Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Sliver

"Hippies". I have read that word twice now, describing the protesters on Wall Street. I wouldn't consider any of those people " hippies". Maybe" fed up". Or "mad"."Frustrated". Those words make way more sense to me. Not" hippies". Hippies are peace loving, happy people.

 I don't think the protesters, or myself, are feeling warm and fuzzy right now. Words like, sick and tired of working harder for less, and feeling pushed around and ignored by our government, and banks, and plain mad as hell sound better to me than"hippie".

Did you know that General Electric had 14 billion dollars in profits in 2010? And do you know how much they paid in taxes? $0. And they got a $3 billion dollar credit from the government. This, after cutting 20% of their U.S. jobs.

Bank of America had $4.4 billion dollars in profits in 2009. They paid no taxes, and received a $1.9 billion dollar refund. They also received a Taxpayer/Fed bailout in the amount of $1 trillion. Yes, that would be trillion.

Exxon Mobil had $37.3 billion in profits in 2009. They received a refund of $156 million. Taxes paid?......You guessed it!  Zippo!!

I was at a birthday party for one of my daughters' friends over the weekend. I was talking with three women. Two of the three had an unemployed husband. One has suffered through foreclosure, due to job loss, and the other is afraid to check her mailbox because she too is about to lose her home.

I had to pick up a prescription yesterday, for my daughter, and had to leave without it, because I could not afford the $45.00 price tag. This after finding out our health insurance cost is going up in January, despite a wage freeze, at my husbands job. And believe me, it doesn't escape us how lucky we are to even have insurance, or be employed for that matter. Far too many people in this country can't even consider going to the doctor, let alone take their child to the pediatrician.

The American dream is vanishing, right before our eyes. My husband and I are trying to hold onto our home, and put food on the table, and keep the lights on. Basic stuff, that too many people are currently trying to do as well. Forget a slice of the American pie. I would take a nibble of the crust. And so too would millions of fed up, pushed around, broke, hard working people out here. Families having a tougher time just being families. People working harder for less. And there doesn't seem to be an end in sight.

Nearly 2/3 of U.S. corporations pay $0 in U.S. income taxes totaling an estimated $100 billion in lost tax revenue annually.

How 'bout them apples, my " hippie" friends?


2 comments:

  1. Thanks, E for the sweet note on my photo! It feels so good to be back out with the cameras.

    This are really tough times, indeed. I made the decision to go back to work so we would have health insurance, but the tipping point with that is getting close. I pay so much for the insurance itself, and then the niggling surprise bills and rising co-pays and prescription costs have been off the charts. It is totally deflating.

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  2. Well put -- it makes me unhappy to read these accounts. I know too many people in similar straits. What really bothers me is the judgmental attitudes I see from the so-called "haves". There is a lack of compassion out these, and I think the harshness of these times is bringing out the worst in people because they themselves are so insecure. I posted this on my FB page. Be well,

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