Trickle Down - How the 99% Fought Back & Won

Trickle Down Available Free Until Friday

2016-01-07T20:46:00.000-05:00

If you liked the movie "The Big Short" you'll want to read my political satire "Trickle Down - How the 99% Fought Back & Won".

I began writing the screenplay version in June, 2012 and the book shortly thereafter and the topic of Wall Street thievery is hotter than ever!

The Kindle version is available free to download until tomorrow (Friday, Jan. 8th).

I hope you take advantage of this limited time offer.

PS: Also check out my Twilight Zone-type short story "Word Games" where two men play a board game that has a devastating effect on world events - also free to download until Friday.

Thanks again,
Joel Stern

The Pope

2015-09-24T18:46:00.001-04:00

I'm not religious and strongly believe in the separation of church and state but this Pope does make a lot of sense.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/pope-francis-makes-historic-speech-congress/

"Enough's Enough" Nails Bankster

2015-09-03T18:39:00.000-04:00

Main character Jason MacMillan, leader of the massive middle class "Enough's Enough" movement goes head to head with Washington Savings & Loan CEO Clifton Danvers in Danvers' office. The subject -- fraudulent loans to homeowners that helped spark the mortgage meltdown...

From the novel "Trickle Down - How the 99% Fought Back & Won"

Pg. 91 available on Amazon: http://amzn.to/1Lln0Dp

Three days later Macmillan was in Sacramento at the headquarters of Washington Savings & Loan sprawled out on a leather couch. He bounced an orange Nerf ball off the ceiling while CEO Clifton Danvers watched like a bored cat.

"It really bounces true Cliffy. Even the curves. Wanna give it a try?"

"Alright, enough! What do you want?"

Jason bolted upright. "Answers -- honest ones. But they're not just for me."

Danvers puckered his lips and dropped his head. "For who then, Ann Landers? You want me to explain to her why you have a vendetta against CEO's?"

Macmillan got up, put his hands in his pockets and paced back and forth. "You're going to explain to some influential people in Washington how your company made a fortune stuffing our mailboxes with garbage like this." He tossed a flier on the desk that screamed “$90,000 Mortgage for Under $499/Month!” Danvers didn't flinch. "Teaser rates to draw them in knowing damn well most of them couldn't pay it back." Danvers sat motionless as Macmillan walked over to an original painting -- "The Battle of Trenton" -- and stood underneath with his hands clasped behind his back. "Quite a struggle they had, those crazy revolutionaries. In rags with crude weapons fighting off those snobby well-fed British who thought they owned everyone. Can you imagine that Danvers? Those uppity bastards thought the rest of us peons put on this earth just to serve them?"

"British General James Grant was a relative of mine," Danvers said. "He sure blew that one."

Macmillan raised his eyebrows. "I'm not surprised. It must run in the family."

Danvers tossed the flier aside. "Look, I had some people under me who didn't know what they were doing. I can't be everywhere. It never should have happened, but don't you worry. We'll fix it and move on."

Macmillan snapped his fingers, "Just like that, huh. You're the new David Copperfield. The whole mess disappears. You steer people into home loans you knew damn well would fail then you sweep it under the rug. You knew what your top people did because you were paying them millions in bonuses to do it!"

"They were paid retention bonuses."

"Oh right. Retention bonuses. You retained them because they did such a great job screwing everybody."

Macmillan walked over to another wall and took a close look at a Wild West painting. "So let me get this straight. You paid them millions in retention bonuses even though you knew they didn't know what they were doing. Man, that's pretty lousy management if you ask me."

Danvers pressed a button under his desk while giving MacMillan a sarcastic smile.

"Well I'm not asking you. You know son, I think what we have here is a failure to communicate. You want to blame someone? Blame Greenspan. He thought we could regulate ourselves. Blame Clinton for repealing Glass-Steagall. Blame Reagan and Bush for letting us do whatever the hell we wanted in the name of business. Fuzzy math? You're damn right! What the hell did you think we were gonna do?" He shook his head and laughed. "You kids don't get it. We're just too big to fail, too big to jail!"

"That's the problem Danvers. You thieves are allowed to get too big. You knew taxpayers would have to bail you out to avoid a complete economic meltdown so you made dangerous bets on The Street. If you win you get huge bonuses. If you lose, hey, so what, Joe Schmoe picks up the tab."

"It's called capitalism. Market freedom."

"Freedom's one thing. Freedom to steal is another."

"C'mon, put away the violin – I've heard this tune before."

"First you strip the wealth from their homes with predatory loans, and hen you use those loans to blow up the economy. And then comes the cherry on top -- you use the recession as an excuse to steal their homes through foreclosure."

Danvers smiled like a jack-o-lantern. "And you made a fortune selling those bogus CDO's in Asia. If I go down I'm taking you with me."

Two muscular security guards walked in and stood at the door waiting for the nod to throw Macmillan out.

Danvers, red faced wiped the sweat off of his forehead. Macmillan walked over to him and defiantly planted both fists on his desk. Just behind Macmillan was an old oil painting of a Native American Chief in full headdress. It seemed like he was looking down at both men. Jason got right into Danvers' face and smirked. "Tell me big man -- do you like large feathered hats?"

***

A Cartoon Wreaks Havoc

2015-09-02T13:50:00.000-04:00

A highly political cartoon catches the nation by storm and "the genie's out of the bottle". Executive Producer Jack Lunch has a sit down with the program's head writer...

From the novel "Trickle Down - How the 99% Fought Back & Won"
Pg. 78

Jack Lunch found himself in a Catch-22. The higher the ratings "The Doolittle's" got the more money the company made. But higher ad revenue also meant more feathers getting ruffled in high places because of the cartoon's volatile political story lines. It's views on Big Oil and the fast food industry ignited a firestorm throughout the nation and the heat was on.

The bags under Lunch's eyes made him look like a man who was about to be fired. He peeked through the blinds at the scene below on Manhattan's 7th Avenue – thousands marching and screaming watched by dozens of police on horseback. Protestors held up signs: "Jail the Banksters and Bail Out the Middle Class!"; "Democracy Not Oligarchy!" He stared glassy eyed with his hands in his pockets. "Take a look at the lead story Jess."

She grabbed the paper off his desk and scanned the front page: “First Burgers Now Gas -- Americans Use Economic Clout As Never Before.” She folded it and tossed it back on his desk.

"Well you've created quite a fine mess."

"Thank you Oliver Hardy. Look, people are sick and tired of working for the man and getting stiffed. Something's gotta give."

He pulled up a chair and loosened his tie. "I'll come right to the point Jess. I'm getting some hints from upstairs that maybe this thing is getting a little out of hand. We have some big hitters who are threatening to pull their ads. I don't have to tell you who they are."

***

Student Loans

2015-09-01T17:23:00.001-04:00

A one-percenter supporter gets a verbal smack down from national radio host Bill James on "James All Night." The subject -- student loans...

From "Trickle Down - How the 99% Fought Back & Won"
Pg 65

"Hi Bill, long-time, first-time. My kids were watching 'The Doolittle's' earlier tonight and one of the characters was talking about living overseas because she couldn't afford to pay back her student loan."

"Yeah, we've gotten a lot of calls about that."

"But isn't it just another example of the liberal media playing games with our kids heads? I mean if you want to get an education you have to pay for it like anything else. It took me nearly six years to pay off my student loan."

James shot right back, "Six years? You should consider yourself lucky Steve. It took me ten and that was a long time ago. How much did you owe if you don't mind me asking?"

"About $90,000."

"What are you doing now?"

"Well, right now I work as a security officer."

"That can mean a lot of things. Are you a security officer for the government? For a major corporation? The NSA? At the local mall?"

"No, at a local bank."

James went right for the jugular. "OK, so let me get this straight. You spent six years of your life paying off a student loan for $90,000, and now you're security guard making, what – 12, 13 bucks an hour? How's that for fuzzy math?"

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"That's not the point Bill, there's no free lunch and if you want it for free go to college in Moscow!"

"No Steve that is the point. College should be affordable for the rest of us. The kids going to Harvard and Yale can thank their rich mommies and daddies for footing the bill. The corporate suits are telling our kids that they have to go to college to get a decent paying job. But when they graduate they're straddled with so much debt that it takes them forever to pay it off. That means they don't have enough money to buy stuff which is money that goes right back into the economy. You should've been making a decent salary all these years but you didn't because your boss knew he could get away with paying you crap. He has all the leverage. And then he has the gall to wave the flag and call it 'free enterprise.' Oh it was free enterprise alright -- they have the freedom to choke hard working Americans to death and then laugh all the way to the bank!" A string of flashing lights exploded on the producer's console. "You're listening to 'James All Night'...Back after this."

***

The Birth of a Social Movement

2015-08-31T15:45:00.001-04:00

International bond salesman Jason MacMillan and his quirky old Harvard pal South African scientist Dr. Cory Schneider catch up on the phone after MacMillan comes back home from visiting him in Johannesburg. MacMillan's girlfriend, cartoon writer Jessica Newman listens in on speaker phone...

From "Trickle Down - How the 99% Foughtt Back & Won"

Pg. 39

"By the way, how's that Emma you hooked up with in the Big Apple?" asked Schneider.

Jessica grabbed Jason's crotch and screamed, "Who's getting a Big Apple enema?"

He doubled over in pain. "Are you crazy? Let go!"

Schneider calmly clarified the situation. "Emma's a surfer term for a 'hot chic' Jessica. He was referring to you. No need to take the man down." That relieved some of the pressure. Jason, still in pain sighed with relief and pointed to the door.

Schneider laughed. "Checking the family jewels, eh? You two are going to make me bark the dog!"

Jason ran his hand through his hair. "How's that doomsday pig of yours anyway?" Quantum's ears perked up and he oinked into the phone.

"No bru, puke -- you're making me puke."

MacMillan took a deep breath and got down to business. "Coz, I've been thinking. What do you say we start something big? Something that'll turn the economy right side up and give the little guy a real fighting chance."

Schneider, still on his back scanned the equations on the chalkboard attached to the ceiling until he got to a sentence at the very bottom. It was a quote from a well respected French poet and novelist: “One cannot resist an idea whose time has come”

-- Victor Hugo. http://amzn.to/1JxrHqj

U.S. Senator Explains Why Middle Class Needs to Struggle

2015-08-26T15:27:00.000-04:00

Good 'ol boy and long-time incumbent U.S. Senator William "Bud" Childress of Oklahoma raises money at a lavish fundraiser in Georgetown but gets questioned on the U.S. economy by his grandson's friend Kyle as they watch "The Doolittle's"...

"Trickle Down - How the 99% Fought Back and Won" Pg. 63

"Lyle..."

"That's Kyle Senator."

"Lyle, I can spend the next two-plus hours explaining the economics of the whole situation. I can give you pie charts and pie graphs and bar codes and the whole proverbial kit and caboodle, but it all boils down to the undeniable and inexplicable fact that American entrepreneurs cannot in any way, shape or form compete in or on the world stage with the likes of Red China, Russia, Cuba and Canada if wages are too high here in the US of A! And you can blame the unions for that. Workers are just makin' too damn much here. Do I make myself clear?"

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"But with all due respect wouldn't the nation as a whole be better off if regular working folks made more money?"

"And whose pockets would that extra money come from son? It sure ain't comin' from mine I can assure you that." His exclamation point came in the form of a long honk into his handkerchief. The teens played along nodding in agreement. "Look, I got some money matters to tend to so I trust y'all will march in line with Private Gomer and company."

Will Joe Biden Run?

2015-08-25T13:26:00.000-04:00

It looks like he will. President Obama gave him his blessing yesterday and he's been meeting with donors and strategists. He's been a life long defender of middle class values and would continue to fight on our behalf. But his candidacy would certainly mean Rupert Murdoch, the Koch Brothers, et al won by taking out Hillary on the email issue. So that means their operatives will use a fine tooth comb to sift through everything they could find on Biden. It's all they can do. When have they ever given us an economic plan that puts the 99% first?

Jaywalking Gate anyone? http://amzn.to/1EhUYGJ

Playing on Fear

2015-08-23T18:12:00.002-04:00

That strategy has worked throughout history in Europe and unfortunately is doing its magic here in the U.S. Americans need better paying jobs. Period.
By giving employers virtual control over our lives we are at their mercy. It really doesn't matter how good we are at what we do because the bottom line is -- well, the bottom line. As long as the boss can get away with demanding the most while paying the least, he'll do it. Guns? Abortion? Sending illegals back? Emotional issues -- it's their way of taking our eyes off the ball. And when the smoke clears, guess what we have? Bad pay and worse benefits -- if any. And it will never change for us until we filter out their noise and focus on what really matters -- getting our fair share.
I hope you read my dark comedy, "Trickle Down - How the 99% Fought Back & Won."
It's where we even the score. http://amzn.to/1h7fy1y

Tax Breaks for the Rich DON'T Trickle Down After All

2015-08-20T22:33:00.000-04:00

Reaganomics, better known as Trickle Down economics has always been a flop for the middle class and finally that conclusion is getting into the mainstream media...if the big dogs get the food why would they share?

http://money.cnn.com/2015/06/15/news/economy/trickle-down-theory-wrong-imf/

Gandhi & Martin Luther King, Jr. Still Change Minds

2015-08-20T17:09:00.002-04:00

Jason MacMillan, the book's main character, has an epiphany on his corporate jet...

Trickle Down - Pg. 29

They were 32,000 feet above Namibia and the movie "Gandhi" had just ended and Macmillan focused on one of Gandhi's famous quotes “When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love has always won. There have been tyrants, and murderers, and for a time they can seem invincible, but in the end they always fall. Think of it. Always.”

It all seemed to make sense. Compared to the rest of the nation Gandhi was well off. His father was a prominent state official but Gandhi later rejected the system and fought for the poor. And that's what Macmillan was in the process of doing. Ironically Gandhi began his non-violent civil disobedience movement in South Africa. Macmillan also thought about Gandhi's courage and how a simple man started a movement that eventually led India to independence and helped spark movements for civil rights and freedom throughout the world. Could Gandhi's approach work in the United States on an economic level -- a non-violent revolution that would once and for all level the playing field between corporate America and the richest of the rich and the working man who just wants his fair share?

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President Jimmy Carter

2015-08-20T16:44:00.002-04:00

Even though former president Jimmy Carter's 90, my heart goes out to him after hearing his diagnosis. I remember his enormous effort to bring peace to the Middle East that resulted in a cessation of hostilities between Israel, Egypt and Jordan in 1978. A big difference from what the war hawks gave us later in Iraq.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/jimmy-carter-says-cancer-has-spread-to-his-brain/ar-BBlVTEO

You're Subsidizing Wal-Mart's Low Wages

2015-08-19T20:44:00.001-04:00

Things Get Wild at "Trickle Down" Thanksgiving Dinner

2015-08-19T17:07:00.001-04:00

Oh those political arguments at the Thanksgiving dinner table...stuttering neo con Ed Simpson has it out with liberal cartoon writer Jessica Newman at Simpson's Greenwich, Connecticut home. The topic -- tax cuts for the rich and Iraq...

***
Trickle Down - page 59

Ed gave him a “shut up you idiot” look and followed with his boiled down version of conservative economic theory -- in super slow motion. "Now if B-buh-Bush f-felt that the government should step in and play referee w-with our tax money, then he w-w-would have duh-done so."

Jessica couldn't hold back anymore. "Oh yeah, he managed to play referee with billions of our tax dollars and piss it away in that idiotic war in Iraq, Ed! Not to mention giving his rich business pals more of our hard earned money in the form of tax cuts! And did they use that money to create good paying jobs like they were supposed to? Noooo! We got oogatz!" Jason kicked her leg.

Red-faced, Ed returned fire. "Weh-weh-well I see the Teamsters hah-have a new m-m-m-member."

Then someone else joined the brawl -- the family's French Poodle who took Jessica's side with a bite on Ed's leg. "Duh-duh-dammit Freedom, you're a typical French brat!" he yelled as the cuddly little white dog barked away. Jessica took that as a cue to give Ed the finger. Ed gave her two back while Jason bowed his head and lifted a biscuit. "These are superb Linda. If I didn't know better I'd think that the old Pepperidge Farm guy in the buggy baked them himself."

"Wasn't he in the KKK?" asked Justin.

Jason jumped right in. "That was Colonel Sanders. Allegedly."

Linda had enough and slammed down her napkin. "It serves you right! At least someone has brains around here! Come to mommy sweetheart." Freedom jumped on her lap and licked her face. "Daddy always sides with those one-percenters doesn't he."

Ed cooled down and asked Natasha why she was wearing her studded leather jacket at the dinner table, "And that awful nose-r-r-ring!" A horn honked outside. She abandoned her full plate of turkey, stuffing and cranberry sauce grabbed her jacket and raced out the front door.

"Nattie, aren't you s-s-s-staying for dessert? P-puh-pumpkin pie!" By the time he got the words out she was already in the red Camaro zigzagging out of the driveway in a cloud of brown dust.

Jessica slammed her napkin down and waved her finger at Jason. "Next year we're going to White Castle!"

Ed kept his cool. "I'm sure you-you'd f-f-fit in juh-juh- just fine eating there with Reverend Al Sharpton and his kind." He calmly took a sip of wine.

Jessica grabbed the turkey-shaped gravy dish and reared back. "I'm gonna brain you, you Koch brothers blowup doll!"

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