Wisconsin Republicans, a subsidiary of Koch Industries, are ready for Business

One of the key components of the Reactionary shift in American Politics has been the push by Republicans, from "business supporting" to servile kow-towing lackeys of the 1%, who deceitfully utilize their public office to ensure private business is supported on the backs of the Working Class.

In Wisconsin, the election of Governor Scott Walker was just the cherry on top of the Neo-Feudalist Republican push to crush the regular Wisconsinite and transfer land, property and money to the Rich.

The Koch Brothers consider the State of Wisconsin their Feudal Domains. Scott Walker is their paid lackey, ready and willing to enforce the will of the Koch Brothers at every turn. But, they aren't satisfied with merely controlling Walker. Americans for Prosperity, the Koch Brothers think-tank propaganda arm, is spending millions in order to control the local government of Iron County in Northern Wisconsin.

The Koch Brothers see the natural resources of the American People as theirs, to do with as they wish and the ramifications be damned.

If the Koch Brothers succeed in Iron County a mining operation under Gogebic Taconite will devastate Northern Wisconsin. But, who cares because the 1% will make a boat load of cash while the effects of their putrid mining operation won't affect them or theirs!

The Koch Brothers support the Republican Party because once Republicans are in office they use the Awesome Power of Government to enact blatantly unfair laws because Businesses, like Koch Industries no longer succeed in America by innovation or efficiency, but by ensuring public tax dollars are transferred to them, public domains are seceded to their control and by getting governments to undercut labor at every turn.

Last December, Wisconsin Business representatives demanded special tax incentives and tax-payer funded corporate welfare from Lt Governor Rebecca Kleefisch.

The meeting of Public Office holders was closed to the media. This meeting was recorded by the Lt Governor's office but, her office declared the unknown number of Scott Walker specially directed "Tax Reform Roundtables" since last December were not be recorded so Business Reps could "speak freely" i.e. demand the Scott Walker administration give transfer the tax dollars of Wisconsin citizens to them.

Two weeks ago, a bill in the Wisconsin Legislature which would have required health insurance providers cover chemotherapy drugs equally was blocked by state Senate Majority Leader Republican Scott Fitzgerald.

The bill would have eliminated the cost difference between Chemo pills and intravenous drugs, Health "Insurers" opposed the bill and coincidentally, Scott Fitzgerald's brother is a lobbyist for the Health Insurance Industry.

Now, despite the bill having enough support to pass, two weeks ago, Fitzgerald called a special committee to prevent any vote.

Much like, Mitt Romney's infamous things only discussed behind closed doors, Corporate America has spent decades secretly meeting with their operatives the wholly owned Republican Party and Pro-Business Democratic members in order to use the power of government to undercut Labor and enforce a stratified society in which the vast majority of American workers are shackled forever in the chains of Corporate Bondage.

Governor Candidate Bruce Rauner has a message for Illinois, I Plan to Crush Workers and give Taxpayer welfare to Corporations

Bruce Rauner has reported incomes of $27 million in 2010, $28 million in 2011 and $53 million in 2012 has concluded that the minimum wage in Illinois is too high.

"Capitalism is the greatest poverty-fighting machine in the history of mankind, and I’m proud of the role I’ve played in it," Bruce Rauner.  

Rauner "worked" for 30 years at GTCR which has "managed money" for decades for the Illinois Teachers' Retirement System (TRS) and the Illinois State Board of Investment, the largest and third-largest state pension funds, respectively, in Illinois.

Of course, like all modern "wealth managment" millionaires, Rauner made his money by accounting gimmicks and legerdemain. He's charged extorbinant consultation fees and clipped money from Pensioners, while mismanaging public pension funds.

Just like Mitt Romney and other so-called Capitalists, Rauner made his money the old-fashioned way... He Stole It. Now that he's skimmed off millions he's quick to lambast Illinois' underfunded pension liability.

"When those excess benefits are being paid out to government employees, taxpayers lose." Bruce Rauner

Yeah, lazy Teachers! Working for 30 years and then expecting a pension, whereas Rauner's Role as a Rentier, extracting $100 million from the Pensions over the last 3 years alone, is beautiful capitalism at work of which he's "proud".

GTCR has raised the largest percentage portion of its money from public pension funds. Pensions supplied half to two-thirds of the firms funds according to Rauner's own estimate. His former partners decline to comment, citing a state prohibition on asset managers who receive public money from trying to influence elections.

A month ago, Bruce Rauner pledged at a Downstate candidates’ forum that if elected governor he would reduce the state’s minimum wage by $1 to make it equal to the federal rate in an effort to make Illinois more economically competitive.

"I made a mistake. I was flippant and I was quick. I should have said, 'Tie the Illinois minimum wage to the national wage and, in that context, with other changes in being pro-business, I support raising the national minimum wage.' I’m OK with that," said the Republican from Winnetka.

Key words to remember are to make Illinois "Pro-Business", that means crushing labor. Modern day Capitalists view labor as an unnecessary expense. One of the long sought after goals of the 1%, in pursuit of a Wage Slave State, has been the total defeat of Labor. 

Here in Illinois we've seen many times business try and strong-arm the Governor and Legislature (Sears Inc., CME Group and Office Max) in Pay-to-Play and the Race-to-the-Bottom schemes.

In fact, Illinois Residents overwhelmingly want Fair Tax Legislation passed in which Corporations and Millionaires, like Rauner, pay their fair share of taxes instead of receiving Illinois taxpayer welfare so we can be privileged by their scores of minimum wage jobs. A Better Illinois points out that over 75% of Illinois residents want a Fair Progressive Tax.

Billionaires and Corporate Thieves are so opposed to shouldering their burden of the Taxes that spearheaded by the Koch Brothers, conservative think tanks are planning a non stop propaganda blitz to poison this effort.

Bruce Rauner has unequivocally stated he intends to use the Awesome Power of Government to crush labor, reduce wages, impoverish workers, eliminate Unions, and place further unfair burdens on the over-taxed working class and shrinking middle class. Like all Republicans, a Rauner Governorship would be an implacable foe of the Working Class and would he align himself with the Koch Brothers.

Office Depot Capitalists demand Illinois Taxpayers pay them or else

Corporate Tax Subsides should be relabeled The Pleasure of Working For Us Tax. Office Depot and OfficeMax merged earlier this year and since that business announcement have been playing Illinois and Florida off against each other in the never ending Race-to-the-Bottom.

This has been a standard tactic of Corporations. They learned long ago workers are interchangeable and that by going to legislatures they could get State Governments to provide them with legally constructed tax havens and public assistance.

On December 10th, Office Depot announced their newly merged company will put its headquarters in Boca Raton, not at the existing OfficeMax offices in Naperville, Illinois. This despite a promise by the Illinois Government to pay them $53 million in welfare over 15 years.

And all Office Depot would have had to do would be to promise to keep 2000 clerical jobs in Illinois for that welfare. The vast majority of products sold in these stores are not made in Illinois or Florida, but China. Some paper products are produced by the Illinois company North American Paper.

So, while the Office Depot Corporate Welfare deal fell through, Sears Inc and CME Group still received millions of Illinois Tax Payer Dollars in the last 2 years and are promised hundreds of millions more over the next decade and a half.

Meanwhile, 80,000 Illinois residents are set to lose Federal Unemployment benefits in January, while 109,000 Illinois residents collecting State benefits would be unaffected at first.

"While today’s job growth allows most newly unemployed individuals to find work after a several weeks, the long-term unemployed face additional hurdles," Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) Director Jay Rowell said in a prepared statement." Ending this modest program based on a calendar date rather than economic principles and job skills could slow economic growth."

That's because benefits paid to Illinois residents are often immediately are pumped back into the economy in terms of purchases or rent, while money given to Corporations is funneled away from the state. After Sears received their Illinois Welfare in December 2011 they closed 2 Sears and 3 K-Mart stores in the State, 3 months later. They got their money from the State and left.

"I'm a Wealth of Nations guy," Republican Congressman So and So stated on MSNBC during the Republican Government Shutdown.

I seriously doubt that Republican So and So has actually read The Wealth of Nations. It's one of those books people place on their mantle to look smart and a phrase that right-wingers trot out as way of an argument instead of actually defending their positions. 

It's allows the Republican or Right-Winger to merely say the words, 'Bible. Wealth of Nations. Freedom. Flag. Founding Fathers. Ronald Reagan.' They don't actually say anything when confronted on the actual failings of their sick and twisted ideology.

Similarly, when Republicans want to attack they say, 'Liberalism. Marxism. Entitlements. Mainstream Media.' and so forth.

It's not an actual argument to make vague allusions to phrases or concepts but it is a good stimulus-response mechanism. It's all designed to invoke emotional r-brain responses in their duped and unthinking conservatives dronez.

What we are seeing in Illinois with Sears, CME Group and Office Depot and with thousands of Corporations across the Nation is Capitalism in action. Capitalism is the Privatizing of Profits and the Subsidizing of Losses.

Just like Koch Work, more Fascist Decrees from the Koch Brothers (would you like Fries with that Fascism?)

You don't understand... We mean you no harm... We seek peaceful co-existence... - Star Trek: The Next Generation, Conspiracy

The Koch Brothers have a plan for 100% employment in the United States: Slavery!

No, no, no! Don't get all excited. Charles Koch took time away from telling Scott Walker what to do and not paying Taxes in Kansas to explain how paying Poor people money for their work is actually harming them;

We want to do a better job of raising up the disadvantaged and the poorest in this country, rather than saying ‘Oh, we’re just fine now.’ We’re not saying that at all. What we’re saying is, we need to analyze all these additional policies, these subsidies, this cronyism, this avalanche of regulations, all these things that are creating a culture of dependency. And like permitting, to start a business, in many cities, to drive a taxicab, to become a hairdresser. Anything that people with limited capital can do to raise themselves up, they keep throwing obstacles in their way. And so we’ve got to clear those out. Or the minimum wage. Or anything that reduces the mobility of labor.

See, it would be better if Businesses could pay people less or perhaps in "Company Scrip" while workers live in Company Towns buying their goods and services from the Company Store. Then workers need not worry about transportation costs or housing expenses! 

The patterns of the Corporate Fascist Takeover are so readily prevalent that McDonald's felt entirely releasing a report on how Workers can survive under McFascism.

The McDonald's Budget would be laughable if it wasn't for the tragedy facing millions of Americans living in Wage Slavery. McDonald's allocates $0 for food and $20 for monthly healthcare. And to make matters more grotesque after the 35 hours at minimum wage flipping burgers and mopping out toilets, McDonald's had to add an additional $1000 in income (presumably at your other Mickey D's minimum wage job) to make the budget work. Oh and by the way, while logging 70-80 hours a week smelling like a Big Mac you can't spend anything on child care.

The historic function of fascism is to smash the working class, destroy its organizations and stifle liberties when the capitalists find themselves unable to govern and dominate with the help of democratic machinery. - Leon Trotsky

The Koch Brothers are fascists. McDonald's Corporate Board is fascist. Wall Street is fascist. Their goals are to completely neuter any Unions, organizations, groups, regulations or laws which could challenge their Plutocratic Machinations. There is a plethora of evil in that comment by Charles Koch. Eliminate regulations, conflating the social safety net with cronyism, the doublespeak of enhancing "mobility of labor". And a banal disregard for people in McDonald's Practical Money Skills For Life pdf.

Right now the Plutocracy need not worry about the Working Class, because the wholly owned Republican Party and so-called Pro-Business Democrats, are dutifully fulfilling their role as their Handmaidens and Guard Dogs of the Rich.

The Federal Government and increasingly State Governments respond increasingly to the wants and whims of the Rich and only the Rich.

Wall Street and The Kochs aren't merely content with destroying Unions but with setting up a self-sustaining system in which the only people who pay taxes are the Middle and Working Class to fund, at first a dwindling Social Safety Nets, Arts, the EPA, until their Handmaidens successfully eliminate those programs and eventually all the taxes paid by the 99% are funneled as Corporate Welfare into the coffers of the Captains of Finance, Industry and the Military.

Update:
I forgot to add Jane Mayer's reporting in the New Yorker showing how Charles and David Koch subvert the "Democratic Machinery" in regards to Climate Change. While their Think Tanks, Oil Conglomerate and Coal Mine Owners spew endless streams of propaganda to confuse and befuddle people, The Koch Brothers have signed pledges from their Handmaidens in DC to which they have promised to vote against legislation relating to climate change unless it is accompanied by an equivalent amount of tax cuts.

The People's House doing the Work of Plutocrats...

Over at Green Eagle blogspot is a story of Legerdermain by Goldman Sachs and the shuffling of Aluminum ingots which shows how the Captains of Finance aren't "Creating" Anything but using chicanery to "make money"