Guess which states don’t want you to see how they spend your money. Are they blue or red states?

A network of US Public Interest Research Groups (US PIRGs) produced a report revealing that forty-six states now “allow residents to access checkbook-level information about government expenditures online.” Guess which states don’t allow citizens to check on how their hard earned money is being spent? Are they red or blue states? If they’re red states, you’ve got to ask yourself why Republicans lord over the most secretive and intrusive governments while railing against these governmental qualities.

Click here for spending data from all fifty states

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The 99 Percent is Hurtling Toward Third World Status. Is the End Game Playing Out in California?

The unfortunate consequences of thirty years of government legislation that freely redistributes income from working people to the one percent via such policies as free trade treaties and deregulation has brought the United States to its financial knees. As the 99 percent hurtles toward third world status, the battle is nearing its end game in California where free trade treaties have ripped away much of the tax base by shipping jobs overseas, and leaving a blistering state budget shortfall of over $9 billion.

When you ship or create a job overseas, members of the one percent receive the difference between the old wages here and the new lower wages there via higher corporate profits, dividends and share prices than would otherwise be the case.

In most cases, deregulation means higher prices for customers, as well as less customer service. The difference paid for goods and services at the old lower prices and the new higher prices goes into the pockets of the wealthy, and in the same way as happens when free ‘income redistribution” trade treaties are enacted.

While trade treaties and deregulation have hammered California, the state has problems that go beyond these two destructive policies. Immigration, both legal and illegal, is a problem for the state. When a nation is shipping jobs overseas and destroying the tax base in the process, importing millions of workers puts tremendous stress on tax bases that are already imploding. When a nation imports workers, it’s taking jobs away from its citizens and putting downward pressure on their compensation even if they retain their jobs; the difference between the old wages and the new goes into the pockets of the one percent via the same path as occurs from free trade treaties.

California is home to millions of recent immigrants, legal and illegal. The 99 percent pays the bulk of the taxes to educate the children of these immigrants, as well as additional taxes for police, fire, welfare and more.

In other words, the federal government has designed the whole economic system to redistribute income from working people to the one percent while ensuring that the 99 percent bare all of the costs of these redistribution programs. It’s a rigged game, as in the outcome of the redistribution game has been legislatively rigged in the halls of congress. The outcome is fixed, like a corrupt boxing match in which the loser is paid to fall down for the ten count in a preordained round.

Now here’s an attitude problem. The one percent, for the most part, don’t believe they should have to bare any of the costs of redistributing income from the 99 percent to themselves. And that’s how the battle over taxes in California are shaping up.

click here for a blow by blow analysis of the battle shaping up in California

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Doonesbury Goes Viral!

Doonesbury has been buried by newspapers recently because of his strips showing how invasive government of the Republicans can be. Slate seems to be the only news outlet willing to carry the series while it’s fixated on government of the invasive. It is a controversial topic this past week. It concerns rape and abortion.

Click here for Doonesbury Goes Viral

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