatorship are the most common governance models, he writes. Both are authoritarian and “feature relatively small groups of sycophants who place themselves in orbit around the leader, jockeying for position and seeking to consolidate their own power through flattery and zealous support of the official agenda.”

. . . under the feudal model, shared governance is paid only the barest lip service, if any at all. Some of the organizational bodies necessary to support shared governance, such as a faculty senate, might exist in name but are only window dressing, without any legitimate function.

The Soviet model, on the other hand, tends to have all of the trappings of democracy, or (in this case) shared governance—faculty and staff senates, policy councils, standing committees. Their meetings are often conducted with great fanfare. But in reality they are under the iron-fisted control of the leader and his or her cronies, and every decision made is part of the approved agenda.

Another important difference is that a feudal lord or lady may, on occasion, be relatively benevolent. The dictator is rarely, if ever, that.

In both models, the same people are named to the most important committees, which “always seem to reach conclusions or submit reports that are widely praised by the leader.”

Community colleges are especially susceptible to fiefdom-building, Jenkins argues. Few community college presidents have been full-time professors with academic qualifications, he writes. Furthermore, the “13th grade” mentality leads to top-down governance.

For some people, community colleges are not “real” colleges but rather occupy a place somewhere between a high school and a university—perhaps closer to the former than to the latter. Plenty of people in government, and even within the two-year institutions themselves, believe that community colleges should be run much like high schools, with strong, autocratic leaders and little or no input from the instructors.

“Our failure to embrace true shared governance has, it seems, opened the door to corruption, mismanagement, and abuse of power, writes Jenkins. “If you don’t hear from me again after this column is published, you can assume that I’m probably in a dungeon somewhere, awaiting my execution—figuratively speaking, of course.”




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THIRD WAY THINK TANKS CALL THEMSELVES PROGRESSIVE BUT THEY ARE REALLY FISCAL CONSERVATIVES WHO WORK FOR GLOBALIZATION AND WEALTH ACCUMULATION.  FORGET THAT THEY SUPPORT ABORTION OR THE ENVIRONMENT.....THEY ARE KILLING SOCIAL SAFETY NETS, LABOR PROTECTIONS, AND GIVING CORPORATIONS ALL OF OUR TAX BASE, MAKING US SUBJECTS NOT CITIZENS.

YOU'LL SEE ASPEN INSTITUTE IS STAFFED WITH HARD CORE NEO-LIBERALS AND NEO-CONSERVATIVES.  WHEN I SPOKE TO A MEMBER AFTER A TALK I SAID THE PEOPLE WANT THE FRAUDULENT GAINS CLAWED BACK BEFORE ANYONE SPEAKS OF ENTITLEMENT CUTS.  NO ONE IS THINKING OF THAT I WAS TOLD......WE ARE GOING TO CUT SERVICES AND BENEFITS.  THESE GUYS ARE PUSHING CUTS AS HARD AS THEY CAN.  I SAID WE NEED TO STOP BERNANKE FROM HOLDING THE ECONOMY HOSTAGE BY POLICIES THAT STAGNATE THE ECONOMY.   THESE GUYS SUPPORT THESE FED POLICIES.   THESE UYS ARE THE PUSH BEHIND CHARTER SCHOOLS, TEACH FOR AMERICA, AND THE EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY BUBBLE.  THEY ARE A FAVORITE OF OBAMA.

REMEMBER BILL MOYERS AS THE LEAD IN PBS NEWS BEFORE THE CRASH?........LOOK BELOW AT WHO IS DOMINATING THE PUBLIC TV AIRWAVES JUST AS MARKETPLACE MONEY IS NPR

The Aspen Institute is proud to announce its first-ever broadcast venture The Aspen Institute Presents. This 10-part series features the most compelling conversations and interviews from the 2012 Aspen Ideas Festival. Now in its eighth year, the Ideas Festival is the Institute’s flagship public event, which brings together exceptional thought leaders to discuss key issues of the day, from the coming Presidential election and parenting in the 21st century to the faltering US economy and the latest advances in technology and education.

PBS NewsHour’s Hari Sreenivasan hosts the show airing 8 PM, Tuesdays on WORLD Channel.


Walter Isaacson
President and CEOContact: Pat Zindulka, pat.zindulka@aspeninstitute.org

Walter Isaacson is the president and CEO of the Aspen Institute, a nonpartisan educational and policy studies institute based in Washington, DC. He has been the chairman and CEO of CNN and the editor of TIME magazine.

He is the author of Steve Jobs (2011), Einstein: His Life and Universe (2007), Benjamin Franklin: An American Life (2003), and Kissinger: A Biography (1992), and coauthor of The Wise Men: Six Friends and the World They Made (1986).

Isaacson was born on May 20, 1952, in New Orleans. He is a graduate of Harvard College and of Pembroke College of Oxford University, where he was a Rhodes Scholar. He began his career at The Sunday Times of London and then the New Orleans Times-Picayune/States-Item.  He joined TIME in 1978 and served as a political correspondent, national editor, and editor of new media before becoming the magazine’s 14th editor in 1996. He became chairman and CEO of CNN in 2001, and then president and CEO of the Aspen Institute in 2003.

He is the chairman of the board of Teach for America, which recruits recent college graduates to teach in underserved communities. He was appointed by President Barack Obama and confirmed by the Senate to serve as the chairman of the Broadcasting Board of Governors, which oversees Voice of America, Radio Free Europe, and other international broadcasts of the United States, a position he held until 2012. He is vice-chair of Partners for a New Beginning, a public-private group tasked with forging ties between the United States and the Muslim world.  He is on the board of United Airlines, Tulane University, and the Overseers of Harvard University.  From 2005-2007, after Hurricane Katrina, he was the vice-chair of the Louisiana Recovery Authority.

He lives with his wife and daughter in Washington, DC.