Changes are upon us and I don't know what is happening! The only reality is that we have been lied to and there is probably not much truth to anything now. The United States has a history of supporting dictators, really evil people who torture before breakfast, either as a twisted defense against "communism" or in order to secure our insatiable need for oil and wealth. We attempt an image of defending the underdog, being "for the people" and at the same time have supported dictators that would make Hitler look like a boy scout.
We have never gone to any kind of negotiating table without an agenda, without instructions to secure oil and power. Never have we attempted to do "the right thing." There is no honesty in discussion.
The same thing is happening locally, in our National Congress and in each State's government. Every issue is an attempt to grab power and every issue is clouded with lies. There is more money available now than there has ever been in the history of the world! Our government is collecting the least amount in relation to the Gross National Product than it ever has!!! Average people work for a living. Average businesses work for a living. We pay a lot of taxes. Income taxes, Social Security Taxes, Local Taxes,
Transportation Taxes and dozens of other taxes. It seems unbelievable that the government is collecting less
now than ever before compared to the GNP! Clearly, someone is not paying their share.
As we look around, hunting for these cheats, it is easy to focus on the obvious, what we may see in our everyday lives. We resent those on welfare, on any kind of National Assistance, on food stamps or unemployment or assistance in rent or utilities, medical care, nutritional supplements, housing, education and other programs attempting to offer help to those in need. These are all the programs that are being cut by the Republican House of Representatives. It is on the pretext of "balancing the National Budget." ALL this money represents LESS than 5 cents on the dollar of our National Budget but we see waste in these programs in our daily lives. We don't know what to do.
I was interested in the issues in Wisconsin about the school teachers. Because of our collapsing economy their PERS program, their retirement funds are no longer self-supporting and are subsidized by taxpayers.
Certainly I cannot afford that. I don't even have a retirement program and am not sure why I should pay into someone else's? I don't know what is fair and reasonable. Maybe their retirement money was invested and they lost like so many of us? What I don't like about this "discussion" is that it has become an opportunity to grab for power. Then the lies come! This has become an opportunity to destroy collective bargaining. This might sound good until you think about it. Collective bargaining is insuring your rights because everyone has these rights. Maybe, if you took away the teacher's right to collective bargain, then Unions will lose this power? How about Veteran's rights? Want to lose those also? and lots, lots more that we have worked hundreds of years to get.
Someone is not paying taxes and that is a fact. There is more money now than ever before in the history of civilization. It is just being distributed differently. 25 years ago the largest employer in the United States was General Motors with an average wage of $25 per hour. Today it is Walmart with an average wage of just over nine dollars! Twenty-five years ago the average Chief Executive Officer received six times the earning of his average employee in compensation. Today that figure is hundreds of times! and in some cases, thousands of times! One Wall Street Executive received a FIVE BILLION DOLLAR BONUS last year!!! The same guy got four Billion the year before!!! He paid NO Social Security tax on this money and in fact his total tax liability was 15% while most Americans pay 35%. In the hayday of America's Greatness we had a graduated income tax. The more you made the more you paid. Now it is less. The more you make the least you pay!
If we were serious about the National Debt we would raise taxes. Just THREE PERCENT on money OVER $200,000 would do it. OR, don't raise taxes at all. Just make them equal. We all pay the same rate on every dollar earned. Then we would have a huge surplus!!!!
The issues being debated are not about reducing the National Debt. They are about power.
The issues in Egypt and the Middle East are not about Democracy. They are about power.
You want to know the Truth? Follow the money.
My Other Blog is Here.
We have never gone to any kind of negotiating table without an agenda, without instructions to secure oil and power. Never have we attempted to do "the right thing." There is no honesty in discussion.
The same thing is happening locally, in our National Congress and in each State's government. Every issue is an attempt to grab power and every issue is clouded with lies. There is more money available now than there has ever been in the history of the world! Our government is collecting the least amount in relation to the Gross National Product than it ever has!!! Average people work for a living. Average businesses work for a living. We pay a lot of taxes. Income taxes, Social Security Taxes, Local Taxes,
Transportation Taxes and dozens of other taxes. It seems unbelievable that the government is collecting less
now than ever before compared to the GNP! Clearly, someone is not paying their share.
As we look around, hunting for these cheats, it is easy to focus on the obvious, what we may see in our everyday lives. We resent those on welfare, on any kind of National Assistance, on food stamps or unemployment or assistance in rent or utilities, medical care, nutritional supplements, housing, education and other programs attempting to offer help to those in need. These are all the programs that are being cut by the Republican House of Representatives. It is on the pretext of "balancing the National Budget." ALL this money represents LESS than 5 cents on the dollar of our National Budget but we see waste in these programs in our daily lives. We don't know what to do.
I was interested in the issues in Wisconsin about the school teachers. Because of our collapsing economy their PERS program, their retirement funds are no longer self-supporting and are subsidized by taxpayers.
Certainly I cannot afford that. I don't even have a retirement program and am not sure why I should pay into someone else's? I don't know what is fair and reasonable. Maybe their retirement money was invested and they lost like so many of us? What I don't like about this "discussion" is that it has become an opportunity to grab for power. Then the lies come! This has become an opportunity to destroy collective bargaining. This might sound good until you think about it. Collective bargaining is insuring your rights because everyone has these rights. Maybe, if you took away the teacher's right to collective bargain, then Unions will lose this power? How about Veteran's rights? Want to lose those also? and lots, lots more that we have worked hundreds of years to get.
Someone is not paying taxes and that is a fact. There is more money now than ever before in the history of civilization. It is just being distributed differently. 25 years ago the largest employer in the United States was General Motors with an average wage of $25 per hour. Today it is Walmart with an average wage of just over nine dollars! Twenty-five years ago the average Chief Executive Officer received six times the earning of his average employee in compensation. Today that figure is hundreds of times! and in some cases, thousands of times! One Wall Street Executive received a FIVE BILLION DOLLAR BONUS last year!!! The same guy got four Billion the year before!!! He paid NO Social Security tax on this money and in fact his total tax liability was 15% while most Americans pay 35%. In the hayday of America's Greatness we had a graduated income tax. The more you made the more you paid. Now it is less. The more you make the least you pay!
If we were serious about the National Debt we would raise taxes. Just THREE PERCENT on money OVER $200,000 would do it. OR, don't raise taxes at all. Just make them equal. We all pay the same rate on every dollar earned. Then we would have a huge surplus!!!!
The issues being debated are not about reducing the National Debt. They are about power.
The issues in Egypt and the Middle East are not about Democracy. They are about power.
You want to know the Truth? Follow the money.
My Other Blog is Here.
7 comments:
Jerry I know you are so right. It galls me to think that we can balance the budget on the backs of the people who have the least. I am a pro union gal because in spite of the power grabs and mismanagement..without the unions..we would be at the total mercy of the corporate America..But maybe we are..People forget that Reagan broke the unions and gave the corporations and govt. the right to circumvent the unions. This has been an ongoing fight for years for power.
2 examples..We used to have great public transportation. Each city had trolleys, trains, buses.Then GM and the oil companies decided that they wanted the biggest piece of the pie and convinced the government to subsidize them and the interstate building. The public transportation dried up for lack of funding and cheap cars for the masses and look where we are now! This started in the 30's and has turned into the oil and car powers that dominate our lives today. If greed had not entered into things it is possible that people would have remained carless for the most part..at least lived closer to their jobs in city communities and urban sprawl and inner city decay might not have happened on the scale it did.
The other thing I learned a few years back was the actual Republican party agenda from the 20's that has been carried forth through today. The decision was made to dismantle the government from within. Putting incompetents in positions of power within agencies..or at least easily manipulated people. The idea has been to corrupt from within and then proclaim the the saving of states rights and less government for the people. Read Tea Party!!!
So many people have jumped on that bandwagon without knowing or understanding that this is a ploy to keep major corporations from paying taxes and to gain power. It is touted as a people's movement but is backed by the powers that be. It doesn't take much to see the conspiracy in these things..But I am really not a conspiracy theorist. I just believe in greed. Greed rules and those who don't have money will pay for those who want the money!!
I wouldn't even know how to combat the rampant thirst for power and money. I guess we each have to live our lives as well as possible and take care of our own. I kind of resent the bailouts..I struggle to pay my mortgage but cannot get help..but I really don't want help..I just want to pay my bills and have others who are able to pay theirs!
sorry if I went on there! My rant for the day...
Thanks, Kay, you know me, I like a good discussion! Yes, I think lots of people have been deceived into thinking this is a grass roots kind of thing. We are frustrated, that is for sure, but when we are lied to it is difficult to come to just conclusions. I think many people vote against their own best interests! They just don't know it.
Partially it is because we are a lazy lot and not willing to investigate beyond sound bites and slogans.
I don't have much to say on this one, except that I totally agree with you.
Sometimes I think we need to throw it all out and just start over. Over simplified? Maybe. But we sure have a mess here.
......yes its all about power these days..if u hav power you hav the right to everthing
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