Forum Post: Jobs and a return to Democracy Part III (Whew Final Part)

Last year in 2010, General Electric made $14.2 billion in profits and paid no federal income tax! G.E. was even given a $3.2 billion tax benefit. Big corporations’ tax shelter practices shift a $100 billion annual tax burden onto U.S. taxpayers. In 2008, the Government Accountability Office found that “two out of every three United States corporations paid no federal income taxes from 1998 through 2005.”
We need to change campaign finance law so un-American corporations and foreign countries can’t buy American elections. We need to help the right wingers on the Supreme Court realize corporations are not people. You and I know that. The Court is taking the side of corporations instead of the American people again much like when they ruled slavery was legal. We need to have public financing of campaigns Multinational corporations can no longer buy off our politicians. No more propaganda ads. Let’s have real debates about how politicians voted and what they will do when they get in office. Then we need to hold their feet to the fire and recall them the minute they stop representing us.
We were the original tea party. When Bush was President, we were the first to oppose his made up war in Iraq. The right wing extremists who rule over America during Republican presidencies like Bush’s, made up lies and created things to be afraid of so they could steal American tax dollars. Bush’s Vice President Dick Cheney was chairman and CEO of Halliburton from 1995 to 2000. He received a $36 million severance package as well as stock options from Halliburton. A funny thing then happened. In the run-up to the Iraq war, Halliburton was awarded a $7 billion contract for which 'unusually' only Halliburton was allowed to bid. In one of the many war profiteering scandals, the Defense Contract Audit Agency says Halliburton overcharged for fuel transportation in Iraq $212.3 million. Halliburton is now run from its new headquarters in the United Arab Emirates. War is profitable for multinational corporations but war is bankrupting America. Rest assured if the money interests behind the Republican Party win another election they will create more conflicts to be afraid of. 9-11 happened on Bush’s watch but six months later in a press conference Bush said “I just don’t spend that much time on him (Ben Laden).” That’s because there is a lot of money to be made in war profiteering. I think I speak for most Americans when I say I am glad Obama kept his campaign promise and took out Ben Laden and Obama is bringing our troops home from Iraq. Two and one have years before his Presidency ended Bush declared at a press conference “We’re not leaving [Iraq] so long as I’m the president.” War may be good for big business but it bleeds the life out of the American taxpayer. Let’s all work for the America our founding fathers fought for. Let’s return to an America of the people, by the people and for the people, the 99%, not for the rich 1%.
President Roosevelt summarized our situation best during the first Great Depression when he declared, “We had to struggle with the old enemies of peace--business and financial monopoly, speculation, reckless banking, class antagonism, sectionalism, and war profiteering…They had begun to consider the Government of the United States as a mere appendage to their own affairs. We know now that Government by organized money is just as dangerous as Government by organized mob…Never before in all our history have these forces been so united against one candidate as they stand today. They are unanimous in their hate for me -- and I welcome their hatred.” My prayers are with you and may God bless the United States of America.