Millions of U.S. corporations do not pay federal taxes

I know this is a local blog on Michigan and the media, but this national story really caught my attention.

According to a study by the Government Accountability Office (GAO), two-thirds of U.S. corporations paid no federal income taxes between 1998 and 2005, and 68 percent of foreign companies doing business in the U.S. avoided corporate taxes over the same period.

I want to hear the take on this from right-wingers who regularly take shots at me here.

Our own Sen. Carl Levin, along with Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., asked for the GAO study that found corporations did not pay taxes on trillions of dollars in sales. More than 38,000 foreign corporations had no tax liability in 2005 and 1.2 million U.S. companies paid no income tax. It’s sad that corporations are making huge profits and pay nothing to support this country.

Local GOP attack on Obama uses age old tactics

The Livingston County Republican Party's letter writing team continues to use the Daily Press & Argus as a launching pad for false attacks against Democratic Presidential nominee Barrack Obama, and the latest false attack is from Brighton Township resident Randy Kniebes.

Although this latest attack from the county Grand Oil Party isn’t as racist as some have been in the past, it has elements of that as well as the misinformation and misdirection that we have come to expect from the loyal opposition.

The misinformation begins with the first sentence: “Most Americans do not know much about the character of Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., despite nonstop glowing coverage from an adoring media.”

The reality is the right wants to define his character, and if anyone – and I don’t see how anyone with an email account hasn’t - has seen some of the ugly and racist emails that are floating around cyberspace, you know these experts at character assassination are pulling out all the stops. We have heard he is a Muslim, he attended a "radical madrassa” or he was sworn into the U.S. Senate using the Koran. As for the adoring media, a new study by the Center for Media and Public Affairs (CMPA) found “Barack Obama is getting more negative coverage than John McCain on TV network evening news shows.” It is true that he is getting more overall coverage, but that’s not surprising when you consider the corporate media is in the business to make money above all else, and they obviously want to go where there is a fresh, exciting candidate who is drawing huge crowds and excitement instead of a tired, old politician who has been doing the same things for almost 30 years and is an exact replica of the failed Bush Administration.

What is different is the right is pulling out their old “liberal media” strategy, and the corporate media is criticizing Obama to shake the false tag that they are giving him “glowing coverage.” Hey, it has worked for the last 40 years, why stop now?

Then we get this gem:
“First, even liberal media outlets now acknowledge that the "surge" strategy in Iraq has been a huge success. Obama strongly opposed the surge. When Obama was asked in an interview if, knowing what he knows now that the surge was a big success for the United States, would he have supported it — his answer was "no." Think about that.”

Think about why we started a war that should never have been started, and every single day more and more evidence of the deception the Bush “team” used to con the public into supporting this unnecessary war that hinders are real fight against terrorism comes out. Also, there is no such thing as the liberal media.

“Knowing he had a sure success for the United States (the premise of the question), he would have instead chosen defeat and humiliation for the United States by surrendering Iraq to the terrorists. Having to choose between what is best for the United States or admitting that he was wrong, Obama chose his own interests over his country's best interests. A big warning sign.”

First, Iraq had nothing to do with terrorism. It’s difficult to sum up an unnecessary war that has gone on longer than World War II to a few black and white sentences, but right-wingers do it all the time, I guess I can too. The so-called surge was a temporary measure designed to give the Iraqi government the space and time to make the hard choices and decisions that only the Iraqis can make for themselves. That has not happened. Anyone could have predicted that the sudden infusion of large numbers of the best fighting force in the world would reduce violence, albeit temporarily. No one has yet defined what victory means in Iraq or who decides when we reach victory. The so-called surge is not the only reason violence has fallen off in Iraq, and that was just one factor. However, just last week on one day 87 Iraqis were killed and 288 were wounded. I would call that violence. If it is going so well, when are the troops coming home?

In addition to the so-called surge, ethic cleansing has worked so well it’s getting harder to find targets. The Iraq fiasco has led to segregated neighborhoods where they all once lived peacefully together. In other words, some neighborhoods are now exclusively Shi'ite and others are Sunni.

We are also paying people who once shot at our troops. Some 91,000 former militants called “Concerned Local Citizens” (CLC’s) or “Sons of Iraq” have put aside their anti-U.S. operations in exchange for cash. And of course, these contracts come at a cost. According to the Council on Foreign Relations, the U.S. is paying about $16 million a month.

The next salvo is the age old GOP tactic of taking a quote completely out of context to say something else:
“Secondly, Obama told a group of a (sic) Democrats that "his candidacy was the moment the whole world was waiting for." Moreover, Obama declared that "I have become a symbol of the possibility of America returning to its best traditions." What breathtaking arrogance and hubris from a one-term senator whose only significant accomplishment has not been any legislation but his own biography!”

This is from Grampy McSame’s most recent attack ad known as the Messiah ad that tries to make it seem like Obama thinks he is the second coming of Jesus Christ. Somehow, Grampy’s people think it’s a bad thing to inspire people and have our allies like and respect our leader for a change. But the full quote makes it clear that people are excited about change and restoring the country to what it was before Bush made us the guys in the black hats, who torture people, take away rights, spy on our own citizens and thumb their noses at the law.

We keep hearing this word “arrogance” attached to Obama from the right. Some how it’s arrogant to campaign for president and demonstrate you are presidential. Grampy is doing the same thing, but he has not been called arrogant. I wonder if arrogance is a code word for “uppity?” Below is the full Obama quote:

“It has become increasingly clear in my travel, the campaign, that the crowds, the enthusiasm, 200,000 people in Berlin, is not about me at all. It's about America. I have become a symbol of the possibility of America returning to our best traditions.

Then the attacker ends with the told tried and true attack when he uses this quote out of context.

“For the ordinary Americans who Obama thinks just cling to our guns and religion, these are some things to consider before we vote.”

The full quote is, “They get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations." Obama was talking about the 3 million people who have lost their decent paying industrial job under Bush. To me, it’s accurate because the Republican strategy of fear and dividing people is always at work.

But Mr. Kniebes earns a gold star from party chair Allan Filip for another letter-to-the-editor full of misinformation, false talking points and half-truths.

Bishop assigns fox to guard hen house

Senate Republicans in Lansing are now holding the Transportation budget hostage in order to help out a rich benefactor.

House Bill 5808 sets funding for the Department of Transportation, and it’s the largest budget left undone for the 2008-09 fiscal year. The conference committee that will work out an agreement between the House and Senate version of the bill is set to meet at 9 a.m. Wednesday in room 426 of the Capitol. However, it appears unlikely an agreement will be reached. The sticking point is how to handle the issue of a new Detroit River International Crossing (DRIC).

Senate Republicans have supported the private, for profit Detroit International Bridge Company‘s plan, owned by Grosse Pointe transportation billionaire Matty Moroun, to build a second span adjacent to the current bridge. But officials in Canada have rejected that idea, saying it would add major congestion to Windsor, Ontario's downtown.

Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop named a special ad hoc panel to look into the DRIC question, chaired by Senate Majority Floor Leader Alan Cropsey, R-DeWitt. Naming Cropsey to head that panel is like naming Strom Thurmond or Jesse Helms to head a panel on Civil Rights.

Cropsey has long carried water for Moroun in his quest to keep his monopoly, and Cropsey appears to be the major obstacle in the budget being worked out in the conference committee. Cropsey said in the past there will be little negotiating unless the House adopts a resolution about DRIC that is sent to Congress and Governor Jennifer Granholm write a letter supporting a second Ambassador span.

The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) has come out in support of the U.S. location to be Detroit's Delray neighborhood. Canadian law says an international border crossing cannot be held by a private company, and they choose the Brighton Beach section in west-end Windsor as the Canadian crossing, adjacent to where MDOT wants the U.S. crossing to be located.

Even some prominent Republicans have backed MDOT’s and the Canadian proposal, such as Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson.

Cropsey’s ad hoc panel has tentatively set a meeting for 10 a.m. Friday in the Capitol.

GOP calls for protesters against Speaker of the House to bring their own crayons

The Michigan Republican Party and Chair Saul Anuzis are organizing a protest against Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi tonight at Borders in downtown Ann Arbor where she will join a panel discussion and sign copies of her new book, "Know Your Power" at 7 p.m.

The intention of the protest is to build on the Grand Oil Party’s juvenile stunt last week where they preached to each other in the dark after the House and Senate were adjourned for the annual summer break on how giving oil companies more leases in environmentally sensitive areas will reduce gas prices. The email blast to supporters says the intention is to “… send her a strong message that she needs to call Congress back into session now, and hold a vote on an energy bill that will allow America to develop America’s oil.” No word on why they don’t just ask the head oil man in the White House to call them back into session since he has the power to do that, or why for all but the last 18 months of President George Bush’s time in office when the GOP controlled both Houses of Congress no real energy plan was adopted.

To help in the protest and to lend an air of authenticity, Anuzis is asking his followers to bring homemade signs, and since he knows they probably can’t think of any catchy slogans for themselves, he sent along some helpful suggestions, such as “Gas b-4 Book Tour" "Bring Congress Back" "We Want Lower Gas $" "End The Shutdown" and "Give Us A Vote."

Bill Nowling and the MGOP communications team have really outdone themselves. That was money well spent.

I have a few slogans of my own for the Grand Oil Party attendees to use: “Food stamps for Exxon,” “We don’t need no stinking books,” “Books are for liberals,” “Tell Bush to tell you to bring Congress back,” “Drill on those thousands of leases you already have,” “oil execs need help to pay for their Bugatti Veyrons,” or “We need our gas prices to go down by 2 cents in 10 years now.”

The Ann Arbor stop will be Pelosi’s first stop on a 13-city book tour, and because there are so many people expected to want to meet the Speaker, Borders began giving out wristbands this morning when the store opened. According to Borders, the wristband guarantees a place in line, but offers no guarantee you'll meet the Speaker.

I have a better suggestion for the GOP: buy a book at Borders to benefit a Michigan company. That may be asking a little too much. Buy a DVD while you are there and do some real good. Make sure you carpool.

Veteran journalist launches liberal and progressive blog/newspaper

I am pleased to announced I am now contributing to a new blog/newspaper called the “Opinion Artillery” operated by veteran journalist John Beckett.

According to the mission statement or description, Opinion Artillery “offers progressive commentary on U.S. policies and politics, and also keeps an eye on Michigan and Livingston County, the fastest-growing county in the state.“

The site is written and edited by Beckett. He, like me, is a Livingston County resident, but he is from Howell’s arch rival a few miles east down Grand River Avenue in Brighton. He reported and written for the then Brighton Argus - now the Livingston County Daily Press & Argus - for seven years and he spent 18 years at the Ann Arbor News, where he won numerous state and national awards.

It was while Mr. Beckett was at the A2 that I became aware of him. I worked for a few years at the bi-weekly Brighton Argus/Livingston County Press, and the A2 was our competition. It was the A2 work, combined with the decision by the Detroit News to open a bureau in Livingston County, that led to the LCP and the Argus to form the first new daily newspaper in Michigan in 50 years in September 2000. It was an exciting time, and I left a great job at the News Herald in Southgate to be a part of it.

The name of the blog is based on a quote by English journalist, political philosopher and novelist William Godwin: “Usurped powers cannot withstand the artillery of opinion."

Not only does the blog offer the work of contributing articles writers like me, Mr. Beckett accepts and publishes pieces from other writers.

I really like his take on the blog when he writes, “Because we're tired of how "liberal" has been turned into a dirty word. And because we believe our country needs a healthy dose of liberalism or progressivism or whatever you want to call it if we're going to meet the challenges of the 21st Century.”

I could don’t have said it better myself.

Basham endorses Brandana for State Representative

Jill Brandana, Democratic candidate for the Michigan House of Representatives from the 22nd District, continues to pick up endorsements, and one of the latest is from Democratic State Sen. Ray Basham. He represent the 8th Senate District that coves almost all of the Downriver area.

I am writing to offer my strong recommendation of the Honorable Jill Brandana in her primary election bid this August as your State Representative for the 22nd District. She has served her community well in her position on the Taylor City Council and other boards and commissions.

Jill earned both her Bachelor's degree and her Master's degree in Public Administration (M.P.A.) from the University of Michigan. Jill serves the people of Taylor on the City Council, where she has worked diligently to ensure that public safety and fiscal responsibility are priorities on the Council in their oversight of city business. She has also worked steadfastly to protect our land, air, water and quality of life by helping to defeat the Environmental Disposal Systems attempts to place a hazardous waste well in our community. She is a dedicated and effective public servant, currently serving as Chairwoman Pro-Tem on the Taylor City Council, and is involved in every level of community service. Besides her public duties on the council, Jill also works as an Administrative/Legal Assistant in a successful law firm, where she has worked for over 26 years. Her education and administrative experience are excellent preparation to represent the 22nd House District.

I have known Jill personally for several years and in that time I have come to have only the highest regard for her personally and professionally. She shows great integrity and compassion in fulfilling her duties as an elected official and it is with great enthusiasm that I recommend her for election to the State House of Representatives.

I encourage you to vote for Councilwoman Jill Brandana in the Primary on August 5.

Another tactic to kill middle class set to be launched

Michigan Republicans continue their war on the middle class with its continued push for so-called “Right-to-Work” laws.

Word in Lansing is that Republican Senator Nancy Cassis is set to introduce a bill to establish so called “Right to Work” zones. Republicans have failed to pass a state wide right to work for less law, and a threatened ballot initiative has also failed to materialize. This seems a scaled down assault on the middle and working class that has been ongoing for more than 50 years.

Wizardkitten over at Blogging for Michigan has an excellent take on “right to work for less zones,” and they are similar to tax-advantaged enterprise zones. These laws are meant to simply kill labor unions, roll back workplace protections and depress wages.

RTW bills are before both the Michigan House and Senate, but they continue to remain stuck in committee. In the House, Rep. Jacob Hoogendyk, R-Kalamazoo, introduced House Bill 4454, and Rep. Kevin Elsenheimer, R-Bellaire, introduced HB 4455, both to make Michigan an RTW state. In the Senate, Cassis introduced companion bills, Senate Bills 607 and 608.

Proponents of RTW claim the law would do away with the requirement that workers must be in a union to be employed at a union shop. However, federal law already protects workers who don't want to join a union to get or keep their jobs, and gives workers the right to opt out of a union. But they must still pay union dues. RTW would give them the option of not paying dues while still enjoying the benefits of being in a union.

Unions in RTW states are required by law to defend non-dues-paying members involved in a dispute or charged with a grievance at work, but even those employees do not have to contribute dues. Opponents of RTW say such a provision does not give workers more rights, but instead it weakens unions and their ability to bargain for improved benefits and working conditions, which they call the real intent of RTW. The union, by law, must represent all workers equally.

Workers in RTW states make an average of $5,900 less in annual salary, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In addition, the rate of workplace deaths is 41 percent higher in RTW states, according to the bureau, and 20 percent more workers in RTW states go without health insurance.

McCain to visit site of near catastrophic meltdown to push for more nuclear power plants

In honor of Republican Presidential candidate Grampy McSame visiting my hometown of Monroe on Tuesday, I am re-reading a book I read several years ago called “We almost Lost Detroit,” by John G. Fuller.

Grampy will be visiting the Enrico Fermi Atomic Power Plant in Monroe County’s Frenchtown Township on the shores of Lake Erie on Tuesday to push for more nuclear power plants. Mr. Fuller’s book is a review of nuclear power in general, but it is also the story of the accident that occurred in Monroe on the afternoon of Oct. 5, 1966. As you may recall, a zirconium plate at the bottom of the reactor vessel became loose and blocked sodium coolant flow to some fuel subassemblies. Two subassemblies started to melt almost causing a catastrophic meltdown. At the time, I was just 8-years-old and I lived just a few short miles from the plant down Dixie Highway in a subdivision near Sterling State Park.

The book was published in 1975, and I read it shortly after that. I just found a copy of the book, at the Book Burrow at the Downtown branch of the Lansing Library. I remember when I first read the book it was a little insulting that it was overlooked that if Detroit would have been lost so would have Monroe.

But it seems ironic that he is visiting a plant that had a near catastrophic accident to promote nuclear energy as safe. The fact is nuclear energy has come a long way since 1966, and the reactor where the accident occurred has been decommissioned. But some danger remains. Perhaps a visit to Three Mile Island might be more fitting.

Sen. Barack Obama also supports nuclear energy, but he also says before, like many people, we expand nuclear energy, we need to address the problem of nuclear waste. That’s an issue no one has found an answer for.

Spent fuel from nuclear power plants is toxic for centuries, and, as yet, there is no safe, permanent storage facility for it. A large nuclear reactor produces 25–30 tons of spent fuel each year, according to the Uranium and Nuclear Power Information Centre. As of 2007, the United States had accumulated more than 50,000 metric tons of spent nuclear fuel from nuclear reactors. The only solution that has been floated thus far is permanent underground storage at Yucca Mountain.

The fact is renewable energy is the best way to go, but the Bush Administration fought that at every turn.

The high gas prices led to the U.S. House Republicans pulling a juvenile stunt on Friday, and they basically commandeered the House floor after it adjourned and preached propaganda to themselves.

Apparently, Exxon is not content with making $1,500 a second - yes, I said a second - and they want to open up the Alaska National Wildlife Reserve (ANWR) to drilling and lift the ban on offshore drilling. For some reason, the thousands of leases on millions of acres of U.S. land they hold is not enough, and they are using this to get at more to increase profits.

Both oil companies and the Grand Oil Party must know this will have no effect on gas prices. According to the U,S, Energy Department, it would take 10 years before any oil is pumped out of new offshore wells, and about 20 years before those wells would reach peak capacity. There could be no oil production in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge until 2018 and production would not peak until 2027.

As for offshore drilling, there is simply too little oil in these offshore areas to affect global supply. Bush’s own DOE shows that by the year 2025, ANWR drilling would lower crude oil prices by only 75 cents per barrel, which equates to about to about 2 cents a gallon at the pump.