9/11 and Bin Laden: Ralph Nader Was Right... Again

This article is an interesting read. Sadly, this is not part of the national conversation. Instead the convseration is about whether torture is a good idea. Of course torture doesn't work, it's illegal and immoral.

9 Things The Rich Don’t Want You To Know About Taxes

Today is tax day and most Americans would probably feel better about paying taxes if the system wasn’t rigged in favor of the rich. Here are 9 things the rich don’t want you to know about taxes. (Hint: They don’t pay their fair share.)

I saw this Associated Press article in the Enquirer today about how Taxes fell for the super-rich. Here’s an excerpt from it.

More than half of the nation's tax revenue came from the top 10 percent of earners in 2007. Still, the wealthy have access to much more lucrative breaks than people with lower incomes.

The vast majority of those who escape federal income taxes have low and medium incomes, and most of them pay other taxes, including Social Security and Medicare taxes, property taxes and retail sales taxes.

Over all it seems like a good article, but it made me think of this excerpt from Pulitzer Prize winning journalist David Cay Johnston’s article on the same subject.

The Internet is awash with statements that the top 1 percent pays, depending on the year, 38 percent or more than 40 percent of taxes.

It’s true that the top 1 percent of wage earners paid 38 percent of the federal income taxes in 2008 (the most recent year for which data is available). But people forget that the income tax is less than half of federal taxes and only one-fifth of taxes at all levels of government.

Social Security, Medicare and unemployment insurance taxes (known as payroll taxes) are paid mostly by the bottom 90 percent of wage earners. That’s because, once you reach $106,800 of income, you pay no more for Social Security, though the much smaller Medicare tax applies to all wages. Warren Buffett pays the exact same amount of Social Security taxes as someone who earns $106,800.

It should be noted that taxes like the pay roll tax and sales taxes are regressive and disproportionately affect the poor. Yet conservative think tanks try to shape arguments that make people think that everybody will benefit if we cut taxes on the super rich and corporations. This of course is a big fat lie as one can easily see if they look back at what has happened over the last 30 years since the Reagan and Bush tax cuts.

The reason we are seeing budget problems is not because of the social safety nets. According to a new report from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development the US is the 9th worst on social spending. The reason we have budget deficits is because the wealthy have successfully lobbied for loop holes and tax breaks for decades. And they have looted the public treasury.

Those Poor Billionaires!

In this excellent article Glenn Greenwald points out just how out of touch and delusional the billionaire Koch brothers are. These incredibly rich, powerful and influential billionaires actually think they are victims.

The legacy of the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire & collective bargaining

Today marks the 100th anniversary of the deadliest workplace accident in New York City’s history and a seminal moment for American labor. This legacy helped spark the New Deal, labor legislation reform of that era, the welfare state, and the creation of industrial unionism, and the right to organize. The struggle for justice continues here and abroad.

Nader: Anyone can make a difference

Today an estimated crowd of 3,500 showed up on Fountain Sqaure to show their opposition to State Senate Bill 5 (SB5). The diverse rally had white, black, brown, old and young people. It was quite a contrast with a Tea Party rally. But we need more people to get engaged because as Ralph Nader recently said, "Anyone can make a difference" and we must fight the assault on the working class that is being waged like never before.

For those that don’t understand why people are so outraged about SB5 in Ohio and the similar bills that are being passed in states like Wisconsin, Indiana and Michigan you can listen to Michael Moore here. They aren’t just trying to cut wages and benefits for workers, they are trying to take away our rights to collectively bargain, our democratic rights to have a seat at the table.

This is a battle that will rage on and we must win. It is no exaggeration to say that the house is on fire and we need all hands on deck. This won’t only hurt unions-the back bone of the working class. This will hurt the ability of the left to have a real impact in upcoming elections.

The billionaires now have new tools to pour unprecedented amounts of corporate cash into our elections. We can no longer afford to tune out, sit back and wait until we’re bored to act. We must put out the fire, educate each other, get organized and make our voices heard now. Otherwise the Tea Party and the billionaires they advocate for will win and our country will head in a devastating direction which will see the further decline of the middle class.

There’s an old Chinese proverb that says, “To know and not to act is not to know”. Please act now. YOUR COUNTRY NEEDS YOU!

What you can do: Dial 1888-218-5931 type in your zip code which will connect you to your representative. Tell your House representative to stand up for workers by voting no on SB 5. If it's busy call back daily because it makes a difference.

“You must be the change you wish to see in the world!” -Gandhi

Stephen King, the rights worst nightmare?

Stephen King gives a speech that probably scares the hell out of the right wingers. Watch it below.

100th anniversary of international women’s day, Women’s rights are worker rights”

According to this a handful of European countries first marked the day in 1911 following a declaration by the Socialist Party of America. The UN has recognized March 8th as International Women’s Day since 1975. Read about the history of the struggle for women's and worker's rights here.