ah, and ah, a with i'm action retention, you're watching going on the ground, the team, and i will be back soon with a brand new look, despite nato nation in the you, censorship. but until then we'll be showing some of your favorite shows a for season. so far, i'm option or it has in your watching a special edition of going underground 54 years since the tet offensive. a turning point against us was in the vietnam region that killed $6000000.00 as american

forces fought that towards or make the world safer capitalism. in america, the youngest mayor of a major us city was waging his own war against unrestrained corporate power targeting his city of cleveland. his stand against the privatization of the publicly owned mooney light company echoes fights all around the world against neoliberalism. joining me now from cleveland is that mad dennis goosenich, former democratic nominee for the u. s. presidency in author of the division of light and power. dennis, thanks so much for finally being on going under ground dam. i should just start to, by the fact that we're being warned here in london, that vladimir putin might turn the light and power off in your view, your thoughts on the fact that nature briefing we are on the brink of war in europe . and the biden is preparing thousands of troops to fight towards russia. i can tell you here from our american shide im talk to you from a neighborhood including ohio and no one around here. it's thinking or talking

about war. people are just trying to live their own lives and get through the panoramic of find a way to survive initial economy. and i think that people are pretty typical of most americans. i think our country needs to finally come to a on time with, with russia, resolve the underlying issues are truly, really energy. what's interesting is that my book arises at a time that there's a context for control of energy market, oil, liquid, natural gas. and any time you have that kind of a struggle, there's always the possibility that people will do whatever they can in order to the dominant. and so we have to be very careful here in this stage about overreaching and we get the world really is seeking for

a way to come to pace and the saber rattling right now. that's going on. i don't think church or any country. well, particularly those in your and i think the united states, mr. vine your support and need to be in constant contact and lower the temperature right now, because i don't think anybody really wants more. i, i can't imagine that anyone thinks that a, their anywhere in structure conflict. i mean, there's literally talk of comparison to the cuban missile crisis. well, you know, it has kept in mind that russia is troop movements are happening within the russian borders. i think get really needs to be understood and russia just as any sharon nation as the right to defended some borders. i think the hysteria that's being worked up needs to be discounted mightily. and in light

of the fact that there are, are various agendas that are seeking to be advanced in the name of security, which actually when they're unmasked, you can see that in a way, it's kind of a naked attempt to grab energy markets. and we have to be very careful about that. i think that there is a there needs to be a genuine effort to repair the united states relationship with russia. but one of those agendas is privatization, and i'm not sure about cleveland, but here in london where i'm speaking to you from, often it's being talked about, the people at face a choice between eating or heating. just how did you fight and the u. s. as the youngest mayor, i did the fight against privatization the any cost your life as you describe in the

division of liking power. it's really important to, to remember that any time any organization corporation has the ability to control and energy market, whether it's for electricity and what use make electricity, oil, natural gas, you can basically to control the market. you can name your price and get it. and what people pay for the basic essentials of life, including energy, is no small matter. i mean, i remember growing up in cleveland as my family moved around a lot throughout the city. i remember my parents counting entities to pay a utility bill. there are people everywhere who are trying to make ends meet and what we pay for for electricity for energy royal for natural gas is no small matter and show when i was the mayor of cleveland. and i took this book,

the division of light and power is all about. i had to make a choice about who did i represent, did i represent the company that was attempting to grab a monopoly so they could increase the price of electricity or did i represent to people of a city who have a competitive electric system that exist extensively to be able to keep right slow . and so you know, this was what it was all about and there were billions of dollars each day. i mean, i asked the former british energy secretary of state about the need is some see it to keep energy resources, energy supplies on the democratic control, otherwise known as nationalized or under the control of local government. he appeared to be saying that's for the dinosaurs who haven't caught up with the great new economics pioneered, of course, by reagan adventure. well, my monopoly is the media, the dinosaur. okay. we have to keep in mind is

that public utilities, unless the people controller, unless they control basic public services, they're always going to be subjected to increases. i mean, this is basically it's an economic issue. it's an issue of ultimately to record our freedom. so if, if you know wherever you're at in the world, if all of a sudden a service previously was provided to the public at a, at a, at a reasonable and a low price gets privatize, it is actually erratic that you're going to pay more because the only reason why anyone would private dodge is in order to, to have a monopoly and then you increase the cost and lead the public. that's what happens . on the other hand, if you have a, if you have a monopoly that exists in the private sector over a, what should be

a public service? the idea municipal is ation is one that should only be taken if you can prove that people can save money because it's all about trying to help people make it through their own lives. so that the most important thing in their lives does not become having to pay utility bill. but look for your facial hunting bill, you have to pay it or whether it's coming from government or from the private sector. and i don't hold the belief that government can do everything it can. i don't want to government, you know, i'm, i'm not a fan of socialism. communism capitalism. hey, i, you know, i'll ask you, i can be rheumatism. but i also say that we need to be mindful of what public policy does to the people when you permit for private monopolies to control the price. if the public controls are, they can always go somebody out office if the price goes too hot. but if it's

controlled by the private sector, they have no action whatsoever. the hallways, be mindful, that's quite an understatement for anyone having read this book because the fact that i'm obviously what you just said that is not part of the public discourse. here's why i wrote a book, and if you, if i can get you for it and look what happened to you. just describe what have, i mean, also describe the levels of corruption that you see as being booked by the idea of any privatized, defacto public monopoly. well, if you can, if you have an awfully and something of alarms in the public, whether it's electricity, water, natural gas, or transportation, education on health care, you know, i wrote the bill in the stage to provide for medicare for all single payer.

now you can get a monopoly nigger pricing and and get it. so what happened and what happened clever is that the private utility subverted the city government you know, gave contributions to politicians so that they would vote their way. but there were beyond that, they subverted the media, they use their advertising dollars to be able to get the media to say whatever they wanted to say with respect to the cities public utility. so the media fell in line due to percent refers and attack. the city's utility of the city's ability to run a utility, even though the cities utility was making a profit, was serving the people and behind the sage. and this is documented by the atomic safety and licensing commission of the nuclear regulatory commission. behind the scenes, the private power company was working to stop city council from approved

from improving any kind of improvements to the city electric system. and it was determined later on they were creating outages. honda municipal system there are blackouts that were created particularly during holiday seasons and then the media would say she, you have an electric system doesn't work. no, we had one that was being sabotaged. and this book is a story of corporate espionage, of corporate, sharon, tired of the, of creating blackouts in the city, or with the intention of grabbing a natalie on electric power and wiping out the city system. in cleveland, we have competitive systems, we have a private system serving part of the city and a public shift in serving part of the city. but the private power company wanted it all. i'll get to media collusion and why you had to carry a starter pistol on una in

a 2nd. but of course what you just said that britain has a universal health care system which is funded with the half of the percentage of public money per capita. that they do in the united states, still it is the universal system. some people say there's a deliberate running down of nationalized systems just the way you put it there. so that people, certainly the elite of a middle class is start to stop using these public systems and opt for private. and also it then allows people to say, see, it doesn't work when it's a democratically accountable. is this something that the people around the world should be aware of? absolutely. the private interest, if they can gain control over was essentially a public service such as child care. again, you know your price and you get it. now, just think for a moment, the consequences of this were in a pandemic right now. it's affecting a whole world, you know, in a country like america,

which is really going to hit very hard by kogan, how much better we would be if you know, for last few decades, we would have a public house in some more people would check in regularly and be able to monitor their health and make health care a not just a service, but make it a consciousness that people have so that we take responsibility for how government can give a shout. when we take responsibility for our own house. and we start to do things, you might improve our immune system, our ability to respond to diseases, you know, that should've been done years ago. what about why hasn't been done, and why is joe biden have no, absolutely no intention of our intention of doing anything like that. well, i think, you know, the political parties are controlled by corporate interests. and the democrats, unfortunately, went that way, decades ago, and decided the only way they could get enough money to win elections was to do

republicans or during those get the money from corporations. and in the private healthcare insurance, the private insurance can contribute. miles to yours campaigns, that basically it's a pay to play system. it's almost an auction, and dave policy goes to the highest bidder. you know, it's pretty, pretty simple in that regard. i mean, even know, the great mass of american people would prefer to have access to health care to, to pay less and, and have a broader range of services. it's not happening and you know, i, i carry that flight forward in the united states congress for many years and there's the need is still very great in their country. i really feel sorry for so many people suffering because this system doesn't serve the paper which serves interest groups dennis can finish. i'll stop you that more from the twice us to have a great presidential contender up to this break. i

mean ah, welcome back. i'm still here with for you as congressman dennis,

cuz it is 50 said mayor of cleveland and twice democrat presidential contender has been a corruption scandal here in britain about cash for questions in the british parliament . what would you say to a politicians around the world watching about why the corruption goes from taking a few tickets for a ball game right up to a having questions asked in the legislature? well, systems are, our systems are corrupted. and i think many people go into public service with intention of actually sherman because they, they care and people even knows of integrity can find themselves in compromising situations. if there are political patrons ask for specific travers as the consequences of dispensing those triggers are not carefully considered. so i really look at it as the changes have to be made systemically,

in order to make it possible for politicians to avoid the narrow occasions of being compromised as a worker. then what does it mean if you're in public office? what it means is, chance take any money from anybody who's bound to ask you to do anything, not how you know that might cause some whiplash. when you think about it, but the actual what it comes down to, don't take any money from anyone who may ask you to do anything. well, i think by that the president of the united states has bankrolled, arguably in the senate by the credit card industry. amazon, google, boeing to up to you is gave money to his campaign. will you ever attempted to take even a ticket for a ball game by a financial corporate interests that you suspected of having ail terrier? much, if not, not a chance. let me say, i don't want anything if you go into public life looking to fill

a hole in your soul. no, he's going to sell that. oh, no blandishments, no contributions, nothing away. i look where it got you. in this book, there is a transcript from w k y c news of a hitman. i wanted to kill you quotes, we can't make a finish. that's what i was told. we come back to finish. he was cut from a different cloth. wow. did you find yourself wanting to keep a pistol and the officer assess it as a police learned of a mafia hit them? well i, i never, i never arm myself. everybody was a story with a gun rights, i think was a starter pistol. well i, i'm no, no, and i that, that was another story from another era that was, i'll call it apocryphal. i to speaking of the challenge that our case when i was

mayor. but it was may very clear to me by police intelligent the connection between the assassination plot and my position in refusing to sell our municipal electric system to this private utility. you have to keep in mind that during this time, cleveland was the bombing capital of america because of wars between various factions, of organized crime, an organized crime, had penetrated into city government, into the banking community. and you know, unfortunately, that the power that was exercised was such that yeah, you could pay, i hit man, $80.00 grand to kill a mayor. you know, the fact that i survived that i was lucky. i mean, it was a lot of time for a high powered rifle shot. came to my house, and i'm in right now. and in my head by fraction of a fraction period. and you know, i, i look,

i like you to be are right now. what i was lucky to get through that period without getting hurt, that obviously would event know, moving arguably of the entire democratic party. animal progressive line in the presidential attempt to 24 and 20. 08 i just quickly on the media. you do talk about the u. s. corporate media being the handmaiden of the corruption involved in privatization. well, from my experience from clear it was early in my political career as a city councilman, that i came into contact with an internal document of the clean electric aluminum, a company where they basically were bragging how they were using and manipulating the media in order to get positive coverage of the clean electric illuminated company and negative coverage of the municipal electric system owned by the people so much so that they were directly delivering editorials to read to, to newspapers,

and to television stations. and having them published verbatim. in order to be able to get their point of view across which total propaganda, that was corporate propaganda and they were using it to undermine the public's right to be able to own their own electric system to keep electric rates low. so we can go over that little local paper there, arguably internationally. i have to ask about the fact that, given that this kind of thing is reported again and again in countries with neoliberalism, let alone in the united states and the effect of privatization neoliberalism. do you think ironically that the impact of privatization was something that steve bannon tapped into in that speech with donald trump, american carnage. and actually had the despair of the midwest of the united states

that came from this kind of these kinds of actions. you talk about in the book well, elected from, you know, let's talk about the in westerman the mid who asked was d, industrialized. and one of the reasons why we lost so many industry was the high cost of electricity, particularly because of these private utilities, raising a cost of energy to the rough. ok. now the over arching issue is a philosophical one. the mayor of cleveland, who founded our municipal electric system at the turn of the 20th century, tommy johnson. he said they should, i think that, you know, his words are, were very eloquent. i want to repeat them. i believe in public ownership of public service, monopolies of water systems, of schools, electric systems, of parks and on. because if you do not own them, they will in time own, you know, corrupt your politics, role your institutions,

and finally destroy your livers. now that was over a 100 years ago, there's nothing short of of frame involved here. and when people end up paying more and businesses end up paying more in industry, paying more, it create to destruct a destructive economic undermining of people's lives period. could that quote from that predecessor of you has a matter of cleveland, cleveland be used as a extended to the military industrial complex. it owns you when it comes to the white us, one of my, one of my books in my library, it is about the life of david eisenhower who was president of the united states when he, when he left the office in his valedictory stage, he warned about the influence of what he called the military industrial complex on the everyday life of americans. his warning, you know,

should be put in stone outside of public buildings across the country. because what happens is that a larger and larger percentage of the budget of the united states goes for military contractor. and in a way behind the scenes, it helps inspire wars and to keep us out. war is a, it is a corrupt system that, that will take money that should be used for education, for health care, for feeding people and just give it to military contractors who will make sophisticated hardware that does try to find a way to years. you know, i, i was right in the middle of that for 16 years. and i, and i refused to vote for budget, which ended up saving money from the american people. and, and,

and giving it to the, to this big war machine. which just look for ways to keep think stirred up so they can find a way to use their products. i mean, you know, is there, is there a connection? look, any time. any large corporate interest have great influence over a government. it cannot be to the benefit of, of the people that nation. but even the lobby, a sun k street, arguably did not append to, going to ask for $770.00 a $1000000000.00. this year for the military budget using joe biden thinks that giving them extra is of price. we're paying the same office. i mean, i know i be because i will tell you, i think, you know, we made a mistake and personalizing this, i know, i know i know joe biden have known it for more than 50 years. i

don't, i don't think that he thinks it charged you just express, but i do the fact that he has spent a fairly loyal servant of a system that supports that approach. and that that's a problem. it's a bipartisan problem. it's the reason why hardy politics doesn't work to reason why the system is not serving the american people. well, that last national defense authorization appropriation that you mention. congress clustered up about 27000000000 more than was even asked for. and so we wonder what is going on here with, with all the needs that exists. now people can say, why don't we just keep running money? well, we've got to look at our monetary system. and if we're going to do that, because within the context of the present monetary system, the way that the governments being ron is highly inflationary. the basic needs of people still aren't, aren't being met. and i will tell you that we have

a crisis which involved. so public confidence in government and government leaders and, and the root of it ish that corporate interest. i have infiltrated the government and are actually calling the shots for policy and just about every area of american life. well, somebody will go to a very rich, obviously, during the pandemic, we often say on this program, 40000000, maybe more need the food stamps to eat tonight in your country. if anyone reads this book, one is going to have to ask the question, can change in your country be achieved peacefully, you sacrifice your health, you nearly died in the hospital. there was that mafia here to attempted. the levels of corruption, defamation can change in your country be achieved peacefully. of course, i don't believe in revolution, i believe in spiritual evolution. cultures evolve if you get

a chance to. yeah, i was american system was set up so so that we could try to help a country adapt to an agreement, a future. but it would help if we had public financial campaigns to take away the great influence that has existed by and from corporate interest. that would be a good start, but you know, our system is weakened by corporate influence. there's no question about it. now, is there a way to break? and of course there is and then involves electing. people are determined to do that . and that involves people actually getting involved, at least on a level there gog and becoming more aware. you know, it's going to happen overnight. now. can it happen? of course, a chance. you know, the countries always had this capacity to break through. got it all depends on, on who's and who's elected. that said,

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a latest reports from the southern ukrainian port city of odessa say several rock itself had local military infrastructure. there 3 people are reportedly killed. also ad on the program. today, the u. n. say is, it has not documented patterns that amount to genocide in ukraine. come trip to the repeated claims of western leaders. berlin explains its hesitancy and not sending heavy weapons to ukraine, saying it's because the risk of provoking a 3rd world war is too great about us further split. so merge in the nato alliance over their response to the company.