The (Real) Pledge of Allegiance

Copy cat post, hat tip to Louis Proyect: The Unrepentant Marxist

Imperialism? What Imperialism?

Amazingly enough, the idea that the United States is an imperialist country is mocked and ridiculed by mainstream liberals and "conservatives" as being simply absurd.  This of course is pure ideological obfuscation.  There is plenty of historical and contemporary empirical evidence, and theoretical argument to demonstrate that indeed the United States of America is imperialist.  But every now and then there pops up a story to demonstrate the obvious truth.

To Hannam, chairman of J.P. Morgan Capital Markets, Afghanistan represents a gigantic, untapped opportunity -- one of the last great natural-resource frontiers. Landlocked and pinioned by imperial invaders, Afghanistan has been cursed by its geography for thousands of years. Now, for the first time, Hannam believes, that geography could be an asset. The two most resource-starved nations on the planet, China and India, sit next door to Afghanistan, where, according to Pentagon estimates, minerals worth nearly $1 trillion lie buried. True, there is a war under way. And it's unclear how the death of Osama bin Laden will impact the country's political and economic environment. But Hannam is not your usual investment banker: A former soldier, he has done business in plenty of strife-torn countries. So have all the members of his team, two of them former special forces soldiers who have fought here.

(Hat tip to David Ruccio)

A Simple Solution to the Righties Tax Distribution Problem-Updated

Update April 22:  Also worth noting what Krugman has to say on the matter:

"Yes, high-income people pay the bulk of the federal income tax. But that’s not the only tax! And while the income tax is quite progressive, the payroll tax — the other major federal tax — isn’t; and state and local taxes are strongly regressive."

And he links to a .pdf of analysis by Citizens for Tax Justice, that is well worth reading.  They say:

It’s true that the very rich pay a large share of federal income taxes, and that many taxpayers are too poor to owe any federal income taxes. But federal income taxes are only part of the picture. Other types of taxes, like federal payroll taxes, federal excise taxes, and state and local

taxes are regressive, meaning they take a larger share of income from a poor or middle-class family than they take from a rich family.

This fact seems to ring very true to me on the ground.  While living in Arizona the last few years I was stricken by the high taxes I was paying, all the while state public services were being severely cut. 

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Original Post:

Yesterday of course was that day that comes every year when tax returns are due.  If you happened to tune into a right-wing radio show or Fox News, inevitably you heard some of the rightieys complaining that the problem is not that the rich don't pay their fair share, but that 45% of Americans allegedly pay little or no income taxes at all. I myself heard this on Limbaugh, Hannity and a local righty radio show.        


And they weren't talking about the corporations like GE or wealthy individuals with paid accountants who figure out a way to not pay any taxes.  Noooo, they were referring to the lucky many who are in the lower income distribution and make so little money that they slipped under the tax paying bar. Mitt Romney, being interviewed by Hannity, lamented that many of those Americans surely would like to pay some taxes to support our military. This seemed like a coy way of suggesting that we raise taxes on low income people so they indeed could help support our military, as if the blood and psychological health of their sons and daughters was not enough.    


I admit it, this just is not fair for the rich! So I propose a simple solution.  The owners of profitable businesses, CEOs, and the management of corporations, the people who comprise "the rich" should start paying better wages and benefits to those at the bottom of the income distribution.  This way, those lucky non-tax payers would then have the income to start paying taxes, while at the same time the rich would pay less of the tax burden as they would be appropriating less of the social surplus in profits.  There, problem solved!


Righties also have other complaints about the taxes and the tax system.   See Michael Perelman's blog on Arthur Laffer's complaint.

Risks and Rewards

You often hear propaganda to the effect that those who own and invest capital take risks with that capital, and thus deserve the extravagant rewards to the tune of millions and millions of dollars.  The worker on the other hand risks nothing and supposedly gets a fair wage for his day of labor.  This is of course bullshit, and nowhere is this so starkly clear than in the case of Don Blankenship of Massey Energy who was overlord to the deaths of at least 29 coal miners.  And these deaths were do to the Blankenship's purposeful attempt to dodge safety regulations.  From the Pro-Publica web site: 

The company poses a particular challenge to regulators. The Washington Post reported this week that for years the company managed to strike deals and get passes from regulators:

Massey's approach to federal regulation has been notable for two tactics that, according to critics, allow the company to thwart or skirt safety requirements. First, Massey has persuaded regulators to forgo safety rules on a case-by-case basis. Second, the company routinely contests federal citations in a manner that makes it virtually impossible for the government to force quick safety overhauls in the nation's most hazardous mines.

Under Blankenship, Massey had mastered the art of the regulatory waiver, a way to legally circumvent federal mining laws. The MSHA has approved 30 petitions from Massey to operate its mines outside of safety mandates, more than for any other company. Most were in the past decade.

As for the rewards, Blankenship gets to retire with a 12 million dollar severance, and I am sure that is already on top of the millions he already has.  As for the salt of the earth coal miners, the ones still alive get black lung, future unemployment in a degraded environment, and likely an early death.  Lets not forget who really takes the risks with life and health.

 

The Fast Food Industry is Evil, Hates You, and Hates America!

God Bless America and pass the ketchup!  The propagandists for capitalism will preach the virtues of personal responsibility, while at the same time pushing busy working people to stop by for some hot, fast, convenient, artery clogging, ass engorging, pile of shit.  All in the short term pursuit of profits.  


Of course, all the corporate executives and investors who get rich off these things probably also love to tell us how patriotic they are and how much they love this country.  Too bad they really don't give a hoot about the health of the American people.  

Restaurants: Fast-food restaurants plan a heaping helping of excess - latimes.com

Rolling into 2011, fast-food joints across the country are set to deploy a potent new arsenal of greasy goodness for Americans who have grown numb to mere burgers. Think spicier, cheesier, gooier. The new items flout principles of healthful eating and instead celebrate a spirit of wanton gluttony.

 It does look delicious doesn't it?