I've always wondered what paying taxes is like for the rich?... For instance, when I do my taxes the amount claimed as earned income is barley reaching above poverty level, but I bet for my peers (only by age) like Paris Hilton, there's a lot more 0's after their 2's. So what's it like for entrepreneur Ms. Hilton to write a check to the IRS that I imagine should be more than I grossed all year? Because that's what I figure, that stars, rich business owners and others of their kind have to write a fat check to Uncle Sam every April. Unless they hide their money in offshore Swiss bank accounts?! Which we will soon find out when the auspicious UBS Swiss Bank reveals several hundred names who have done exactly that.
Facing indictment, UBS has agreed to open it's records and give U.S. authorities information on 19,000 U.S. citizens who are being investigated for tax evasion. UBS also has agreed to pay $780 million to settle the government investigation (this means that $780 million was a better deal than if authorities were to indict them and most likely take a whole bunch more from their piggy bank).
So I am eagerly awaiting to hear who didn't or couldn't head UBS's advice to liquidate assets, burn banking records, stash valuables in offshore deposit boxes, and all other CIA like maneuvers to disassociate themselves from UBS. Because while the majority of Americans are working long hours, struggling to pay mortgages, tuition, find affordable health care, retire, etc., these rich assholes think that they are above the law and don't consider themselves to be in the same pool as the rest of us law abiding citizens!
And I felt bad for not disclosing my $100 interest on my savings account?!
Reference: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/19/business/worldbusiness/19ubs.html?_r=1&hp
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Global Recession - What's That?
Recession, according to Webster's Dictionary is a word that has been around since 1652. It has three definitions listed, the last of which we hear so much about - "a period of reduced economic activity."
Globalization; this word hasn't had the longevity of recession (circa 1951), but is currently equally as trendy. As defined by the aforementioned bible for words, globalization is "the development of an increasingly integrated global economy, marked especially by free trade, free flow of capital, and the tapping of cheaper foreign labor markets."
When I typed global recession in Webster's online dictionary, no results were found. So I meshed, molded, and squeezed these two definitions together and came up with this: No longer can the backs of cheap laborers support the insatiable greed that is so palatable in developed nations.
The disgusting truth is that every one of us (producer or consumer) has played a role in the demise of our global economy. It's easier to find fault on the producer end of the spectrum (this is where I will cite the banking industry) however, the transparency is not as vivid when looking at our individual roles in the worlds largest reoccurring Black Monday.
Coffee, the worlds second most valuable traded commodity (oil is first), commands an industry exceeding $80billion annually (Black Gold) and is a prime example of an underlying cause of global recession (as I defined!).
Here's the abridged version of what's happening in the coffee industry; lots of people (like millions!) drink coffee and they buy it from unfairly traded coffee retailers (Starbucks, Nestle, Proctor and Gamble, etc.). The end results is consumers (drinkers of the coffee) pay over $2 for a grande coffee at Starbucks, netting a profit of $0.04 for the farmers, $0.07 for the middleman, and $1.89 to Starbucks. This ratio is not good, and an American farming corporation would never do business under these circumstances; but it gets worse. The $0.04 has to be divided among all the farmers who contributed to that particular yield! Try and divide $0.04 among 100's of people; doesn't work so well. As the documentary Black Gold illustrates, the unfair price of coffee has resulted in thousands of coffee farmers to abandon the crop to instead produce chad - an illegal drug that is much more profitable.
Coffee is one of many examples of cheap labor paying high dividends to multinational corporations. But it doesn't stop there, violations of labor laws (Wal-Mart), and environmental degradation/destruction (Agrobusiness -Cargill) progress the downward spiral of human rights violations and irreversible environmental destruction.
As I stated before, the world's richest and the it's poorest can no longer withstand the gaping canyon between one another - result: global recession. In order to emerge from this global cancer, the rich (which includes all citizens in developed countries) need to live with less, want less and realize that our place on Earth is intertwined with every inhabitant residing here. Therefore, our daily actions from the purchase of a cup of coffee to residing in a 4000sq. ft. home takes away from the livelihood of someone else on Earth. The economic pie cannot be re baked, it's a one size fits all kinda deal; the more you take the less someone else has, it's truly that simple!
P.S. The United Nations defines poor as earning less than $1.00/day - basically if you're reading this you're not poor.
references: http://www.blackgoldmovie.com/
Globalization; this word hasn't had the longevity of recession (circa 1951), but is currently equally as trendy. As defined by the aforementioned bible for words, globalization is "the development of an increasingly integrated global economy, marked especially by free trade, free flow of capital, and the tapping of cheaper foreign labor markets."
When I typed global recession in Webster's online dictionary, no results were found. So I meshed, molded, and squeezed these two definitions together and came up with this: No longer can the backs of cheap laborers support the insatiable greed that is so palatable in developed nations.
The disgusting truth is that every one of us (producer or consumer) has played a role in the demise of our global economy. It's easier to find fault on the producer end of the spectrum (this is where I will cite the banking industry) however, the transparency is not as vivid when looking at our individual roles in the worlds largest reoccurring Black Monday.
Coffee, the worlds second most valuable traded commodity (oil is first), commands an industry exceeding $80billion annually (Black Gold) and is a prime example of an underlying cause of global recession (as I defined!).
Here's the abridged version of what's happening in the coffee industry; lots of people (like millions!) drink coffee and they buy it from unfairly traded coffee retailers (Starbucks, Nestle, Proctor and Gamble, etc.). The end results is consumers (drinkers of the coffee) pay over $2 for a grande coffee at Starbucks, netting a profit of $0.04 for the farmers, $0.07 for the middleman, and $1.89 to Starbucks. This ratio is not good, and an American farming corporation would never do business under these circumstances; but it gets worse. The $0.04 has to be divided among all the farmers who contributed to that particular yield! Try and divide $0.04 among 100's of people; doesn't work so well. As the documentary Black Gold illustrates, the unfair price of coffee has resulted in thousands of coffee farmers to abandon the crop to instead produce chad - an illegal drug that is much more profitable.
Coffee is one of many examples of cheap labor paying high dividends to multinational corporations. But it doesn't stop there, violations of labor laws (Wal-Mart), and environmental degradation/destruction (Agrobusiness -Cargill) progress the downward spiral of human rights violations and irreversible environmental destruction.
As I stated before, the world's richest and the it's poorest can no longer withstand the gaping canyon between one another - result: global recession. In order to emerge from this global cancer, the rich (which includes all citizens in developed countries) need to live with less, want less and realize that our place on Earth is intertwined with every inhabitant residing here. Therefore, our daily actions from the purchase of a cup of coffee to residing in a 4000sq. ft. home takes away from the livelihood of someone else on Earth. The economic pie cannot be re baked, it's a one size fits all kinda deal; the more you take the less someone else has, it's truly that simple!
P.S. The United Nations defines poor as earning less than $1.00/day - basically if you're reading this you're not poor.
references: http://www.blackgoldmovie.com/
Friday, February 13, 2009
Bailouts are the Best!
Ohh, I love this word bailout! It gets me so excited to think of the magnitude of $700 billion! For instance, I wonder what that amount looks like in my living room? If I were to pile it all up could it fit in my house? Or what if I just wanted $700 billion in singles? You know just $700 billion $1 bills?! To me, like most Americans, $700 billion in inconceivable. The magnitude of it is on the same level as ending world hunger and peace in Africa (another imaginary place to most developed country citizens). Yet you and me are footing the bill which I prefer because I love paying for goods and services that I never see!
Let's face it, $700 billion is a pretty good size chunk of change and frankly putting it in my living room would greatly impact the view of my non digital ready television. So where do you put all that money? Most banks can't answer that question. In fact, I bet if they were audited by the IRS (which we all know only happens to hard working middle class Americans - right Tom Daschle?) banks would be hard pressed to find any paperwork documenting the allocation of funds.
That's why I commend Associated Bank and their generous leader CEO Paul Beideman; at least they can account for some of their hard earned bailout money. Really let's be honest, if someone gave you millions of dollars, no strings attached, wouldn't you spend a little on a winter vacation with you and 100 of your top performers to a high end Puerto Rican resort? That only seems logical! After all it is bailout money and Lord knows the Wisconsin based bank needs a bailout from the harsh Wisconsin winter. That's what bailout means right? Getting you and your friends out of a less than optimal situation (ie. Wisconsin, January?) - no brainer!
Really I don't know what all the fuss is about? Why are politicians appalled and upset at Mr. Beidemans use of hard working Americans, no strings attached, government gifted money? Our fearless, well educated leaders of Congress and Senate know what they're doing. They are the best and the brightest America has to offer; they are freely elected leaders in the world's richest most prosperous country! They wouldn't be so careless with $700 billion! That's a lot of money you know?!
Reference articles:
http://www.jsonline.com/watchdog/noquarter/39504852.html
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/02/03/tom-daschle-withdraws-as-health-nominee/?scp=2&sq=tom%20daschle&st=Search
Let's face it, $700 billion is a pretty good size chunk of change and frankly putting it in my living room would greatly impact the view of my non digital ready television. So where do you put all that money? Most banks can't answer that question. In fact, I bet if they were audited by the IRS (which we all know only happens to hard working middle class Americans - right Tom Daschle?) banks would be hard pressed to find any paperwork documenting the allocation of funds.
That's why I commend Associated Bank and their generous leader CEO Paul Beideman; at least they can account for some of their hard earned bailout money. Really let's be honest, if someone gave you millions of dollars, no strings attached, wouldn't you spend a little on a winter vacation with you and 100 of your top performers to a high end Puerto Rican resort? That only seems logical! After all it is bailout money and Lord knows the Wisconsin based bank needs a bailout from the harsh Wisconsin winter. That's what bailout means right? Getting you and your friends out of a less than optimal situation (ie. Wisconsin, January?) - no brainer!
Really I don't know what all the fuss is about? Why are politicians appalled and upset at Mr. Beidemans use of hard working Americans, no strings attached, government gifted money? Our fearless, well educated leaders of Congress and Senate know what they're doing. They are the best and the brightest America has to offer; they are freely elected leaders in the world's richest most prosperous country! They wouldn't be so careless with $700 billion! That's a lot of money you know?!
Reference articles:
http://www.jsonline.com/watchdog/noquarter/39504852.html
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/02/03/tom-daschle-withdraws-as-health-nominee/?scp=2&sq=tom%20daschle&st=Search
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