We’ve lived so long under the spell of hierarchy—from god-kings to feudal lords to party bosses—that only recently have we awakened to see not only that “regular” citizens have the capacity for self-governance, but that without their engagement our huge global crises cannot be addressed. The changes needed for human society simply to survive, let alone thrive, are so profound that the only way we will move toward them is if we ourselves, regular citizens, feel meaningful ownership of solutions through direct engagement. Our problems are too big, interrelated, and pervasive to yield to directives from on high.
—Frances Moore Lappé, excerpt from Time for Progressives to Grow Up

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Bipartisan support builds for slicing corporate tax rate

Click here to access article by Jim Puzzanghera from the Los Angeles Times. 

This article illustrates an example of how the two US capitalist parties collude to serve corporate interests while attempting to create an illusion of differences and, thus, a pretense of "democracy".
As part of their budget plan passed last week, House Republicans want to cut the corporate tax rate to 25% from 35%. The Obama administration and many Democrats also are looking to slice the current rate, but not as much.
For the past year I have read numerous reports about US corporations being flush with cash, and using it, not to invest in job creating activities like building the decaying infrastructure, high-speed rail, an energy grid, alternative energy systems, etc., but to buy back stock and other companies to become even bigger and more powerful. See this, this, and this.

Of course, most of the politicians are bought and paid for by the corporations, but there is also another real factor which forces them to cave-in to corporate demands: corporations can now move not only their enterprises to countries with low taxes, low wages, and weak environmental laws, but they can also move their money across borders at will to avoid taxes.

This process of the concentration of wealth and economic property and power into a relatively few hands is the natural outcome of the capitalist system which has been ongoing since its inception several hundred years ago. What amazes me is the astounding success that capitalist elites have had in pursuing this process behind the facade of "democracy"! 

Although decreasing in numbers, most people seem to believe that voting in an election means participating in a democracy. And the ruling classes are happy to oblige by serving up elections most everywhere in the world.