[Marxism] Some economic facts (Michael Moore)

["Calvin Broadbent" <calvinbroadbent@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Here's some useful information to use in debates with people that claim to
know economic history.

* From the year 1979 (Dawn of Reagan) to 2001 - The richest percent of
Americans had a raise by 157%. The poorest 20% now makes 100 US dollars less
a year (yes, this is with consideration to inflation as well).

* The worlds 200 richest corporations have had an increase in profit with
362,4% since 1983 to 2001. Their combined sales are now higher than the
combined GNP of all except for 10 of the worlds nations.

* Since the 4 largest Oil-Companies in the US merged together, their profit
increased with 146%. During a time labeled as "energy-crisis".

* During year 2000 (I think), 44 of the 82 largest corporations in the US
did not pay the standard tax of 35%. 17% of them didn't pay taxes at all.
And 7 of those companies, including GM, abused taxlaws to such an extent
that the Government actually owed them millions of dollars.

* Another 1279 companies with assets above 250 million $, paid no tax, and
declared they had no income, for the year 1995.

People are being ripped off. But who cares?

* Mercedes Benz refused to agree to demands of more environmental friendly
and less gas-consuming cars. They where fined for 65 million dollars. But so
their economics got a great idea. They simply deducted those 65 million
dollars from the tax they where supposed to pay, with the motivation that
those money was "expenses for the means of profit".

* The Oil-company Halliburton started a subsidiary at the Cayman-Islands in
1990 (yes, Cayman-Islands are real, and not just something John Grisham
invented). The problem with this is: There is no Oil on the Cayman-Islands.
There's no Refineries there either, nor distribution.
It's later been shown that Halliburton used these companies to avoid some
40million $ of taxes.

* 6 of the largest Insurance-corporations in the US, has moved their
headquarters to Bermuda. Corporations such as Chubb, Hartford, Kemper,
Liberty Mutual, Accenture/Andersen Consulting etc. This move is only done on
paper. They all have offices in the US and everyone still goes to work there
as usual.

Wouldn't it be great if you could wake up tomorrow and claim you moved to
Fiji?

Forbes Magazine estimated that the Corporations Tax-Paradises costs the
tax-payers about 10.000.000.000 US dollars a year.

The next time you can't afford a new computer, you can thank these guys.
The guys giving you the reason, and their mantra, that "The economy isn't
feeling so good at the moment".

* In the 1950's, the Business-taxes stood for 27% of the Federal Tax income.
Today (2001) that sum is 10%. But who is paying the difference? It's you and
you'r extra jobs.

Now those corporations are claiming that they are experiencing bad times.
Really? Compared to what? The 90's? The 90's was an orgie of profits.

For example, in the year 2000, GM claimed their profit went down by 73%.
73%?! Oh my god....how are they going to survive? Maybe they can use some of
the 800.000.000$ profit they stashed from the year before.

But doesn't companies die and go bankrupt all the time? Yes ofcourse they
do. That's what happens with new and clever inventions. They get hoarded by
enthusiastic enthreprenours that wants to make a buck, and in the end, only
the average, and the most ruthless, survives.

It's called Capitalism.

in 1919, 20 years after the automobile was invented, there was 108
car-manufacturers in America. in the end of the 1950's, there were only 8.
Today, there's 2 or 3.


This information is taken from the book 'Stupid White Men - and other sorry
excuses for the state of the nation' written by Michael Moore. Which by the
way you can find in PDF-format here:
http://blog.sinophilia.org/StupidWhiteMen.pdf

_________________
The Government is the shadow the Corporations cast over society. The essence
of Corporate propaganda is to
direct the peoples anger towards the shadow rather than towards the
Substance. - N. Chomsky

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