The Fiscal Cliff Myth And Propoganda; Realistic Solutions To ‘Debt Crisis’

/ AGR Free Press

Historically, the US has taxed the rich making more than $1,000,000 at rates of up to 91%. This high tax rate is what got us out of the Depression and paid off the US debt, which soared after previous wars. A huge jobs corp program was put in place during the Depression to put millions of Americans to work. This combination of increased taxes, increased spending  (by creating jobs directly through government action) lifted the United States out of the Depression. 

During his term, President Clinton raised taxes on the rich, and increased spending on national infrastructure, job training and renewable energy projects. As a result, a huge negative deficit disappeared that was created under the tax cutting, program cutting strategy under previous Republican Presidents. A huge wave of increased jobs and prosperity reigned for President Clinton’s term in office. 

But today, the corporations that control mass media and politics (plus most politicians) argue that the rich should not only keep all of their money and pay less taxes than even poor housecleaners and day laborers, but they also deserve Billions in corporate welfare while at the same time, they are making record profits in the depth of a modern day Depression, with a 25% unemployment rate. There are NO plans to create any jobs programs to put millions of people to work, as was done at the end of the Great Depression.


The REAL Unemployment Rate, Compared To Myth Portrayed On Mass Media, via A Green Road http://agreenroad.blogspot.com/2012/12/what-is-real-unemployment-rate-compared.html

Besides increasing the taxes on the rich to 91%, a small tax on financial transactions could EASILY solve the so called fiscal cliff problem by raising over 500 Billion a year or more in income. 

By combining higher taxes on the rich and adding a small fee to every stock, bond or other paper instrument transaction, and the debt crisis would EASILY be solved, with no cuts needed to anyone else, especially those accused of wanting ‘entitlements’. 

Here are more details about this program. 


If the rhetoric about the so-called “fiscal cliff” is to believed, the United States is faced with monumental budget problems–short-term deficits and a long-term debt crisis.

There are good reasons to question those assumptions (Dean Baker, Guardian, 12/3/12; Paul Krugman, New York Times, 12/6/12). But one way to increase revenenue is mostly left out of the conversation: A small tax on financial transactions and/or derivatives–otherwise known as a “speculation tax” or a Robin Hood tax.


The idea has been discussed among activists and economists, especially since the financial crash. Such a tax could raise up to $350 billion annually, according to the Center for Economic And Policy Research (CEPR) and the Political Economy Research Institute (12/21/09). 

Aside from the revenue argument, proponents argue that it could serve as a check on some of the riskier forms of high-frequency, high-volume trading. (Up to 70% of all stock and bond trades these days consist of high volume trading)


So where is the Robin Hood tax in the media discussion about increasing revenues? Almost nowhere, it turns out. Since the 2012 election, the concept has received a handful of passing mentions. It does not appear to have been discussed on any of the broadcast networks. 


The most extensive discussion came on the Washington Post’s op-ed page, in a December 2 column by veteran activist Ralph Nader, who wrote that “both sides are unwilling to consider a minuscule tax on financial transactions that could be a major source of income..” (Could this be because the corporate controlled mass media DOES NOT WANT IT DISCUSSED?)

The mass media has ended up being controlled and manipulated by just a few huge corporations. It is much easier to control what is covered as ‘news’ these days by these few corporate controllers. The ‘programming’ shown by mass media is somehow also very corporate friendly, for some strange reason. Non corporate friendly viewpoints and third party viewpoints are almost never seen or heard from. 

Bernie Sanders on Why Big Media Shouldn’t Get Bigger; via A Green Road  http://agreenroad.blogspot.com/2012/12/bernie-sanders-on-why-big-media.html 


The amount of potential revenue, Nader pointed out, makes a transaction tax a more attractive option than other fiscal proposals that receive significantly more coverage.


One thing is certain: It is decidedly unpopular among the “Fix the Debt” CEOs who many in the press consider important voices in the discussion of the nation’s finances–and are the people who bankroll political careers. So it’s understandable that politicians aren’t eager to talk about this. What’s the media’s excuse? http://fair.org/take-action/media-advisories/robin-hood-isnt-news/


Meanwhile, Republicans And Democrats argue over what to do about the ‘fiscal cliff’.  Someone please tell me what the HELL’s wrong with all the people that run this country!!!!!!  Both Democrats and Republicans Say That We’re “broke” and can’t help our own: 


Seniors 

Veterans 

Orphans 

Disabled

Homeless 

Sick 
Poor 
Single moms with kids 
Babies without mothers or fathers 
Kids without mothers or fathers 

They say we need to cut the budget for these items and throw all of these ‘47%’ers’ out on the street. In the same breath, they say we need to maintain or INCREASE the budget for the military industrial complex. They say we need to keep doing out the largest corporate welfare payments in history to global corporations who pay no taxes, and are making record profits. 


On top of that, the corporate controlled mass media convinces us that we also need to take our hard earned taxpayer money and send it overseas. Our money is labelled ‘foreign aid’ but is most often paid to private, for profit US corporations, most often military defense contractors, who then send weapons and/or train soldiers or spies send to the following countries: 


Hamas – 351 M 

Libya 1.45 B 

Egypt – 397 M 

Mexico – 622 M 
Russia – 380 M 
Haiti – 1.4 B 
Jordan – 463 M 
Kenya – 816 M 

Sudan – 870 M 

Nigeria – 456 M 

Uganda – 451 M 

Congo – 359 M 

Ethiopia – 981 M 

Pakistan – 2 B 

South Africa – 566 M 

Senegal – 698 M 
Mozambique – 404 M 

Zambia – 331 M 

Kazakhstan – 304 M 

Iraq – 1.08 B 

Tanzania – 554 M 


Our retired seniors living on a ‘fixed income’ are being asked to cut their Social Security payments and give up cost of living adjustments, while the richest 1% get even richer while collecting corporate welfare payments. The following links provide some explanation of how and why the 1% get richer and more powerful, while the poor and middle class suffer more and more.


The Illusion Of The ‘Free Market’ – Paradox Of State Punishing People For Drug Use; via A Green Road  http://agreenroad.blogspot.com/2012/12/the-illusion-of-free-market-paradox-of.html

The Art of Deception: The Cult of Nuclearists, Uranium Weapons and Fraudulent Science; via A Green Road http://agreenroad.blogspot.com/2012/03/primer-in-art-of-deception-cult-of.html

To learn more about the 1%, click on the following link….

Global Corporations And The 1%; Art And Science Of Deception
http://agreenroad.blogspot.com/p/corporations-art-and-science-of.html

When the 1% are asked to give up their free corporate welfare money, and lower tax rates than even poor people pay, they complain and say it would be like ‘raising taxes’ and that they cannot ‘afford’ this. They feel ‘entitled’ to this free taxpayer money. They also accuse the 47% of getting ‘entitlements’ that they don’t deserve to receive.. So who are these ‘entitlement’ addicts anyway?


The Entitlement Generation; Who Are They Really? via A Green Road
http://agreenroad.blogspot.com/2012/10/the-entitlement-generation-who-are-they.html


When the attack and fear mongering about ‘entitlements’ does not work, the 1% threaten to no longer ‘create jobs’, if taxes are raised on them. This sounds much like a rapist, who is accusing the victim of ‘making’ the abuser do it to them.  The 1% loves to use and whip up fear, so that they can maintain their control and pull the strings that keep everyone under their thumbs. To learn more about how the 1% thinks and acts, watch the following movie. 

The One Percent Movie; via A Green Road
http://agreenroad.blogspot.com/2012/12/the-one-percent-movie.html


Do these global corporations really want to help US citizens? The average corporation donates less than 1% of profits to ANY cause. Corporations are holding over 1 TRILLION in cash, which could be used to create jobs. 


Catherine Austin Fitts On A Tapeworm Economy, How The 1% Strangle USA; via A Green Road
http://agreenroad.blogspot.com/2012/05/catherine-austin-fitts-on-tapeworm.html

The US has thousands of adoptable children who are shoved aside to make room for the adoption of foreign orphans. At the same time, where are the huge mega church nonprofit corporations who demand that all free birth control and abortion services be made illegal? These hundreds of  thousands of unwanted and unloved children that are a product of this anti birth control policy are crowding the orphanages and foster homes not only in the USA, but also globally, with no takers. Does this policy against birth control express the love of fellow humans and children, and if so, how? 


Why is the government paying for some small measure of homeless assistance, foster homes and orphanages, when those who oppose free birth control are largely responsible for these costs, but do not want the government paying for these things, which they call ‘entitlements’?


Why can churches spend hundreds of millions blocking birth control laws and healthcare rules that provide free birth control, but they cannot spend a dime to take in homeless kids, or to support orphanages, foster kids. Why can’t those few churches who are so passionate about making all birth control illegal adopt and take care of all of those unwanted kids, that are the product of sex without birth control? 
AMERICA is a country where there are hundreds of thousands of homeless people, including kids without shelter, children going to bed hungry, and elderly going without needed medication not to mention the mentally ill going without treatment. But these are the people who are being asked to ‘cut’ their ‘entitlements’. 
Imagine if The *GOVERNMENT* gave ‘US’ citizens the same support that it provides to other countries or even to corporate lobbyists.

There are also some easy ways to get out of debt and to create jobs for everyone, but this is not something you will see on the mass media news networks and their ‘programming’, which is owned and controlled by major corporations.


GREEN NEW DEAL; How To End Global Unemployment; via A Green Road 


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The Fiscal Cliff Myth And Propoganda; Realistic Solutions To ‘Debt Crisis’; via A Green Road