Taxes are An Investment in Jobs

As the world turns back into the neo-con era of Bush and Cheney on steroids, the question must be asked; where are the so-called liberals, progressives and radicals to counter this obscene ruse of the plutocracy?


Where is the rage that ten years has passed and we’re still at war? Where is the outrage about the biggest rip off in American history when Wall Street and the banksters ruined our economy and then reaped huge rewards in taxpayer bailouts? And why don’t the American people know about the back door handouts given the rich and the same corrupt thieves from Wall Street and the giant banks by the Federal Reserve?

I still read about the elderly opposing healthcare reform and siding with the very corrupt politicians that plan on taking away vast amounts of care they will need in the very near future. What kind of toxic Kool-aid is being given these people that they fail to understand their collusion in the destruction of their own healthcare assurances in Medicare and Medicaid?

It simply boggles my mind when I hear teachers, cops, firemen and unions are responsible for the current economic disaster this nation finds itself. How stupid have we become!!

If we look back in history to see the most prosperous time in American history, we will find it was during the post-World War II period when unions had the highest membership. It occurred when we were building our infrastructure such as Eisenhower’s interstate highway dream. It occurred when Americans built things rather than flipped burgers or worked in the local 7-Eleven to supplement their incomes at Wal-Mart or other poor paying jobs.

Once the people in this nation took risks to accomplish things thought impossible. Once people in this nation understood social change had to occur and eventually it did occur. But in the world we have today we are like the kids riding bikes or being driven back and forth to school and back. We’re so afraid of a bump or bruise of some unnamed boogey-man we’ve become a nation of inertia. We’re frozen in indecision and fear promulgated by the lords of industry who seek to destroy all labor rights and lower the wages of the workers to a rate comparative to third world countries.

It’s already happening as companies like IKEA from Sweden are flocking to the shores of America for cheaper labor and freedom of union interference. Already the main American production site of IKEA has been accused of unfair labor practices and racism. IKEA deliberately chose sites in cities and states with the right to work laws crippling rights for collective bargaining.

In Sweden IKEA is a model of a company that has union workers paid at a reasonable wage (19.00 per hour) with benefits of “socialized medicine”. Unions respect the company for fair bargaining and allowing worker substantial leave time and a wage that is a living wage, meaning their workers can save.

But IKEA saw the right to work for less law in the US and realized they could pay workers 8-9 dollar per hour without benefits and without the right for collective bargaining. They saw the opportunity to enter a third world nation without worker protection that would lead to higher profits. They were also provided tax incentives from local governments allowing them to pay little or no American taxes.

Welcome to the third world, America!

We can only expect more of the same as Republicans elected to governorships and local offices have colluded to destroy labor rights and insure lower wages. This is the new jobs program they really had in mind. An example of the new America was the 50,000 jobs being offered by McDonalds across the nation. Thousands more than could be hired showed up desperate to get one of the jobs. The jobs once held by high school students and young people looking for their first job have now become premium jobs paying 8-9 dollars an hour.

Sensible people might think if Americans are to return to prosperous days it might take some investment in jobs building infrastructure and paying the workers enough to live on. In order to build and repair all the necessary things cities and states need to repair and build taxes must be raised to pay for the projects. Bond issues must be passed.

As strange as it seems to mention increasing taxes, common sense shows it is a perfect way to stimulate the economy. Put people to work earning enough to have some disposable income and they spend to drive an economy. Revenue increases for local and state governments allowing them to provide better schools, better roads, and better services governments should provide.

An example has taken place here in my hometown of Denver. The citizens of Denver passed several bond issues to improve the infrastructure of the city. Building cranes and workers are obviously evident all around downtown and all along light rail routes. Denver citizens were able to understand they had to tax themselves to “build” their city.