msabaye

I was listening to CBC radio when I heard a taxi driver in Montreal that, after seeing the huge price of gas, went home as he didn't see any point of driving his cab. My heart went out to him: here is a man who has a job and willing to work, but he cannot. Where is the government? What do the conservatives plan to do about this? So far, the plan is tax cuts for corporations and job cuts for ordinary people. The argument is that tax cuts for corporations, which are making record profit already, will create jobs.

In an independent analysis and review by Globe and Mail (first week of April), it was shown that the corporations do not put tax cuts into manufacturing or production (that lead to job creation) but put it in their savings. So, we, the average people, already struggling so much to keep our heads out of the water, to hold on to our houses, to our jobs, are working hard to make sure corporations have bigger and bigger savings.

Sunday Edition on CBC had an interview with Mintzberg on April 10; he didn't share the sympathy of the conservatives for the corporate tax cuts either. I have heard the same arguments for as long as I have lived in Canada: if we don't do what the corporations want, they will leave. Well, they 'stayed' (though the jobs flew away to China and ...) and they fell. Not without taking their hefty bonuses of course.

Just recently, in "The Current" on CBC, Jennifer Granholm, the former governor of Michigan, spoke about the futility of corporate tax cuts in growth of economy and job creation. She stressed the need for investing in public programs as opposed to grant tax cuts without any ties to corporations. She said that during her time in office, she passed over 90 bills shrinking government and taxes to the point of being lowest in the country. Michigan was the first one to go down in 2008 and is struggling badly today. Something must be wrong with status quo when Warren Buffet comes out in favour of taxing the wealthy.

The same holds in so many other European countries, most of whom are trying to convince other countries to adopt their policies. The Greeks are refusing to be dictated how to live by 'foreigners'. Who makes these decisions? It is shocking: when in history did we have so few that controlled so many in a democracy? What happened to sovereignty of nations? Let's take a step back: who voted for globalization? Could it be the ones pushing for corporate tax cuts and reducing government spending?