Forum Post: Central Question Does the Constitution Address Influence on Government, Lobbying, Conflict of Interest, Worker Rights?
Posted 11 years ago on Jan. 17, 2013, 7:37 a.m. EST by Middleaged
(5140)
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Memes probably interplay with higher truth or better truth. I'm just reflecting that some memes could be Rhetoric from what little I know about memes and the dielectic method. We all want the highest and best truth or best good.
Perhaps I am pointing out it might be easier if we all had a basis or a single platform from which we rise or root to. The obvious one is the constitution which with amendments now seems to privide civil rights, individual rights, balances of power, checks on power... Unfortunely there isn't clear basis on worker rights, limits on corporate power, limits on lobbying, gift giving, or campaign contributions, ... and congress has forgetten everything it knows about conflct of interest and anti-trust law.
I might posit that the constitution does provide both intension and limits on conflict of interest. These could be the basis for a fight against the influence in Washington DC.
I might also speculate that another Ammendment to the Constitution is needed to allow workers to organize, to limit corporate Lobbying, to limit the size of US corporations, to break up TBTF banks or any other corporate or organizational entity which puts small US Businesses at risk, corrupts the system with too much power and influence, corrpts congress, corrupts the fedeal budget, federal treasury, banking operations, and creates relationships with any official central bank. As well as an Amendement which addresses relationships and influences on congress that tends to distort information, media, and official statements in that the Public depends on Information Access, Truth, good representation in accordance with the spirit of the FOI Act, Freedom of Information Act.
Or perhaps another Platform or Basis for Government and Citizen Support for the Government Exists?
1) Maybe we should be joined as a Nation under the works of Martin Luther King, Civil Rights, and ... the common study of the work of Martin Luther King. A) Look at Bullying in the US B) Look at global rise of Neo-Nazis C) Look at the poor state of education which CLEARLY ...produces thugs, produces cheats, produces a system with the largest incarceration rate in the world, and produces a low literacy rate D) Martin Luther King was a well educated man, an intelligent man, who spoke at a level equal to the founding fathers of the USA - therefore, we would do well to establish a value for education, philosophy, history in the same spirit as MLK.
2) A Law Platform based NOT on career advancement based on convictions, political aspirations, competion within the capitalist system that rewards throwing the book at every citizens like Aaron Swartz, REDDIT. What would that look like?
3) A Political Platform based NOT on Lobbying, gift giving, Camapign contributions, favors for those that can offer us promotions, new jobs, investment opportunities, careers in private industry for government regulators, ... Oh and how about a law system and income tax system that can be understood by a 6th grade boy, reader friendly, ... Can a Supreme Court be legitimate to the citizens of a country if it makes decisions regarding eminent domain or corporate peoplehood that seem to benefit big business and throw aside individual rights.
The only changes that will Unite the people of the USA will have to include social programs like our current social safety nets of unemployment insurance, medciare, and social security which are all funded through payroll deductions at this point and which are very strongly funded and have strong revenue
4) We could unite under a platform that holds social programs has the highest value of US Citizens, ... but Socialism has a bad connotation in the USA. Perhaps if the basis for social platform was the above Trust programs which are funded through payroll deductions it would be palatable. Also everyone would have to realize that businesses get many dollars through government subsidies, over 3000 subsidies at the federal level possibly. Subsidies are not just social programs or health programs ... we also have to talk about tax loopholes for businesses and tax abatements for business. The social platform is simply a commitment to education K-12, available loans for college, basic health care, and social security.
5) Platform based on people voting on Tax Give-Aways within states on each special exemption to be granted to individual businesses. Large corporations & Manufactures negotiate with politicians for Tax Abatements over 5-10 years periods. Public-Private Partnerships are negotiated with politicians which risk millions of dollars of investment and liability for the scheme. The communities around Walmarts never agreed to fund parking lots, warehouses, and retail outlets that threaten smaller businesses and drove mom & pop out of business. Nor did those people vote for the huge Tax Abatements that Walmart Receives. There is lots of room here for voter referndums or votes in cities & states that put a much better basis on these kinds of give-aways to big business.
You can take a look at the issues that separate us in the US. It would take a full book to explore this. But the fact is that Rhetoric, falsehoods, false ideas, and myths are behind some of the emotional issues that separate US Citizens. Equality is prime. Education is patchy in regard to our roots.
Yes, very telling. Also I was taught that when you manage something you look it over to see what guarentees you have, how the money will be spent, who will get the money, who should get the money, what will they do with the money, who was hurt in the transaction, what legal recourse those hurt have, what systems and organizations are in place to deal with this kind of situation in the past, how can parties be remedied or made whole.
1) Resultion Trust Corporation was set up to deal with bankrupt banks and dissolve the assets.
2) William K. Black helped to prosecute 3000 cases and put 1000 major players in Jail in the Savings and Loan Scandal (that was conservative - if I have all that worded correctly).
3) The Savings and Loan Scandal Taught Congress not to prosecute Major Financial Contributors to their Campaign.
4) Conservative would want to pursue prosecutions.
5) Conservatives would want to either leave this country or fix the problem of loose regulation, Fraud, Risk to Future generations, Risk of Inflation, Risk of increased taxes, etc.
6) Conservatives can see how money and investment is going toward Risky Investments with High yeilds instead of toward small businesses and benefitial Public Projects.
7) Conservatives can see how Mergers and Leveraged Buy Outs increase Debt and represent an "OVERHANG" on future employment and Government Social Programs (taxpayer money).
What do we do?
1) Demand Independent Audit Agencies rotate personnel monthly to assigned corporations and sign their names on documents so that later they can be called on to explain their certification of the Accounting.
2) Demand ratings Agencies stop taking money from organizations that they rate. A new system must be created where probably smaller profits come from reveue from Investors.
So...
1) Reregulate independent Audit Agencies and bench mark principles around GAAP Accounting Rules, transactions which are off balance sheet will be reported on and published in all financial documents quarterly and annually.
2) Regulate Ratings Agenices, mandate that they can not receive money from organizations which they are Rating.
3) Break Up TBTF Banks either based on Market Share, International Market Share or Total Capitalization. I prefer the later.
4) Break up Commercial/Investment Banks from Savings and Loan/Mortgage Banks.
5) Fire all the Top US Regulators including Bernanke, Schipiro, Geithner, FDIC, OCC, & FSOC Members (Financial Stability Oversight Council)
6) Establish Policy to keep big bankers out of Top Government Jobs. 7) Re-Establish Glass-Steegal.
8) Prosecute taking of Pension funds to pay investors or pay executives.
9) Prevent Pension Funds from Investing in Shadow Banking Areas that are unregulated.
10) Establish National Program to look at all Pension and retirement plans to increase awareness of the problems.
11) Put $1 Trillion in additional Funds into Social Security Trust.
12) Force Wealth to rejoin the nation in paying a minimum alternative tax, and paying fully into Social Security without a cap or loop hole.
13) Stream Line Federal tax System with only 6 deductions and on progressive scale as we have now.
Well ... I have old Idea on previous post.
http://occupywallst.org/forum/economics-stimulus-taxes-jobs-regulations-revolvin/
How about some radical creative new ideas.
1) Outlaw Corporately owned Investment Banks and mandate that all banks be privately owned by people who can held to account.
2) Mandate that Individual Savings accounts pay minimum of 6-7% Interest to pay for inflation and to encourage savings.
3) Break up TBTF Wall Street Banks
4) Put ceilings on Public College and University Tuition and Mandate that all Student Loans be limited to 4% Interest
5) Eliminate/Outlaw all Corporate Shell Companies
6) Mandate that all Pension funds be fully funded or Terminated within one year
7) Prohit bonus' if the business loses money or doesn't make enough profit to pay bonus' since this is illegal as a fleecing of coroporate coffers
8) Prohibit Off balance sheet transactions especially for publically held corporations since this would tend to deceive bond holders, stock holders, and other investors (adher to GAAP rules).
9) Outlaw Private banking
10) Regulate all financial instruments and outlaw black banking such as derivatives.
11) End Revolving Door and Regulatory Capture by prohibiting government employee from working in industry and vice a versa.
Here is my Tax Plan
updating my Income Tax plan, but see I still have more to learn.
12) Scrape the current federal income tax scheme in favor of a progressive tax that only allows 5 deductions, recognizes wages and earnings the same way, investment dividends and short and long term profits and loses are treated with an exclusion for the first $15K earned, then taxed at 24%, interest rates for two mortgages can only be deductible up to $100K per house, there would be no such thing as a lower tax rate for "carrying fees" earned through business. This tax plan will get Lawyers, Tax Lawyers, Accountants, Tax Accountants into other economic activities that could be helpful to the GDP and may have a multiplier effect on the economy (hopefully we can get more financial managers into manufacturing also). This may also reduce the number of IRS employees needed to review tax forms. Outlaw Deferred Wages since they erode tax base and obstruct visibility of Executive Wages Earned (nontransparent).
A) Progressive tax with few deductions from 14% ($1-$22K per year) 16% ($23K-30K per year) 18% ($31K-38K per year) 20% ($39K-$49K per year) 22% ($50K-$60K per year) 24% ($61K-70K per year) 26% ($71K-82K per year) 28% ($83-$95K per year) 30% ($96K-120K per year) 31% ($121K-$1.5M per year) 32% ($1.6M- infinity) B) All wages, tips, carry fees, income treated the same C) Rich people pay full Social Security and Medicare taxes D) Allowed to own two houses and deduct up to $100K per year per house, additional houses are called investments and you can't deduct the interest paid from income taxes E) Head of Household and those with dependents can deduct health insurance premiums (capped at $20K per person), copays, drug costs, and medical bills F) Investments are encouraged, loses and gains are only calculated when actually sold stocks, bonds or other financial instruments. G) Pensions are not taxed by the federal government unless they exceed $100K per year in which case they would be taxed at the lowest rate or 14% H) Personal deduction allowed, plus deduction for dependents and spouse
BUT I'm not really a Tax expert or Even any other kind of expert.
I'm PRETTY SURE we have alot of people doing things in our economy that don't add any value to society.
1) Tax Accountants
2) Tax Lawyers
3) Constitutional Lawyers
4) Lobbyist
5) People that Create Shell Companies
6) People that work for the Federal Government in the Education department
7) SEC
8) Federal Reserve banks and the Board, we can have regional banks to supply money in any bank run and we can have State Banks. The Treasury can print money and buy and sell US Bonds.
9) Financial Schemes do support new projects in the US, but they are not transparent, can not be easily proven to benefit the Public, and do represent a high cost and high risk to the tax payer and local community businesses that exist in the region and compete against Public Private Partnerships - like tax abatements for Walmart or subsidies for Walmart parking lots and warehouses.
10) Financial managers on Wall Street or with Wall Street banks, we never needed as many as we have had, that is why they corrupted the system.
Sadly True. I'm sure you are right. Being a Fiscal Conservative could be a progressive or anyone. But some how Conservatives coopted it and corrupted it. Just like good 'administration' of a school program to keep costs down could be done by a democract or a progressive or a liberal.
In this land our ours...The media make things out to be black and white, right or wrong. This kind of thinking is a corruption.
Most of what is true about Conservatives or Rightwingers seems just 'narrow mindedness'. They don't really have a platform except cut taxes, enable corporations, reduce regulations (only since it aids the profit of corporations), strengthen international defense expansion, and go to war if it profits someone.
There is no sense in conservative postions. You just have to be a believer ...mostly because you want to beat up on someone weaker than you... or else because you want to feel strong about yourself.
On the other side you have people called progressives that actually want to build something or accomplish something to help people.
Progressives know that businesses will continue. There is a human spirit that wants to build businesses and wants to get rich. Progressives don't need to do anything to facilitate this human drive. Progressives know that businesses make the system, the economy and consumerism work. Our country depends on small businesses and our community depends on small businesses.
But somehow MSM and Conservatives have twisted this country. Now many buzzwords involve politics and can't be full spoken or discussed in the USA.
1) Socialism
2) Unions
3) Union Benefits
4) Fiscal Conservative
5) Worker Safety Regulations
6) Banker Fraud
7) Federal Reserve Regulators and Regulations (true)
8) SEC Oversight and Regulations that Structure Banks and Markets
9) Regulations that make markets work
10) Bank Examiners and Bank Oversight
11) Independent Accounting FIrms (what a joke)
12) Independent Ratings Agencies (what a joke)
13) Conflict of Interest (this is the norm not the exception)
14) An Honest Deal (not if it is a US Financial Scheme)
15) AAA Rate US Financial Investment (what?)
16) USA Stands for Freedom and Liberty (not in a deal with bankers)
17) Lawyers and Bankers remove rules that protect us (they fight for unfair advantage not for good or for what is right). William K. Black, Bernie Sanders, are some of the exceptions...
What do we know about US Regulators and Supreme Court Memebers Financial Statements and their Possible Receipt of Gifts from Wealthy Investors or Wealthy Corporations?
I HAVE TOTAL DOUBT ON THE US SUPREME COURT and It is Clear that Regulators are Willfully Negligent in Performing their Duties to make sure Strong Rules are In Place, Federal Workers are Trained to Enforce Strong Regulations, and that Strong Actions are Taken to Hold High Standards and Prevent Fraud, Ensure Compentition, and Protect both Consumers and Tax Payers who end up Paying for Moral Hazzard.
I want to know who buys their cars, boats, apartments, houses, Jewlery, fur coats, suits, shoes, ... where they got the money in their Trust Funds, where they got the money in Retirement & Savings Accounts.
I want a Full Audit of all Pharmacists, Doctors, and Teachers who push drugs for kids, ... and I want a Full Audit of Federal Regulators Personal possessions ... and I want a Full Audit of Supreme Court Members ... to find out how they got their jobs, who gave them their jobs, what kind of possessions they have.
But it will never happen. This is America. And the Chief of the FBI is Mueller .... who will never look into anything regarding the Court, Phamacy Drugs, GMOs, Telecommunications Companies Billing, SEC, FDIC, OCC, Treasury, or the Federal Reserve. Plus eric Holder is following the President's Wishes, and Tim Giethner, Ben Bernanke, Mary Schipiro, Hank Greunberg are all Cronies and Insiders with conflicts of Interest. Refenece William K. Black Videos.
A real conservative doesn't like corruption and high overhead or corporate expenses, doesn't like high debt in conjuction with huge dividiends for private investors, leading up to bankruptcy and Taxpayers picking up the pieces for years afterwards for people without jobs. I mean a consrvative would limit admin costs like high priced executives, complicated compensation packages, hidden costs like huge retirement packages (ballons) or huge golden parachutes. Differed Wages are borderline Fraud, Tax Fraud. And they should be prosecuted as Fraud.
A real Conservative makes money from wages, investments, dividends, but not from looting corporations and financial schemes.
And now with Leveraged Buy Outs, huge debts placed on coporations while raping and looting profits.... this country moves backwards... safety rights, worker rights...humanity... Regulations ignored and prosecutions deffered.
We need to rate organzations on the huge administrative costs...just like we did for Public Charities in the 1970s... when we discovered the huge overheads of 30%-90% for charities. Deffered wages for execitives, plus bonuses deffered, options, a house, a limo, a plane,...travel unlimited... it is all part of the looting of corporations, driving up debt, getting your compensation and parachute before the party is over. Meanwhile layed off employees, unemployment compensation, lame text books in schools, brain dead politics, off shoring, Lobbying in Washington, Conflict of interest everywhere....
Conservatives should want GAAP Accounting Rules, Truely Independent Auditing Procedures, Truely active Ratings Agencies that do not make money from Organziations that they are Rating, Conservatives should want Money Out of Politics, COnservatives should want the Federal Reserve, SEC, OCC, FDIC to enforce Bank Examinations and Authority to change the Fraud Commited by Banks.
Conseveratives should want an end to Private unregulated Banking in the US or... at least an END to unregulated Derrivatives.
Credit Default Swaps should have a Cap on them (maximum) since no organization can pay off over 100% defualt.
TBTF Banks should have a cap on them. Break them up, reduce the risk they pose to the system and taxpayers and Insurance Companies. If TBTF Banks are creating more derivatives than they actually make in 3 years, they can never pay it back or fix a Crash. Today there are $600 Trillion in Global Derivatives???
Well looks like we have to work with out Congress and Bankers and Lawyers. Remember activisim is the only thing that made many of the big changes in the 20th Century:
1) Ended the Vietnam War
2) Create OSHA in 1970
3) Got Civil RIghts passed
4) Got the Vote for Black People
5) Got Womens RIghts and Vote
6) Got Workers RIghts and the Right to Strike
Congress was sitting on it's Ass for all of that stuff.
Did you know:
1) that US Investment in Small Businesses is down since 2007 (TBTF Banks Don't Investing in Small Businesses in the USA, the core of the USA, probably because .... they can take BIGGER RISK with HIGHER Rates of RETURN gabling in the Stock Market). And we all KNOW the Federal Government has not Invested in US Infrastructure like Bridges, Roads, Highways, and National Parks, and Utilities like Water and Power the way we need to Create Jobs..... What about Waste Management, Recycling, Land & Water Ways Clean-up, Alternative Energy Developement Programs like the Denver Airport Solar Array.... How are we Investing in our Future, When the Congress and President only care about Corporations not students and the "Good Jobs for the common man."
2) that the federal government has been increasing all major budget lines (spending has Doubled) since at least 1998... and not just by some small amount... it looks like enough to be considered a stimulus.
3) You probably know the government has been trying to stimulate the economy with lower interest rates in 2000, again after 9-11, and again in 2007-2012.
4) Have you considered that the government included in the GDP financial transactions made by a few people that put money in few pockets. This measure doesn't do anything to show the true picture of the US Economy (in my opinion). I'm talking about Rent Seeking middleman transactions in Financial Schemes.
5) Do you know George W. Bush increased the total federal deficit by over $4.1 Trillion dollars.
6) Do you know that if the US Government stopped borrowing money through debt creation and credit the country would go into a depression.
7) Do you know some Economists believe we can continue to create money through federal spending without inflation as long as the creation is matched to population growth in the US.
8) If we are paying a minimum of $300-400 Billion dollars a year on Interest on the total debt, we could save this amount and all increases in the future if we created money through the treasury and a national bank.
9) The $300-400 Billion in interest payed to banks on the total federal debt is a net number not a total number. There are a bunch of tricks going on to keep the financing looking low like this. Why should the US spend so much on Defense spending to police the world if we run the debt up to $16 Trillion and risk huge financial interest payments in the future as the interest rate is forced up ....and place all this on our kids? Not only that but the Federal Reserve has Loaned out or given out Bailout money totaling $17 Trillion Dollars Globally. That would seem to stimulate the stock market and Housing Market and ... allow purchases of Federal Government Bonds ... but that is Inflationary.
10) Why do our Congressmen kowtow to bankers when we are asking them about Fraud and banking operations? Isn't it obvious that we all owe so much to banking and getting financial assistance whether we are congressmen or government. Wouldn't you rather getting lobbyist out of congress and getting congress out of the back pocket of bankers.
11) Money makes the world go around, so why can't we admit the problem this posses for honest representation in congress.
12) Isn't one of the big problems that we have bankers working within our government and the Federal Reserve and we have failed regulators working in the SEC, OCC, FDIC, FSOC, Treasury Department etc. The whole idea that liberalizing regulation helps is bizzare in that financial markets need structure and can't operate without regulations. Close Relationships between bankers and Government is just asking for Trouble. This is just asking for CRONY RELATIONSHIPS. And They Know this. They get Briefed on this. But then they appoint Bankers to OMB & Treasury ... and they refuse checks and balances and limits of power on the Federal Reserve.
13) Think of Conservative banking and you get Switzerland. They didn't have a problem in the financial crisis of 2008 because they never invested in unregulated crap. They have strong regulations and strong conservative values.
14) Would you buy unregulated crap? Would congress? No. They all know these problems. The result is Pension Funds and Retirement funds are $3-4 Trillion in the hole while baby boomers are looking to reitre. So why doesn't congress or Obama Prosecute Fraud, start a task force of 5000 FBI agents, Request referals from State Attorney Generals, why doesn't Eric Holder go after the banks? They are all in bed together. And congress is in bed with them, because Congress has great power in this. But congress doesn't want to rock the boat that fincances their re-election campaigns. This is the US Power Structure: A Marriage between TBTF Bankers, Military Industrial Complex, Prision Security Corporations, Drug Corps, Big Agriculture, Big Oil & Gas, and Our Federal Government with all of its Growing Agencies which all have become Protected Empires.
But mostly seems like we all have to remember the Media is misleading. And this is the final piece of US Corruption. We can't Vote in National Referendums because neither the MSM Press Nor the Government Itself wants to give us the Power to Vote on Issues in the USA.
And the other Assault on US Democracy is the Use of Secrets, the Use of Classifying Documents or making Info Official, and the Lack of Transparency and Truth Through Out all of our Federal Government. If everything is Secret and everything is Monitored by telecom companies ... then Democracy is gone. We have no control over the Government. The US Experiment in Democracy is Dying.
No specific class protections or empowerments.
"Unfortunely there isn't clear basis on worker rights, limits on corporate power, limits on lobbying, gift giving, or campaign contributions,"
The problem is the courts. They won't recognize civil rights in civil action without an attorney. The entire set of problems arise with unconstitutional courts.
Yes, I agree. There is an Enforcement Issue here. Congress polices the president and Censures or Impeaches him. Congress Polices themselves. Congress has an ethics committe to force rules on themselves.
The Supreme Court either is Corrupt or doesn't want to Support the Constitution they Swore an Oath to Defend. They don't want to be activist Judges, because they got a pay off of some kind.
Expressed very well, with dynamics recognized. It is a widespread breakdown of enforcement. If you saw that thread by rayolite about the Masons, and their code of conduct then you know the probable reason.
Which is not as important as the solution, ART5. People need to understand that because of 100 years of depeivation of our constitutional right, the maximum democratic for ART5 is constitutionally justified. Meaning the proposal for preparatory amendment is right on.
How about States Nullification of Federal Laws based on these laws not being Constitutional.
Or how about National Referendums, Citizen Votes nationally on what direction the Federal Government should take. Like No more Torture. No more War with Terrorists over 400 Miles from our Shore. No more war with anyone unless they have an army and are a government. Send FBI & CIA after Terrorists. Or DIsband the CIA and only send in Special FOrces of the Military to deal with Terrorist camps or Hubs.
Nullification is pre constitutional and is conceptually replaced by ART5 to some degree.
Federal referendum has no precedent but could easily be incorporated into ART5.
Seven Groups Demand Conflict of Interest Investigation of Cuomo Administration, NY Fracking Scandal (Also asks about Possible Insider Trading) 12 February 2013 By Steve Horn, Desmogblog, Truthout.org
http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/14496-ny-fracking-scandal-seven-groups-demand-conflict-of-interest-investigation-of-cuomo-administration
"...They are asking "whether Lawrence Schwartz, Secretary to Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, has a conflict of interest between his stock investments and his involvement in the state’s decision on whether to allow high-volume hydraulic fracturing for shale gas...."
"...Schwartz - dubbed "the ringleader" of Governor Cuomo's administration - potentially has what these groups describe as a legal conflict-of-interest. A months-long DeSmogBlog investigation reveals that Cuomo's chief-of-staff actually has a direct financial interest in fracking going forward in New York state, potentially falling under the sphere of insider trading..."
"...Above and beyond Schwartz's annual oil and gas industry stock holdings in corporations ranging from Occidental Petroleum, Williams Companies, ExxonMobil/XTO, and General Electric (GE) for the past decade, the Cuomo Administration has also held numerous meetings with lobbyists representing some of these same corporations dating back to when Cuomo assumed office in Jan. 2011, records obtained under New York's Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) by DeSmogBlog reveal..."
Dirty Details: Oil/Gas Industry Stock Holdings, Meetings with Lobbyists from Same Corporations
Talking about Constitution and if it protects us... Does the Constitution provide protection from government deals to sell US Bsuinesses, Oil & Gas Companies, Airports, Waterports, Infrastructure, Toll Roads, Highways, railways, Waterways, Utilities, Water Rights, Land .... to China.
What is to prevent Executives from selling corporations to Chinese Interests ... and running with the pay check to some Off-Shore paradise? Even Public Government Officials might make deals ... just like public-private deals with part government support & taxpayer Liability.
Based on Above Post wanted to raise the Idea of an Amendment to the US Constitution to protect US Commodities from being exported driving up prices for water or food ... and an Amendment that prevents vital US Resources and Infrastructure from being sold to foreign ownership.
The RISK: Inflation of Food & Water & Electricty & Shipping ... While Wages are deflating across the USA.
http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/archives/does-china-plan-to-establish-chinese-cities-and-special-economic-zones-all-over-america (Lots of Info here, some good lists)
http://www.wnd.com/2011/01/257721/ (Jan 30, 2011 ... China invades U.S. with 'free-trade zones' ... Corsi noted that the U.S. government has created 257 foreign trade zones, or FTZs, throughout USA)