CORPORATE PIGS
A reference resource for Progressives
see also: Roundups - Scandals (mon), Subversives (tue), Lost Liberty (wed), Corporate Pigs (thur), Monopoly Media (fri)
Today Corporations own most of Congress and the government. "Privatization", "deregulation" and "touch screen" voting imperil the rest. This new Corporation owned Government is as extreme as the old Russian system where the government owned the Corporations. And it is just as destructive, corrupt, incompetent and lawless as Russia ever was. Extreme Capitalism appears to be no different than extreme Communism - either way the vast majority of the people get screwed.
So how are the corporations using their new power, influence and wealth?
They
lie,
cheat,
steal, kill and
rape with near
immunity and
impunity amid corporate media silence.
Their misconduct is accelerating with an incredible Republican-led Federal override of states rights; increasing federal limitations (Tort Reform among others) of an individual's right to sue a corporation; massive 'fire sale' of national forests and other public land; gutting of EPA, labor, safety and employee rights regulations; elimination of usury laws, monopoly controls, and government inspections and enforcement of federal law. Accompanying are sweeping corruption in government contracts, especially Pentagon and FEMA contracts.
It is accompanied by a massive increase in both direct and indirect corporate welfare (not counting the recent Bankruptcy giveaway to the banks). Topping it off is a multi-trillion dollar transfer of corporate liabilities for promised retirement and health care benefits to taxpayers along with the corporate liabilities of asbestos, medical malpractice, defective products, pollution cleanup and gross environment destruction which will all now be covered by the American taxpayer. Completing the picture is corporate tax relief that cuts the rate from 35% to an effective 8.9% for the top multibillion dollar corporations - and they do everything they can to dodge that.
It is topped off by CEO gluttony.
So what is TheMotivation of the Multinationals?
Who Owns America?
THE MOST IMPORTANT STORY OF ALL
LOBBISTS are the heart and soul of How they do it.
NEW LAWS TO BENEFIT THE CORPORATIONS
*"Consumer Protection Act of 2005" works miracles for banks
Failure of new Medicare Drug Benefit and dumping social programs onto Christian churches.
Chromium Industry Withheld Health-Risk Data
Protect pharmaceutical companies from lawsuits.
DEREGULATION
*Electricity and the failure of deregulation
*The results are in - head-to-head private company vs government bureaucracy. You lost.
CORPORATE CRIME
The executives take fall while the Corporations go free
*Five years later Qwest VP gets 60 days home detention and $250,000 fine for stealing $2.9 million
*Ten Month limited home confinment for principle in Adelphia multi-billion fraud
Oil Company Greed
Exxon Refuses to pay court judgement for 17 years
Oil Company Welfare
DaimlerChrysler AG seizes Ohio homes
Teen Science Fair - fast food ice dirtier than toilet water
I cannot find a single thing that attempts to total corporate welfare or tax breaks since 2002. This 2005 site offers at least some information
AND (envelope, please) THE LOSERS ARE:
37 Million Poor in America
Add in the hungry
Middle class wipeout
Phoney Government Statistics
Class war winners
Top incomes up 497%. Average Incomes Down