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Patriotic Yardsticks for Unpatriotic Giant Corporations
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chatnoir
May 17, 2013, 5:48:50 PM5/17/13
to
http://www.opednews.com/articles/Patriotic-Yardsticks-for-U-by-Ralph-Nader-130516-343.html
headline:
Patriotic Yardsticks for Unpatriotic Giant Corporations
By Ralph Nader
Why are big, global U.S. corporations so unpatriotic? After all, they
were created in the U.S.A., rose to immense profit because of the toil
of American workers, are bailed out by American taxpayers whenever
they're in trouble, and are safeguarded abroad by the U.S. military.
Yet these corporate Goliaths work their tax lawyers overtime to escape
U.S. taxes. Many pay less than you do in federal income taxes. Imagine
corporations, like General Electric, have not paid federal income
taxes on U.S. profits for years.
Mega corporations have abandoned U.S. workers by entrenching "pull-
down" trade agreements that make it easier than ever to ship jobs and
whole industries to fascist and communist regimes abroad which keep
their workers near serfdom. Remember, the U.S. has run large trade
deficits for the past 30 years as a result of anti-American trade
deals pushed by these global companies. These Goliaths are pressing
for the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a trade agreement that will further
pull down our economy. (See http://www.citizen.org/page.aspx?pid=1328.)
Corporate CEOs are raiding and draining traditional pension plans for
millions of workers who are left without their expected and earned
pension payments on retirement. (For more information see Ellen E.
Schultz's book Retirement Heist: How Companies Plunder and Profit from
the Nest Eggs of American Workers.)
They are freezing the federal minimum wage, for low income service
jobs that they cannot export, at $7.25 per hour, leaving 30 million
workers today making less than workers made in 1968, inflation
adjusted. Having wages that go backwards into the future means workers
cannot afford the basic necessities of life for themselves and their
children.
Giant companies hire legions of lobbyists to weaken or abolish
consumer, worker and environmental safety and health laws, to stop our
country from joining all other Western Nations with full Medicare for
all. Corporate campaign cash increasingly flows to indentured
politicians, who in turn do the bidding of the corporate paymasters at
your expense.
We've yet to find a CEO of a U.S. global corporation who will even go
through the motions at their annual shareholders meeting standing up
and, in the name of the company, pledging "allegiance to the United
States...with liberty and justice for all." When asked, as was General
Motors, the CEO refused.
Charge companies with unpatriotic behavior and you'll tap a nerve or
two. The munitions companies, like Lockheed Martin and Boeing, put ads
on television and radio asserting how their modern weapons back up our
troops who are sent to expand the Empire. Of course, defense
contractors never mention their huge profits, cost over-runs and their
staffing the higher echelons of the Pentagon with their own
appointees. Nor do these arms merchants ever raise a patriotic
objection to the criminal wars of aggression conducted by Bush/Cheney
against the defenseless people of Iraq, whose tottering dictator,
formerly a U.S. ally, was not a threat to America.
Other companies are trying softer promotions of their claimed care for
America. Have you seen the lengthy ad campaign by Chevron that starts
with some bold demand by a pictured ordinary person? One such ad
begins "Oil companies SHOULD support the communities they're a PART
OF" (Chevron's emphasis) and, invariably, Chevron answers "we agree,"
and lists their charities here and abroad. Evaluating corporation
philanthropy is for another time; suffice it to say that not one giant
corporation exceeds one percent of their pre-tax profits, when the law
allows them to give up to five percent, deductible .... (cont)
headline:
Patriotic Yardsticks for Unpatriotic Giant Corporations
By Ralph Nader
Why are big, global U.S. corporations so unpatriotic? After all, they
were created in the U.S.A., rose to immense profit because of the toil
of American workers, are bailed out by American taxpayers whenever
they're in trouble, and are safeguarded abroad by the U.S. military.
Yet these corporate Goliaths work their tax lawyers overtime to escape
U.S. taxes. Many pay less than you do in federal income taxes. Imagine
corporations, like General Electric, have not paid federal income
taxes on U.S. profits for years.
Mega corporations have abandoned U.S. workers by entrenching "pull-
down" trade agreements that make it easier than ever to ship jobs and
whole industries to fascist and communist regimes abroad which keep
their workers near serfdom. Remember, the U.S. has run large trade
deficits for the past 30 years as a result of anti-American trade
deals pushed by these global companies. These Goliaths are pressing
for the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a trade agreement that will further
pull down our economy. (See http://www.citizen.org/page.aspx?pid=1328.)
Corporate CEOs are raiding and draining traditional pension plans for
millions of workers who are left without their expected and earned
pension payments on retirement. (For more information see Ellen E.
Schultz's book Retirement Heist: How Companies Plunder and Profit from
the Nest Eggs of American Workers.)
They are freezing the federal minimum wage, for low income service
jobs that they cannot export, at $7.25 per hour, leaving 30 million
workers today making less than workers made in 1968, inflation
adjusted. Having wages that go backwards into the future means workers
cannot afford the basic necessities of life for themselves and their
children.
Giant companies hire legions of lobbyists to weaken or abolish
consumer, worker and environmental safety and health laws, to stop our
country from joining all other Western Nations with full Medicare for
all. Corporate campaign cash increasingly flows to indentured
politicians, who in turn do the bidding of the corporate paymasters at
your expense.
We've yet to find a CEO of a U.S. global corporation who will even go
through the motions at their annual shareholders meeting standing up
and, in the name of the company, pledging "allegiance to the United
States...with liberty and justice for all." When asked, as was General
Motors, the CEO refused.
Charge companies with unpatriotic behavior and you'll tap a nerve or
two. The munitions companies, like Lockheed Martin and Boeing, put ads
on television and radio asserting how their modern weapons back up our
troops who are sent to expand the Empire. Of course, defense
contractors never mention their huge profits, cost over-runs and their
staffing the higher echelons of the Pentagon with their own
appointees. Nor do these arms merchants ever raise a patriotic
objection to the criminal wars of aggression conducted by Bush/Cheney
against the defenseless people of Iraq, whose tottering dictator,
formerly a U.S. ally, was not a threat to America.
Other companies are trying softer promotions of their claimed care for
America. Have you seen the lengthy ad campaign by Chevron that starts
with some bold demand by a pictured ordinary person? One such ad
begins "Oil companies SHOULD support the communities they're a PART
OF" (Chevron's emphasis) and, invariably, Chevron answers "we agree,"
and lists their charities here and abroad. Evaluating corporation
philanthropy is for another time; suffice it to say that not one giant
corporation exceeds one percent of their pre-tax profits, when the law
allows them to give up to five percent, deductible .... (cont)
brian
May 17, 2013, 8:09:55 PM5/17/13
to
On Fri, 17 May 2013 14:48:50 -0700 (PDT), chatnoir
<wolfb...@mindspring.com> wrote:
>http://www.opednews.com/articles/Patriotic-Yardsticks-for-U-by-Ralph-Nader-130516-343.html
>
>headline:
>
>Patriotic Yardsticks for Unpatriotic Giant Corporations
>By Ralph Nader
>
>Why are big, global U.S. corporations so unpatriotic? .........
<wolfb...@mindspring.com> wrote:
>http://www.opednews.com/articles/Patriotic-Yardsticks-for-U-by-Ralph-Nader-130516-343.html
>
>headline:
>
>Patriotic Yardsticks for Unpatriotic Giant Corporations
>By Ralph Nader
>
You surprised?
The greatest predator in the history of the planet hurt your feelings?
Like the mouse who hitches a ride across a river on the back of a fox
and is eaten for his misplaced trust the corporation is extracting
it's due. After all it's been destroying your lands, air and waters
and now it wants your blood.
Predators eat meat and that's all the we the people are. We be
schmoos, that's all..................
Werner
May 18, 2013, 12:25:14 AM5/18/13
to
Giant corporations don't pay for wages, materials, profits. Customers pay for everything. Customers prefer to pay less.
rumpelstiltskin
May 18, 2013, 2:04:29 AM5/18/13
to
On Fri, 17 May 2013 21:25:14 -0700 (PDT), Werner <whet...@mac.com>
wrote:
>Giant corporations don't pay for wages, materials, profits. Customers pay for everything. Customers prefer to pay less.
Consumers pay for cosmological CEO salaries too, and they're
getting tired of it. Such "obscene" disproportion should be
repealed. It is also an attack on the liberty of the working class.
"Excessive" concentration of wealth in few hands is resisted by
people who do not want to obey.
wrote:
>Giant corporations don't pay for wages, materials, profits. Customers pay for everything. Customers prefer to pay less.
getting tired of it. Such "obscene" disproportion should be
repealed. It is also an attack on the liberty of the working class.
"Excessive" concentration of wealth in few hands is resisted by
people who do not want to obey.
BIG BIRD
May 18, 2013, 7:05:57 AM5/18/13
to
"Werner" <whet...@mac.com> wrote in message
news:07a6f97b-5661-4f0b...@googlegroups.com...
: Giant corporations don't pay for wages, materials, profits. Customers pay for
everything. Customers prefer to pay less.
:
customers want the best materials, the lowest or no corporate profits,lower wages
for the employees who make the products they buy,
but not lower wages or profits for themselves
and that won't work,
someone has to pay, they aren't entitled to cheap labor to get themselves cheap
products
maybe we should cut doctors to $10 an hour
chatnoir
May 18, 2013, 7:16:25 AM5/18/13
to
On May 17, 10:25 pm, Werner <whetz...@mac.com> wrote:
> Giant corporations don't pay for wages, materials, profits. Customers pay for everything. Customers prefer to pay less.
And get less jobs, servicies and a resilient USA!
> Giant corporations don't pay for wages, materials, profits. Customers pay for everything. Customers prefer to pay less.
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