Jim Hightower: Corporate Flimflammers in Our Communities and Congress

[marmar]

via CommonDreams:



Published on Wednesday, November 17, 2010 by Creators.com
Corporate Flimflammers in Our Communities and Congress

by Jim Hightower


The signature phrase of America's booming good food movement has been expanded from "organic" to "local and sustainable."

Good! The phrase suggests great quality, strong environmental stewardship and a commitment to keeping our food dollars in the local economy. If you support the local-economies movement, as I do, no doubt you'll be thrilled to hear that a new, local food store is coming soon to your neighborhood. In fact, it's even named Neighborhood Market.

Only, it's not. It's a Wal-Mart. Yes, the $400-billion-a-year retail behemoth, with 2 million employees laboring in 8,500 stores spread around the globe, now is putting on a "local" mask. The giant is promising to buy 9 percent of the produce it'll sell from local farmers. Big whoopie. This means that 91 percent of the foodstuffs offered in its "Neighborhood" chain will come from Wayawayland. Wal-Mart is to local what near beer is to beer. Near beer is not beer ... and Wal-Mart is not local.

But even the 9 percent number is a deceit, for Wal-Mart says that it defines "local" as grown in the same state. Excuse me, but in California, Florida, Texas and other such sizable states, that can be a mighty long truck-haul away. Not exactly what us locals would call "local." ...........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.commondreams.org/view/2010/11/17-6

[w8liftinglady]

1. See...a few of us in Texas are "the good guys"

[marmar]

2. Jim Hightower is a treasure.

nt

[xchrom]

4. +1

[Octafish]

5. Lot of good guys in Texas.

New Braunfels...Austin...Foat Wuhth...

[w8liftinglady]

7. hey..don't forget Ellis County..Joe barton's stomping grounds

...I live here
:nopity:

[OneGrassRoot]

3. Wow, a blast from the past...

My very first job was working for US Tel, in Dallas, one of the "baby bells." And I worked for the lobbyist.

What an eye opener right out of the friggin gate! :eyes:

I have fond memories of Mr. Hightower; not so much others.

[Octafish]

6. KRB a must-read, IMFO.

From Jim Hightower's "Corporate Flimflammers in Our Communities and Congress":

A Bloomberg News reporter reveals that Google transfers a big chunk of its annual profits to a subsidiary in Ireland. Then, prior to tax time, Google funnels these profits into a shell corporation in the Netherlands, from which they are bounced into yet another shell corporation in Bermuda. It's not natural beauty that draws Google to the islands, but the fact that Bermuda assesses no taxes on corporate profits. Bottom line: Google escapes paying a billion dollars a year that it ethically owes in U.S. taxes.

Do no evil. Da.

[Hannah Bell]

9. another reason for the "deficit problem"

[walldude]

10. Yeah I notice here hasn't been a single mention of

closing tax loopholes and stopping corporate giveaways. Just S.S. and Medicare. Can't place a burden like that on Wal-Mart, lets drop it on the seniors. Ugh.

[leftstreet]

8. K&R