State of the Corporation

Several themes tonight. Jobs, Deficit, Taxes, the Future, and more.

Jobs: Corporations are making record profits, why are they not hiring? The free-market economy is NOT creating jobs!

Deficit and Taxes: I would love to see a smaller government. I would love to pay less taxes. But I do not want to see that happen on the backs of people who are struggling to put food on their tables, struggling to pay for essential live saving medications or medical treatment, or who are striving to start their own small businesses. Should our companies be paying the highest corporate taxes in the world? No. But should the oil companies be getting subsidies? No. Should loopholes be closed so that companies actually PAY their taxes? Yes. Is there room for cutting in government, yes, but of course that means job cuts. Is there room for entitlement cuts? No. Is there room for cuts in military spending YES!!! Lets be reasonable about our budget, deficit and taxes. We all would like more spending money in our pockets, but there are vital, and moral reasons for paying taxes for many government programs.

Furthermore... if corporations and republicans really want to push for free-markets, free-enterprise, allowing the markets to correct what ails us, at least be open about what we are buying! Let's have complete transparency in your decision making, your motivations, and why you think this product is the best product and what you have done to ensure that it is the best product on the market. Likewise for politicians, what are you getting from the lobbyists, and what are they getting in return? Let's open this up and have complete transparency! One can only wonder why Democrats support this notion and Republicans oppose it!

The Future: Obama made a great point about accepting the reality of today's job market. We cannot look back at manufacturing jobs, we must look forward. We must educate our children (and pay our teachers more), and we must become innovators once again. Children are the future and it is time we put a lot more investment in them.

Corporations: I am very anti-big corporation. Not because I am against the idea of big corporations, but because they have one goal in mind, making more money. Why is it that 60 years ago a company could make a refrigerator that would last 20, 30 even 40 years, and now we are recommended to get 2 or 5 year extended warranties for brand new products? Planned Obsolescence! Corporations are not looking to make great products, they are looking to make a fast buck. If you keep your fridge for 20 years, then they can't sell you another one in 5 years. If someone wants to sell me an extended warranty for their product, I don't want their product. If it cannot last even 2 years without breaking, they can keep it.