TheWiseOldFart

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart If any of the old adages are true, one stands above all others: “Money is the root of all evil.” Therefore, I make a logical allegation: the United States is an evil country. It has morphed from a capitalistic nation to a plutocracy. The super-rich can have any physical possession their desire. However, most are without morals, social responsibility, and principles. This is the only reason why most of our nation’s 801 billionaires support another disastrous Trump presidency. Trump has openly promised these greedy men and women additional tax breaks if the world crumbles and he wins the Electoral College next week. Two of the most egregious are Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk. When Trump gave permanent tax breaks to major corporations in 2018, Amazon, one of the most profitable corporations in the world, paid zero dollars in taxes the following year. The owner? Jeff Bezos. The staffs at both the Washington Post and the Los Angeles Times expressed their intent to endorse

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart When Congress allowed big businesses to incorporate in 1906, they literally offered both tax dodges, and the right to conduct business with few restrictions. The 14 th Amendment, as interpreted by the Supreme Court, gave corporations “personhood,” with the same “rights” as regular citizens. One of those decisions involved “citizens united,” when the rules regarding campaign contributions by corporations changed, and the super-rich were allowed to “buy” elections. I have learned over my 78 years that all corporations are evil: all of their CEO’s etc., are greedy and make outrageous profits while causing great harm to consumers. “Greedflation” is the practice of unnecessarily raising the costs of commodities for the sole purpose of increasing profits. The corporations who provide our food continue to overprice every item at your grocery store, and the only reason is pure greed. THE WORST OF THE WORST It is true that all corporations are disrespected, and should b

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart Let me take you back to how America’s economy functioned in the 20th century. When I was a young man in the late 1950’s and 1960’s I learned about capitalism and how our country flourished throughout the early 20 th century. If a corporation declared a profit of 30 percent or more, it was considered to be one of the top corporations in America. These profits were shared with their employees, and reinvested into their companies to ensure continued growth. Of course some of the profits were awarded to a successful management team in the form of shares in the corporation or bonuses. PROFITS ARE NOW OFF THE CHARTS, AND EMPLOYEES NO LONGER SHARE IN THEIR SUCCESS Today’s large corporations declare profits of 300, 400, 500 percent or more. We have no way of knowing the real number thanks to the tax code. The tax code contains 6,871 pages. Most of those pages are what we call “loopholes,” ways for the super-rich to avoid paying their fair share of taxes. They

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart   From the time I could afford to purchase my first automobile, I began to understand why everyone complained about gas prices.   Now, at the mature age of 77, I can tell you why they piss of f just about everyone .   The oil and gas industry began the practice of “Greedflation” about 50 years ago. Whenever they had ac cidents , spills or were forced to make expensive repairs to their aging equipment, they would arbitrarily raise prices at the pump. If you live near a resort area, like me, you notice that the prices are much higher in that area than where you live. I live near Lake Tahoe, and not only is this a fact, the se companies raise prices down here in Reno and up in Lake Tahoe prior to every holiday. Tahoe no longer has a commercial airport.   LAST WEEK TRUMP OFFERED 20 OIL EXECUTIVES A BRIBE   It was revealed that last week Trump met with 20 gas and oil executives at Mar-a-Lago. He told them that if they would donate one-billion dollars to his re

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart The United States of America has become a Plutocracy thanks to the anti-American efforts of those who call themselves “conservatives,” the TEA Party and the Freedom Caucus. Our country is no longer a Democratic Republic, as designed by our Founding Fathers. It is now under the control of 765 billionaires. If you are angry about the 40 percent increase in your grocery bill, I understand. If your utility bill has risen by 30-50 percent, I feel your  anger. If you live on a fixed income, and your overall cost of living has increased by 30-70 percent, you should hate corporations and your government which are complicit with the wealthy to make your lives more difficult. The average Social Security COLA is less than four percent. Both the 2010 and the 2020 Decennial Census’ revealed a disturbing fact. Adjusting for inflation, the average working family has not received an increase in their income for nearly 40 years, while the number of billionaires and millionaires

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart “America is the richest country in the world:” “America is the greatest country in the world.” The former are two phrases professional politicians use ad nauseam. The second claim is absolutely 100 percent false: it’s not even close to the truth. Our country is far behind other developed nations in many areas including healthcare and education. However, the only one which matters, is quality of life. We are last in the world. As for being the richest country, this only applies to about five percent of our nation’s people. At least one-half of all Americans struggle in the low-income demographic or with incomes which are below the poverty line. The middle class is diminishing. Earnings for a middle class in the U.S. ranged between $43,350 and $130,000 annually in 2021. It has become extremely difficult to find employment which offers what is now a middle-class income. You must remember Trump’s only accomplishment over four years was a tax cut. However, the only p

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart   When I was 10-12 years old, my favorite candy bar was the Milky Way. I would often buy one as I walked home from school. It cost me five cents. The last time I shopped at a store, a smaller version of that same candy bar cost $1.18. I can no longer be on my feet long enough to shop. However, my wife was shopping today and sent me a text with a picture of candy bars on a shelf. The cost was about $3.59 each, and they looked even smaller. Can you say “Greedflation?” And people wonder why I hate corporations.   Millions of Americans choose to deny the truth. In our grocery stores, consumers pay the same or a greater price for every item they purchase , although the content is less than it was one year ago. For example, a package of bacon which sold for $3.99 a pound, 16 oz ., is now just 12 oz ., costing an average of $5.99. The same is true for a half-gallon of ice cream, at about the same rate.   These examples prove that there are numerous cases of fraud pe