Friday, April 15, 2011

Artificial Left-Right Divide

This year GE had a profit of $14.2 billion. Of which exactly nothing is being collected for taxes (reference), even while all us honest workers fork over a significant percentage of our wages to improve the country we're all part of.

Our elected officials could have tackled the deficit by imposing a fair share of the load on these corporations. Instead they cut billions from programs that do "wasteful" things like create new jobs, drive economic growth, and help the needy and our nation's children.

Is there any clearer evidence of the artificial nature of left-right divide that has been foisted on us (or that we've allowed ourselves to fall victim to), blaring from every major news outlet? We squabble over crumbs while corporations secure their hold on power.

1 comment:

Charles Ryan said...

I'll also point out that GE actually received federal money in 2010 to the tune of over $3 billion. That's $10 for every man, woman, and child in the US. In other words: My family of 4 donated $40 to to GE--a quite profitable company. Donated. As in just gave it to them, so that they could have more money and we could have less.

And every single other American did the same.

Our country is no longer a democracy. We are a plutocracy--perhaps even a kleptocracy--in which the wealthy have learned to game the system and use the democratic process, governmental bureaucracy, and the media to gain and maintain a hold on self-enriching power.

Anyone who doubts that should just remember: GE got $10 of your money, for no other reason than that they wanted it and you had it.