In the meantime, what I recommend for the average person who is awake and realizes that debt slavery is not cool is hardcore, anti-consumerist frugality. Think Freecycle, think yard sales, think bargain shops and church fairs. Learn to cook, use a clothesline etc. You’ll be needing the money you save. Amen, amen. We say “debt slavery” and “wage slavery” so flippantly, but the fact is that the need to earn that wage to service your debt can cage you into a life you hate. How many people out there can afford to just walk away from an intolerable employer? No-one who is in debt can when the prospect of getting a new job that pays enough to service that debt is poor. And of people who enjoy their jobs, how many debtors live in dread of what will happen to them and their families if they lose that job? For every debt you take on, your freedom is reduced by that much.

The answer is not easy, but it is nescessary. Any contry who wants to play in the global economy has to allow impartial international inspections. On a fair, consistent standard, all countries would have ratings on each other. Does a country use slave labor? Can workers change jobs and/or move to a better job? As a percent of the value of goods produced, what do the workers receive? How much does industry pollute?

These rankings could be worked into a tax code; taxes levied on the goods based on the rank of the source country. Special benefits could be worked into the code where a ‘bad’ country showed significant improvement. The idea is a tax-free status for countries that have a decent status, incentives for improvement and penalties on the goods from countries with piss-poor scores.

Drive up the cost of business in countries with the worst records; level the playing field with countries whose regulations protect the worker and the environment.

We can build a great society again, but it will take a European model, at least for health care. I think it will happen in my lifetime, but not for about another decade. We’re a stubborn bunch.

In the meantime, what I recommend for the average person who is awake and realizes that debt slavery is not cool is hardcore, anti-consumerist frugality. Think Freecycle, think yard sales, think bargain shops and church fairs. Learn to cook, use a clothesline etc. You’ll be needing the money you save.

Also, it is interesting that indviduals working overseas must pay taxes on their entire income after the first 80,000, regardless of if they bring their savings home, while companies profits overseas are taxable only if they bring the profits home, which most do not. Why the double standard. I thought the courts ruled that corporations have the same rights as individuals under the constitution.

In fact, many companies use their offshore operations as a way to reduce their US tax burden by overstating the costs of services/product provided by their overseas company, thereby shifting the US profits abroad, and less taxes. To counter the reduction in tax revenue, Bush allowed companies to bring back profits earned before 2004 and be subjected to only a 5% tax rate, which may explain the increase in corporate tax revenues the last couple of years. Instead of reinvesting it in new factories, many simply used to to buy back stock or provide their CEO’s with bigger bonuses (technically not allowed but since IRS does not audit them and their accounting firms they hire cover the tracks they can get away with a lot).

People don’t get it. Tax cuts for corporations simply frees up money for them to invest overseas and reduce US jobs. It’s not the same as 30 years ago when tax cuts freed up money that they used to expand in the US and creat jobs, now it simply accelerates the export of US jobs. Sure, their are still jobs being created, but the skills and knowledge needed are how to use a bed pan and knowing to ask the customer if they want fries with their order.

The companies do not need Americas 300 million geese, as there are 3 billion ducks on Asia who will be laying many more golden eggs in the 21st century. The corporations are divorcing the American working class geese and moving in with their Asian mistress ducks. Don’t count on the alimony or child support payments. American working class are being Left Behind in the Corporate Rapture.