1.08.2003
First of all, if you read yesterdays Alternet link on Enron, Bush the powerplant in India that needed the Afgan pipe line you'll like this follow up piece from MotherJones dealing with Bush, an Enron Pipeline... this time in Argentina- with a bit of government scandal. Well, heard news about the latest "stimulus package" of tax cuts Mr Bush has put out. Please go here for a quick read- some facts and figures will palliate the empty feeling one gets as this tax stuff is blasted by in a 15 second grinning behind the podium photo-op. You do realize that the Network news readers tend to be in the 1% who benefit from this ( of course you do, you already checked out the earlier link- this one will reinforce it: income disparity ). Rabbits guarding the carrot patch; do you think that a millionaire reporter or member of a legislative body is going to come clean about this stuff? Now FDR had a good idea- put folks to work. The worker will go to the store down the street, out to dinner with his family; whatever the case the money flows through the economy... a multiplier effect. We have already seen through he Reagan years what taxcuts for the rich do. There is an illusion of economic health as the market rises- but money tends to be reinvested in investing or luxury items; while (look at the "tracks layoffs" link in the 1/06 posting) manufacturing is going offshore, (as are corporate profits and thier attendant taxes) .
This is nothing new. Remember when manufacturing was located in the U.S North and headed South- lower costs you know, no worker representation (unions), lower taxes -more profits... Then NAFTA- boom, manufacturing goes to Mexico, lower costs you know, lax environmental laws, no unions,vastly lower wages, lower taxes- more profits. And now Mexico's suffering, other countries such as China have, you guessed it , underbid 'em, lower costs you know... 'Free' is a misnomer. It is untaxed trade- meaning as a manufacturer I can hire the poorest people in the poorest countries to make goods to sell to the richest folks- with no tax/tariff in between. This process is called the race to the bottom. I have two links here, one from David Korten, one from the National Labor Commitee. They are both really informative.
It seems to me that America is being ridden into decline. Giving huge tax cuts yet again, while spoiling for a war seems like lunacy on Bushes part if he cares about the welfare of our Nation. Much like a regular person cutting his/her hours and buying a new car-without income how will the bill be paid. How many years and billions will need to be spent on the occupation of Iraq? Will we make Iraq the 51st state? ( yeah, I know ANOTHER link, but you really need to think about this...
On the lighter side:
1/08/2003
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