Much has been written and said about the so-called "Fiscal Cliff". As most of us know by now, they were the end of the Bush era tax cuts for the wealthiest individuals. Remember? The ones that were supposed to make the U.S. into the most robust economic job creating dervish on the planet? Well, as I have already written, the CBO (Congressional Budget Office) ran the numbers and had said that there might be a brief slow down in the "recovery", but after that, we would be on a much better economic footing if we had run full-speed off the "cliff". Instead, we have gotten a bill that gives even greater hand-outs to a select few corporate interests at the cost of sensible economic policy for the rest of us.
The corporate welfare that is hidden within the new legislation would be amusing if it were not so blatantly sick. The folks we know as NASCAR are allowed to write off any and all facilities "development"expenditures over only seven years, unlike the depreciation of all other private development building projects. This one tiny aspect of the legislation is expected to cost taxpayers over 41 million dollars over just the next two years.
Pork, that part of legislation that infuses it with further corporate welfare, unrelated to the initial intent of the law, has become so ubiquitous that many fear we are on a collision course with even more untenable economic situations. For instance, there is a massive subsidy for film-makers who produce films in "economically depressed areas". This is an industry that I know quite a bit about and I can tell you that the money made when a film is produced in your area is great, but by the time the cameras stop rolling, the lion's share of the money has already been spent. It may temporarily boost the economy, but in the end, when the film companies leave, there is a definite end to that free flow of cash into the local economy. Recovery over the long haul cannot be subsidized with tax incentives or corporate welfare. Strong economic performance is based on much longer term investment.
What is most unsettling about our current economic milieu is that those who have the most to lose are disinterested in making any changes that could alleviate the suffering of the vast majority of people. This is true not only for the ultra-wealthy in our own nation, but for the world-wide power brokers who control money supplies everywhere. The very discussion of our current state of affairs using hyperbole and high test verbiage, eliminates any possibility of a reasoned debate of substantive issues. People understand the words "running headlong off the fiscal cliff" to be "bad", even if those in the know have researched the possibility of what would actually happen and concur that we would be much better off if all the changes that are represented as the "fiscal cliff" came to pass. Instead of welcoming a change that could put us on a sound footing for economic expansion, the terms have been trumped up to instill fear.
These same forces are at work in the media. We are living through the least violent time in human history, yet we are selling assault weapons at the highest rate ever. "Personal" protection is touted as flowing from the muzzle of a gun when in actuality folks who own handguns are four times more likely to die from a gunshot wound as those who do not own guns. We are told that doctors save lives, yet tens of thousands die each year from properly administered prescription medication. The car companies love to tout how "safe" you will be in their cars, but upon closer inspection, the reason that deaths in car accidents is down is because people are both driving slower (because of higher fuel costs) and less miles overall to save money. In most states, you are far more likely to die in a traffic accident than being shot, but collectively we refuse to drive safely and want to own offensive weapons to "defend" ourselves. Getting our heads around these issues requires reason and thought, both of which are not possible if we operate from a place of fear.
Simply allowing the fear mongering elites to determine the vocabulary, the very terms of the discussion and the way we think the world is can only lead to more of the same. the rich continue to get richer, the poor continue to slide into more and more desperate places, and the tragic circumstances that lead to desperation will continue to become magnified. It is time to realize that the only thing we have to fear is the folks shoving their opinions down our throats. Taking the time to educate yourself about any issue, will remove the fear that the powerful elites want you to hold in your heart. If we hope to find our way to sustainability, we need to let go of the imposed fears and see clearly the abundance that surrounds us. To that end, I have begun to write three separate blogs. This one, ECO-Tours of Wisconsin Inc. at blogger.com and Permaculture, ECO-Ethics, Trees at wordpress.com. Please share these blogs with others. Together we can make the change. The truth of the matter is that love truly can conquer fear, we just need to inform others about the truth behind that statement.
The corporate welfare that is hidden within the new legislation would be amusing if it were not so blatantly sick. The folks we know as NASCAR are allowed to write off any and all facilities "development"expenditures over only seven years, unlike the depreciation of all other private development building projects. This one tiny aspect of the legislation is expected to cost taxpayers over 41 million dollars over just the next two years.
Pork, that part of legislation that infuses it with further corporate welfare, unrelated to the initial intent of the law, has become so ubiquitous that many fear we are on a collision course with even more untenable economic situations. For instance, there is a massive subsidy for film-makers who produce films in "economically depressed areas". This is an industry that I know quite a bit about and I can tell you that the money made when a film is produced in your area is great, but by the time the cameras stop rolling, the lion's share of the money has already been spent. It may temporarily boost the economy, but in the end, when the film companies leave, there is a definite end to that free flow of cash into the local economy. Recovery over the long haul cannot be subsidized with tax incentives or corporate welfare. Strong economic performance is based on much longer term investment.
What is most unsettling about our current economic milieu is that those who have the most to lose are disinterested in making any changes that could alleviate the suffering of the vast majority of people. This is true not only for the ultra-wealthy in our own nation, but for the world-wide power brokers who control money supplies everywhere. The very discussion of our current state of affairs using hyperbole and high test verbiage, eliminates any possibility of a reasoned debate of substantive issues. People understand the words "running headlong off the fiscal cliff" to be "bad", even if those in the know have researched the possibility of what would actually happen and concur that we would be much better off if all the changes that are represented as the "fiscal cliff" came to pass. Instead of welcoming a change that could put us on a sound footing for economic expansion, the terms have been trumped up to instill fear.
These same forces are at work in the media. We are living through the least violent time in human history, yet we are selling assault weapons at the highest rate ever. "Personal" protection is touted as flowing from the muzzle of a gun when in actuality folks who own handguns are four times more likely to die from a gunshot wound as those who do not own guns. We are told that doctors save lives, yet tens of thousands die each year from properly administered prescription medication. The car companies love to tout how "safe" you will be in their cars, but upon closer inspection, the reason that deaths in car accidents is down is because people are both driving slower (because of higher fuel costs) and less miles overall to save money. In most states, you are far more likely to die in a traffic accident than being shot, but collectively we refuse to drive safely and want to own offensive weapons to "defend" ourselves. Getting our heads around these issues requires reason and thought, both of which are not possible if we operate from a place of fear.
Simply allowing the fear mongering elites to determine the vocabulary, the very terms of the discussion and the way we think the world is can only lead to more of the same. the rich continue to get richer, the poor continue to slide into more and more desperate places, and the tragic circumstances that lead to desperation will continue to become magnified. It is time to realize that the only thing we have to fear is the folks shoving their opinions down our throats. Taking the time to educate yourself about any issue, will remove the fear that the powerful elites want you to hold in your heart. If we hope to find our way to sustainability, we need to let go of the imposed fears and see clearly the abundance that surrounds us. To that end, I have begun to write three separate blogs. This one, ECO-Tours of Wisconsin Inc. at blogger.com and Permaculture, ECO-Ethics, Trees at wordpress.com. Please share these blogs with others. Together we can make the change. The truth of the matter is that love truly can conquer fear, we just need to inform others about the truth behind that statement.
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