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Showing posts with label Corporate Worship. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Corporate Worship. Show all posts

Saturday, July 05, 2014

The Hypocrisy of Hobby Lobby

In what has to be a textbook definition of hypocrisy, Hobby Lobby invests money in the very companies they take exception to for religious reasons.

Hobby Lobby's founders have made it clear that any abortion and certain contraceptives are unacceptable in their eyes, yet the company's 401(k) plan has millions of dollars invested in funds that own the companies that make birth control methods including Plan B, the so-called "morning after" drug. Like many companies, Hobby Lobby offers its employees a 401(k) plan. 

Over 13,000 past and present employees have taken advantage of that plan, according to the latest documents filed with the Department of Labor. Employees have the option to put their retirement dollars -- and the money that Hobby Lobby contributes on their behalf -- into over a dozen different mutual funds. 

At least eight of those funds have been invested in companies that produce contraceptives such as Teva Pharmaceutical (TEVA), Bayer (BAYRY), and Pfizer (PFE), according to a CNNMoney analysis. Teva makes Plan B. At least one fund also held Forest Laboratories, which makes a drug that is used to induce abortions.

Clearly, their reluctance to pay for women's birth control was not motivated by religious objections. It was motivated by financial objections.

They were simply being cheap.

Friday, March 28, 2014

A Nation of Takers

Nicholas Kristof is completely accurate in identifying the group of people who continually spoon off of the government. They are:

1. People who get subsidies for their private planes
2. People who get subsidies for their yachts
3. People who run hedge funds and and private equity groups
4. Banks
5. American Corporations.

Combined, these folks account for around $200 billion dollars a year of taxpayer money. And it's OK to cut SNAP money by $8 billion dollars? Really?

I hear quite a bit of mouth foaming over food stamps and nothing but crickets when it comes to the above list of welfare queens.

Friday, January 03, 2014

Sunday, August 07, 2011

Oh, Really?

Citigroup Plutonomy Reports No Longer Available at CPS News.

Now I wonder why that is? Could it be because it contained the following paragraph?

Economic growth that is powered and consumed by the wealthiest upper class of society. Plutonomy refers to a society where the majority of the wealth is controlled by an ever-shrinking minority; as such, the economic growth of that society becomes dependent on the fortunes of that same wealthy minority.

With many people in this country still carrying water for them, it's no wonder they want to squash it.

Monday, June 06, 2011

Go Forth and Worship Thy Derivative

One of the notions that always perplexed me is the worship of wealthy people in this country. I really don't get how business leaders and Jesus are somehow cut from the same cloth. Considering what Christ said about rich people in the Bible, it makes no sense.

But even if you are part of the non religious right, the leaders of the private sector are to be revered in a god like way. Somehow, if someone is wealthy, they: a) are successful in business so b) they would be a great president.

Take Mitt Romney, for example. He is viewed as a success in business simply because he has always been rich. He is rich because of his father and his time in the business community was largely spent gutting companies and reselling them for profit. I've held George Romney up many times as an example of what success used to mean (eg refusing a bloated salary, more thought towards the workers) but that doesn't make his son someone who can turn the economy around...especially since his perception of success is based on what is systemically wrong with our country as a whole.

Donald Trump is another example. He is viewed as a success. He inherited money from his dad and then proceeded to lose it all...get it back again...lose it all...get it back again...does anyone know how much he is really worth?

The point of all of this (as Maher details quite eloquently in the final new rule below) is that being a businessman doesn't mean you will be a good president. The government is not "for profit"...especially the United States government. Kindly leave your foot licking of corporate leaders at the door and remember whose feet were being licked in September of 2008 after these "titans" nearly destroyed the world economy.