Views in brief
Corporate crooks dodging taxes
ACCORDING TO a report issued by the Institute for Policy Studies, average CEO pay grew by 27.8 percent over 2009, to $10,762,304. The average CEO now earns 325 times what an average worker earns.
The report, aptly titled, "Executive Excess 2011: The Massive CEO Rewards for Tax Dodging," highlights the fact that of the 100 highest-paid CEO's in the U.S., 25 paid more than their companies paid in federal taxes last year. According to the report, the average tax refund for these companies was $308 million.
As huge as that amount sounds, it is a drop in the bucket compared to the $3.3 billion (with a "B") tax refund that General Electric (GE) received last year. Also included in the list is Verizon CEO Ivan Seidenberg, who was paid over $18 million to get Verizon a $705 million tax refund.
It shouldn't be surprising that while politicians in Washington argue about cutting funding for programs desperately needed by working Americans, not a single word is uttered about raising taxes on corporations, err...I mean "job creators."
Of those 25 companies, last year, 20 of them spent more on lobbying activities than they paid in corporate taxes. For example, GE spent $40.1 million buying political favors, which it is allowed to deduct from its taxes.
The rationale for the CEOs' huge salaries is that they are responsible for the wealth that their companies create. Without their genius, skill and leadership, people would be unemployed and poor. However, as the economic stagnation continues, it is clear that CEOs are unwilling to put Americans back to work.
The truth is that in our society workers create all of the wealth. CEOs and politicians live off of our hard work. We need to fight for a society that prioritizes educations, jobs, health care and more for the majority of workers--not golden toilet seats and Learjets for CEOs.
Gimena Gordillo, New Orleans, La.
How "free" are we?
THERE HAS been a lot of talk by politicians, pundits and the media about how "free" America is since September 11, 2001.
But it seems clear if this past decade has exposed anything, it would be that calling America a "free" country would require complete suspension of disbelief. In the immediate term, Troy Davis is on the verge of being executed with no evidence whatsoever of the murder he is accused of--and much evidence to suggest that he may be innocent.
Pfc. Bradley Manning is locked in a tiny cell facing life imprisonment for exposing ugly truths our government, and other whistleblowers are rightfully afraid of being exposed. Manning is one of those "troops" we are reminded to "support" (whatever that means) any time war is discussed.
We can look back at how the facts were never given to the American public in justifying invading either Afghanistan or Iraq. When outright lies were exposed while thousands of lives were being lost (and still are), we were told to defer to the "experts." If the American people were given all the facts, only those who have a proclaimed interest in war (the lobbyists and politicians) would have demanded either war.
Additionally, every year, Ground Zero First Responders are among those dying for lack of health care. Health care is not seen as a right in the wealthiest nation on Earth--a country that has allocated billions to be spent on future wars and killing.
In a real democracy, money would be spent to insure and educate people. As a citizen, the government has decided that I should be arrested if I chose to smoke marijuana in the privacy of my own home. The government can decide when protest is illegal--witness the recent arrest of protesters outside of the White House over environmental decisions that will seriously affect the planet (and therefore people's lives).
Repeating something that's not true over and over again doesn't make it true. America is simply not a "free" country.
Greg Morse, Providence, R.I.
Managing the managers
IN RESPONSE to "Quitting the 'faux Wal-Mart'": This story distills down the core essence of the predatory capitalist mindset. Capitalism creates these management monsters with an entitlement disorder and workers suffering from learned helplessness.
There is absolutely nothing to mitigate this culture of psychological violence by management against workers. There is absolutely nothing to mitigate the cascade of upper management ego as it travels down the chain of command. Groveling just adds energy to the whims and caprices of Whole Foods demigods who pass their decrees without being compelled to apply mature and skilled thinking to the problem.
When unions were strong, this sort of thing would not be tolerated. Salaried employees have always suffered abuse from superiors, but if the worker bees at Whole Foods had been unionized, they could have gone on strike against management abuse. Of course, we all remember when Reagan declared war on PATCO, which struck against even greater violations of workplace dignity.
Reaganism begat a predatory culture that slavishly moralizes all that produces profit. Abusing workers to achieve that end is capitalism at its finest. This culture of management insolence at the expense of workplace dignity must be identified and severely punished in the popular culture with the same ferocity that racism has been punished.
This is the 21st century and it's time to declare war on workplace abuse by management. There's no excuse for this anymore and damn the stockholders if their profits must come from this privatized tyranny.
Jim Rowland, from the Internet
Who will pay for war crimes?
IN RESPONSE to "The war crimes that followed September 11": I just wanted to say that your article was enlightening and sickening.
I so badly want these war criminals punished, yet mourn the fact that it likely will not happen. But please know that there are many of us who share your love of justice and sense of what is right. Half of us refuse to see the truth, however, and the other half feel powerless to resist these bloodhounds.
I am both hopeful and hopeless about the future of my country. And I am infinitely grateful that your organization speaks with such honesty. Thank you for fighting for what is right.
W.M., from the Internet
Socialists front and center
IN RESPONSE to "Antiracists protest neo-Nazis": I was surprised to read this firsthand account of the anti-Nazi protest in West Allis, because I was there and had no idea that any supporters of SocialistWorker.org or the International Socialist Organization (ISO) were present.
I did not see anybody from SocialistWorker.org at the Labor Day march in Milwaukee, either, which was the biggest in many years and had a militant, anti-Scott Walker character.
As a participant in several of the protests in Madison this last spring, I was glad to see SocialistWorker.org and the ISO were an integral part of the movement. It would be nice to see you come to Milwaukee and participate in what's going on here, also. Left-wing organizations like the ISO need to be visible and open in all of the movements for social change. People are open to socialist ideas and looking for answers.
David Altman, Milwaukee
