We were told by the US Supreme Court that corporations are akin to people and have to be afforded the same rights as people; the Citizens United case. I recently read in The Nation (March 7, 2016)-ok I am behind on my readings-that corporations can deduct on their income taxes "customized company-sponsored pension plans" paid to their CEO's. Being done by half of the 383 Fortune 500 companies that provided info. The plans cover the CEO's for the "rest of their lives", while the same companies have done away with "guaranteed monthly compensation" for the average employee.
Now if corporations are people, then people must also be corporations and allowed the same rights. Thus I will pay my wife-as the CEO of our family-a monthly pension check and then deduct that cost from my income taxes. Seems only fair.
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I am one to be more concerned about domestic policy, but foreign policy developments are setting us up for some major disaster.
First, we have been building up or modernizing our military forces and arsenals at a considerable rate. The new F-35 plane will cost us billions, the Navy wants a new class of submarines with nuclear capability, the Air Force says we need to replace the B-52 long range bomber and build another ICBM missile to replace the Minuteman III.
Second, we have allowed NATO (and the US) to take on the defense of former Soviet republics in the Baltic region. We now have Russia completely surrounded by our military might.
Third, we are about to elect as President (Hillary Clinton) who is clearly a "hawk" on foreign policy, meaning she is want to flaunt our military power in the name of national interest.
(I hate to note this here, but Donald Trump says we should not pledge ourselves to the defense of countries that do not pay their share of the expenses of NATO; specially Baltic nations.)
Fourth, it should also be remembered that when nations are in the midst of domestic turmoil and bordering on civil war-racial or economic-their develops and atmosphere that is ripe for governments to use warfare to take their citizens minds off their differences and unite to defend the homeland. A case could be made that the domestic issues in this country are at that point.
Fourth, it should also be remembered that when nations are in the midst of domestic turmoil and bordering on civil war-racial or economic-their develops and atmosphere that is ripe for governments to use warfare to take their citizens minds off their differences and unite to defend the homeland. A case could be made that the domestic issues in this country are at that point.
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