A Call For Corporate Taxation and a Required National Wage

An economist warns that "advances in technology and automation are set to wipe out up to half of all jobs in the developed world."

RBS Warns: Sell Everything

A small bit from the article:

RBS economists have urged investors to sell everything except high-quality bonds, warning of a “fairly cataclysmic year ahead.”

If that isn't a call for a national, base wage to all citizens, I don't know what is.

Also reason why all corporations should pay a minimum tax and not be able to deduct their way out of paying any taxes or, worse, get a rebate or, worse yet, offshore profits or be able to.

Another good, related article:

There will be chaos: Big Oil's collapse and the birth of a new world order

The current rout in oil prices has obvious implications for the giant oil firms and all the ancillary businesses — equipment suppliers, drill-rig operators, shipping companies, caterers, and so on — that depend on them for their existence. It also threatens a profound shift in the geopolitical fortunes of the major energy-producing countries. Many of them, including Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Russia, and Venezuela, are already experiencing economic and political turmoil as a result. (Think of this, for instance, as a boon for the terrorist group Boko Haram as Nigeria shudders under the weight of those falling prices.) The longer such price levels persist, the more devastating the consequences are likely to be.

If anything like or near these "worst case scenarios" take place, governments and corporations the world over may HAVE to give and require a minimum payout to their citizens, just to keep the economic world spinning.

Here's a perfect example and it's from a current article.

Chinese factory replaces 90% of humans 

with robots

A nation of more than 1.4 billion people and the companies, the corporations replaced, as the headline shows, the vast majority of the employees with machines.

If corporations and nations don't give a minimum payout to their citizens, who will be able to buy the  products that keep this whole merry go round turning?

Labor Ready: The big, shameful success on the backs of the poor, Part I (of 5)

I've been doing some research and have to report on what I have found to be the shameful and very shameless success of the Labor Ready temporary help company and how it's so very much on the backs of the poor and working poor. As it shows above, this is part one--the first way they expoit their help so grossly--of 5 total parts (unless I find yet more ways). The first example of how they exploit their employees is that they charge their corporate and company clients approximately at least $16 per hour for each employee. The employee--worker's--take? Usually $7.25 per hour. So you know, this is virtually always very back-breaking work, too, so you know. They keep $9.00 per hour for every $7.25 the hard-working employee gets. That's the first one. Trust me, it gets worse. MUCH worse. More later.

Unfortunately, Missouri and Kansas are on this national ranking list

With the Gulf oil spill at the forefront of our minds, The Daily Beast came out with a list yesterday of the top 28 (why not 25?, I know) most polluted places in the US.

I was hoping maybe we weren't on the list but, lo and behold, there we are, Missouri and Kansas.

I think it's important to be aware of these, generally, so we know what we're dealing with locally.

I think, too, that it's important we're aware of this kind of thing so a) we learn from the past and past mistakes and so b) we hold corporations and our government accountable for this kind of thing, so they don't pollute and foul the earth, water and/or air, make huge profits and then walk away.

I know, America, it's tough but we have to start learning lessons eventually.

Our two state sites:

#24, Joplin, Missouri: Oronogo-Duenweg Mining Belt

Acres: 6,400; Population: 10,000; Toxic chemicals: 4

History: One of a few Superfund sites located in the tri-state mining district which encompassed parts of Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma, the Oronogo-Duenweg area is spotted with mine shafts, waste piles and abandoned underground mines. Water in the area was found laced with lead.

#26, Galena, Kansas: Cherokee County

Acres: 73,600; Population: 50,000; Toxic chemicals: 13

History: As part of the Tri-State Mining District, along with parts of Missouri and Oklahoma, Cherokee County, Kansas was the site of extensive lead and zinc mining in the late 19th century. Hundreds of mines were thriving in the early 1900s, but activity slowed by the 1930s. Though much of the toxic byproduct from decades of mining and smelting in the area has been removed, and water treatment and soil removal has been completed, the ground and surface water still contain traces of cadmium, lead and zinc.

At least it's good to see that we're further down this list and not too close to the top where the even uglier polluting went on. We have that in our favor.

If you can take a moment, you might go to this link and read about some of the other sites, nationally. What these corporations did and left behind for the country is truly disgusting.

Link to original story:
http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2010-05-19/americas-28-most-polluted-places/