If you needed any more of a reason to move your money, consider that many firms, such as Bank of America, have turned the truly indigent into profit centers, by making money off of debit card fees for unemployment benefits.

Dayen’s Sunday night news roundup, from November 13, 2011.

• Predawn raid at Occupy Oakland.
• Krugman: vouchers for veterans.
• Clearly, it’s time to start bombing.
• Also, too, his Mommy says he’s a nice guy.
• OWS has all the right enemies.

Thank goodness the GOP is rife with candidates claiming a direct line to the Almighty.

Taylor Swift – Ours and Lionel Richie – CMA Awards 2011

Last night, Portland television viewers were treated to wall-to-wall, all-local-channels, helicopters-hovering coverage of the approach — and uneventful passage — of Mayor Sam Adams’ three-day deadline of 12:01am to close the public parks where #OccupyPortland camped.

Our local media exhibited the lamest qualities of their national betters described by Glenn Greenwald: confusion (“what do these people want?”) and disdain (“people living in mud, filth and trash”) and dangerousness (“drug overdoses” and “molotov cocktails!”) but then the on-the-ground television correspondents, cheered on by their comfortable studio-bound anchors who passed the baton from one to another, devolved into a simple message in almost every sidewalk interview with Police Bureau representatives and #Occupy demonstrators: “WHY DON’T YOU & HIM FIGHT?!”

The Occupy movement in Minnesota seems to have unleashed a lot of pent-up energy, frustration, and creativity. One example of the latter is a “bake sale” held for US Bank by the Twin Cities faith-based social justice movement Spirit of Truth, whose Facebook page is here. The goal was to spotlight the huge amounts of money made by US Bank — $11.45 billion this year alone, a record — even as its CEO and other officers pretend that they just can’t afford to stop kicking people out of their homes.

Utah is commonly considered as one of the most conservative states in America, and for good reason; Democrats are essentially nonexistent in the state. Some Southern states will occasionally vote (or used to occasionally vote) for a conservative Democrat. Not Utah; its Republicans are rock-hard Republicans.

In the midst of the Eurozone/Euro mess, as the troika (the European Commission [EC], the European Central Bank [ECB] and the International Monetary Fund [IMF]) work furiously to contain (didn’t Bernarke claim “containment” re: subprime disaster in 2007?) the contagion of investor panic and debt yields rising to unsustainable levels, Standard & Poor’s “accidentally”sent out an “erroneous” email on Thursday suggesting that it lowered France’s triple-A rating. Not that it was planning to lower it, but that it already had.

As the sun rose over Chapman and Lownsdale squares, thousands of Portland’s Occupiers, our allies and the Portland police stood basking in the glow of a revolutionary moment. It was a long and exhilarating night in the encampments as a critical mass of exuberant supporters from all across the the city joined us in peacefully exercising our Constitutional rights.

After an eviction notice for 12:01am was given by Portland mayor Sam Adams, it became abundantly clear to many citizens that City Hall had caved to the pressure of the Portland Business Alliance and the Portland Police Union. Their attempt to shut down our protest has shown that city leaders are now more committed to protecting powerful financial interests than to preserving free speech.