Our country has some harsh times ahead of it

[Aerows]

unless we start becoming a kinder, gentler, more WELL-FUNDED nation on the side of the people instead of on the "Overseers" - Defense, Prison and Military.

It is time to sink our hard earned taxes into rebuilding OUR nation. The noise machine would have you believe that the richest economy on earth cannot take care of its citizens, its seniors and its obligations in pensions.

And it cannot.

Not as long as GE, EXXON, Wal-Mart and every other corporation is sucking up the benefits of our infrastructure, our natural resources (looking at you, Nestle, stealing CA water for 25 years!?), while not paying a dime for it.

Raise the Social Security Cap.

Rebuild our infrastructure, failing bridges, water-mains and the like. The corporations are the biggest benefactors of them - how does Jeff Bezos ship things to your house? On a damn ROAD.

Tax the fuck out of them for a change and stop draining the hell out of the middle class. Infrastructure projects will do two things - keep us from becoming Somalia in 10 years, and OMG - give people jobs.

OMG - more people with jobs, means more money to be spent, but OMG, that means companies will have to start spending some more damn money to retain workers. Every area where there are plentiful jobs with higher wages has some little pissant industry that is trying to pay the same thing they paid last week, and are hanging on, but are going to lose business because of it.

It is NOT a healthy nation where we cut everything to the bare bones, then some idiot pontificates how we should cut more. The majority of businesses are feeling the pressure because the vast majority have no money to spend. Why? Because these huge conglomerates pay no taxes. You use our roads, drink our water, use our facilities, it is time you FUCKING PAY FOR THEM. They are not FREE, and neither are we as long as they rob us of the rightful due our citizens are due!

(Reposted from a response I made to a thread at the risk of being redundant. If it changes just one iota of a thing of where we are headed, I will risk being redundant).

And here is an addition: Wall Street. It's soaring. How long has it been since the last Wall Street crash? About 7 years.

Take a peak folks at how often a predictable cycle of Wall Street crash and burn has happened historically, and ask yourself if you honestly think we, the middle class, can sustain another one this time around.

What does late 2008 + 7 years = ?

Not hard to figure out.

[GummyBearz]

1. Please run for president

You have my vote

[Aerows]

3. I just wanted to bring this to people's attention

I know it was a rather blast of a post with links to describe some complex issues, but these are realities that we have GOT to face as a country.

[Aerows]

2. And by the way

If you are under 50, unless we reverse the trend of draining 401K's, pensions and Social Security?

You will be broke by 70 unless you inherit a shit ton of hard, liquid assets or build them up yourself.

[sabrina 1]

4. I agree with GummyBearz, I would vote for you too.

How did it get this way where people like the Kochs can BUY elections and WRITE Legislation? There has to have been a point where they just took over.

All these wars, what do they do for the American people, I know who benefits from them, but how have they benefited the people?

Imagine all that could have been done right here with all that money.

It's enough to make you sick.

Great post, thank you.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

6. "There has to have been a point where they just took over."

That was when Clinton and the DLC bragged about raising more Wall Street cash than the Republicans.

Shortly after that you saw McCain and other Republicans talking about "campaign finance reform".

......but not any more....

[Spitfire of ATJ]

5. Ever watch "Shark Tank"?

There's this asshole on there they call "Mr. Wonderful" who is the ultimate example of the rich bastard who doesn't CARE about people's dreams or goals or visions for the future. He only cares about making money. He's all for the use of slave labor in China and ripping people off.

Ever hear the expression, "It was a pleasure doing business with you."? If he hears that, he figures he did something wrong.

Is it any wonder other people in the world are reluctant to do business with us? Our business class acts like a bunch of HS boys bragging about the girls they screwed over the weekend.

[Aerows]

7. And that sense of elitism

entitlement, and expectancy is the very projection they put on everyone else.

It will crumble. There is no way that we can continue doing business this way.

More importantly, there is no way that we can continue running the country this way where a hard day's work doesn't offer enough to sustain a decent livelihood.

If you want to have that sort of life, pack your shit and move to a place where you have to hire armed guards, pay for your own water, pray you don't have a house fire, pay to educate your children, and enjoy the luxury of grinding your heel on the peasants while hoping you don't catch the latest local disease because there won't be a hospital anywhere close by to treat you for your damn illness, and no roads to get there.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

8. These types believe we should worship them as royalty.