30 U.S. Corporations Paid More to Lobby Than Income Taxes

[ZRod]

Heard about this on the Daily Show interview tonight and hadn't seen anything in this forum about it. Not completely surprising to see some of the companies up there I guess, but the amount of money spent on congress is outrageous. Not to mention that companies can get away with only paying 1% in income tax, or like 29 of the 30, collect a tax rebate. They also don't pay state income tax, which means the states missed out on about $42 billion over 3 years. All the while they are laying off employees and the CEO's are getting raises.

 

http://www.ibtimes.c...-paid-lobby.htm

 

By employing a plethora of tax-dodging techniques, 30 multi-million dollar American corporations expended more money lobbying Congress than they paid in federal income taxes between 2008 and 2010, ultimately spending approximately $400,000 every day -- including weekends -- during that three-year period to lobby lawmakers and influence political elections, according to a new report from the non-partisan Public Campaign.

 

Of the 30 companies analyzed in the report... 29 of them managed to pay no federal taxes from 2008 to 2010.

 

Moreover, as it was laying off employees, General Electric gave their top executives a 27 percent pay raise between 2008 and 2010 -- executives received more than $75 million in compensation in 2010.

[rawhide]

moved it. Free enterprise at it's best

 

I got mine; screw everyone else teh sux mindset

 

 

GBR

[JJ Husker]

Further proof that the real problem is the system and it is centered in Washington DC. Some like to create a class warfare of it and point to the rich as the wrong doers. Others like to point at the poor and blame them for dragging things down. But those are just symptoms of the real disease which is our current dysfunctional political system (democrats and republicans alike) that allow this to continue and grow. It is no wonder that Obama and so many others are pointing their fingers at Wallstreet, corporate America, and the rich. I think they are realizing more each day that more of the people are beginning to figure it out. If you're one of the ones still blaming the 1%, you're not quite there yet. Might want to start with the apparatus that allowed those people into the 1% and then look at who ALL of our politicians really answer to. Sure they'll patronize you and throw you a bone now and then to get elected but then what? They put a lot of energy into keeping left and right fighting but that is just to deflect attention so they can keep screwing us.

[redblooded]

Further proof that the real problem is the system and it is centered in Washington DC. Some like to create a class warfare of it and point to the rich as the wrong doers. Others like to point at the poor and blame them for dragging things down. But those are just symptoms of the real disease which is our current dysfunctional political system (democrats and republicans alike) that allow this to continue and grow. It is no wonder that Obama and so many others are pointing their fingers at Wallstreet, corporate America, and the rich. I think they are realizing more each day that more of the people are beginning to figure it out. If you're one of the ones still blaming the 1%, you're not quite there yet. Might want to start with the apparatus that allowed those people into the 1% and then look at who ALL of our politicians really answer to. Sure they'll patronize you and throw you a bone now and then to get elected but then what? They put a lot of energy into keeping left and right fighting but that is just to deflect attention so they can keep screwing us.

 

Hell I think we completely agree, the actual root of this is the root of all evil... our monetary policy. Woodrow Wilson will be looked at as both the idiot that allowed it by signing the fed into existance and the prophet that saw it coming when he said:

 

"I am a most unhappy man. I have unwittingly ruined my country. A great industrial nation is controlled by its system of credit. Our system of credit is concentrated. The growth of the nation, therefore, and all our activities are in the hands of a few men. We have come to be one of the worst ruled, one of the most completely controlled and dominated Governments in the civilized world no longer a Government by free opinion, no longer a Government by conviction and the vote of the majority, but a Government by the opinion and duress of a small group of dominant men."

[Lil' Red]

This is why the Occupy Wall Street protests have a valid gripe..

[JJ Husker]

This is why the Occupy Wall Street protests have a valid gripe..

some of it is a valid gripe and I would argue that it would be much more appropriate for them to be called Occupy Washington DC. They focus their rage on the people exploiting the system whereas I feel it should be more focused on the people creating and encouraging the system to even exist. I think the Tea Party is much closer to having it right. Both groups are sort of on the right track. Unfortunately, I think the right track is full blown revolution. Our founding fathers knew this well and also foresaw that it would likely be needed again.

[zoogs]

Did they? I thought they worked pretty hard in creating a Constitution such that it wouldn't.

 

And full-blown revolution? That would be extremely radical.

[carlfense]

Did they? I thought they worked pretty hard in creating a Constitution such that it wouldn't.

 

And full-blown revolution? That would be extremely radical.

He might be referring to the old "tree of liberty" quote.

 

I think you have it correct.

[VectorVictor]

Further proof that the real problem is the system and it is centered in Washington DC. Some like to create a class warfare of it and point to the rich as the wrong doers. Others like to point at the poor and blame them for dragging things down. But those are just symptoms of the real disease which is our current dysfunctional political system (democrats and republicans alike) that allow this to continue and grow. It is no wonder that Obama and so many others are pointing their fingers at Wallstreet, corporate America, and the rich. I think they are realizing more each day that more of the people are beginning to figure it out. If you're one of the ones still blaming the 1%, you're not quite there yet. Might want to start with the apparatus that allowed those people into the 1% and then look at who ALL of our politicians really answer to. Sure they'll patronize you and throw you a bone now and then to get elected but then what? They put a lot of energy into keeping left and right fighting but that is just to deflect attention so they can keep screwing us.

 

Hell I think we completely agree, the actual root of this is the root of all evil... our monetary policy. Woodrow Wilson will be looked at as both the idiot that allowed it by signing the fed into existance and the prophet that saw it coming when he said:

 

"I am a most unhappy man. I have unwittingly ruined my country. A great industrial nation is controlled by its system of credit. Our system of credit is concentrated. The growth of the nation, therefore, and all our activities are in the hands of a few men. We have come to be one of the worst ruled, one of the most completely controlled and dominated Governments in the civilized world no longer a Government by free opinion, no longer a Government by conviction and the vote of the majority, but a Government by the opinion and duress of a small group of dominant men."

 

Source?

Further proof that the real problem is the system and it is centered in Washington DC. Some like to create a class warfare of it and point to the rich as the wrong doers. Others like to point at the poor and blame them for dragging things down. But those are just symptoms of the real disease which is our current dysfunctional political system (democrats and republicans alike) that allow this to continue and grow. It is no wonder that Obama and so many others are pointing their fingers at Wallstreet, corporate America, and the rich. I think they are realizing more each day that more of the people are beginning to figure it out. If you're one of the ones still blaming the 1%, you're not quite there yet. Might want to start with the apparatus that allowed those people into the 1% and then look at who ALL of our politicians really answer to. Sure they'll patronize you and throw you a bone now and then to get elected but then what? They put a lot of energy into keeping left and right fighting but that is just to deflect attention so they can keep screwing us.

 

Yet, the rich are the ones that lobbied hard for capital gains taxes to be lowered significantly and paid off a certain party to provide proper judiciary appointments that would rule money expenditures as free speech, corporations as people, and the private use of eminent domain as acceptable.

 

Yes, money needs to be taken out of the equation in Washington, especially considering the concentration of wealth at the top is the worst it has been since the Great Depression. But when the people who own this wealth create and fund astroturf organizations such as the Tea Party to confuse and obfuscate the issues at hand to their own benefit (see Wisconsin and Koch Industries coming in and grabbing no-bid contracts) it's difficult to get a consensus (hence the point of the Tea Party's existence).

 

Washington won't stop taking the money, because it's a gravy train with biscuit wheels that plans to keep on rolling. Both parties have worked in tandem to make it extremely hard for a viable third party to happen in politics, and politics again is tilted towards the size of war chests, not the value of the message or the messenger.

 

And I think a full-blown revolution is radical, but that's the nonsense one expects from a bought and paid-for movement like the Tea Party and people that unwittingly go along with it without question.

[Sub-Husker]

This is why the Occupy Wall Street protests have a valid gripe..

 

some of it is a valid gripe and I would argue that it would be much more appropriate for them to be called Occupy Washington DC. They focus their rage on the people exploiting the system whereas I feel it should be more focused on the people creating and encouraging the system to even exist. I think the Tea Party is much closer to having it right. Both groups are sort of on the right track. Unfortunately, I think the right track is full blown revolution. Our founding fathers knew this well and also foresaw that it would likely be needed again.

 

No, Wall Street is the source of the problem in Washington, and on Main Street.

 

While most of our elected officials and their appointees really suck, we get stuck with them because Wall Street funds our electoral process and owns our media.

[Cactusboy]

Further proof that the real problem is the system and it is centered in Washington DC. Some like to create a class warfare of it and point to the rich as the wrong doers. Others like to point at the poor and blame them for dragging things down. But those are just symptoms of the real disease which is our current dysfunctional political system (democrats and republicans alike) that allow this to continue and grow. It is no wonder that Obama and so many others are pointing their fingers at Wallstreet, corporate America, and the rich. I think they are realizing more each day that more of the people are beginning to figure it out. If you're one of the ones still blaming the 1%, you're not quite there yet. Might want to start with the apparatus that allowed those people into the 1% and then look at who ALL of our politicians really answer to. Sure they'll patronize you and throw you a bone now and then to get elected but then what? They put a lot of energy into keeping left and right fighting but that is just to deflect attention so they can keep screwing us.

 

Great post.

 

and to be clear...the vast majority of OWS types wouldn't "hate" the 1% if the system wasn't rigged for them. Have them pay the same tax rates and get their influence out of DC and we'd all think of them as we did the Fresh Prince and Carlton.

[Cactusboy]

Most politicians have to play the game of going along w/ the system if they want to get reelected. It's the only way they can get contributions to their campaign and keep the big money away from who they run against. What needs to happen to change all this is for the voters to wake up and demand change. They need to make it safe for the politicans to make the moves they need to make...w/out fear of getting voted out by naive/blind voters. That's why voters can't get suckered into the "they just hate and are jealous of the rich...they want redistribution of wealth(everyone makes the same), they're sociialists!"

 

This is my biggest beef w/ the Tea Party. Why don't they demand these things? WHy aren't they for getting money out of politices. Sure some in the TP will say they are, but are the leaders...the ones that get on TV? The politicians that got elected by them?

[JJ Husker]

I see hit a few nerves with the revolution statement and trying to at least equally blame Washington along with the 1% that control Washington. What I want someone to explain to me is; if we don't fix Washington first, how are we ever going to correct the 1% problem in Wall Street, corp America, or with the rich?

 

It is sort of a chicken or egg argument and they both do feed off of each other but, I have only seen the problem getting worse. The only recourse most (99%) of us have has to go through Washington. Their power comes from the money and much of the money is created due to that power. We can sit here and bitch about the 1% all we want but until Washington puts an end to it we're just wasting our time. I don't care if you are republican or democrat, liberal or conservative, neither side is going to really do anything to help this problem. They'll sure say they are or will. It will all sound fine and dandy in a speech but they will not volunteer to cut off their funding and they will not quit catering to the 1% until we the people make them stop. You can disparage the Tea Party all you want (I agree with a lot of what I think they stand for but, also have reservations about some of the same things the anti-TP people do) but the fact remains that we have to take our country back from the 1% AND Washington. Neither of those 2 groups is going to volunteer for less power or less money or willingly give it up. Thus my revolution statement. If you think it won't have to come to that, please explain how.

[Sub-Husker]

Most politicians have to play the game of going along w/ the system if they want to get reelected. It's the only way they can get contributions to their campaign and keep the big money away from who they run against. What needs to happen to change all this is for the voters to wake up and demand change. They need to make it safe for the politicans to make the moves they need to make...w/out fear of getting voted out by naive/blind voters. That's why voters can't get suckered into the "they just hate and are jealous of the rich...they want redistribution of wealth(everyone makes the same), they're sociialists!"

 

That system in Washington is funded by Wall Street.

 

We would not have nearly the problem we have in Washington if corporate (and union) money was removed from elections.

 

The longer our drawn out electoral process gets, the more it costs to run a campaign.

 

This endless cycle of constant campaigning only benefits those that can afford it... because they've already bought the system. It isn't costly for them, it is reinvestment with a high rate of return.

[Sub-Husker]

I see hit a few nerves with the revolution statement and trying to at least equally blame Washington along with the 1% that control Washington. What I want someone to explain to me is; if we don't fix Washington first, how are we ever going to correct the 1% problem in Wall Street, corp America, or with the rich?

 

Your pushing the cart in front of the course.

 

Washington cannot be fixed while it is owned by Wall Street.

 

It will take brave and informed American voters to fix the problem.

 

That means we're screwed.