Wall Mart Blips a list

Here we go! Wall Mart Blips 1) Pension Fund Boycotted Walmart For Poor Labor Practices Netherlands' biggest pension fund -- it holds over $300 billion in assets -- pulled its investments from Walmart for not abiding with the United Nations' Global Compact principles, which relate to human rights, labor standards, the environment and anti-corruption efforts. 2) Walmart Involved In Mexico Bribery Campaign When Walmart senior executives found out that Walmart de Mexico had allegedly been involved in a bribery campaign to open new stores, they then allegedly covered it up. 3) Walmart Threatened To Fire Mormon Worker For Observing Sabbath A Mormon assistant manager at Walmart, who had been observing the Sabbath as an employee for more than ten years, faced disciplinary action after a change in their scheduling rules no longer accommodated his observance. 4) Man Died After Brawl With Walmart Security Jose Marcos Picazo suspiciously died after Walmart security guards in California arrested him for alleged shoplifting. Huffington Post 5) Walmart Lobbied To Change Anti-Bribery Laws Walmart was involved in a lobbying campaign to weaken the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, which was meant to reduce liability for bribing foreign officials. 6) Walmart Involved In Many Sex Discrimination Suits Walmart has been involved in a number of ongoing lawsuits for discrimination against female employees. Some of the allegations have included derogatory language at the workplace, unfair promotion practices and pay discrimination. 7) Walmart Contractor Sued For Labor Law Violations Warehouse workers in California sued a contractor that works with Walmart for labor law violations, including poor labor conditions, shortchanging pay and threatening to fire them for complaining about anything. 8) Walmart Exposed For Political Lobbying To Weaken Labor, Whistleblower And Environmental Laws New York City public advocate Bill de Blasio recently launched 6degreesofwalmart.com to expose Walmart secret political spending, meant to influence the political process in a number of ways, including reducing protection for workers, whistleblowers and the environment. 9)

Under Obama - Some Reality Facts

What's a girl to do? Facts that Obama does not want you to know. Text from the Huffington Post 1) Prosecution For Financial Fraud Hit A 20-Year Low During The Obama Administration Despite Obama's promises to crack down on Wall Street, federal prosecutions of financial fraud hit a 20-year low last year, according to a November study from a watchdog group. The number of these types of prosecutions has been falling every year since 1999 -- in other words, there were more prosecutions during every year of George W. Bush's presidency than during every year of Obama's. 2) Income Inequality Is Worse Under Obama Than Under Bush The rich took home a greater share of America's income pie from 2009 to 2010 than they did between 2002 and 2007, according to an April analysis from Emmanuel Saez, a professor at the University of California, Berkeley. That means the gap between the rich and the poor was more pronounced under Obama's presidency than under George W. Bush's. 3) Obama Wants To Lower The Corporate Tax Rate Some of America's most profitable companies used a variety of loopholes to pay less than zero in taxes between 2008 and 2010, according to a November 2011 report from the Center for Tax Justice. But the Obama administration wants to make it even easier for corporations to have a smaller tax bill; Obama proposed a tax overhaul that would cut the corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 28 percent. 4) Health Care Reform Won't Make Health Care Cheaper For Most Americans Once the health care law takes effect, insurance companies will be footing the bill for millions of previously uninsured Americans and for those who were denied coverage for pre-existing conditions. And health insurance companies will likely pass on to consumers the cost of insuring the new patients. After Massachusetts enacted a similar health care plan in 2006, premiums for an individual premiums for an individual plan in the state rose 18 percent over three years. 5) Obama's Housing Programs Have Largely Been A Failure In 2009, Obama announced the Home Affordable Mortgage Program, promising to help 3 to 4 million borrowers, but as of January -- more than three years into the program -- HAMP had only reached 1 million borrowers. In an aim to give the program legs, administration officials changed the rules in January to make more borrowers eligible. Still, the fixes were likely too little too late, experts said at the time. 6) Homeowners Haven't Seen Much Out Of That Huge Mortgage Deal The Obama Administration touted the $25 billion mortgage deal it reached with 49 states and the big banks to settle allegations that banks mishandled mortgages. As part of the settlement, banks said they would offer at least $10 billion in loan forgiveness to homeowners. But months after the deal was inked, banks have been slow to hand out the money. 7) Democrats Have Received Lots Of Campaign Cash From Bain The Democratic National Convention will feature employees of firms run by Bain Capital -- the private equity firm where Mitt Romney was formerly CEO -- likely in an aim to raise questions about Romney's tenure at the now-controversial company. But Democratic candidates and committees had actually netted double the amount of campaign cash from Bain workers as of May than their Republican counterparts since 2008, according to the Boston Globe. 8) Goldman And Other Wall St. Firms Have Largely Escaped Punishment For Their Role In The Financial Crisis The announcement last month that the Justice Department wouldn't be prosecuting Goldman Sachs over allegations surrounding the financial crisis was a reminder for many that the Obama Administration has largely let banks off the hook for their role in the meltdown. And regulators and officials may be running out of time; the statute of limitations for crimes related to the financial crisis is fast approaching, according to The New York Times. 9) The Revolving Door Is Alive And Well In Obama Administration Many current and former members of the Obama Administration have ties to Wall Street. The list includes the president's current and former chiefs of staff -- Jacob Lew and Bill Daley, respectively -- as well as his former budget director, Peter Orszag, and others. 10) Too Big To Fail Banks Have Grown Under Obama At the end of 2011, five big banks, including Bank of America and JPMorgan Chase, held 56 percent of the U.S. economy, according to Bloomberg, compared to 43 percent five years earlier. That's right, the too-big-to-fail banks have actually gotten bigger. 11) The U.S. Has Gained A Lot Of Low-Wage Jobs During The Recovery Welcome to the U.S. of Low-Wage America. Most of the jobs lost during the recession paid middle wages, while most of those gained during the recovery were low-wage jobs, according to a recent study from the National Employment Law Project. 12) Incomes Declined More During The Recovery Than The Recession Median household income fell 6.7 percent between June 2009, when the recession technically ended, and June 2011, according to a Census Bureau study cited by The New York Times. That's more than the 3.2 percent incomes fell during the recession, between 2007 and 2009. 13) Payroll Tax Cut May Expire On Obama's Watch Last December, congressional Democrats managed to save the payroll tax cut for one more year, giving 122 million workers a few extra bucks each paycheck, but now that boost may quietly disappear, according to the Wall Street Journal. That's because the White House won't be pushing for another payroll tax cut extension this year. 14) Many Top Obama Donors Are Employees Of Major Corporations Of the top 10 companies with employees donating money to Obama's campaign, three are big banks: JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup and Goldman Sachs, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. Some of Obama's other major contributors include employees from big companies such as Microsoft and Google.

France stands up for Press Freedom Rights video

The debate goes on over the right to freedom of expression, a founding principle of the French Republic. The authority is trying to strike a balance between the freedom and violence.

Another...US Embassy Under Siege- Pakistan

Yet another American embassy under attack...see the video below

Hundreds of students from various colleges and educational institutions in Islamabad clashed with police on Thursday as they were being blocked from reaching the embassy.

Students pelted the police with stones, and the police retaliated by firing tear gas shells. 

Several students were injured when policemen hurled the stones back at the crowd.

According to local television channels, several policemen were injured.

"Our policemen are not any better than the Americans because they are trying to stop us. They are in the same league as them, they are heretics like them," said student Jawad Ahmed.

"They should allow us to demolish the American embassy because they have blasphemed against our holy Prophet. The police are also becoming an accomplice of blasphemers."

There were also protests in other parts of Pakistan as well.

Pakistan, Bangladesh Block YouTube Amid Islam Film Protests By Arun Devnath and Haris Anwar - 2012-09-18T06:25:02Z Pakistan and Bangladesh blocked Google Inc. (GOOG) 's video-sharing website YouTube to prevent people watching an anti-Islam film that has sparked deadly protests from the Middle East to Southeast Asia.

Palestine to seek UN Membership again...

The Wall and Israeli watch tower in Idyah Camp Bethlehem Photo by: Susan Brannon

Note by: Susan Brannon
article by: Khaled Amayreh from Occupied Jerusalem 

Note:  Palestine has no place to turn too outside of recognition from the UN as its own state.  Israel wants to keep Palestine under its thumbs and continue to confiscate Palestinian land within the 1967 borders and reap a profit by selling Israeli goods within the territories.  Israel wants to continue to show America the risk and continual treats that Palestine and its people have to offer in order to recieve continual funding for "security". Notwithstanding the constant building of settlements and roads that wind and divide the territories and its people.  An Israeli/America feels that Obama "has taken concrete steps to make Israel more secure —"..."As president, he responded by providing full financing and technical assistance for Israel’s Iron Dome short-range anti-rocket defense system, which is now protecting those villagers. In July, he provided an additional $70 million to extend the Iron Dome system across southern Israel. That’s in addition to the $3 billion in annual military assistance to Israel that the president requests and that Congress routinely approves, assistance for which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has expressed deep personal appreciation."  

Not only does Palestine have to stand up against Israel the occupier and America the funder and maybe I am putting myself out on a limb here, but what about the Arab States?  This is another complicated issue for Palestine, on one hand the Islam Brotherhood holds the Palestinians in honor for their struggle but are they being used as a political tool?  The other Arab countries hold Palestine in their hearts, but want to remain in peace with the Western world and will not go out on a limb to help Palestine and their rights.  In truth, Palestine has a lot to stand up against in terms of country recognition.  

Palestine to Seek UN Membership

Trying desperately to salvage the Palestinian national dream of establishing a viable Palestinian state in the territories occupied by Israel in 1967, the Palestinian Authority (PA) is planning to formally ask the United Nations to recognise "Palestine" as a member-state of the international organisation.

The Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO), the highest political representative of the Palestinian people, has observer status at the UN.

A formal application will be submitted to the UN General Assembly on 27 September. The PA says as many as 133 states recognise Palestine, hence a decision at the UN in favour of the Palestinian bid is likely, save last-minute glitches.

PA President Mahmoud Abbas said the PA was serious about seeking UN membership despite Israeli threats and American objections.

During a lengthy speech in Ramallah Sunday, Abbas voiced mounting frustration at Israeli intransigence and dishonesty vis-?-vis the peace process. "There are many pressures and hurdles, but we will go the United Nations," he said.

Abbas said the ongoing political deadlock was leaving the Palestinians no other choice. "We are only asking the Israelis to honour their own commitments, but they refuse."

Abbas gave a pessimistic prognosis of the declared stands of the Binyamin Netanyahu government, saying Israel was viewing the occupied territories not as "occupied" but as "disputed land". He added that Israel was demanding a military presence along the Jordan Valley for at least 40 years. He said the Palestinians would never accept these demands.

"We have two choices, either we go, or we don't go. If we don't go, the entire Palestinian cause will fall into oblivion," Abbas said.

Last week, Israel warned the PA against applying for UN membership. Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said Israel would retaliate against the step. Lieberman previously accused the Abbas leadership of "indulging in political and diplomatic terrorism against Israel".

Abbas alluded that Israel might eliminate him, as it eliminated other Palestinian leaders, a possible allusion to the mysterious death of late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.

"But there is one thing I want you to be sure of: We are staying put here. We will not leave, and we will not make the mistake of 1948 once again.

Arab states, including Egypt, are backing the PA bid to obtain UN membership. In the past, the United States used the Mubarak regime to restrain and bully the PA against making moves without Israeli and US consent.

In September 2011, the PA made a high-profile effort to obtain full member status at the UN. However, the request was not put to a vote in the Security Council where the US pledged to veto it.

On Monday, 11 September, State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said the Obama administration still believed that the only "realistic path" for Palestinian statehood was through direct negotiations.

Nuland said the US was trying to dissuade PA President Abbas from seeking full member status at the UN. "We are working intensively through the Quartet and directly with Israelis and Palestinians to continue to encourage them to come back to the table. All we can do is push them. We cannot force them. They have got to make the decision for peace. They've got to make the decision to come back to the table," Nuland said.

Palestinians, who have been negotiating with Israel for nearly two decades but without making any real progress toward liberation from the entrenched Israeli occupation, are in no mood to listen to regurgitated remarks and platitudes repeated on the benefits of direct negotiations.

"How can we keep negotiating with Israel while Israel keeps stealing and carving out our land? It is unfair for the United States, Israel's guardian ally, to tell the criminal and the victim to sort it out amongst them. Yet, this is what the US is telling us in real terms," said Ghassan Khatib, former head of the government press office.

Khatib said the American stand of telling the Palestinians to negotiate with Israel without clearly determining the shape of a would-be settlement, including the exact borders of the prospective Palestinian state, was tantamount to pressuring the Palestinians to capitulate to Israeli demands.

"Remember, it is the US that provides Israel with the tools and wherewithal that enables Israel to adopt a rejectionist stand," he said.

The Obama administration has been trying to appease Israel as part of a public relations showdown with Republican candidate Mitt Romney ahead of November's US presidential elections.

Romney has been accusing the administration of not sufficiently backing Israel despite Obama's repeated pronouncements asserting absolute and almost unlimited support for Tel Aviv, including commitment to maintaining Israel's qualitative edge over actual and potential foes combined.

Israel, which has been squeezing and blackmailing the Obama administration for more concessions on Iran, has succeeded in getting Washington to demote the Palestinian issue to secondary status.

The PA had received vague promises from the Obama administration suggesting that President Obama would devote more time and energy to resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict if elected to a second term in the White House.

Most Palestinians dismiss such promises for two reasons: first, overwhelming Jewish influence in the US Congress, often described as "an Israeli occupied territory"; second, the conviction of many observers that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is unresolvable based on the two-state solution strategy, in light of the phenomenal expansion of Jewish colonies in the West Bank, especially East Jerusalem.

For Related Articles (and much older ones) enter the word Palestine in the search this blog field on the right.

Palestinians Revolt against the PA

Image from Reuters

19 September 2012
Khaled Amayreh writes from Hebron As the economic crisis in the Occupied Territories deepens, Palestinians are looking to their leadership for someone to blame.

 (Note: Susan Brannon has not forgotten Palestine and continues to follow the news, I thought that this was interesting and this news is not posted in most places internationally. This reminds us of the continual struggle in the Palestinian region and their fight for survival.) The Palestinian Authority (PA) is facing the severest political and economic crisis since its establishment following the Oslo Accords in 1993 as tens of thousands of Palestinians have been taking to the streets, protesting the high costs of living and demanding the downfall of the Ramallah regime. In Hebron, the largest district in the West Bank, as many as 40,000 protesters demonstrated Monday against the government of Prime Minister Salam Fayyad along with PA President Mahmoud Abbas. "Fayyad: leave, leave, leave. The people wants you no more!" and "The people want to topple the president!" were chanted recurrently. Some protesters hurled stones at the municipal building, smashing glass. Others attacked a police station on the main Ein Sara Street, prompting the police to fire tear gas at the crowd. No serious injuries were reported. Police Chief Ramadan Awadh called the protesters "renegades and infiltrators". "For God's sake. Who benefits from these acts of sabotage and vandalism?" he asked. Ramadan, like other PA officials, said the masses had a right to demonstrate and protest the economic crisis. However, he warned that Palestinian security forces would use an iron fist approach against those who resorted to violence. In Nablus, in the northern West Bank, violent protests took place in the city centre, also on Monday, evolving into a confrontation with the police. Gunfire was not used, but as many as 20 people suffered light to moderate injuries from stones hurled by both protesters and the police. In several other localities, an "Intifada-like atmosphere" was discernible as local youths burned tires, blocked streets and hurled stones at passing cars. Sporadic strikes were also observed, including one by the drivers of yellow taxi cars, protesting phenomenally high fuel prices, which observers contend may be among the world's highest. Protesters, who are not affiliated with a single political faction, are vowing to keep up the pressure until their demands are met. Their demands include the sacking of the Fayyad government and the annulment of the 1994 Paris Economic Protocol, which critics say put the entire Palestinian economy at Israel's mercy. Protesters also demand an "immediate answer" to their crippling financial problems. They complain that no matter how hard they try to "tighten their belts" to make ends meet, they fail to make a decent living due to unprecedented high prices, rampant inflation, high costs of living, and the dwindling real value of their originally meagre salaries. Most Palestinian civil servants receive monthly salaries ranging from 2500-3000 Israeli Shekels, or roughly $650-750. The sum might look perfectly acceptable for citizens of many Third World -- including Arab -- countries. However, when set against obscenely high consumer goods and services prices in the occupied territories, the real scope of the crisis becomes apparent. For example, the price of a 13-kilogramme Butane cooking gas cylinder is nearly $20 while the price of a litre of unleaded gasoline surpasses the $2 limit. The prices of food commodities have also skyrocketed in recent months, with a kilo of lamb reaching $19, and a kilo of ground beef passing $15. This in addition to phenomenally high prices of water, electricity and especially college education, with numerous Palestinian families forced to choose between putting food on the table and sending their children to university. The PA hopes that the current crises will prompt donor countries to come to the rescue. Fayyad has called repeatedly for help, rightly blaming the economic and financial problems of Palestinians on the continuance of the Israeli occupation. "We sometimes tend to forget that our Palestinian Authority is under Israeli occupation. Some people think that we are free to do what we want. They should know that Israel controls everything," he said. However, Fayyad's explanations have failed to sufficiently satisfy an increasingly restive Palestinian public, let alone sceptics who had never been comfortable with his "Western policies". In his numerous interviews, Fayyad said he would resign if his resignation would help solve the problem. He scoffed at those demanding the cancellation or renegotiation of the Paris Economic Protocol, arguing that the protocol served Palestinian interests. With public distrust of his policies mounting, Fayyad still retains two bargaining chips: first, he can argue he is but a technocrat carrying out the policies and instructions of the PA and that he never initiated policies or took measures against the wishes of the political leadership, namely President Abbas. In his speech in Ramallah earlier this week, Abbas reasserted his support and backing of Fayyad, saying that the premier was an integral part of the PA and was implementing its policies. The second and probably more significant bargaining card lies in the fact that Fayyad is backed by donor countries upon whose handouts the very survival of the PA depends. It is widely believed that donor countries view the continued presence of Fayyad at the helm of government in Ramallah is a guarantee against mushrooming corruption within the PA. Indeed, a rash decision by Abbas to fire Fayyad could have serious ramifications in terms of continued American and EU aid to the Ramallah regime. Abbas is not in a position to challenge, or even seriously oppose, the dictates and instructions of donor countries. Hence, any decision to sack Fayyad wouldn't be easily taken, to say the least. In his Ramallah speech, Abbas blamed Arab states and the international community for letting the stalled peace process "reach this point". He angrily blamed Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi, without naming him, for saying that Egypt was "standing at the same distance from Hamas and Fatah". Some of Abbas's harshest words were reserved for Hamas, barely stopping short of blaming all PA ills and troubles on the Islamist movement. He said Hamas had two choices: either allow elections to take place under current circumstances, or forget about reconciliation with Fatah. Hamas is worried that the PA and Israel would falsify any elections and is demanding guarantees that would ensure transparency. Drawing a bleak picture of the political situation and Israeli intransigence, Abbas said he might resort to making decisions that never normally come to mind. Some observers suggest that Abbas might be alluding to the possibility of dissolving the PA regime. However, Abbas has in the past made numerous threats to resign and dismantle the PA, none of which came to anything. Abbas flew to India on a scheduled visit, protests spread all over the West Bank, with protesters demanding "tangible answers" not "jokes". Abbas's speech was pitted with light moments that many Palestinians interpreted as failure on the part of Abbas to appreciate the severity and gravity of the current crisis. Khalid Amayreh Occupied Palestine

Are you going to vote for this man?

Susan Brannon
18 September 2012


Normally, I try to stay away from the current election in America, but this recent video leak makes the cake.  We all know who Mitt Romney is but who is Mitt Romney when the camera's are not rolling for public view?

This video shows the real personality of the man who feels that he is qualified to run for the President of the United States and represent the American people and to take a stand for the American people, or shall I say a few American people. This is a man running for the highest office to solve all of the American economic woes and a man that will set things right in order to save our failing country.  This is a man who is asking for your vote and support so he can set things right in America.

In this video Mitt Romney speaks like a true businessman and corporate leader at a Boca Raton fundraiser on May 17, 2012.  He clearly trashes 47 percent of the American people, "who pay no income tax.  So our message of low taxes doesn't connect…who believe that they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you-name-it.  That that's an entitlement…they will vote for this president no matter what.  I'll never convince them they should take personal responsibility and care for their lives.  What I have to is convince the five to ten percent in the center that are independents that are thoughtful, that look at voting one way or the other depending upon in some cases emotion, whether they like the guy or not."

Is the 47% Romney talking about the Iraqi war veteran, those who retired on Social Security or Medicare or the students who live on a student loan to go to college?  It seems that Romney does not know much about the American people.  This video reveals Romney's arrogant and sinister character and that character has taken the center of his party. Would you want this sinister personality represented to the rest of the world? Do you really think that he will help eradicate poverty in America…that 46.2 million people without work who really want to work?  His past actions clearly tell us that Romney does not care about America, its people, or anything else civil for that matter.

Romany does not mention that his ex company "The Baim Corporation" is under tax investigation. The NY Times  reported, "The tax strategy — which is viewed as perfectly legal by some tax experts, aggressive by others and potentially illegal by some — came to light last month when hundreds of pages of Bain’s internal financial documents were made available online. The financial statements show that at least $1 billion in accumulated fees that otherwise would have been taxed as ordinary income for Bain executives had been converted into investments producing capital gains, which are subject to a federal tax of 15 percent, versus a top rate of 35 percent for ordinary income. That means the Bain partners saved more than $200 million in federal income taxes and more than $20 million in Medicare taxes."  Avoiding 20 million in Medicare taxes is taking away from those who have worked hard all their lives and paid into the system which is now going broke…all because of the arrogant and shellfish attitudes of our corporate leaders. Thank you Romney.

Romney continues to receive profits from the company and held investments in some of the funds that utilized the tax avoidance strategy.  Some folks will arrogantly respond that "This is America, tax avoidance is not illegal and the companies exist to make a profit….everything else is not our responsibility"

Who are Romney's friends?  Marc Leder is ne friend is who hosted the fundraiser he is the CEO of a private equity firm called Sun Capital.  They have the reputation for bankrupting companies for profit.  Sun Capital owns 25 companies and one in every five has filed for bankruptcy.  Sun Capital was also accused by the federal Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation of intentionally pushing a company into bankruptcy in order to avoid paying workers' pension, only a few months ago.  Folks, these people are Romney's friends.  Unfortunately, many millionaires feel comfortable with this sort of action.

America the beautiful is a place where corporations can run and save millions if not billions of dollars by offshoring, tax evading, and manipulating their funds to reduce taxes owed to our country if paying anything at all.  America, a place where it is possible to steal from the country and the people and can run for president all at the same time, with voters behind them. Do not forget that our Constitution clearly states, "The President, Vice President and all civil officers of the United States, shall be removed from office on impeachment for, and conviction of, treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors."

Romney states that housing, food and you name it is an entitlement, eluding that it is not a "right" in America. Our nation was founded for the rights of the people including, "promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America." The attitude of the republicans is denial, towards poverty and those who cannot help themselves is "their problem" by denying the reality that this is a direct result of corporate corruption, wall street and bank manipulations, off shoring, layoff's of the close to pension elderly, reducing full to part time without health or medical benefits.  Remember folks, a secure livelihood, a place to live in a safe and secure environment, medical attention, and food is not a "right" to Mitt Romney.  What will be next, will we not have the "right" to education?

Who are not paying taxes?  ABC reports that those making $75,000-$100,000 a year are the fastest growing share who don't pay federal income taxes.  In fact, I know of a woman who reported $12,000 in income last year and had to pay $450.00 in income taxes.  She paid.  However, of more than 20,000 filers that made more than $200,000 a year with 1,470 had an adjusted gross income of more than $1 million - owed no income tax.

In the end, the 47% number is not true.  Yes, 46% of tax fillers will owe no federal income tax, but things like Social Security, Medicare and unemployment…80% of tax filers pay some kind of federal tax.  If you are married and make less than $18,700 you did not have to pay income taxes, if you are older than 65 and the income was $20,000 or less you did not have to pay taxes. Filers with less than $30,000 made up 83% of all the non taxable returns.  This has occurred mainly because of the tax credits and allowable deductions.  The truth is that "many Americans are not paying taxes" and are free loading is a myth.  Nearly 100 percent of Americans pay taxes in some way.

Most of those who do not pay taxes are the elderly and students, those who have poor economic circumstances due to the Recession.  Students will have their turn in paying taxes, the elderly paid taxes over their lifetime and have contributed to the revenue stream. For more in depth information read The Hamilton Project.

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