Why is Greed the New Defintion of Capitalism?

So the economy sucks!  Frankly, it's going to be that way for a while.  Hopefully it will cycle through to better times as it always has in the past.  In the mean time it would be really nice if I didn't have to listen to people whining about how greedy businesses are because they aren't hiring or in fact firing.

My family is barely making ends meat thanks to my husband being on disability and he has been denied SS disability twice now, but we are dealing, not complaining.  I work 60-65 hours a week between two jobs and and know that it will all be for the best in the end.  Others, swing the opposite way and just blame the greed of companies for all there problems.

"No one will hire me!"

"Can you believe they laid so in so off after 30 years?"

"These companies are just greedy!"

Um.....Have you ever been a business owner? The work that goes into maintaining cash flow is crazy and as with everything in life, there are casualties.  Most of the businesses in the US are still "small" businesses, not big conglomerates like Walmart.  Most are struggling to keep their businesses afloat and their own families fed.  How can people just assume that business owners are all scrooges who don't care about anything else but the stack of money they can accumulate.  Even the big conglomerates are not all bad.  They are just better at making money and growing their business to it's full potential.  They shouldn't be penalized for that.

When times are good, they have the potential to be good for everyone.  When times are tough, they are tough for everyone.  There are few people who make money in times of economic hardship, at least not without making some tough decisions.  I know many employers who agonize over the fact that they have to scale back employment and fire people with families.  Fact of the matter is, everyone has bills to pay and business owners have triple (personal, business and TAXES).

Taxes are where big and small businesses get screwed the most.  I worked for a CPA firm that did business taxes and it's more than obscene  what they pay out on a yearly basis.  So when you think that businesses are just raking in the dough, remember that if you take part in a government program, they probably paid for a large part of it.

Also, most large businesses are the biggest detonators of charity.  A little something we all wish we could give, but usually don't.  Walmart has, for many years, been at the top of the list for donating.  Most would assume that it's only for the tax deduction, which is a bonus, but I'd like to think that deep down they realize they are the haves in a have not world and they want to give back.

As is true in all aspects off society, there are good people and bad people.  Some are greedy and some are generous and more are just trying to get by.  That goes for employers as well as employees, so let's cut them some slack.

Conflicted American

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Being an American and a good person can sometimes conflict. Not to say that Americans are not also good people. I am proud of the original idea of our country, but it has since morphed into an entitled and glutinous society.  I am still thankful everyday that I am an American, believe me, but I feel angry and confused about a lot of things that go on around me in the name of America.


While I support our troops who have chosen to put their lives on the line for the defense of all we hold dear, I don't always believe that they are fighting for the reasons they're being told they are. I believe that there is (almost) always some corrupt motive behind it and that when it all comes to an end it will just add to our (sometimes deserved) bad reputation with the rest of the world.


While I like to think we are a nation of intelligent people, I see daily, the ignorance of the people around me. The ones who believe they are superior in all respects just because they are from this country, and have prospered from this country, even though they have really done nothing to help their fellow man or contribute anything to the greatness of the country. Our government leads this example by strutting around like the rooster in the coop when it comes to relations with other countries. We invade the space of others to impose what we believe is the "correct" way things should be done and assume that they  are less intelligent. Who are we to be so cocky? Our nation is very near it's breaking point and we still cannot admit that maybe we don't always know the right things to do. Instead we play the blame game.


While I believe that big corporate businesses should not be so greedy and not think of only their best interest, I agree with the fact that it is there choice to make and to survive in business you have to look out for your own best interest. I also believe that outsourcing, which is normally blamed on the greed of the business owners, has been caused by our own government trying to strangle them for as much of there profits as possible. When the crap hits the fan the government will make them the scape goat for problems they (the government) have caused.


While I consider myself a conservative, I also have some liberal views which puts me into a category with more and more Americans. Independent. This group is never fairly represented in elections and gets no real news coverage on it's views of the issues. This fact leaves Americans to choose between two bullies in a war with each other over who is going to run the country. Republicans or Democrats? Well, most of us don't want to support either wholeheartedly. That has been made clear with how close the last few presidential election have been. I think if there was a good Independent candidate, that had the same exposure as the others, we would see an election with results that would show we are not as divided we think we are.


While I want to help those who have no means to help themselves, I have been taken advantage of by more than my fair share of people who were just too lazy to help themselves or who were out to get what they could from an easy, generous mark. You don't want to think the worst of people who are in bad situations, but a few bad apples do spoil the bunch. Tough love builds character and that's how I deal with people for the most part. If you show me you are willing to do the work then I will back you up as much as I can, if not, stay in your hole and don't try to drag me in.


So, as good people and Americans how can we be fairly judged when the powers that represent us, don't.  As patriotic as I claim to be, the more I think about it, I am patriotic for a country that really doesn't exist anymore. The country of hard workers and modesty. The country where people help each other in a common goal. The country that was happy with having the necessities in life and not all the other crap we concern ourselves with. And most of all, the country who's leaders cared about the people. I tend to think that I'm just naive in thinking that this ever really existed.

Too Many Crooks Spoil the Broth

Democracy is great in theory and we have done an adequate  job (longer than any former governments have) in keeping it going, but maybe we have to many crooks  in the kitchen.


If you ask the common person on the street what they want from their country I think most people would still say freedom, prosperity and a safe place for their kids to grow-up.  I think if you ask the average person if they trusted the government, you would get a resounding "Hell no!". When you ask them, "What do you think we should do about the problems in our government", everyone has an opinion , but most say "What can I do about it?" or "It is what it is", which in my opinion is a smart sounding way of saying you don't have a clue what it is.


Election year after election year, we listen to the politically correct garbage coming out of  there mouths.  We have to decide what to believe and what sounds too good to be true.  Can they walk the talk that they talk so well?  Probably not.


When we started out as a country we all had a common bond and a common goal.  Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.  Since then things seem to have grown more and more complicated.  Career politicians have taken over the highest governing institutions. They represent the special interest groups that paid for there election and the true American has not been represented fairly for many years, through no one's fault but our own.  We have become lazy and take for granted that the people we have elected have our best interests at heart.


Unfortunately this has been a common cycle of events since the very beginning of Democracy.  Dating all the way back to ancient Greece we see the constant failure of Democracy.  It always starts out very strong, appreciated, and ethical.  But as time passes and people take for granted their freedom, corrupt opportunists get elected into office and eventually take over as a dictator before the common people even know what's going on.


It seems to me, the major flaws in a Democracy are lack of education, laziness, and a steady influx of corruption.  The politicians count on us being too involved with other things to worry about what they are up too and know that we will believe just about anything the media tells us.  If Katy Couric says the government is doing a good job then who are we to question it? Right? The only way to stop the deterioration of our democratic system is to get the majority of the people to pay attention, know what's really going on and be active about letting the corrupt politicians know that we are watching and will act if necessary.

An American Robbery

Image by Thomas Hawk via Flickr

Start hiding your kid's piggy banks, because that's what they're headed for next.  A nickle here and a dime there.  Eventually we won't have enough to pay the light bill.  But aren't we already living in the dark?  What are our tax dollars really used for?

In the wake of the American Revolution, which had sparked from an unfair taxation system and lack of representation in Parliament, most citizens of the new America were fairly wary of any type of taxation outside that of the general taxes they had been paying to support the Colonies.  These taxes consisted mainly of import-export tax and real estate taxes.

A strong centralized or federal government was met with strong resistance early on in our history and for a few years the majority of the government powers stayed within the states, the federal government was just there to oversee.  It wasn't until 1789 that the founding fathers came to the harsh realization that no country could run on the resources of other countries forever.  This is when the tax system of today began, all be it, much more conservative and much more out of necessity than the ridiculousness we observe theses days.

Up until the great depression, most of our tax increases were due to the funding wars and shortly after those wars ended the taxes would go back to prewar tax rates.  Not to say there were no other tax increases or new taxes created in the system, but they were not what you would see today. Most taxes until the late 1800's were excise taxes, which is a tax on goods or services, also known as a sin tax because it was usually applied, but not limited, to alcohol, cigarettes, and even playing cards.

In 1861 the federal income tax was created to fund the civil war and was abolished in 1872 when the war ended. Under the Constitution, Congress could impose direct taxes only if they were applied in proportion to each State's population. So when a flat rate Federal income tax was enacted in 1894, it was quickly challenged and in 1895 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled it unconstitutional because it was a direct tax not apportioned according to the population of each state.  As a result of trying to pay for the Spanish-American war with the absence of Income tax revenue, the government started applying even higher tariffs as part of the War Revenue Act.  They doubled the taxes on beer and cigarettes, taxes recreational facilities used by workers and even started to tax gum.

Eventually, the people became increasingly aware of how high these tariffs were getting and most of the tax burden settled disproportionately in the lower income brackets.  The income tax debate was still alive even after the 1895 ruling and everyone new a hard fought change needed to happen.  After much debate, in October of 1913, an amendment to the Constitution was made to allow a Federal income tax.  Prior to the enactment of the income tax, most citizens were able to pursue their private economic affairs without the direct knowledge of the government. Individuals earned their wages, businesses earned their profits, and wealth was accumulated and dispensed with little or no interaction with government entities. The income tax fundamentally changed this relationship, giving the government the right and the need to know about all manner of an individual or business' economic life.

1929 marks the year of the Stock Market crash which, is where I see, everything starts to downward spiral from.  Two back to back world wars didn't help either. There were two large tax increases, one in 1932 and one in 1936.  While putting the government back in the black, it weakened the already struggling economy of the time.    The decisions made during this time are still effecting our economy and our tax system.  Taxes have pretty steadily gone up from these years on.

So now that we have a brief reference of our tax history, lets get down to what we really know about the places our money goes.

We know that a good portion of our taxes go to support our social security system.  We know that we pay for defense of the country, social services, education, road building and maintenance.   Hopefully we all know that we also have outstanding debts to other countries, mainly China and Japan.  And now we will be paying a good portion for the "Stimulus" plan and the new Health Care plan.

OK, pretty general stuff.  I think most of us are OK with paying out for good portion of this with the exception of maybe the last bit.  In general, it seems that these are things the country needs.  Why wouldn't we want to pay for Social Security....we will need this come retirement time.  Of Course we need to defend the country and educate our children.  Can't go anywhere without a good road system.  Oh, and the poor people who can't help themselves, don't forget about them.  All good causes, right?

"The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not."‚-Thomas Jefferson

"To compel a man to subsidize with his taxes the propagation of ideas which he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical."- Thomas Jefferson

Taking from the "rich" and giving to the poor is Robin Hood's job.

http://www.heritage.org/Research/Reports/2009/10/50-Examples-of-Government-Waste

Above is a link that shows the wasteful and fraudulent spending that goes on at the taxpayer's (that's you) expense.  That's just the tip of the iceberg.  We spend billions on social services for illegal immigrants and supporting every other nation's strife but our own.  How can we send x amount of dollars to Haiti when we are more than flat broke?  The government needs to stop stroking it's ego like the fat cat in the room and get back to what they are there for.  STOP SAVING THE WORLD AND SAVE AMERICA!!! 

http://www.federalbudget.com/crocket.html

The link above is an interesting tell we should all read.

We are a nation of spenders. Most families are in debt more than 50% of there annual salary and the government encourages it because that's what keeps our economy afloat right now.  It's a viscous cycle that will not end good.

"There is no such thing as government money - only taxpayer money." William Weld, quoted in Readers Digest.

This is our debt.  As a nation, we have created it, not only by voting in the very people who are making the decisions to use our money in ways we probably wouldn't agree with if we were paying attention, to demanding the government "save us" every time something bad happens.  We used to be a strong nation, hardworking and proud.  Now the hard workers that are left are paying to support the frivolity of our politicians and the citizens and non-citizens who would be happy to sit and collect what they can.  When the US goes down in flames, we will only have ourselves to blame.  Eyes wide open people, or we're all goners.

Immigration vs. Illegal Immigration - There is a Difference

Image via Wikipedia

This is a sign at the Canadian Border

Illegal immigration is something at the forefront of political debate these days.  Politicians use it to win elections and everyone has an opinion about it. 


Last week a federal judge ruled against portions of the Arizona's controversial immigration law aimed against illegal immigration in that state.  Arizona has been hard hit by the influx of illegals for many years.  50% of Arizona's population are illegal immigrants.  How does a state get to the point where half of there population is living there illegally?  How does a state deal with an immigration problem of this magnitude without the federal governments help to implement new laws or the laws that are already on the books?  Below is the link to the court document where you can see all the parts of the law being held and appealed.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/34999290/10-1413-87

This law would give police the right to check status when they detain people for general violations unrelated to immigration status.  It would also require people to carry their papers on them at all times.  I can see why certain parts of the law ruffle people's feather, but in the past we have ruffled feathers and disrupted citizen's daily activities for the security and greater good of many.  911 for instance and the new security measures put into place since that event.  Some fear that it will promote racial racial profiling.  Possibly, but I have heard of gray haired old ladies being pulled aside at the airport and being searched.  I would hope that law enforcement would extend document checking to everyone regardless of race.  Immigrants aren't only Hispanic.  I will proudly carry papers showing my status has an American.  I just don't see the problems with this.


I know I live in a great country.  Everyday I read or watch the news I thank God I live in America, regardless of it's flaws.  I am lucky, especially as a woman, to have been born here.  So I truly appreciate the fact that so many from around the globe want to be here and take advantage of all that we have to offer.  That being said, I will not tolerate the fact that people are coming to our country by unlawful means and that, even more despicable, people are making a living out of exploiting the dreams of these immigrants by human trafficking which, most of the time, just leads to a life of slavery (yes, there are still slaves in America) and abuse or even death during transport.  People take some awful risks to get here, but that does not mean that because they succeeded in arriving here that they have won the grand prize.


Not only do immigrants come to this country for freedoms and reuniting with families, they come for the economic prosperity, education and health care that we can provide access to.  This is another reason we must limit the number of legal and illegal immigrants  on a regular basis. No country has unlimited resources and we have seen the dwindling of our own in the past few years as our economy has taken a dive.  In a time when the cost of health care is through the roof and education funding is being cut more every year and the unemployment rate is skyrocketing, why would we want to bare the burden of an estimated 12 million or more people who have not been granted the right to be here.  We have always had a limit on the number of new legal immigrants we grant citizenship to every year just for these reasons. The more people who enter the country the more resources we need to support them as a citizen. I tend to believe that the very fact that we do have this number of illegal immigrants in the country, and some people estimate even more than 12 million as shown below, is the very reason our economy is in such dire straights.  We have, in fact, been taking care of them in our hospitals, educating there children, been giving them jobs and in many cases giving them government assistance such as food stamps and welfare.  I haven't quit figured out how that last part happens, but it is happening.


www.immigrationcounters.com

So there are some numbers for you.  Is this really something we want to ignore.  When 40% of all illegal immigrants are related to some form of criminal activity, other than being here illegally, such as murders, rape and other violent crimes, are we going to wait until we experience these scenarios personally or take heed now?  Are we going to continue to let employers hire illegals to work at slave wages so they don't have to pay an actual citizen minimum wage.  Are we going to let a family member bleed to death in the emergency room because the hospital is too full of people who shouldn't be here in the first place.  The answers seem like common sense, but common sense doesn't seem to be playing a big enough roll in the American public today.  65% of Americans want to see better immigration policies put into place, but what's going on with the other 35%?  Also, policies and laws only work if we enforce them, which seems to be the root of the problem to begin with.


The people who fight for "amnesty " are the illegals themselves, their families and Hispanic rights groups. They are organizing, and they are ready to fight for what they want if we won't give it to them.  It will end up being a war on American soil. Wake up America!!  This is not a problem that is going to go away or go away easily.  We granted amnesty back in the 80s and it only fueled more to come.  Condoning illegal activity and making these people automatic citizens is not the way to make this go away.


I want to be very clear.  I have no issues with legal immigrants.  I welcome you and hope that you appreciate this country as much, if not more, than I do.  I think it is a slap in the face to the legalized citizens, who worked and waited so long for their chance to be a true American, for us to now say we are even considering giving over 12 million people the title.  So to the government who is not lifting a finger to protect it's real citizens and are exploiting the situation for political gain, I say "Screw You!".  There are more of us than there are of you.  We will vote you out and if that doesn't fix the problem we will go to war.

America - Where are You?

Blame the media, blame your history teacher, or just blame the complete lack of wanting to educate yourself.  The heart and soul of "Old School" America has quickly fallen by the wayside.  The people that remember what we fought for more than 200 years ago are long gone and the ideals they held dear have just not been carried over. Since about the 1960's, when television media started to take over the world, we have been more concerned with our own entertainment and how we fit the mold rather than holding on to what really matters in our society.  Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

Definition of Life - the experience of being alive; the course of human events and activities.

Definition of Liberty - freedom of choice; "liberty of opinion"; "liberty of worship"; "liberty--perfect liberty--to think or feel or do just as one pleases"; "at liberty to choose whatever occupation one wishes"

Definition of Happiness - Happiness is a state of mind or feeling characterized by contentment, love, satisfaction, pleasure, or joy.

On the 4th of July 2010, I watched a 12 hour marathon of "The Revolution" on the History Channel.  It educated me in a way that two years of American history in high school never did.  For instance, I thought when we signed the Declaration of Independence the war had ended, but it went on for another 6 years.  In school you learn...Boston Tea Party..blah, blah, blah....Paul Revere...blah,blah,blah...Signed the Declaration of Independence, happily ever after.  "The Revolution" also brought out a new found respect for the challenges we overcame and the ideas our forefathers tried to bestow on us as a country.

The country was new and had virtually no assets to support a war, yet, with little resources and a whole lot of heart and passion, we defeated one of the largest armies of it's time.  Always outnumbered, we wanted it more.  We were fighting for freedom and they were fighting for the King.  Fighting for a man and not their own liberties.

"Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it."
Thomas Paine

This quote by Thomas Paine says it all.  If you want freedom you must work and fight for it always.  It is an ongoing defense of how you want to live because there will always be those who want to take it from you.

People have become so complacent.  As long as they are somewhat comfortable they don't want to rock the boat.  They don't want to be the one to stand up and say "this is wrong" "this is not what we fought for".  Maybe because we didn't actually fight for it.  Our ancestors did.  Are we too removed from the time to appreciate it?  To only be patriotic when it suits us.  Be proud only if we want to feel superior in some way.

Our society has been dumbed down by the media, who will never report the real story anymore.  The government is corrupt and trying to rewrite the constitution. The President says it is "a flawed document".  The PRESIDENT says this!!!!  Our own president cannot be considered a patriot of this country, as he apologizes for everything we have ever done to defend our freedom and keep our country safe.

George Washington and the crew are rolling over in there graves.  They sacrificed more than any of the Harvard Lawyers in the congress and senate could ever fathom. How long will the American people be deaf and blind to the dangers we are facing?  Will it take the loss of our freedom to arouse the American spirit?  God help us.  As much money as we owe China we could all be speaking Chinese and aborting our female babies in the near future.