Corporate Greed: An American Tradition

It is extraordinary to see that our country is moving in the least promising direction it has moved in the past one hundred years.  We are now headed back to the point where the corporate abuses that led to the rise of trade unions will lead to their demise.  Through our congressional leadership, corporations are able to black mail the American worker to give up hard fought benefits through their ability to gain concessions based on the idea that we will no longer be able to compete in the world market.

Moreover, this corporate gambit is based on the concept that to save individual jobs the American worker must sacrifice so that the shareholders gain on a quarterly basis.  Look at the case of a Mercer Island woman in Washington State who not only lost her computer position to outsourcing, but was required to travel to India and train her replacements, so that she could earn a paycheck as long as possible.  Think about that: she was coerced to make herself replaceable so that she could keep working a few more weeks before she was forced to go on unemployment.  Once she had completed her task, she was now the property of the U.S. government, and the company that she once worked for has washed their hands of her.

There is nothing new about this idea.  It is as old as private enterprise; however, in this age of global malaise and America bashing, it is ironic to see that the most proficient bashers live right here at home. Our corporations instead of lowering their profit margins and looking at the long haul have become more and more short-sided as CEO’s and CFO’s look for ways of boosting their personal wealth because their life expectancy at the top of the corporate pyramid remains limited. Is this the way that life should be run for the millions of Americans who rely on corporate honesty?

Of course not, but that is the way the world spins, so it is time for the American workers to fight for themselves and attack the power structures that are more concerned with corporate parties then corporate dental plans.  Money talks, and now that the Supreme Court has spoken; companies are persons, so said companies if they have the funds will not only be able to blackmail their workers, they will be able buy any legislation they want as they act as individual agents looking for new government entitlements. 

That is not the only way today’s corporations stiff America. If fleecing American workers is not enough, these self-styled oligarchs feel as if paying taxes is just too burdensome, and they are seeking relief, so that their shareholders can earn more revenues. Why should they be in the business of helping anyone other than themselves? They are able to use their new status as a person to leverage political advantage in the form of large unchecked donations, which acts as sort of a wink of the eye quid pro quo.

These huge corporations are vampires that are sucking the life blood out of America for their own personal gain. But, as we know, these are people whose greed is so unquenchable that they will lie, cheat and steal all the while blaming government for the economic collapse of the American middle class while the NASDAQ, Dow Jones and the S&P 500 reach heights never before imaged.

You have to hand it to people like the Koch brothers and Burger King and Apple and Microsoft for finding a way not to pay their fair share of taxes so that a greater burden is placed on small businesses, as well as the working and middle class. You are a tremendous example of what America is all about: CORPORATE GREED.

The tax burden is so overwhelming to large American corporations that our politicians have made sure to eliminate the possibility that these special people be required to pay taxes and help pay for the infrastructure that they so desperately need to run their businesses. Or, help pay for the police that protect their businesses. Or, help pay for the educational institutions that create the workers that will make their businesses profitable.

The Me Generation of the late ‘60’s and early 70’s has come home to roost. You billionaires who are willing to outsource thousands of jobs, spend hundreds of millions of dollars to rig political contests or on pet projects, but refuse to participate in the upkeep of our democratic principles and way of life: shame on you.

White Authoritarian Bigotry

When does stealing cigars mean you get murdered? When does smoking pot mean you get murdered? Only when you are an unarmed black teenager. I wasn’t there when Michael Brown was shot and killed, but when I see the right-wing hit machine on full auto attack mode, I know that there is a big problem, whether, it is Jim Pinkerton’s disgusting attempt to blame Michael Brown for his death or Bill O’Reilly’s need to lecture black America on how they need to behave.

We have set off a new wave of white authoritarian requisite desire to justify their behavior against people of color. White America has not come to terms with the lingering effects of discrimination. This can be seen through right-wing talking heads attacking any and everyone that does not look or act the way that they feel people should act, just listen to Bill O’Reilly or Sean Hannity or Glenn Beck when they go off on some lecture about how Black America needs to conduct themselves, and these sermons also includes thinly veiled racial attacks on the President of the United States.

It comes as no surprise that Michael Brown’s character is being dragged through the mud in the days and weeks following his murder. This is the typical response of the right-wing hit machine. They want to make sure that Black America understands their place in society, while trumpeting the moral superiority of White America, therefore, the unstated idea is that White America is under siege and must do any and everything in its power to protect its economic, social and political positions. They pretend that equality exists because a Black American was voted for two terms as president.

What they refuse to tell you is that these same right-wingers who feign color blindness have done everything in their power to discredit President Obama through personal and political attacks on anything action that he has taken as president be it healthcare reform to equal pay for women to protecting all Americans (not just white men) against discrimination even when the Supreme Court does its best job to keep inequity alive. Just today, Mitch McConnell said that if the Republicans take control of the Senate, he has vowed to hold the president and the American people hostage if he does not get his way on legislation. This is another example of the right-wing’s need to control and dominate all conversations.

It doesn’t stop there; the right-wing hit machine has helped to promote and incite the astronomical growth of the white hate groups in America. These groups are not only against people of color, but they are against federal, state and local government agencies that will not cow-tow to their every whim. When a white man (Clive Bundy) breaks the law, these vigilantes are armed and ready to fight the federal government. When a young black man is murdered by an officer of the government, they are nowhere to be found. How would the story have changed if a young white man had been gunned down?

More than likely, the right-wing hit machine would be all over the government concerning overreach and the militarization of the police. They would be screaming for an investigation into the shooting and demanding the arrest of the offending officer. Because it was a black man, in their eyes, the officer is being victimized and unfairly ostracized for carrying out his job. These behaviors demonstrate the incredible racial divide that is America today.

We have not evolved in a way in which racial discrimination has been eliminated. White America pretends that this problem no longer exists, however, the murder of Michael Brown demonstrates how deeply divided we are as a country and how little progress has been made in shoring up racial inequality since Martin Luther King’s death.

The root of America’s racial distrust transcends Michael Brown’s murder, and as a country, we need to acknowledge that work needs to be done when it comes to racial and gender discrimination. Moreover, as a society, we must rise above the right-wing hit machine that only wants to focus on things like black on black murder and black incarceration to justify their discriminatory positions. This hidden bigotry is a disease that is slowly eating away at the fabric of America, and leaving too many Americans on the outside of justice looking in.

Shameless Right-Wing Talk Radio Warmongers

The unequivocal nature of right-wing radio and bombastic talking heads like Ben Shapiro, Michael Medved and Laura Ingraham is devastating to the fabric of America in the same way the slavers of the south were to our union over a hundred years ago. These pompous blow-hards are pitting American against American, and their words and actions are shameless and destructive to the values that they pretend to embody.

What they like to hide behind is the bible and the Christianesque teachings that they pick and choose to illustrate the certainty of their positions so long as it matches their end goals, moreover, these Christianesque radicals act as if Islam is the only religion of hate and destruction. I guess they never sang the song Onward Christian Soldiers during a Sunday service.

What is most disgusting about these religiousesque fanatics on the radio is they feel as if their righteousness is all that is necessary to condemn men, women and children to their deaths because Islamic terrorists use these innocents as shields. They blame all but themselves as they sit back in their studios and watch the murder and obliteration of the blameless, all the while using biblical passages and xenophobic language to assuage their guilt, yet leaving blood on their hands.

Where is the humanity in all of this? It is nowhere to be found; there is no compassion in their words only calls for military action, and these men and women that demand such provocative interventions are morally bankrupt, phony prophets. Their obsession with using violence to answer all inflammatory acts is a sign of a declining empire. An empire that has lost is sense of perspective and direction due to their lack of concern for humanity.

I am saddened beyond belief each and every time I hear these men and women say things like, “God bless America; the greatest country on God’s green earth.” This statement says that any decision that is made here in America is morally superior to the rest of the world, moreover, these words go beyond provincialism because they act as bellicose, provocative stances on the many conflicts facing America and the world today.

 What is more grotesque in these local and national right-wing, Christianesque radio shows is that they see themselves as the truth and the light. That is a position which is solely left to Jesus if you believe such things, and it takes an incredible amount of hubris to position yourself thusly. Their hate of all others that refuse to think their way borders on the pathological in that these disembodied voices are assembling the next religious war.

In this day and age, it is so easy to be a pundit and talk about what America should do on the world stage. These right-wing talkers are ready to send more young men and women to their deaths without a second thought. They know in their hearts that our religious righteousness will prevail over all that do not see the world as they do, and that the murder and obliteration of any society not aligned with their religious belief system is morally justified no matter the cost in human lives.

This shameless Christianesque warmongering leads us all the way back to 1095 AD and Pope Urban II who led the first of many crusades against Islam which we are still perpetuating a millennia later. We have learned nothing if not that power comes from imposing our will through the use of armed conflict, furthermore, it is these right-wing pundits (who have nothing to lose) who shout for more violence as my son sits in the wings ready to do battle for their greed and intolerance.

What betrays the totality of their ignorance as right-wing radio pundits is their lack of understanding when it comes to our military withdraw from Iraq.  It is astounding in so much as these right-wingers have no idea the complex issues that led to the withdraw of American troops from Iraq. One significant issue was the fact that the Iraqi government would not protect our soldiers from prosecution for murder and other crimes if we stayed. So we left. They did not want us there. The Iraqi power structure that had been held in check by Saddam Hussein was after revenge and control and with America there, they would never be able to gain the power they so desired.

Today’s right-wing pundits only want to regain the imaginary power and control that they lost with the election of President Obama to a second term. They will say or do anything to hurt his presidency, so long as it puts them back into power in a way that they feel they are entitled. It matters not if they tell the truth or care what is in the best interest of the American people here or abroad. Like the Iraqi government, these pundits are after power for the sake of power, no matter the cost, so buyer beware.

Republican War Machine

Daily political drama debases everyday experiences and has lead us into being a country of political whiners and sycophants. This trivialization of life has created such wanton cynicism that we as a society are nonplused when a child is murdered needlessly, or worse when thousands of innocents are murdered in the name of war, and they are not seen as the victims, but merely as collateral damage and dehumanized by the combatants and the voyeurs. Our Republican politicians perpetuate these problems with their war on America in words and deeds.

As I watch the world turn and witness the blatant lies, misinformation and propaganda being spewed by the Republican war machine, I am disgusted by their tactics. Whether it is Liz Cheney on FOX News refusing to acknowledge that we tortured detainees in Cuba or in one of our other secret prisons, or Louie Gohmert lying about the invasion of south Texas by Al Qaeda.

More to the point, the Republican leader in the Senate in all of this drama is Ted Cruz the darling of the Tea Party. He and his cronies are attacking the heart of America by denying insurance to Americans; he was so successful and persuasive in his assault against the Affordable Care Act that millions of low income Americans will not be able to get insurance as many states refused to enact Medicare expansion. Got to love those Texans who keep voting for his hatred that keeps going on and on like the energizer bunny. Ted makes America proud with his misogynistic and xenophobic speeches and votes.

Let us not forget the Speaker of the House John Boehner and his idea of leadership for America. His leadership has centered around one issue: healthcare. He has led the least productive congressional session in the history of our great republic. The most telling thing about Speaker Boehner is his latest attack on insurance for Americans in that he feels it is necessary to sue President Obama for using executive authority in regards to the Affordable Care Act. This action will cost taxpayers millions of dollars. What is more interesting is the byproduct of this action in that it will add to the deficit, which Republicans say they are against.

All those guys are fun and exciting to have in positions of power, but there is more to the idea of negation in our political realm.  Senator Mitch McConnell made sure that American corporations that ship jobs overseas will not be penalized and can abuse the tax code with prejudice as they put more Americans out of work. Mitch, thank you for looking out for hard working Americans and putting their needs above the needs of unpatriotic businesses. I almost forgot; corporations are people, so Mitch and his gang like radio talk show host Michael Medved really are looking out for America.

All of this self-serving debasing of America has taken its toll on the average citizen by helping them to disengage from political and social discourse in any meaningful way. We have become so inundated with images of destruction, words of distrust that only the few are seen and heard in the echo chamber we call Washington DC. It is a sad fact that too many Americans have become immune to the misery that makes up to large a part of our society, and the politicians market their wares to a smaller and smaller number of constituents.

As this happens, society is left with a hollow and dysfunctional government that serves only those that oblige the politicians, which leaves infrastructure to disintegrate, people to die and cynicism to run rampant. A change needs to take place so that America can become what it should be: a place where freedom and ideas are paramount and the weakest are given a hand up not left in a gutter to fend for themselves.  It is time to end the Republican War on America.