Worse Than Terrorism

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

This is how terrorism works. A population lives in a constant state of fear because a catastrophic attack could occur in any place, at any time, causing death and destruction to innocent civilians. But now we know that from aging levees in New Orleans to aging steam pipes in Manhattan to aging freeway bridges in Minneapolis, it doesn’t take a terrorist to create a state of fear.

I’m sure that residents of the Twin Cities, watching the carnage of the Twin Towers felt that certainly, with a half a continent between themselves and the nearest American shore, they were safe from that kind of abject fear that gripped the rest of the country. When Hurricane Katrina ravaged the city of New Orleans, they were confident that a disaster like that could never befall their city.

That confidence crumbled into the Mississippi River at 6:05 p.m. on Wednesday evening.

But it’s not just the good people of Minneapolis who have had their sense of safety shattered. During the past 48 hours, who among us hasn’t driven over a highway overpass without a sense of vague dread, remembering those dead and injured commuters who crossed the I-35 bridge on a daily basis? Who among us hasn’t wondered how a bridge could simply collapse for no reason and with no warning?

Of course, bridges don’t simply collapse for no reason and with no warning. The State on Minnesota had been warned seventeen years ago that the bridge was structurally deficient. And in the State of Minnesota, as with nearly every other state in the country, long-needed infrastructure repairs have been put off for another day. An official from the Department of Transportation acknowledged yesterday that nearly a quarter of all bridges in America are structurally deficient.

And it’s not just bridges. Here in my hometown of Milwaukee, for example, we have a county park system that used to be a local treasure. But as a direct result of the “low tax” mentality that has gripped politicians for the past thirty years, the number of maintenance employees has been slashed from 750 a decade ago to 250 today. The park district now has nearly $200 million in deferred maintenance and park workers are clearing fallen trees by hand because they can’t afford new chainsaws.

From freeway bridges to local parks to public schools, the conservative philosophy has been to keep taxes so low as to prevent government from being effective and, if necessary, to require the public commons to wither and decay. In the face of smaller and smaller budgets, only the most necessary maintenance and repairs get done, and the rest are left until they become critical (and more expensive).

“My goal,” said conservative activist Grover Norquist, “is to get government to the size where we can drown it in the bathtub.” No doubt the families of the motorists who drowned in the Mississippi River this week will be amused by Norquist’s analogy.

Let’s be clear about something. The conservative approach to taxation is foolish on a good day and downright dangerous the rest of the time. Any time a conservative politician talks about cutting taxes, he’s talking about robbing our future in return for short-term gains. And let be clear about something else. The short term gains are going almost entirely to the wealthiest individuals and corporations at the expense of everybody else.

If taxation is the price we pay for civilization, then it’s clear that conservatives have an undying animosity toward the twentieth century. They would prefer a world where only the wealthiest families can obtain a quality education and only the privileged would receive adequate health care. The elderly and the infirm would be, quite simply, left to live or die through their own resources.

If the tragedy in Minneapolis can have one lasting effect, let it be that the public will finally understand that taxes are vital for building strong communities and a strong nation. We’ve gone too far in the pursuit of foreign trade agreements and foreign wars. It’s time to invest at home, but for the people of Minneapolis, it’s too late.

[Locrian]

1. economic terrorism

The corporate take over has created a fear environment where everybody is clinging to what is left of jobs. Taxation is then used as a wedge to cut more services, privatize, etc.

All the while, taxes and responsibilities of the corporations are externalized to the people.


There must be a brake put on the corporate state. They are selling the entire country - lock stock and barrel for short term gains. In the end, there will be nothing left: no industry, no jobs, no wealth except at the upper <1% of the population.

Take a look here at what is already GONE.

http://www.economyincrisis.org/



America Is Masquerading As a Super Power, but Unable to Support Itself
by Tom Rafter - Print Article

America is a superpower? Maybe not. US military strength is unparalleled- spending more on military than the next 14 nations combined. But a superpower needs more than a military leg to stand on - it needs a dynamic and robust economy. The military muscle of the United States is masking the unsustainable downward economic spiral of the century- a country that can’t stand on its own two feet economically due to failed policies, mismanagement and massive debts.

The numbers since 1987 show escalating debt and an America living beyond its means, primarily on imports, and borrowed money:

Home Mortgages from $1.8 trillion to $8.2 trillion.
Consumer debt from $2.7 trillion to $11 trillion.
Government budget debt approaching $9 trillion.
Household debt has quadrupled .
2006 balance of trade debt at $765 billion.

These debts are increasing at alarming rates. Take for example the Balance of Trade Deficit, which looks at the amount of imports versus exports a country produces and consumes. The United States has posted a negative BOT deficit since 1971 and recently this number has skyrocketed:

Year US Balance of Trade Deficits

2001 $361 billion
2002 $421 billion
2003 $495 billion
2004 $611 billion
2005 $711 billion
2006 $765 billion

As of 2006, the United States was importing $1,450,000 per minute more than it was exporting.

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

2. Citizens for Tax Justice

It's a website that has some really good information, but doesn't update nearly often enough for me.

In a study of 250 major corporations between 2001 and 2003, they found that they underpaid a collective $41.7 billion in state incomes taxes alone. That doesn't count how much they managed to skate on federal income taxes and the "tax incentives" provided for them by local governments (i.e., property tax relief). My guess is that we could have $20-30 billion per year in tax revenues if we just forced companies to pay their fair share.

[JohnShadows]

3. More people die on the highways over 3 months..

... than did on 9/11.

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

4. Good Point

When it comes to threats to the public. The more mundane stuff is far more likely than a terrorist attack.