Leave No Hummer Owner Behind
The Bushites have hoisted themselves on their own political petard, and — ouch — that can hurt!
The petard in question is George’s famous campaign slogan promising that he would “leave no child behind.” That’s a sweet thought, but it recently smashed up against the rock hard, right-wing ideology of plutocracy that is the governing ethic of this bunch — an ethic that basically preaches, “leave no millionaire behind, and everyone else take the hindmost.”
At issue was George W.’s $350 billion tax giveaway to the wealthiest of the wealthy — the least needy families in America. The millionaire class will enjoy an average of about $93,000 a year from Uncle Sugar in this giveaway. There’s even a special “Hummer deduction” tucked into the bill — sort of like the prize in a box of Cracker Jacks. It gives a tax deduction of up to $100,000 to business owners who buy a vehicle weighing at least 6,000 pounds.
To provide a political sham for this rip-off by the rich, the Bushites tossed in a $400-per-child increase in the child tax credit, allowing George to proclaim with a straight face that his plutocratic boondoggle will “reduce tax rates for everyone who pays income taxes.”
But — oops! — he lied. Nearly 12 million children live in low-income working families that do pay income tax, but were simply excluded from George’s $400 tax credit. That’s one in every six children that he left behind — including, ironically, the children of some 200,000 men and women of the military. Yet, when confronted with this, Tom DeLay, the Bushites’ chief operative in the House, waved his hand dismissively and barked, “There are a lot of things more important than that.”
Yeah, Tom, things like integrity and fairness, and honesty. There you have their “compassionate conservatism” — $100,000 for Hummer owners, and not even $400 for the children of poor working families.
Tax Cheats Get Corporate Welfare
If you abandoned your country, moving your home base to another land in order to dodge paying the taxes you owe to America — would you still have the chutzpah to expect U.S. taxpayers to finance you?
No? Well, that’s probably because your parents raised you better, or because you’re a loyal American … or maybe it’s because you’re not an arrogant, avaricious, global greedhead like Accenture or Ingersoll-Rand. They are among dozens of U.S. firms that have shifted their official corporate headquarters to offshore tax havens like Bermuda, using a loophole that allows them to skip out on some $4 billion a year on U.S. taxes they owe — yet then turn around and bill us taxpayers for a billion bucks’ worth of government work.
For example, Accenture, the huge consulting firm that was created by the sharpies that ran the scandal-ridden Arthur Andersen accounting firm, lists its corporate address as Bermuda so it can shirk federal income taxes, even though it makes most of its money here. Accenture wants all of the benefits of citizenship in the good ol’ USA … but without having to pay its way.
That’s shameful enough, but then these leeches want our government to provide business for them — Accenture grabbed $662 million in federal contracts last year alone. If they’re skipping out on paying their taxes, why should a dime of your and my tax money go to them?
Twice, the U.S. Senate has passed bills saying no more federal contracts should go to these corporate deadbeats, but twice the Bushites and the House leaders have killed the bills. The runaway corporations not only are major campaign donors to the GOP, but they’ve also hired a powerhouse lobbying team that includes two former senators and two former House members who were top committee chairmen.
Instead of paying a bunch of Gucci-clad lobbyists, they should pay their taxes to our country. Rep. Richard Neal has a bill to bring these tax dodgers home. To back it, call Neal’s office: 202/225-5601.
This article appears in June 27 • 2003.