Fact: Corporations move our jobs overseas to take advantage of slave labor wages, lax environmental laws and no taxes. Yes, no taxes! "Free trade" allows giant multinational corporations to pay zero taxes overseas and zero taxes in America. In 2010, corporate giant GE made a profit of $14.2 billion but it paid not a penny in taxes because the bulk of those profits, some $9 billion, were offshore. In fact, GE got a $3.2 billion tax benefit. [iii]
While I am not in favor of taxes or in raising taxes, there is no sane reason why GE should pay fewer taxes than you and I. As a matter of fact, if GE and other large corporations paid their fair share, you and I could:
- Pay half of what we now pay in taxes
- There would be no more state and federal deficits
Though 11 major corporations paid no federal taxes in the US in 1975[iv], that number more than tripled in the period 2008-2010. [v] Here is the 1975 list:
- Ford Motor Company
- Delta Air Lines
- Northwest Airlines
- Chemical New York Corp.
- Manufactures Hanover Corp.
- Western Electric Co. (a subsidiary of American Telephone & Telegraph Co.)
- Bethlehem Steel Corp.
- Lockheed Aircraft Corp.
- National Steel Corp.
- Phelps Dodge Corp.
- Freeport Minerals Co.
In 1975, the nation's 148 largest corporations paid $20 billion in taxes to foreign governments but only half of that, $10 billion, to the US government.
The eight largest banks in the nation all showed a profit for the year but none paid taxes. Ford Motor Company, by taking advantage of foreign tax credits and investment tax credits, not only was able to avoid paying US income tax for 1974 and 1975, but also actually received a $189 million refund for those years at the taxpayers' expense.
The 2008-2010 report reveals:
Pepco Holdings, a Washington, D.C.-area power company, had the lowest effective tax rate, at negative 57.6 percent, among the 280 Fortune 500 companies studied.
General Electric Co, Paccar Inc., PG&E Corp, Computer Sciences Corp and NiSource Inc. as among the 30 that paid no taxes. All 280 corporations examined were profitable over the period.
[Tax] breaks cost the government about $102 billion in lost revenues in 2011, a year when the federal deficit was an estimated $1.3 trillion.
Power group Duke Energy Corp was one of the 30 companies listed as paying no income taxes in 2008-2010.
Seventy-eight of the 280 companies paid zero or less in federal income taxes in at least one year from 2008 to 2010. Twenty-five of these companies enjoyed multiple no-tax years, bringing the total number of no-tax years to 108. In the years they paid no income tax, these companies earned $156 billion in pretax U.S. profits. But instead of paying $55 billion in income taxes as the 35 percent corporate tax rate seems to require, these companies generated so many excess tax breaks that they reported negative taxes (often receiving outright tax rebate checks from the U.S. Treasury), totaling $21.8 billion. These companies' "negative tax rates" mean that they made more after taxes than before taxes in those no-tax years.
The government could have a surplus -- roads, dams, hospitals and schools would not be in disrepair or overcrowded because the government would have plenty of money for all these things as they once did and would not be looking for ways to cut social security or other social programs.
You and I, however, CANNOT compete with the money corporations spend to buy off congress, (i.e. our politicians) and voting only replaces one corrupt party with the other corrupt party.
These tax-breaks have occurred under Democrat and Republican administrations! Both are corrupt!
RECESSION -- HIGH GAS PRICES -- OUT-OF-CONTROL MEDICAL COSTS -- FAILING INFRASTRUCTURE - WHO IS RESPONSIBLE?
Politicians are the only people in the world who create problems and then campaign against them. Have you ever wondered why, if both Democrats and Republicans are against deficits, we have deficits? If all the politicians are against inflation and high taxes, have you ever wondered why we have inflation and high taxes?
You and I don't propose a federal budget. The president does. You and I don't have the Constitutional authority to vote on appropriations. The House of Representatives does. You and I don't write the tax code. Congress does. You and I don't set fiscal policy. Congress does. You and I don't control monetary policy. The Federal Reserve Bank does.
One hundred senators, 435 congressmen, one president and nine Supreme Court justices - 545 human beings out of the 235 million -- are directly, legally, morally and individually responsible for the domestic problems that plague this country. I exclude the members of the Federal Reserve Board because the Congress created that problem. In 1913, Congress delegated its Constitutional duty to provide a sound currency to a federally chartered but private central bank.
I exclude all the special interest and lobbyist for a sound reason. They have no legal authority. They have no ability to coerce a senator, a congressmen or a president. No matter what the lobbyist promises, it is the legislator's responsibility to determine how he/she votes.
Those 545 human beings spend much of their energy convincing you that what they did is not their fault. They cooperate in this common con regardless of party.
What separates a politician from a normal human being is an excessive amount of gall. No normal human being would have the gall of Nancy Pelosi, who stood up and criticized G.W. Bush for creating deficits. The president can only propose a budget. He cannot force the Congress to accept it. The Constitution, which is the supreme law of the land, gives the sole responsibility to the House of Representatives for appropriations and taxes.
It seems inconceivable to me that a nation of 235 million cannot replace 545 people who stand convicted -- by present facts -- of incompetence and irresponsibility. There is not a single domestic problem, from an unfair tax code to defense overruns, not directly traceable to those 545 people and their predecessors..
DID YOU CAUSE THESE 14 POINTS OR DID YOUR REPRESENTATIVE?
1. Politicians of both parties have allowed the looting of our country through our national debt.
2. Failed to provide for, prepare for, or act during the attacks on 9-11
3. Failed to secure our borders before or since 9-11
4. Failed to protect the safety of our food supply (with adequate food inspectors)
5. Failed to protect us from faulty and deadly imports. Resulting in the loss of life.
6. Failed to develop an Energy policy that moved us any closer towards independence.
7. Failed to fund critical infrastructure resulting in the loss of life.
8. Failed to provide an adequate response to our educational crisis. Resulting in a 50 percent drop out rate and massive over-crowding.
9. Failed to wean banks off of super low interest rates weakening the dollar.
10. Failed to obey and uphold the rule of law and our international treaties.
11. Failed to uphold and defend the Constitution to the best of their ability.
12. Failed to secure Iraq or provide for a clear exit strategy.
13. Failed and continue to fail to provide troops with proper equipment, medical leave, rotation, training, etc.
14. Created and abetted the Sub-Prime crisis through legislation and bailouts.
2. Failed to provide for, prepare for, or act during the attacks on 9-11
3. Failed to secure our borders before or since 9-11
4. Failed to protect the safety of our food supply (with adequate food inspectors)
5. Failed to protect us from faulty and deadly imports. Resulting in the loss of life.
6. Failed to develop an Energy policy that moved us any closer towards independence.
7. Failed to fund critical infrastructure resulting in the loss of life.
8. Failed to provide an adequate response to our educational crisis. Resulting in a 50 percent drop out rate and massive over-crowding.
9. Failed to wean banks off of super low interest rates weakening the dollar.
10. Failed to obey and uphold the rule of law and our international treaties.
11. Failed to uphold and defend the Constitution to the best of their ability.
12. Failed to secure Iraq or provide for a clear exit strategy.
13. Failed and continue to fail to provide troops with proper equipment, medical leave, rotation, training, etc.
14. Created and abetted the Sub-Prime crisis through legislation and bailouts.
Sooner or later all freedom loving Americans will realize that the only way to stop those who would bleed our nation dry, dismantle our constitution, and dissolve our national sovereignty is to say: I will NOT work for you, buy from you, fight for you, or die for you, until the criminals are gone from the halls of our government.
General Strikes shut down the normal operations of a city, state, or nation for a period of time. These strikes aim to force action on a single issue or broader set of concerns.
The reason for this shutdown is not to hurt this country in any way shape or form, but is, in fact, a peaceful method of sending a message to Washington, D.C.
We would like to raise awareness about steps we can all take and solutions we can all participate in.
You can take part in this exchange of information and, at the same time, contribute to Global Non-Compliance against Corruption, Theft, Fraud, and Murder.
We have always had the power to stop these crimes.
Stop the funding to all criminal activity in the corporate/political sector.
Small changes in how you spend your money will make a huge difference to the profiteers of misery.
This will not happen overnight, but in time, we could affect real change.
GeneralStrikeUSA is engaged in what could be called "the people's sovereignty movement." We challenge the legitimacy of the US Supreme Court, or any other arm of government, "to bestow upon corporations the immense governing authority" implicit in the conferral of constitutional rights. We base this challenge on a solid founding principle; no governing entity may grant away the people's right to a functional republican form of government. We contend that excessive corporate power has undermined this basic right of the people. (POCLAD, 2003) (See Also, Grossman, et, al, 2003).
Rather than try to change Supreme Court decisions, the people's sovereignty movement is building popular support for eliminating corporate constitutional rights; they are urging their fellow citizens to effectively say, "We hold ultimate authority, and despite what the Supreme Court says, we did not grant away our sovereignty over you when we made you a corporation." So, what concrete steps does one take to make this tangible?
We live in a time when elected politicians ignore the needs of their constituents; where the judiciary and police institutions will not uphold the rights of citizens; where the media are afraid to report the truth; where lawlessness abounds and ordinary people are left unprotected and defenseless against the rapacity of a few. The answer to our dilemma is for people of courage to actively help each other. Only if we unite can we succeed. That is the only way. There is no other way. People, get up, stand up! ORGANIZE!
The General Strike is a national call to action, from citizens to other citizens.
The strike targets key issues facing the American public, issues that have not been addressed in any meaningful way by any branch of government.
Unions, corporations and the major parties have failed to deal with pressing matters of war and peace, income inequality, crime and punishment and the meaning of citizenship itself. It has fallen to the American people to set things right!
Public protest is an important part of democracy, just as much as a free press, a judiciary, and congress. A general strike does NOT have to be violent. It is a matter of CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE, NOT VIOLENCE. You are NOT going to school. You are NOT going to work. You are NOT shopping. You do NOT have to be violent to NOT do those things. March legally. Protest legally.
Our causes are many but our voices are one.
You will need to plan, set up and hold your own local protest. Vigorously promote your protest via local activist and church groups. Also on social networking sites - Facebook, Meetup, Tribe, MySpace, Twitter, YouTube, etc. Call in to talk radio shows, print and distribute this flyer, create freeway banners, write OPEDs, etc., etc. You will need to organize enough people to shut down, disrupt normal operations of your local city, town, county and state.
There will be ZERO mainstream media discussion of this protest BEFORE it happens. ZERO. So, we must BE OUR OWN MEDIA and promote it. Post this link to blogs, forums, etc. VIDEO LINK: http://www.onetruemedia.com/shared?p=ab97e2336479861b38e985&skin_id=1603&utm_source=otm&utm_medium=text_url
PROMOTE IT!
Put it on your personal pages, send this URL to your friends, mention it with links in your comments. PROMOTE IT
