I am not claiming to be any sort of expert on these documents or on the subject but I got a little common sense and I'd like to exert it for a few moments, hopefully you will too. I was interested to hear that the entire Constitution was read at the 112th congressional meeting, but did anyone really listen!! AND I think The Declaration of Independance should have been read as well. I would like to just touch on a few parts of the Declaration and the Constitution:
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security." (Declaration of Independence)
Granted there is a huge argument to be made on the equal treatment of men in this country but government is meant for the people and to be run by the people. Ok so if that has been established, can we agree that our government is not doing a very good job being that our economy is drowning? But how much do you think politicians are struggling financially? I hear a lot being said about taxing the rich, that the trickle down effect does not work. But the actual ones holding the MAJORITY of the wealth are not individual people!! Here are some stats and numbers for you:
#1 The top 1 percent of all income earners already pay 39.5 percent of all federal income taxes.
#2 When you take all forms of federal taxation into account, the top 1 percent of all income earners pay 28.1 percent of all federal taxes.
#3 The top 20 percent of all income earners in the United States pay approximately 86 percent of all federal income taxes.
#4 One recent poll found that 64 percent of Americans are in favor of raising taxes on those that make $250,000 or more a year in order to help balance the federal budget deficit. Another recent poll found that 72 percent of Americans favor raising taxes on those making $250,000 or more a year.
#5 Approximately 45 percent of all U.S. households pay absolutely no income taxes at all.
#6 Overall, U.S. households are now receiving more income from the U.S. government than they are paying to the government in taxes. This is clearly not anywhere close to sustainable.
#7 During 2010, the U.S. government paid out a combined $2.3 trillion in unemployment benefits, Social Security benefits, disability insurance, Medicare benefits, Medicaid benefits, benefits for veterans, education assistance and other direct transfers of cash from the government to individual citizens.
#8 59 percent of all Americans now receive a government payout of one form or another.
#9 The ultra-wealthy keep much of their wealth outside of the United States so that the government cannot tax it. It has been estimated that a third of all the wealth in the world is held in "offshore" banks.
#10 Thanks to new corporate tax cuts in Japan, the United States now has the highest corporate tax rate in the developed world.
#11 Large corporations have become masters at avoiding taxes. Back in the 1950s, corporate taxes accounted for about 30 percent of all federal revenue, but in 2009 corporate taxes accounted for just 6.6 percent.
#12 General Electric has been a great friend to the Obama administration. According to the New York Times, General Electric made a total of 14.2 billion dollars in profits last year. So how much did they pay in taxes to the U.S. Treasury? According to the New York Times, not one penny was paid.
#13 Even though Boeing receives billions in federal subsidies every year and even though it has a bunch of juicy government contracts it did not pay a single penny in federal corporate income taxes from 2008 to 2010.
#14 Exxon-Mobil paid $15 billion in taxes in 2009, but not a single penny went to the U.S. government. Meanwhile, their CEO brought in over 29 million dollars in total compensation that year.
(http://endoftheamericandream.com/archives/tax-the-rich-14-facts-you-may-want-to-consider)
Is this only sounding ridiculous to me?? How can we have corportions raking in money from the U.S. population yet not paying into federal taxes?? This is where I would like to refer to the Constitution, in Article one, section 8 it says, "The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States"
This document is telling me that congress possesses the power to say to these corporations "YOU MUST PAY TAXES", yet it is NOT being done! Please take a look at the list on this webpage: http://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/list.php
I will lay out the top three, this is political, campaign contributions accumulated over the last 20 yrs-
ActBlue- $51,552,980 (yes that's millions)
Amer Fedn of state, county, municipal employess-$45,037,993
ATT&T Inc.- $40,800,955
That is just the top three, the list is the top 140 corporations and the one at 140 still contributed over a million dollars in the last twenty years. REALLY!!! It takes this much money to get people elected to office!! This money could go to so many different, MORE IMPORTANT issues than politicians trying to get elected. I feel Thomas Moore had a great idea in "Utopia" that as soon as someone strives to gain an office they are no longer eligible for said office. That would mean one of your peers would have to recognize your abilities and earnestness, and propose you for office. I'm laying all this out to go back to where I started, The Declaration of Independance, if WE THE PEOPLE are not happy with our government, if we feel that our concerns are not being addressed properly it is our right to make changes. It is our duty, it is within our power to make these changes. BUT IT ONLY HAPPENS THROUGH PARTICIPATION!!!!
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