Progressive Ponderings: Is somebody swindling the system?

by Joe Mayer
3/5/11

Hey, Union plumber, you have more money in your work pockets than Citibank pays in Federal income taxes. And you, union firefighter, you have more money in your fat wallet than Bank of America pays in Federal income taxes. And especially, you, madam union teacher, you have more money in your giant purse than ExxonMobile (the most profitable corporation in the history of the world) paid in Federal income taxes in 2009.

So share some of that wad of greenbacks or we’ll need to cut your pension, trim your Social Security, ax Head Start for your kids, raise junior’s college tuition, cut back mom’s Medicaid. Is somebody swindling the system?

A story: A CEO, a Tea Party member and public teacher unionist met at a coffee shop. Soon the waitress brought a dozen cookies to the table. The CEO immediately grabbed eleven. Then he turned to the Tea Partier and said, “Watch that union guy; he’s trying to steal your cookie.” What a concise explanation of the Reaganesque, supply-side, trickle-down, economic theory. The fat cats and the giant corporations leave us the cookie crumbs and then agitate dissention among the working middle class and the poor while they happily continue to exploit.

This story is true and happened just this week. Tea Party Senator Jim DeMint SC argued that allowing collective bargaining for public employee unions was against democratic government. If that is true it would place us parallel with Stalin of the Soviet Union, Hitler of Germany, Hussein of Iraq, Mubarak of Egypt, Gaddafi of Libya and China for decades. What a wonderful democracy Mr. DeMint wants to shape for us.

I’m starting to like the s-m-o-o-t-h Gov. Walker of Wisconsin. The more he follows the orders of his corporate masters, the Koch brothers of pollution fame, the more working people are driven to the streets around our country. Every time Walker makes another threat, his numbers take a further plunge in the Wisconsin and national polls. The populace is paying attention, learning, seeing through the deceit – and understanding that democracy and extreme economic inequality are incompatible.

Last year our Supreme Court handed the elected Democrats a winning issue, the “Citizens United” decision, which allows corporate money to finance political campaigns without limit or transparency. Our president, our senators and our representatives ranted, raved, postured, and cursed the ruling. Then they did nothing – no bills, no laws, no framing of a Constitutional Amendment.

Now Scott Walker and his corporate buddies have overreached, painting us citizens as a cast of fools. Our elected democrats have been handed another winning issue. But many of them seem reluctant to join and celebrate a true workers’ movement.

This uprising of populism is about more than pensions and collective bargaining. It’s about corporate welfare for the Bank of America, Citibank, ExxonMobile and thousands of other tax evading corporations and individuals. It’s about tax havens and IRS “arrangements” for the same privileged elites. It’s about jobs and foreclosures and bankruptcies for working people. It’s about hope and fairness and the American dream for ALL. FDR once said, “I agree with you, I want to do it, now make me do it.” Yes, Yes, Yes.