Debate

Tamakin, Fields, Welter

Tamarkin, Fields, Welter.

Ben Poe and Amyl Freeberg are with Occupy St. Johns and involved with the efforts to prevent a new 7-11 store from operating in their community. St. Johns is a working class area in the north area of Portland OR. 7-11, with approximately 50,000 convenience stores worldwide, is engaged in a massive expansion which includes both conversion of mom-and-pop stores and construction of new stores. Local residents have been resisting the expansion and the effects on local communities.

Guest Karen Coulter with POCLAD (Program on Corporations, Law and Democracy) and Exec. Direct of the Blue Mountains Biodiversity Project, speaks about the history and achievements of the Earth First Movement, expressing the need to re-invigorate this movement of direct actions for environmental and wilderness protection. Describes Earth First movement as a populist revolt.

Guest Nathan Hunt, a political science student at Portland State University and member of Students for Educations Debt Reform, the mushrooming problem of student debt and recommends a solution, "Pay It Forward." The increasing problem of student debt results from decreasing state support for higher education, a transfer of costs from the state to the student via increasing tuition and fees and a move from education grants to loans. "Pay It Forward" would create a state fund to pay tuition and fees while requiring repayment by students.

Guest Paul Sansone, a founding member of Oregon Citizens Against the Pipelines, relates how fossil fuel companies have used lies, fraud and manipulation to destroy regional gas markets, turning them into international markets, thereby creating tremendous profit margins for themselves to the determent of Oregonians and the American people. These corporations created a huge natural gas bubble with the result that the renewable energy industry will be killed for the third time. These corporations are illegal criminal enterprises which should be brought to justice.

Ashley Sanders, Exec Committee member of Move to Amend, notes that corporate controlled political system and economy has been centuries in the making, that it is a human creation and tells the story of the historic development of corporate power starting 500 years ago. She describes the role of kings, imperialism, the formation of the East India Company by the King of England, members of the British Parliament and the wealthy folks of England who wanted to make more money in international trade.

Guest Dan Meek reviews the largely failed efforts of Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley to reform the US Senate filibuster rules. He also review how the filibuster rules have changed over the past 75 years. Then Dan talks about the failure of congress to make legal changes to overturn Citizens United or at least some of the effects. He notes that Oregon laws are "Citizens United on Steroids" and explains the reasons for that description and further notes that "Oregon is more loophole than law."