The CFR, of course, establishes plausible deniability of endorsement with its standard disclaimer, "THE COUNCIL TAKES NO INSTITUTIONAL POSITION ON POLICY ISSUES AND HAS NO AFFILIATION WITH THE U.S.GOVERNMENT. ALL STATEMENTS OF FACT AND EXPRESSIONS OF OPINION CONTAINED IN ITS PUBLICATIONS ARE THE SOLE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE AUTHOR OR AUTHORS", which the reader may choose or not choose to accept as truthful.
World Trade Organization (WTO): The WTO was established in 1995 superseding GATT which was established at the Bretton Woods Conference in 1944. It acts as an international court to resolve trade disputes amongst its more than 150 member nations doing more than 95% of the world's international trade. It is the first instance where the U.S. has ceded a sovereign right.
Supreme Court of the United States: The Supreme Court is mentioned because of its 2005 decision in Kelo v. City of New London and its 2010 decision in the case of Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission. In the former, Government's right of eminent domain was expanded from "for the public good" to include "for proposed economic enhancement", meaning much of your property no longer enjoys the protection it enjoyed for almost 200 year.
The decision rendered in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission equates money to free speech allowing corporations to finance political activities through donations. Thus, corporate influence in political affairs, already overly strong, is now absolutely beyond control by citizens. Public Citizens documented the decisions impact on the 2010 national elections. Their report 12 Months After: The Effects of Citizens United on Elections and the Integrity of the Legislative Process, reveals the following:
"Spending by outside groups jumped to $294.2 million in the 2010 election cycle from just $68.9 million in the 2006 cycle;
Nearly half of the money spent ($138.5 million, or 47.1 percent) came from only 10 groups;
Groups that did not provide any information about their sources of money collectively spent $135.6 million - 46.1 percent of the total spent by outside groups during the election cycle;
Two 'Crossroads' groups formed by Republican strategist Karl Rove combined to spend $38.2 million, more than any single group. Next was the U.S. Chamber of Commerce at $31.2 million;
Of 75 congressional contests in which partisan power changed hands, spending by outside groups favored the winning candidate in 60 contests."
Chamber of Commerce: The Chamber of Commerce masquerades as a champion of Main Street representing downtown merchants and small business when, based upon the fact that more than 80% of last year's revenue was provided from donors who contributed $100,000 or more, Wall Street is closer to the mark. It is mentioned here for the same reason the Supreme Court is mentioned. As with Congress and the Administration, both institutions are growing closer to corporate interests and further away from the public interests of its citizens.
This concludes the discussion of the 16 stops along the yellow brick road, the knots in the thread that point to "who rules America". America is ruled by a small group of plutocrats through their control and influences on the Federal Reserve System, the Council on Foreign Relations and the U.S. factions of the Bilderberg Group and the Trilateral Commission many of whose members overlap. Each is financed by succeeding generations of much of the same group that met in secret at the Rockefeller vacation home on Jekyll Island. They pre-approve presidential and congressional candidates before the majority of Americans are even aware of their intent to run for high office. They largely direct the financing of the candidates' campaign for votes. The probability of nominating candidates for the Fed or the Supreme Court whom they would not approve is nil. They are ever increasingly internationalists as opposed to nationalists, more dependent upon the world than the nation, more interested in the themselves in the world than themselves in the nation.
Presidents are surrounded by people they recommend; advisors, cabinet and subcabinet members, and regulatory heads and agency members. Congress is owned by the major corporations representing finance, insurance, pharmaceutical, oil, chemical, agricultural, entertainment, media, and military interests, the majority ownership of which is in relatively few hands. This majority ownership by the few is evident from "investment assets" work by Edward N. Wolff, New York University who reported, in round numbers:
39% of all business equity is owned by the many, the bottom 99%. The top 1% own 61%.
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