DEATH AND TAXES a letter to Ben Franklin

Posted on February 19, 2012 by Dudley's World

Cartoon Image of Ben Franklin

‘IN THIS WORLD THERE IS NOTHING CERTAIN BUT DEATH AND TAXES” Ben Franklin Times change. Ben Franklin is due a letter…..

2012

Dear Ben,

Now we know you were one of the founding fathers of the United States. You were an author, politician, diplomat, inventor, satrist and businessman and you made lots of quotes like your one about Death and Taxes. You were so right about death. These days even our club of the incredibly wealthy, (we have billionaires now) the super powerful; they call us “the one percent”, cannot buy our way out of the ultimate ending, DEATH. BUT, here’s where it all changes and you were wrong. You see Ben, now in America you can avoid paying taxes. It is not impossible. It is no longer “Certain” like you remember. It isn’t difficult either as long as you “buy” the necessary tools. I recommend a team of highly paid lawyers, an army of accountants, be sure to own your politicians, “golf” (you know what I mean) with a few important judges and finance (in the millions) something new to you, called LOBBIES. It’s a great formula because it works, Ben I recommend it, it works! Look at me, I and my 1% club own everything, there isn’t much left, I grabbed MY American Dream. Now I recognize you wrote in the Declaration of Independence that all men are equal in rights and that government is the servant NOT the master of the people. Ben, that’s not the way it is today. We live in a MODERN age. All men are not equal and its ok to have government be master as long as my club controls that government.

Let me explain: You must understand times have changed seriously to when you helped form the constitution. The constitution hasn’t been changed verbally but recently with the help of five justices in the Supreme Court and a self serving dysfunctional Congress new definitions (interpretations) have been allowed and “attached” to the framers document. Ben, rest assured it is still precious and kept in Washington to view. It is still tediously referred to in debates when the pundits want to s t r e t c h their points and comfortably forgotten when they don’t. Since you and your associates Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Thomas Paine and James Madison have left us it has been used to justify all kinds of political, lifestyle, environmental, and social decisions. Some you guys may even approve. However in the last twenty years our society has seriously shifted. In these few years we have created a club, made up of 1% who own, control and are SO RICH. Yes, we do have the others. We call them the 99%. Yes, I know you included them in the Declaration of Independence and Constitution but that was years ago.

Since you have been away we have redefined your friend Thomas Jefferson’s “We the people”. Ben it sounded great when the committee first drafted it over 200 years ago but these days nearly all the country’s wealth is in the hands of a tiny tiny few. It really means “We the rich and powerful”. Now understand we did not change the lovely writing, we merely adapted the “understanding” of the words. The judges and politicians don’t publicly admit our new definition – you can imagine why – but it is needed to comply to the MODERN American way.

Try to recognize it was a stroke of selfish genius that our club members have been able to create a modern interpretation of the constitution. Today, most Americans don’t bother to read the document you guys wrote. We all have more important concern focusing on our growing wealth, keeping it all in the family, and yes, granting ourselves healthy bonuses, (Now Christmas comes a few times each year in the MODERN calendar) and of course avoiding taxes. The others, the 99%, we leave to their reality shows on our corporate owned and controlled TV stations. We even have one called “Dancing with the Stars”, little like the minuet but MODERN! We manipulate the news with an army of political hacks who have become opinionated bigoted broadcasters. They are encouraged to sprinkle fear, bias, religion, abortion, God, guns and gays, even hate. We call in DISTRACTION. Our club keeps the others, the 99%. content, entertained.

I confess, we owe our success to “our” politicians. We could not have done it without them. We bank rolled their political campaigns with millions in “contributions” so they owe us. Some things never change like now It is pay back time. You once said “never leave that till tomorrow which you can do today”, so following your advice the one percent have taken control of all the financial institutions, corporations, press (yes we still have one but not like your old printing press), natural resources, and become so successful why we are BIG – TOO BIG TO FAIL. and we did it quickly like you suggested.

Our “friends” in congress have made the framers’ constitution look like a Swiss cheese – just joking – but we have bought, whoops, manged, lots of under the table tag-on holes in the laws so “We the Rich and Powerful”…don’t have to pay those “certain” taxes you were wrong about. Ben, would you believe these days you can sit home on your plantation just like the old days, do absolutely nothing, earn millions of $$$$$$ (called investments) and pay less than half the tax rate the gardeners get hooked for working your estate.

You wrote “He that is of the opinion money will do everything may well be suspected of doing everything for money.” Ben here you were 100% right. Money does everything and we do it all for money..we needed our friends to make it possible but it worked like I told you.

Your dear friend

a MODERN ONE PERCENT AMERICAN

THOMAS JEFFERSON TURNING IN HIS GRAVE…for the second time

Posted on February 13, 2012 by Dudley's World

Americas GILDED AGE wasn’t so gilded for the ninety nine percent. This period of American history (1878 – 1917) is also descriptively known as ROBBER BARON ERA. The ROBBER BARON ERA, saw a Dickensian USA, a tiny club of VERY wealthy businessmen and landowners , the titans, the Newport mansion club, and a very large class of desperately poor workers. The Gilded Age gave birth to well know American family names. Dynasties were born: Rockefeller, Mellon, Morgan, Carnegie as the super rich industrialists and financiers created the American “upper class” of opulence. Wealth was accumulated through exploitation of very low wage scales and dominant government influence.

Sound familiar? It should!

In the Gilded Age, the wealthy minority obtained control, claimed ownership, created monopolies over the countries resources. technology, the railroads, steelworks, oil production etc. They, with their corporations, amassed huge wealth. The country’s wealth grew but moved no further than in the grasp of the top 1%. There was no “trickle down” $$$$, no crumbs “trickling” from the table in the Golden AGE. Just the lavishly RICH few and the multitudes of poor.

The gilded age formula was to cut government interference, pay no taxes, avoid inheritance taxes for the dynasty, create monopolies too bid to fail, “buy” the politicians, strangle employee bargaining and destroy “unions”, keep workers off balance, concerned, worried about their security, their paycheck, then pay wage scales as low as possible. Move off shore but still keep your fists in the US government “pot” and, of course, fly the patriotic flag, even if only for show.

FAMILIAR?

Virtually all recorded history society has been divided into very small fantastically wealthy powerful class, the political rulers, and the enormously large population of poor, slave, serf, working class. Society stayed this way until the emergence of DEMOCRACY. Democracy, in the political machines of government, in the factory workrooms, in formation of unions and guilds, in government laws and regulations aimed at leveling the economic, political field, intent on creating fairness, for the peoples’ good, a MIDDLE CLASS, a DEMOCRACY.

A democracy produces a middle class and requires a middle class to survive. Democracy and the Middle Class are inextricably intertwined. To break either of them is to destroy the viability of both. Democracy gives birth to the Middle Class and can only exist when the Middle Class is strong and allowed to grow.

At the end of the Gilded Age, (Robber Baron Era) and the depression, the people recognized the need for a social and economic fight on behalf of WE THE PEOPLE. They acknowledged this interdependence of Democracy and Middle Class. A struggle to develop a period of change was undertaken, focused on opportunity through sharing, truth, pride, hope, and trust. Under the leadership of FDR, the THE AMERICAN DREAM was truly born. The middle class grew and America boomed.

FDR pointed out in 1936 the rule of many requires that WE THE PEOPLE have a degree of economic as well as political freedom. When WE THE PEOPLE are given the opportunity to a good education, earn a decent living wage, own home, feed confident and secure, good child care, health care, care for the old age, then America has a thriving pulsating MIDDLE CLASS – America has a thriving DEMOCRACY.

Thomas Jefferson and George Washington did not fight a revolutionary war to create a country only for the wealthy property owners. Thomas Jefferson in particular knew what was needed for the foundations of an American middle class, perhaps why he put “LIFE LIBERTY AND THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS” into the Declaration of Independence. Thomas Jefferson did not want business to profit at the expense of WE THE PEOPLE. The government he created was designed to operate for the benefit of ALL the people and not a select few nor benefit of business at the expense of “we the people”.

Thomas Jefferson wrote in 1816 “those seeking profits were they given total freedom would not be the ones to trust to keep government pure and our rights secure. Indeed it has always been those seeking wealth who were the source of corruption in government. ”

These days we are told “government is too large, small government is best”. All the countries ills are due to BIG government, government interference in business. Organized labor is destructive, Taxes are too high. “Free Trade” is the answer as tariffs are removed and laws to protect the workforce and disowned. It is easy to understand and appreciate why. What the pundits, the preachers of the one cent, do not say is that the reason they want SMALL GOVERNMENT is because they can make an enormous amount of money – a killing – when they with “their” government privatize formerly owned government functions. The result of such privatization is a power vacuum that allows herculean corporations and the super rich to step in and PROFIT $$$$$ from anything and all that used to be government “WE THE PEOPLE” and NONPROFIT. Who wins? the ONE PER CENT. Who makes it happen? the “in the pocket” POLITICIANS. Who looses? the middle class. Who pays? “WE THE PEOPLE”.

Small Government doesn’t mean fewer politicians, fewer taxes for the 99%. It means government of, by and for the corporations, for inherited wealth, the elite,and the super rich. It means HELL with “WE THE PEOPLE” . It means a lean mean government stripped of all power to “interfere”, governing for the benefit of the very few, the 1%! The return of the ROBBER BARON ERA.

The newest political manta is “let the market decide” not government. BUT where and what is the market independent of government, any government? What is really being said is “Let us make government work to help corporations instead of people. Let us provide all the services corporations need and then make the people foot the bill, like let corporations decide how much to pay for their labor and when, where, how to trade. No government restrictions, no laws protecting employees rights, salaries, heath care, hours, and NO agencies peering over the corporate shoulders!!!! Easy to do? Sure, hide the true intentions with a few Hollywood meaningless but catchy political slogans like “Job Creators” “Trickle Down” “Compassionate deficit” “let the market decide” even “food stamp President”!! Be sure you “BUY RIGHT” by paying the campaign of the chosen and winning President: $$$ for their buddies the “in for a lifetime” politicians: $$$$$$$$ for the K Street lobbies, Then you cut public education budget, manipulate your news, add some hate, racism, religion, guns, gays and finish with a ton of FEAR…..just stay away for the truth and ECONOMY.

Government is a necessity and a Democratic government depends on the ability to play referee to the game of business while protect labor and the public good. Jefferson himself insisted on the importance to control “overgrown wealth” from becoming “dangerous to the state”; a danger to democracy, the government of “WE THE PEOPLE”.

Since Reagan’s introduction of VOO DOO economics, and with the help of his pal, Alan Greenspan, convinced the American public it works; the rich grew fabulously richer and have continued to accumulate vast wealth under subsequent administrations. During Reagan (1981 to 1989) the income of the wealthiest 5 percent rose by 25% while the income of the bottom 50 per cent stayed flat. Today 400 people own as much as 150 MILLION Americans combined. Laws have been created aimed at destroying the fair play safety nets of FDR, attacking unions and workers rights to organize, creating a “comfy” Supreme Court, at the same time passing laws with vast loop holes in restrictions and enabling tax avoidance. The “middle class” of FDR is being pushed aside. The American Congress has justly earned its miserable, polarized and dangerous approval rating of NINE PERCENT 9% – by doing the “will” of the tiny few.

THOMAS JEFFERSON, FDR, AMERICA NEEDS YOU!!!ONCE MORE

$$$$$$$$ POLITICS 2012 WOW

Posted on February 8, 2012 by Dudley's World

POLITICS 2012!

$$$$$$$$ 1% One Republican “backer” (2011) earned 7 BILLION dollars $7,000,000,000!!! or a Weekly paycheck - 134.6 MILLION $134,600,000. or a Daily paycheck - 19.2 MILLION $19,200,000 or a Hourly rate 3.3 MILLION $3,300,000. (40 hour week) of course!!!

Now suppose this Republican ONE PERCENT worked a strenuous 70 hour week = 1.9 MILLION per hour!!! His name is Sheldon Adelson and he is not even the richest man in the USA………………..His TITLE – the 8 EIGHTH!!!! SHELDON THE EIGHTH!

billionaire, portrait, sketch, capitalist

SHELDON the EIGHTH

COMPARE!!

$ …. 99% VOTERS median HOUSEHOLD income earned $49,455 Weekly paycheck - $951.05 or a Daily paycheck - 190.21 or a Hourly rate – 23.77 Single Men – Medium income $35,627 or $17.12 …… Single Women $25,456 or $12.24 per hour

ROMNEY, one of the wealthiest Americans, earned $20 MILLION $20,000,000 last year without even having a job!!! This is almost the same as the CEO’s yearly pay at the “too big to fail” banks the taxpayer bailed out!!

With easy regulations, the $$$$$ infecting POLITICS, has become an easy priority at a low personal cost like an “indulgence” a sport, a hobby, for the super $$$$$ players……”Why for half a days work, me and my buddies, get me a President”!!!! and it’s legal thanks to our five Supreme Court Justices.

(Forbes)

QUOTE OF THE DAY Candidates?

Posted on February 6, 2012 by Dudley's World

“HE HAS DELUSIONS OF ADEQUACY” Walter Kerr

Describes the candidates for US presidency……

HOW TO BUY A PRESIDENT!!

Posted on February 4, 2012 by Dudley's World

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!!

US DEBT – WHO DO WE THANK?

Posted on January 27, 2012 by Dudley's World

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.

DEFENSE OF MARRIAGE ACT – FOCUS ON DIVORCE RATE NOT SAME SEX

Posted on January 25, 2012 by Dudley's World

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.

QUOTE OF THE DAY – Obama

Posted on January 25, 2012 by Dudley's World

“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….

CORPORATIONS PAY TAXES? – WHY BOTHER? ONLY THE 99% PAY TAXES!!

Posted on January 21, 2012 by Dudley's World

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%)?

TRICKLE DOWN ECONOMICS AMERICA’S TURNING POINT – SOCIAL SECURITY RAIDED

Posted on January 19, 2012 by Dudley's World

Mr. Fish's Cartoon

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,,,,

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