she's. running on empty inside it's the last thing america needs right now higher gas prices because i know higher oil prices so as the turmoil threatens the u.s. economy is the political price too high for the obama administration. and a middle class movement trying to make its way in america so divided along political and class lines so as the fight for union rights open up wounds that are unlikely to heal. and as the united states deals with problems from labor unrest to skyrocketing well president of our america spending and revenue everyone's talking

about it including the infamous a birdie made off with as the whole government is a ponzi scheme. what do we want. out of rolling back support as wal-mart looks to take a bite out of the big apple not everyone is buying into capitalism we're going to take a look at the high cost of cheap food and cheap labor. good evening it's monday february twenty eighth eight pm here in washington d.c. i'm going to soft you're watching our team but if you're driving these days and most americans are a trip to the gas station it's probably pretty painful right now always for your pocket that's because protests in the middle east have had more repercussions than just getting rid of some leaders the uncertainty that's fueling more and more countries in the region to take to the streets is also raising the price of fuel so at a time when millions of americans are already. having trouble making ends meet look

at this mean for the obama administration the president's political future ask course the economic recovery in general clark is more or less there he's got some answers for us take a look at this. tunisia. egypt. the hurricane. algeria libya protests in country seeming to fuel one another unrest spreading like wildfire through the middle east and north africa all raging in or near the oil rich countries that helped fuel the world use of more than eighty four million barrels of crude a day uncertainty over production has sent prices soaring meaning a shock waves from the middle east turmoil are being felt worldwide oil is a most valuable resource on the planet today control is extremely

right now the mideast crisis is getting home for average americans as oil prices have skyrocketed so too have the prices people paper gasoline and now the price american paid upon is threatening to derail the u.s. economic recovery a surge in oil. prices will leave the end of the u.s. economy not just an end to the recovery there's no more bailouts like a reality peak oil expert michael c. rupert sees happening it will hit one hundred fifty dollars a barrel which he believes is inevitable this year others predicted going to two hundred twenty dollars it's so devastating because oil. fuels more than just cars. it fuels the entire global economy. though there's no doubt that if gas goes to five dollars a gallon for americans to come to dick there would be a high political price to pay for the obama administration yes yes. selene prices

go up too much and for a very long period it's a severe. severe political impact if there is no denying the u.s. has played a role in the events that have transpired in the middle east every time u.s. president barack obama went to the podium calling for this that there must be reform political social and economic reforms that meet the aspirations of the egyptian people and calling for egyptian president hosni mubarak's resignation he was calling for an end to the status quo which means a right in uncertainty and oil rich region so did leaders weigh the toll it could take on their own economy some argue they don't have the power to kind of leaning back up trying to force their back against an avalanche and i don't think we're going to have a lot of success that may not stop the u.s. from trying to take control some observers believe the u.s.

may intervene militarily in libya or oil reserves are massive under false pretenses of helping protesting people had nothing to do with interest. it has everything to do with the interest of the u.s. corporate oil corporations the military for a profit either way analysts say the price of fuel going up will simply fuel public rage and the government is largely helpless the american people are going through a very nasty rise and there's no way out of it now but i can tell you the government understands that it's coming lauren mr r.t. new york and earlier today i spoke with the publisher of the trust journal of charles and one to ask them to give me his assessment on the rising oil prices and also his prediction for what's to come. well what we're looking at really is the very reminiscent of the late one nine hundred seventy s. one nine hundred seventy nine when the iranian crisis broke out because there's another element in this that's important it's inflation and what we're looking at

as we look back in the seventy's it was high inflation plus the iranian crisis and oil strike you have the same thing going on now or oil prices were going up before this happened and it's because of the devaluation of the dollar now here's where it really gets tricky the only reason this ponzi scheme continues to go on is because the federal reserve has interest rates near zero what's going to happen as inflation skyrockets and interest rates have to go up because to hold down oil prices and other rising commodities because these commodities are based in dollars they have to raise interest rates the interest rates go up the comedy goes down so you're saying hey inflation the role of the federal reserve possibility of oil prices skyrocketing and that this could be that detrimental to the u.s.

economic recovery which let's not forget the obama administration seems to be sort of boasting about where they are posting about that they post about it look at the unemployment numbers they said that they would be under seven percent by now i just heard the white house spokesperson carney carney by the way is that abbreviated the word for carnival manak already he said that he didn't want to talk about how they said it would only be seven percent if you want to read litigate mystery so the reality is it's more like ten percent way over nine actually twenty two percent according to john williams there is no recovery it's a cover up it's only being boosted by these low interest rates which again when inflation skyrockets they're going to have to raise them and that career. does the economy why does that happen carol it's difficult to tell but it's underway now it's underway when you look at china india other countries are already raising

their interest rates because of the fears of inflation in the u.s. they're cooking the numbers they're saying we don't have inflation oh food and fuel we're not going to count that why not well because we made it up and we're say we're not going to count it and you know when they're looking at the numbers and saying you know if he has a legal expert said he the g.d.p. falls by x. percent that's not the way it works when people fill up their tank and they see it registered seventy blocks on the target yet think they're going to go out and lurch but at this point i mean what can the u.s. government do what's the solution here. other well there is no solution in these terms and the woman is right the only reason they're interested with libby is better you oil hear anybody screaming and yelling about all those people last week that were killed in the ivory coast well. i guess koko was that that you know of much of a national priority so the only things that can really happen is a real alternative energy beyond wind solar geothermal bio fuel but in the absence

of that you know the united states would attack anglin if it had oil that they needed and the people wanted it just as they did with iraq remember that one so you think that the us well intervene militarily in libya they'll try anything exactly look we already heard hillary clinton say that they're willing to do anything for anybody in libya that needs aid so they're there they're putting it out there already they're talking about no fly zones and the hypocrisy is just beyond belief i mean for example they did has anybody called for a war criminal trials against mubarak as they are for khadafy in all of the world is the the western world of calling for his head but the other heads in bahrain and bin yamin and in egypt are you know they're ok tunisia leave them alone but they're calling for gadhafi

said why because it's soil yet think we'd be in iraq if the major export there was broccoli and of course a lively u.s. interest in bahrain attention just one country there by about carol back to thinking about what this could mean for the obama administration a lot of folks say that everything that's going on right now even in the middle east is going to reflect poorly upon barack obama come two thousand and twelve well i mean the republicans have a different plan they don't seem to have any plan. now by the time the elections come there's going to be a much different story by now and what's what's really going on now is we see you know these are only brush fires leading to a budget with greater outbreak we are really looking at the first great war of the twenty first century they're not we i mean look what happened as it was going on the riots in libya how about what's going on in india with the hundreds of thousands of people taking to the streets how about what's going on in greece this

is going worldwide this isn't going to stop come november there's going to be much bigger issues than libya and or oil it's going to look like as i said the beginning of the first great war of the twenty first century i was harold from one take he's the publisher of the trends journal. from one villain light bernie made off to a corporation that has time and again been vilified long mark the poster child of the negative consequences of capitalism ideas were in part i explained how cheap food comes at a very high price and how now more than ever average americans are fighting what they say is a corporate to live take a look. what residents of america's largest city want to be one. are at war with america's largest corporation almost rules of mom and pop which to be destroyed it could not be supportive to wal-mart they have the money they have the power they have the pool but we have the people thousands of new yorkers have

mobilized to keep new york city wal-mart free the corporate behemoths is aggressively aiming to break ground in the big apple vegas wants no product spending millions on ad campaigns promising to bring affordable groceries and quality jobs new york city's low income community we all want what is going to happen with a committee called a low day does a beautiful day at the supermarket going to a lot of bases is that going to create more jobs where you're going to you're going to win two jobs we think you're going to squeeze out the world's largest retailer reels unmatched buying power and prices impossible for small businesses to be tapped studies have shown urban wal-mart stores absorbing self causing up to twenty five percent of surrounding shops down for a group like this new york city supply shop owner ronnie juco called wal-mart a weapon of mass job destruction eventually will all be affected by. small business owners like you can also can't compete against wal-mart's powerful influence on us

politics we have small businesses we don't have the kind of power we don't have you know two hundred three hundred thousand dollars to help somebody lobby for a senator or representative according to published reports in two thousand and ten wal-mart donated more than three million dollars to federal officials or candidates through their political action committee and spent more than six million dollars on the obvious the multinational corporation has also spent hundreds of millions of dollars settling or fighting employee lawsuits involving low wages labor law violations inadequate health care and gender discrimination it's like when you drop . it's stone in upon the ripples you know it goes all the way to the. last year wal-mart sales generated four hundred five billion dollars meanwhile new store employees in the u.s. are paid eight seventy five an hour with a reported yearly income of less than fourteen thousand dollars an explanation for

why many wal-mart workers almost buy first state welfare programs or most would agree much like those christian sharply drug stores notorious anti-union policies have been criticized for stripping employees a fair wages and benefits ernestine bassett has worked for wal-mart for forty years and says she's never received a raise if you look at management where for profit there majority of. the women vote they have been added one more is criticized as a corporation aiming to keep workers and shoppers dependent on one might be power new yorkers say their battle reflects a nationwide need to break free from corporate colonialism and the profits but try them for in a fortnight r.t. new york and of course wal-mart is not the only corporation to be blamed for abusing labor and trying to skirt around environmental regulations but it is a wal-mart the fiercest anti-union company out there well for more nelson

lichtenstein is a professor at the university of california santa barbara he's also the editor of this book right here wal-mart the face of twenty first century toppling and he's talking us from california nelson thanks for coming on to you know when we talk about wal-mart a lot of folks is that this is an evil company evil executives but other analysts say look lower isn't so successful because of its evolve or their executives are heartless it's just because they're following the logic of the system this is how it works so if we want to change things if we want to get wal-mart to change their behavior shouldn't we look at the whole system the whole corporate corporatism in general with wal-mart. new system the reason they're successful courses but they're there are second is there any more greedy or evil anyone else and what they created a new system for distribution created invented super center invented distribution centers etc a lot of things that if it were actually quite efficient about getting

goods to people all over the country so that's all that's a good thing and however they are a company that we're going to save them characterological innovations we're a how to see our sort of militant anti-union ism and a little weak euro and little get a. lot of structure which does lower the general wage level and will have a big impact on other stores supermarkets etc that are already in new york so there is a problem there they also say that this is all political and you point out a quote unquote red state or red states when it comes to lamarck i mean there's actually supporting it booming business when you bring in politics and his whole conversation well you know what i want write it origins in arkansas write it for many years it supported many republicans it's a it for example on policy questions it's against raising the minimum wage it's it's often against it was against the effort to liberalize the labor law reform.

a year or two years ago however however one might just have a problem it's had declining same sorts of work sales for the last seven quarters in other words it's being impacted by the recession people don't have enough money to buy in wal-mart are actually buying in cheaper stores that even experience actually exist the the dollar stores so one market is desperate to open up a new market which is the cities chicago new york washington d.c. boston and there's about a hundred billion dollars of new sales in those cities terraces. that you know that house in town so it wants that house and as a consequence wal-mart has in fact made some just years maybe sometimes even more than just yours. to say well. we want to be as we want to accommodate obama we want our comedy kind of politics of new york city so for example.

how about sustainability initiatives to make their factories and suppliers have a smaller carbon footprint a cooperative show obama want to have project out less sugar in foods yeah nelson they're so anti-union and let's not forget unions are the single biggest as a funding for the democratic party tell them how in fact are they courting obama that well i mean that right they are not courting obama or not certainly our quote of the union that when it comes to that they always say we have a we have sort of a home and we have enemies are enemies of the unions when it comes to environmentalist. african-american groups. maybe gay people there make a few accommodations but when it comes to unions you're right they're picking up are in line and they are and that is what they will not compromise on whatsoever so but it doesn't mean that people in new york city or chicago or e.c.

are in a good strong position because of the same wal-mart is desperate to get into those cities they are making a heck of a lot of money in china they aren't you and so great in there in they need to get into it to expand their sales there you know and i think that residents of new york city could make some demands on why mark you want to build a store here what you hear you why you know go stop don't stop you know these were some organizing and union entire store where you know this guy and i don't play devil's advocate here you know we heard some of the folks and marina's peter to complain that they were only making eight seventy five an hour being cashiers when they'd be making the same amount of money or. little money anywhere they work whether it's walmart or another grocery store is the difference between wal-mart and no other grocery stores and you know but sometimes some others. starting with this state starting wages the same about eight or nine dollars an hour what's different here at wal-mart sure and of course over time.

you'll get you basically you'll leave the job at three or four years whatever you'll never increase your wages increase your move up the hierarchy unionized grocery store we have a grievance procedure your god or our union you can stay here twenty years and by the time you've been there ten years you have enough money you're going to have a middle class standard of living that's the difference you know careers at walmart you know you said that their sales are lagging i think too many folks out feel bad for them at this point especially the executives out wal-mart and also look inside thanks so much for your time today to be here and while many folks blame the big corporations and banks for causing the financial crisis some are finally taking to the streets over its contents all these biggest protests since the vietnam war just this past weekend and yesterday police caved in and refused to forcibly remove the folks occupying a state capitol building even though they were given a clear deadline to get out and of course this isn't just limited to wisconsin

other states are considering similar proposals you've got ohio tennessee i don't help among others but the question is are all these rallies making any kind of difference or are they just falling on deaf ears parties in the states are going to has more for us take a look at this. america's middle class fighting the war already historic. where we're out as little people only option where it is used for over two weeks need to protest that kicked off in wisconsin and spread to other states of the region on the fight for workers' rights you see protests to move. little towns that nobody organized people just showed up at city are you seeing that kind of spontaneous action coming i think is going to start spreading throughout the united states. to begin with the demonstrators were not asking for much and the only lesage was just not to take away their collective bargaining rights but the state quotations said to chop you laws thank you stability to government workers the

people's outreach to stronger that's scary there needs to be oversight there needs to be a turn in the democratic process this is building them up and making life better and the competition the center seats for the people there we are all getting louder in the biggest middle class uprising status america has seen in years and i think the president getting more and more candidates and i think a lot of needs and it's going to keep spreading. during this election campaign and form a promise to walk more step with america's workers but in reality as steve far away from the people who have been begging him for support probably because. forced to play politics like everybody else are forced to. you know voted for obama but i'm tired of democrats talking about. this sentiment has grown even stronger as americans remember wall street not being similarly ignored or its actions spun the

economy out of control but we allow the right wing media and the glenn becks of the world and these kinds of folks in the world to convince us that this problem is about state workers and not about j.p. morgan chase jamie dimon got seventeen million in bonuses there was a packet and we're here because of wall street reckless gambling angry ok that is why we're all here people are suffering as days of protesting turn into weeks the realisation of being left to fend for themselves that's what many in the president took office there's this feeling that some did presently come in and just cedar city people. if you will have to fight for me and some are beginning to stress if the massive uprising continues to be ignored the time when obama president obama will not win two thousand and twelve with states like wisconsin a middle class that was forced to resign is not going to be even if you will still

be. into the battle is nowhere in sight it opened up. to here in america. along political lines this is pretty madison wisconsin. and from our professor of politics at occidental college dr caroline how many is talking to us from los angeles caroline good to see you as always you know folks taking to the streets still camping out in the capitol what happens next well it's obviously gotten to the point where governor walker is going to have to make a decision and my thought is that given the fact that public opinion is now really turned against him in his own state only sixty one percent are opposed to what he's doing and nationally that statistic holds as well and i think he's in a tough place right now where he's going to have to make a decision about about how to proceed and the ball is really in his court because we know that the fourteen democrats are going to stay out of state we know that the

protesters are going to hold on in the capital so it's really up to him at this point and you know we haven't seen that many people out on the streets in wisconsin since the vietnam war but that still doesn't seem to be dominating the news coverage you know it's more about the middle east why is that he clearly this is not an isolated incident. well i think on the grand scale of human history what's happening in the middle east is a much bigger story so in that sense i'm actually happy that it's dominating the news cycle in the u.s. i think that's unusual we tend to know very little about geopolitics as you know in the united states with that said i was happy to see a lot of coverage of the protests across the nation in all fifty states and over sixty cities over the weekend and much of it was very positive coverage really talking about solidarity and the progressives who are now turning out in a way that we haven't seen them turn out really in the last two years they've been pretty dormant it looks like the two thousand and eight election all over again in

terms of liberals being energized and folks are of course calling this progressive tea party moment something i want to touch upon you were one of the only analysts that we spoke to who said that you felt that there would in fact be a government shutdown come march fourth which you know in wisconsin is a sort of a microcosm of the bigger issues in the federal government are you still standing by. well what's happened and i actually think it's a there's a greater likelihood now of the government shutdown because the democrats and republicans are probably going to compromise on a four billion dollar cut this friday and that's everything they already agree on that gives them two weeks to then put together a package that they agree on with republicans pushing for the sixty billion dollars in cuts which now moody's is saying is going to kill seven hundred thousand jobs from now until the end of two thousand and twelve so it's a pretty draconian package when you look at the actual effects on jobs in the economy they're going to have

a compromise on that in two weeks i just don't see that happening so i think they're buying time to try to point the big finger of blame on the other side and it's anyone's guess as to who's actually going to get blamed for it but i actually think it's even a greater likelihood that that will happen at this point while seven hundred thousand jobs in there are still playing politics with that but you know this whole thing started of course as a way to try to deal with the budget deficit or at least half of scott walker in their public in their say but if we look at the massive debt this seems to be just sort of cackling such a small portion of the problem when our politicians going to sort of stop pretending and say we need massive cov and perhaps taking to the defense budget is well. well at the federal level it would be great if we could all sit down and have an honest conversation about where we can make cuts instead of simply going after entitlement programs at the state level with regard to mr walker governor walker's claim that it's about the the budget simply fiction because the unions actually conceded everything that he requested and he's dealing now with projected budgetary

shortfalls in the next two years so he's being disingenuous with the voters and it's very clear he's going after collective bargaining right he's going after he and governors from other states are getting together and that this is a ground plan we know that the phone call from the koch brothers or david koch the prank phone call he made it very clear that this is an organized effort to go after unions so i wish that he would be more honest and i wish that the media framing was more honest in that respect speaking of honesty are so are all these economic decisions whether they be at the state or federal level are they just sort of based on the short term because of the political cycle because either way the thing to be playing politics here. and great observation dean i mean what we're talking about is a long extended recession caused by the liquidity crisis of two thousand and eight which was ultimately caused by corporate greed those folks got bailed out main street did not get bailed out and now are trying to balance a bad spot at the federal level and in all fifty states almost at this point on the

backs of the poor and the working class and it's an obvious transfer of wealth from the public sector to the private sector from the working class of the middle class to the wealthy we've seen this this trend exacerbated over the last decade and it's a shame that republicans are kind of bringing up the same way using the similar rhetoric that we need to tighten the belt at a time when we really don't need to be balancing out on the backs of the working class and it's a very good point at a time when of course millions are unemployed and struggling to even put food on the table professor caroline howard and thanks so much for coming on again. and that does it for us tonight for more on the stories we covered go to our web site our to dot com slash you with that you can stream all the shows live on that website at four five seven and of course eight o'clock also check out our you tube page it's youtube dot com slash our team america feel free to read your comments we love hearing from you i'm going to go softy have a great night and i will see you right back here tomorrow.