Monday, August 01, 2011

Corporate Welfare Bums, Fascism and Public Indebtedness by Louis Evan Palmer

Fascism gets its legitimacy from the few corporations that are well-run for a period of time. These shining examples of competence and societal benefit are used to bolster arguments that companies should be allowed to run everything; that everything would be better if only.



Corporations demand loyalty yet give none in return. They are permitted, and typically assisted, in growing and hiring up to a point when they are considered successful and then greed and so-called competition "forces" them to outsource. Mainly, they are "forced" into outsourcing by a government of ex-and-wannabee-CEOs and confederates where if you allow one then you force the rest. The public shares the blame in indescrimately buying cheaper even if it hurts your own country, state and neighbourhood. Once you board the roller-coaster, you can't get off until it's over. The truth, however, learned over and over again, seemingly lost to memory each time: you can't feed your face while chopping off your limbs.

The US debt ceiling crisis has illustrated many things - that the world is hostage to American economics and politics is one lesson (we already knew). An observation - people really don't like being held hostage - there will be a huge backlash against the USA over the next few years. The Tea Party's intransigence has & will significantly harm America - as it loses its reserve status, for example - of course, they will bray that it's someone else's fault.

America's deeply flawed tax & money system is at the heart of the problem. A large percentage of US debt is owed internally - some to Americans themselves, some to banks (including foreign) as interest regarding the issuance of money. The Tea Party (and most of the Republican Party) is against tax increases but is it also against corporate welfare? Is it also against ending supposedly temporary tax breaks that rob the treasury of needed funds. Huge tax breaks. Ending a break is not an increase except in the incestuous world of American business and politics where these Orwellian logic bombs are commonplace. See Matt Taibbi's article for more: "Corporate Tax Holiday in Debt Ceiling Deal: Where's the Uproar?" http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/blogs/taibblog/holiday-in-scambodia-20110720

What if outsourcing were re-classified as foreign aid? How would that alter the debate? What if selling foreign goods in a given region required jobs and facilties in that region? It would make sense economically (for that region) and environmentally - that would also stop the bidding wars for large facilities - you'd have to build there to sell there.

Another huge reason for the debt which was hardly mentioned in the recent budget debates are the various wars the US is engaged in. Immensely expensive wars that are illegitimate and unsuccessful. And the huge military outlay for numerous bases and apparatus. Are the military & intelligence branches of government even under control?
Not to mention the enormous cost of numerous covert and overt forms of economic warfare. Global supremacy doesn't come cheap and its fruits are lavish for the few and brutal for the many. The lines for conflict of interest are so blurred that straight-thinking is almost impossible. The world makes a plea that America retreats and retrenches for its own sake and the world's.

Corporate Welfare Bums, Fascism and Public Indebtedness, Louis Evan Palmer, The Way It Can Be, http://twicb.blogspot.com

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Copyright 2011 Louis Evan Palmer lives in Ontario Canada. His short stories have appeared in numerous publications.

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