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A member of British parliament said to Disraeli: “Sir, you will either die on the gallows or of some unspeakable disease”. Disraeli replied: “That depends, Sir, whether I embrace your policies or your mistress.”
Could apply to our present candidates….some things don’t change!!!!
To quote Theodore White, “The flood of money that gushes into politics today is a POLLUTION of democracy.”
Politics in America is polluted, dirty, and corrupted. Alien to the great ideals the fathers of this nation believed in. The preamble: WE THE PEOPLE has been defiled to become WE THE CORPORATIONS! Two years ago (January 21, 2010) the United States Supreme Court astonished anyone with judicious common sense, by the Robert’s court 5 to 4 decision in favor of CITIZENS UNITED. They threw principal and history out the window and decided corporations have the same rights as people! The five majority upended a century of laws regulating business spending and dashed laws protecting the definition of people, citizens, and voters. In this one swoop these five justices of the Robert’s Court, fictionalized corporations and gave them a right never conceived by the writers of the Constitution .
These corporation “people” are funneling untold and unchecked millions of dollars into SUPER PACs to BUY the elections. The Presidency is now for sale, the Senator is now for sale, and the representative too, The bidding has just begun. After a very private behind closed doors meeting last week in California the super conservative secretive oil billionaires Charles and David KOCH joined with about 250 of their game players and pledged $100 MILLION DOLLARS, $100,000,000 to defeat the present president and BUY the next one. Karl Rove has announced plans to support $240 MILLION DOLLARS, $240,000,000 !! The Chamber of Commerce will do likewise. HELL WITH THE COMMON 99% – WE THE CORPORATIONS ARE PEOPLE NOW – AND WE ARE RICHER!!! MORE POWERFUL with Washington “friends” we put the right places.
There are limits to how much PEOPLE – an individual – can give to a candidate. So much of the money pledged at these pow wows will go to the SUPER PACs that can spend unlimited amounts of funds, and not have to be identified. Amazing! and Dangerous!
The collapse of the American Middle Class has caused attention grabbing concern throughout the US and world. If you are troubled how it happened just watch how the American political campaigns are financed. Who really chooses the candidates? Who owns and controls the press? What giant corporation is behind the TV “news”? The “establishment” controls all through $$$$$$. Listen to the daily newscaster as he or she measures not the candidates abilities to govern but rather the size of their war chest, how much was raised that day,…It is not about fair policy it is about MONEY.
If you wonder why the United States has so many highly profitable corporations paying no Federal taxes, or receiving unwarranted subsidies, granted comfortable tax loop holes hidden in legislation, allowed to operate off shore subsidies to HIDE profits, move jobs out of the US overseas and STILL receive the financial BLESSING of the Congress …look no further. Look at the campaigning and follow the $$$$$
Wonder why the United States is the only country in the industrialized world not to have a national health care system for its citizens, why do Americans pay the highest prices for prescription drugs, why they spend more money on the military machine than the REST OF THE WORLD COMBINED………….Look at the campaigning and follow the $$$$$. It is the BIG MONEY, the powerful interests, that have taken over every legislative decision. It is the Corporations who often pay more to their K Street lobbyist than they do to Federal taxes. It is BIG MONEY owning most of the politicians. That 5-4 decision allowed the floodgates to open on unchecked, unlimited, unaccountable CORPORATE cash gush in the political campaigns. The system has POISONED the American political system. It has CONTAMINATED the legislative progress. It has brought into question all the policy making from Congress. It has DISTORTED the American democracy, favoring the super wealthy, the 1%, and giant corporations.
SHAME ON YOU SUPREME COURT JUSTICES ……Roberts, Alito, Thomas, Scalia and Kennedy….History will remember each of you!!
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Call for a REVOLUTION …AN EVERGREEN REVOLUTION
Each day passes we read in our newspapers, visually watch on TV, hear on our car radio, listen to the preaching of the politicians exhorting about OIL..Petroleum ….and our unquenching dependence and need for it. Costly wars both in human life and national debt have recently been fought for it. We hear of goliath corporations in the business control budgets and earn profits greater than many nations GDP… But at the same time have we all been distracted, is this all been a snow job? What of our other, less discussed, but more serious needs? Like urgent requirements for sustaining the expanding world population? When did shortage of water, food, devastating the oceans and forests make the TV headline news or spiel from our politicians lips, be addressed in government forums? In the United States there are NO money laden powerful lobbies for water, SAVING marine life, protecting not cutting forests, expanding food supply, controlling carbon dioxide. WE NEED TO WAKE UP.
Our world is quickly running out of time to ensure there will be enough food, water, power, energy to sustain the needs of the rapidly increasing population. According to a recent United Nations report failure of the world politicians to address this issue will send 3 BILLION people into poverty.
The world population is scheduled to increase to 9 NINE BILLION in 28 years or by 2040. The population recently turned the 7 SEVEN BILLION number. We don’t have to wait until 2040 to feel the effects, by 2030 our wold will need at least 50 FIFTY per cent more food. The population will require 30% more water, and 45% more energy. (UN estimates)
What are these world politicians doing to address these monumental tasks? Not very much is the answer. We are suffering from a lack of political will and direction. Guilty are most of the industrial countries lead by the United States, the quickly growing waking economies, China India, and those countries tightly controlled by self serving powerfully rich.
We need to learn that since 2000 there are 20 million more undernourished people already. We have destroyed forests after forests each year the size of a country. We have already exploited 85 EIGHTY FIVE percent of all fish stocks, and in some cases depleted the stock completely.
There has been “talk” about the carbon dioxide emissions, much chatter but of little avail. As a result they have risen 38 percent from 1990 to 2010!!..The result the risk of rising sea levels, and more extreme violent weather for the future.
In June this year, in Brazil, the world forum of politicians and scientists meet once more at a summit to discuss and consider these concerns. Governments are urged to accept the problem and set sustainable development goals which MUST be achieved. They must at least double food, energy, water productivity. They must reduce the use and waste of our natural resources and avoid further biodiversity losses.
We need an EVERGREEN REVOLUTION…..NOW
“How could anyone defend the top 400 RICHEST PEOPLE IN THIS COUNTRY OWNING MORE WEALTH than the bottom half of America, 150 million people?” Bernie Sanders
Ist rule – distract the voters, try God Guns and Gays, abortion too! then add a little hidden racism, anger, prejudice and top with a dash of paranoia….
2nd rule – amass an enormous $$$$$$$ war chest to “buy” any truth. Come on you corporations you are “PEOPLE” now “purchase” a little “truth” and you too will be granted a favor. Shhhhhh, Americans need not know who you are!! Thanks, that’s our friend – the Supreme Court, the five judges who made it possible for corporations to become PEOPLE, create PACs and “donate” all you want …. slip a few million under the table no one need know and it’s now LEGAL.
3rd rule Keep pretending there is an AMERICAN DREAM – paint the picture that they too can get out of their daily and miserable financial mess and live like you – even if it is now fiction, ’cause you already got it all! ‘ Don’t tell about your taxes and off shore accounts..these 150 million don’t need to know and “wouldn’t understand” Bermuda, Grand Cayman, Switzerland, tax loopholes arranged by friends in YOUR congress.
4th rule Keep promoting “it’s the American way”…to make millions, billions, just don’t explain the aspirational formula has changed, NEW rules, FIXED, favoring the 400 RICH RICH citizens, all your club members, …..after all it’s a very tiny and PRIVATE Fraternity, a handful of billionaires dedicated to taking on the middle class. YES of course it’s CLASS WAR FARE – just don’t let those 150 million realize whose pulling the strings and racking in the $$$$$$.
First we can thank President Reagan and his administration for the initial 186% increase in the US DEBT…now that’s a good start! Then President Bush, the first, contributed his part with 54%. President Clinton came along and added 41%. Not to let Daddy outdo him, President Bush the second, beat his father by 18% leaving office with a total 72% increase, his departing gift to the United States debt, OH!! almost forgot…. plus two unpaid wars… Now comes Obama, and at 23% has a long way to go to catch up.
HELL OF A WAY TO RUN A COUNTRY!! , Try some ‘magic’ math, wizardry with facts, divert attention, suggest some God Guns and Gays instead, mix with satisfying fabrication, then stir a healthy dash of down right LIES…..keep the voters divorced from citizenship,… blend in some catching HATE,…..the more polarized the better the result. All while you slip the tax $$$, millions in subsidies, tax cuts and tunnel size loop holes, under the table to those campaign friends who got you there. The 1%, …you owe it so why not?….. You can get away with it!!!! You’re a politician in the CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA………the best congress that MONEY CAN BUY……… SAD THING ITS THE KIDS OF THE 99% WHO WILL HAVE TO PAY FOR YOUR SHAM.
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DEFENSE OF MARRIAGE ACT…Why and what for?
The 104th Congress passed the DEFENSE OF MARRIAGE ACT 1995/96. “To defend the institution of marriage” against what and why? Originally created to focus on stopping the acceptance of the same sex marriage movement slowly developing in many states.
President Obama and the Justice Department have already announced they will not defend this act in court. It was found unconstitutional in Massachusetts and California courts. John Boehner, Speaker of the House said he and his Republican associates in the House of Representatives will spend public money to defend – BUT WHY?
Defending the institutions of marriage is an impossible task given the hypocrisy. Much more beneficial would be focusing on slowing down the broken marriage percentage, resulting in taunting. often burlesque procedure, of American divorce procedures. . If “Defense” is the principal purpose of the act, then focus should be on the alarming divorce rate in America and the mockery made of this “sacred act” plus the enormous amounts of money involved.
The divorce rate in the United States is 50%…FIFTY PER CENT. That means for every bride and groom joined in “holy matrimony” half will end separated and divorced. In doing so many records have been performed and witnessed which make ridicule of their “man and wife’s” nuptials.
It is difficult to DEFEND marriage, focusing on stopping same sex marriage when the DOM Act would be better served avoiding the much publicized Britney Spears 55 HOUR marriage. Kim Kardashian marriage lasted 72 DAYS and cost 10 TEN million dollars. Eddy Murphy tried for 15 DAYS, and Robin Givens – 7 MINUTES!!! Golf hero Tiger Woods, while married, can have sex with many. Presidential Candidate Newt Ginrich has affairs with his mistresses while married to his first and second wives, demanding divorces while each were sick. Larry King – has kept the attorneys busy with 8 EIGHT visits to the divorce court!!
The cost of all these “man and wife” breakdowns; if you are Paul McCarthy – $49 MILLION. Kevin Cosner $80 MILLION, Harrison Ford – $85 MILLION, Tiger Woods – $100 MILLION, Michael Jordan – $168 MILLION – and staring thee Rupert Murdoch of FOX news fame – $1 BILLION PLUS!!! Sadly, a sham has been made of marriage, well before same sex marriage came to the table.
Speaker Boehner, your “Defense” of this “Defense ACT” is focused on the wrong target. Perhaps you and your fellow congressmen and women should be addressing the 50% American divorce rate………………..now that could be a challenge but perhaps achievable and you and your colleagues would appear less hypocritical - like you are addressing a real family problem,…other than your political careers.
“Now you can call this class warefare all you want. But asking a billionaire to pay at least as much as his secretary in taxes? Most Americans would call that COMMON SENSE”.
President Obama – Common Sense is not so COMMON these days….
“HISTORY IS A TOOL USED BY POLITICIANS TO JUSTIFY THEIR INTENTIONS” Ted Koppel and take great license on fact in doing so!!
If you kept two sets of books showing how much money you were making and a second set tinted for the IRS…you could behind bars. “Enjoying” jail compliments of the government.
However that is the standard procedure for corporate America. Strange however the US law requires corporations maintain one set of books for the stock holders and another for the IRS!! As a result many companies inform the investors they incur millions in income taxes, while the financial records supplied to the IRS show they owe nothing and in many cases due a “refund”.
Corporations “cook” the books. by using tax shelters, offsetting income with losses from years past, etc etc. that makes them resemble they are broke, indebted, at the same time they are money machines to investors. The New York Times revealed that GIANT GE not only avoided income taxes but is taking a refund “benefit” of 3 billion…THAT IS BILLION. “This amazing procedure is due to the extraordinary success on an aggressive strategy that mixes fierce lobbying for tax breaks and innovative accounting that enables GE to concentrate its profits offshore.”
GE has lots of “relatives” doing the same thanks to their lobbying Congress and lots of legal “fancy” bookkeeping.
GOOGLE Pre tax profit (2010) $10.8 BILLION
To avoid paying US tax…Google reports income in overseas tax havens and then reports its costs in the USA. (according to MSNBC) They then patent all their products in other countries, licenses its technology from its overseas subsidiaries back to itself and then writes off the costs of the license. Google CEO Eric Schmidt, a member of the ONE PER CENT CLUB has a net worth of 6.3 BILLION (Forbes)
NEWS CORP FOX NEWS - Pre tax profit 3.3 BILLION
The US Government Accounting Office reported that News Corp. had the most subsidiaries in OFFSHORE tax-havens….in 2008 was 150 around the world. FOX NEWS CEO Rupert Murdoch ranked 53rd ( Forbes) of highest paid CEOs..he is 117th richest person in world….ONE PERCENT CLUB!!!
BOEING Pre Tax profit 4.5 BILLION
Boing has avoided paying US taxes for the past three years thanks to a host of their foreign subsidiaries, tax havens. This is that same BOEING that is awared numerous costly government and Pentagon favored contracts like the F-15 fighter and fuel tanker, helping to keep the US Military Funding Machine larger than all other countries in the world combined. CEO W James McNerney (Forbes) is the 101 highest paid CEO – making $58 MILLION in the last 5 years….certainly a member of the ONE PERCENT CLUB
PFIZER Pre tax profit 9.4 BILLION
To avoid paying US taxes Pfizer uses a process called “transfer pricing” to record “phantom” “fake” profits in low-tax countries based on sales in other countries!!! The CEO is new and no news of Ian Read’s membership ranking in the ONE PERCENT CLUB.
ORACLE Pre tax profit 8.2 BILLION
Oracle avoids paying US taxes through “transfer pricing”. This is the same company the then Bush Attorney General Ashcroft sued to block an acquisition on anti-trust grounds. And now, Ashcroft’s lobbying shop in Washington enjoys ORACLE as his biggest client!!!! AMAZING – CEO Lawrence Ellison (Forbes) ranked 6th richest person in the world with a 28 TWENTY EIGHT BILLION DOLLAR fortune…….ONE PERCENT CLUB MEMBER …for sure!
ALTRIA or PHILIP MORRIS Pre tax profit 5.7 BILLION
Altria avoids paying taxes (MSNBC analysis) …between 2001 and 2003, the cigarette maker took advantage of 3.3 BILLION in tax breaks…which managed to cut its taxes by one third…..BUSH TAX CUTS!! Not to be forgotten, Philip Morris, came in second for dollars lavished in congress on lobbying from 1996 to 2004, showing the politicians with over 100 ONE HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS! CEO Michael Szymanczyk, is ranked 176 (Forbes) earing 6.35 million in 2010 and member of the ONE PERCENT CLUB.
IBM Pre tax profit 19.7 BILLION
IBM avoids paying US taxes by a host of tax breaks from the Bush administration. Over three years from 2001, IBM was allowed to slash its taxes by 95%…THAT’S NINETY FIVE PERCENT!!! How do the 99% get same “break”? CEO Sam Palmisano who also is on Exxon Mobile board, ranked 21st (Forbes) list at over $25 MILLION, ONE PERCENT CLUB MEMBER.
TIME WARNER Pre Tax Profits 3.9 BILLION
Avoids paying US taxes (according to MSNBC) through some “swift” accounting, using its merger with AOL in 2000 to leave it with almost no tax to pay – between 2001 and 2004 TIME WARNER claimed tax breaks that lowered its taxes by 121% ONE HUNDRED TWENTY ONE PERCENT. CEO Jeffrey Bewkes was paid $48 MILLION over the past 5 years making him 56th on Forbes list and a sure MEMBER OF THE ONE PERCENT CLUB.
MORGAN STANLEY Pre Tax profit 6.2 BILLION
Morgan Stanley avoids paying US taxes by taking full advantage of offshore tax havens…in 2004 (Bush) under a law repatriated much of their money for a super super low tax rate of just over 5%. REMEMBER THE GOVERNMENT TAX PAYER’S HAND OUT? This is the same MORGAN STANLEY who was a STAR PLAYER in the CRASHING of the global economy… a further note they are the largest servicer for FOOD STAMPS in the US..MS is paid per customer which means when the number of food stamps users go up, so do JP Morgan profits!!!! CEO James Borman took home 5.7 MILLION – making him a MEMBER OF THE ONE PERCENT CLUB – and not a user of his company’s rewarding FOOD STAMP service.
MICROSOFT Pre tax profits 25 BILLION
Microsoft is a king at shifting income through numerous foreign countries…which allows it to limit domestic income which is subject to taxes. To add to Microsoft luck, Representative Ross Hunter (17 year manager at Microsoft before congress) pushed through two gifts for his “former” employer….a $100 million annual tax cut and an estimated 1.25 BILLION amnesty in a previous Microsoft “tax dodge”. CEO Steve Ballmer enjoys a fortune of $14.5 BILLION making him the 33rd richest person in the world (Forbes), and a SENIOR MEMBER OF THE ONE PERCENT CLUB
REMEMBER EVERY DOLLAR THESE MONSTER HERCULEAN CORPORATIONS AVOID PAYING IN TAXES IS JUST ONE MORE BUCK THAT WILL COME OUT OF THE POCKETS AND PAYCHECKS OF THE WORKING…….THAT’S THE 99%!!!!!! WE THE PEOPLE.(99%)………OR IS IT NOW…….. WE THE CORPORATIONS (1%)?
Remember Regan’s “trickle down” economics? That’s the same economic theory still being pushed -”sold” to the American voters from the political candidates.
In case you forgot, or prefer not to remember, to inject this economic policy, Reagan slashed top income taxes on millionaires and billionaires from then 70% to 50%. This he did in 1981. In 1988 they were slashed once more, down to 28% To this we add Bush 2′s tax cuts…..extended under Obama’s administration – now the billionaires and corporations don’t have to pay at all, just have a great accounting office and a few off shore companies.
The result was not what Reagan and his pal, Alan Greenspan, anticipated and preached. America quickly fell into the greatest debt in the countries history. Yet still the government policy continued with “trickle down”. Help the rich get richer, corporations become giant conglomerates, and the crumbs will fall from the table. It was and is fantasy. IT HAS NOT AND WILL NOT WORK. It was Alan Greenspan who suggest Reagan could hide some of that debt by “borrowing” a few HUNDRED BILLION DOLLARS each year from SOCIAL SECURITY and the SOCIAL SECURITY TRUST FUND. Since 1982, the government hands have been raking that fund to help cover their VOODOO ECONOMICS. Nothing ever fell from the rich man’s table, the contrary, the minority horded and got monstrously wealthy and the others, waiting for the “trickle”, got NOTHING.
Today the United States national debt is partially owned by the SOCIAL SECURITY TRUST FUND …… 2.7 TRILLION.DOLLARS WORTH…that’s 2.7 TRILLION DOLLARS. (This is more than the combined ownership of other countries – including the largest China, then Japan and the UK) – their total is 2.3 trillion)
From its inception, “Trickle down” economics has resulted in the wealthiest getting fabulously richer starting under Reagan and Greenspan. Alone the income of the richest Americans grew 25% while everyone else stayed flat….and to correct this MESS, America continued the “trickle down” fiction. It just GOT WORSE! The US then pursued “free trade” policies under Presidents Reagan, Bush 1, Clinton and Bush 2…….The result, America has become the most indebted nation in the history of the world. If Congress has it’s way……the solution is not BACK TO BEFORE WE BROKE IT……instead….pass it on to the “other” guys, the workers who pay taxes, the 99%. That’s the 99% still waiting under the table for “trickle down” to drop the left overs,,,,