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Some of the biggest companies in the United States have been firing workers and in some cases lobbying for rules that depress wages at the very time that jobs are needed, pay is low, and the federal budget suffers from a lack of revenue.
Last month Citizens for Tax Justice and an affiliate issued “Corporate Taxpayers and Corporate Tax Dodgers 2008-10″. It showed that 30 brand-name companies paid a federal income tax rate of minus 6.7 percent on $160 billion of profit from 2008 through 2010 compared to a going corporate tax rate of 35 percent. All but one of those 30 companies reported lobbying expenses in Washington.
Another report, by Public Campaign, shows that 29 of those companies spent nearly half a billion dollars over those three years lobbying in Washington for laws and rules that favor their interests. Only Atmos Energy, the 30th company, reported no lobbying.
Public Campaign replaced Atmos with Federal Express, the package delivery company that paid a smidgen of tax — $37 million, or less than one percent of the $4.2 billion in profit it reported in 2008 through 2010.
For the amount spent lobbying, the companies could have hired 3,100 people at $50,000 for wages and benefits to do productive work.
The report – “For Hire: Lobbyists or the 99 percent” – says that while shedding jobs, the 30 companies are “spending millions of dollars on Washington lobbyists to stave off higher taxes or regulations.”
These and other companies have access to lawmakers and regulators that are unavailable to ordinary Americans.
Originally posted by Ex_CT2
Aww, cheer up guy! Depending upon whose date you accept, The End is only exactly/approximately a year away!edit on 12/20/2011 by Ex_CT2 because: (no reason given)
Originally posted by Ex_CT2
Aww, cheer up guy! Depending upon whose date you accept, The End is only exactly/approximately a year away!edit on 12/20/2011 by Ex_CT2 because: (no reason given)
Originally posted by Ixtab
i would much rather they start being honest so the corporations can assume full control, do away with voting, senate, congress etc and just have franchise cities.
This is an unfair practice and it should be made illegal, and in my opinion, the persons responsible should be dragged out to the bottom of the steps of Capital Building and hung from a gallows till dead for treason.
This is what is destroying our country. This is what is taking away our jobs.
This is the reason that this country is trillions of dollars in debt! How is it even fair to the people of the U.S.A. that companies have access to lawmakers and regulators that are unavailable to ordinary Americans?
Originally posted by Ixtab
reply to post by Talltexxxan
Its gonna happen man, one way or another its just the way it is, i just think its in everyones best interest they dont spend the next 20-30 years lying to us.
Problem is, they might understand there could be a considerable backlash about having created this "democracy" illusion, so if they were to turn round tmrw and say, look, its a lie, you know it, we know, its a big lie, last couple of hundreds of industrialized civilization, all lies, sorry!. The streets would go up in flames.
So slowly but surely they will break us in gently, being more and more blatant about this facade of government so that it really wont be any great surprise when the curtains drawn back.
Originally posted by abecedarian
Originally posted by Ixtab
reply to post by Talltexxxan
Its gonna happen man, one way or another its just the way it is, i just think its in everyones best interest they dont spend the next 20-30 years lying to us.
Problem is, they might understand there could be a considerable backlash about having created this "democracy" illusion, so if they were to turn round tmrw and say, look, its a lie, you know it, we know, its a big lie, last couple of hundreds of industrialized civilization, all lies, sorry!. The streets would go up in flames.
So slowly but surely they will break us in gently, being more and more blatant about this facade of government so that it really wont be any great surprise when the curtains drawn back.
Anyone who thinks the USA is a democracy has either just arrived or hasn't been paying attention during civics and social studies classes. There is no lie: "... and to the republic..." is self-explanatory. There was no lie or illusion.
edit on 12/21/2011 by abecedarian because: (no reason given)