Car Culture was a Mistake 8: You shouldn't outsource the EV industry to one South African bigoted maniac (who is probably a Cylon)

I Cylon Musk hereby Shadowban Taibbi!

Elon Musk is no Henry Ford.  Well, except for the depressive narcissism and loving embrace of Nazi Culture.  But, placing the entire EV car industry in his hands was a mistake which is paying massive negative dividends to America and the world at large.

Musk recently lost a decision in the Delaware Chancery Court, in which the Tesla Board attempted to award Musk a $55,000,000,000 (that's 55 BILLION) dollar CEO compensation package.

There is no amount of work, Elon Musk or anyone else could have done, to be worth $55 Billion in compensation.  The Gold Standard for contributions to the human race has to be Jonas Salk and his creation of the Polio Vaccine (which if done today, would get Salk death threats from conservatives and attacks from Reactionary Joe Rogan who would cut a promo promising to guillotine choke Jonas Salk).  And famously Salk declined to patent his literal life-saving Vaccine.  Elon Musk is no Jonas Salk he's not even a real boy.  Elon Musk is a Cylon.

Remember that Boards have a fiduciary duty to raise the value of the stock and company to the shareholders.  It's not a private business like the Chicago Bears who can pursue any bad coaching or terrible player development decisions they deem fit.

Musk is furious because he's got no Real Assets, only the false valuation of Tesla which Wall Street has for inexplicable reasons counted as more valuable than all other car companies combined.  On paper and computer servers that is, in the real world Teslas are rapidly aging and becoming an Albatros of a vehicle.

For instance, it turns out you can not drive a Cybertruck anywhere.  Now, I don't mean all those hilarious videos of Cybertrucks failing to navigate a mound of dirt or being unable to carry anything in their truck bed bigger than a bread basket.  No, I mean if the Cybertruck's exterior touches anything found outside it will corrode and destroy its "stainless steel".

“To prevent damage to the exterior, immediately remove corrosive substances (such as grease, oil, bird droppings, tree resin, dead insects, tar spots, road salt, industrial fallout, etc.). Do not wait until Cybertruck is due for a complete wash. If necessary use denatured alcohol to remove tar spots and stubborn grease stains, then immediately wash the area with water and a mild, non-detergent soap to remove the alcohol. Do not wash in direct sunlight,” “Some cleaners and car shampoos contain chemicals that can cause damage or discoloration,” and even “Do not use hot water.”

Anyway since we as a culture have decided to treat paper billionaires as though they really have assets and Musk then translated this into a purchase of Twitter despite not actually having the $44 Billion cash on hand to make the purchase, he needs the Tesla Board to give him real money swindled from the fantasy valuation of Tesla.

When you combine this with the on-going Scam of Crypto Currency, it seems exceedingly likely we are headed for a major crash, as Wall Street and other financial institutions continue to inflict the Ponzi scheme of Capital on humanity.

Of course, coupled with this were several high profile stories the Corporate Media dutifully reported as major issues for the EV Industry at the behest of the panicked pushback for the Petroleum Industry.

During, Chicago's bitter negative degree period in mid-January Teslas were abandoned at charging stations across the City.

Some Tesla drivers learned the hard way about how cold weather affects battery life.  Teslas lined up early Monday morning at a charging station at The Evergreen Marketplace, at 9200 S. Western Ave. in Evergreen Park. Some Tesla batteries died in Chicago's sub-zero temperatures, leaving the cars askew and immobile in the parking lot.  Drivers said some charging stations weren't working, and those working took much longer than usual to charge.

This just in:  Cold weather affects battery life!  

Meanwhile, on-line doofuses were giddy at the announcement Hertz to abandon their entire EV fleet and replace them with gas-powered vehicles.  The slightest investigation revealed, however, Hertz decision was not because of EV unreliability but, because Tesla's are losing their value steeply and the cost to repair Tesla's damaged by car renters was rising exponentially.

If you've read this far and are coming to the conclusion that Hertz's "EV problem" is, in reality, a "Tesla value and repair costs problem," you're not alone. It's difficult to draw conclusions about EV suitability for the rental car market when so many cost factors conspired against Hertz's mostly Tesla fleet.

In October, Hertz indicated that future EV acquisitions would benefit from lower purchase price and lessons learned from its Tesla fleet. Given Scherr's comments, we'd assume that it would strongly consider parts and labor costs in its calculus—and unless it comes to some deal with Tesla holding those costs down, that points to the company acquiring EVs from different automakers.

EVs are only 11% of Hertz's total fleet, so the 20,000 EVs the company is going to sell off by the end of 2025 represent 4.4% of the entire fleet. This does not seem like a permanent retreat from the EV business for Hertz, but rather a reallocation of a small portion of its overall assets in an attempt to hold costs down. 

Tesla and Elon Musk made Electric Vehicles cool again as the Big Automakers abandoned the technology.  That's the story, Wall Street, the Corporate Media, Musk Fanbois, and Cylon Musk himself sold.  It's been worth a lot of money.  Has it any value?  Maybe some, not $55 Billion, but then Cylon Musk has always been a weird, self-promoting, bigoted narcissist who loves Racism and the power he wields.

Republicans have nothing to offer the American people; but a lot to offer Oil & Gas Companies

As President Biden, Senator Warren, and numerous other Democratic officials have noted; oil & gas companies are raking in record windfall profits on the backs of the American people.

“Oil companies. record profits today are not because of doing something new or innovative,” Biden said. “Their profits are a windfall of war, a windfall for the brutal conflict that’s ravaging Ukraine and hurting tens of millions of people around the globe.” 

Over the last two quarters, ExxonMobil, Chevron, Shell, BP, ConocoPhillips, and TotalEnergy earned over $100 billion in profits—more than they earned all of last year, and more than two-and-a-half times what they earned in the same quarters of 2021.

For one thing, long range, these fossil fuel conglomerates realize the days of the internal combustion engine on personal motor vehicles is coming to a close and are looking to rake in as much as possible for as long as possible.  To that extent Republicans eagerly aid Republicans in fucking over the American consumer. 

Because Republicans provide Oil & Gas Companies a safety value of claiming the price of gas on Biden's War on Energy.   It would be ludicrous if it wasn't so indicative of the Fascist GOP plans to shackle every American in perpetual servitude to Big Companies while retarding all growth in the renewable energy sector as they've done decades.

Of course, Republicans have zero plans to relieve the pressure at the pump and are, most likely, relying on Oil Companies lowering prices in response to Republicans easing restrictions and regulations on drilling, dumping, polluting, and transferring all the costs of Oil extraction to the people while profits are safely secured in stock buybacks and bonuses.  It's the old privatize the profits and socialize the losses maneuver so-called Capitalists are famous for...  

To say nothing of the fact that many of the Multinational Oil Companies are really just extensions of their native Governments, including such repressive terrorist sponsoring regimes like Saudi Arabia.  And the arguments Republicans are feeding their Rightwing drones basically amounts to nationalizing Oil Companies so the President can dictate the price of gas.

President Biden and the Democratic House have passed Windfall Profits Tax on Oil & Gas Companies, and every Republican in the House voted against it.  The bill will not pass the Senate because zero Republicans in the Senate will support such a bill because Republicans ally and align with rapacious Oil Companies over the American citizen, all the time.  Biden has also released oil from the strategic reserve, pressured oil companies to increase production, while the Democrats in the Senate the Gas Prices Relief Act, stopping the excise tax on gasoline for 2022.

I recall Republican Congressman Joe Barton apologizing to BP executive Tony Hayward for the dastardly Obama War on Energy after BP destroyed the Gulf of Mexico with the Deepwater Horizon catastrophe,

"I'm ashamed of what happened in the White House yesterday. I apologize. I do not want to live in a country where anytime a citizen or a corporation does something that is legitimately wrong is subject to some sort of political pressure, that is again, in my words, amounts to a shakedown. So I apologize." Texass Dick Pic Joe Barton

But, then what is painfully obvious, and has been so for decades, is the Republican Party hates America.  They hate a diverse and free America.  Everywhere we see Republicans shackling people, removing rights, eliminating options, demonizing Americans, and seeking to return to a Nation with a tiered system of citizenship.  Because that is what Republicans want; a NeoConfederate Slave Economy with rights conferred based on race, religion, and the size of your bank account.  Poor, black, women, queer need not apply; and to achieve this Republicans will side with whatever Foreign Power necessary and harm as many people as possible.

Jumpin' Gas Prices are a Fash, Fash, Fash

Christian Walker's Escalade gets 15 miles to the gallon.     

Givenchy gets $1300 per Christian Walker's hoodie.   

Now, I hope everyone opposed to the Rightwing accelerating fascist agenda realizes snarky biting satire and witty quips directed at Conservatives have zero effect.  

Sure...  Laughing at Christian Givenchy Walker (the son of Herschel, the erstwhile replacement for Senator Warnock in Georgia) and his contrived antics may feel good and this gas pump one forced the H.Walker campaign to shush him for a few months, but understand Givenchy Walker feels no shame, literally laughed off being called a hypocrite, and had no trouble coming back after this with more inane disingenuous dramatic diatribes.  

But, instead of wryly chuckling, 'Welcome Comrade!' that the GOP wants to nationalize gas and oil companies and Ha ha ha ha ha that's communism!, understand that conservatives will say anything, contradict previously held statements and beliefs, and endorse anyone which gives them a "win" for the day.

If the rightwing rhetoric has to change tomorrow and change back the day after that, or if they have to adopt a wildly contradictory positions later so be it... as long as the Corporate Media uncritically repeats their agitprop and as long as they can keep their rightwing drones enthralled in the Republican web of let's #OwntheLibs O'Brandon!

Now, the gas prices are surging to unseen levels.  If you thought, Republicans wouldn't for a moment use this to Blame Biden, then you don't understand the GOP playbook; Take All Credit; Pass All Blame. Repeat.

Biden's "War on American Energy" is going to be the centerpiece of the Republican effort to steal the 2022 elections.  It even drew the spirochete afflicted mumblings dof brain added Donald John Traitor Trump.  It's

Sure, sure, Republicans are going to have to pay lip service to how they are *actually* protecting Women's Health by striking down Roe and by enforcing invasive uterus inspection laws whilst ignoring Gun Control.  And the GOP is going to have to keep their plans to eliminate Lawerence v. Texas and Loving v. Virginia and outlawing contraception under wraps until 2024.

But, understand the GOP no longer needs to offer up anything, they don't have to have policy proposals or concrete agenda items.  The Modern Republican Party doesn't have any plans and doesn't have anything to offer the American people except pain.  When asked earlier this year what Republicans stand for Mitch McConnell responded, "That is a very good question.  And I'll let you know when we take it back."

All that's needed is a promise of revenge. 

As to gas prices, the issue goes back 50 years;  American car makers did not learn anything from the 1973 OPEC Oil Crisis.  American cars have always been land yachts, rolling whales.  The quintessential question is, is this because of the American consumer tastes and preferences or because the American auto industry makes what it makes?

Contrary to popular belief, the large gas-guzzling monstrosities of the 1970's did not disappear they were just rebranded and rebadged as Sport Utility Vehicles and Trucks.  Fucking trucks.  And not just any truck but, progressively bigger and bigger and less efficient models dominated for the last 25 years.  The Ford Ranger from 1982 and the throwaway 1990's Nissan Frontier was the only small truck option readily available in America.  Every other option simply grew in dimensions until the mid-size Trucks of the 2000's were larger than full-sized of the past.

Finally... finally in the past few years smaller truck options became available highlighted by the return of the "Ute"; with the Ford Maverick and Hyundai Santa Cruz.  And their sales are making Toyota consider a smaller truck than the bloated Tacoma.

Clearly, the desire for small, fuel efficient vehicles represents a large segment of the market.  The sales of Tesla, an inferior electric vehicle, show the market exists for non-gas hogs but, look how long it took for the Big Automakers to pivot to making any electric vehicles and flagships for Chevrolet and Ford are... trucks...

Sigh...  So, here we are again.  Instead of investing in electric and moving towards fuel-efficient cars Americans who bristled at the $4 - $5 gas prices in 2007-2008 simply returned to bloated SUVs and trucks for daily commuting in the 2010's and now do they blame themselves for their choices?  

No.  The post World War 2, American mindset has always been there's no reason to scrimp, there's no reason to delay any gratification, everything from steak to gas is cheap and plentiful.  

I'm not the first to recognize the disposable America but, what white America is primed for is a Fascist Strongman who promises to make America like it was again... Again... And that's precisely what the Republican Party is offering and proposing, Pure Fascism in America.

Jumpin' Gas Prices! It's a Flash! Flash! Flash!

Too cold to start a fire

I'm burning diesel, burning dinosaur bones - Rusty Cage, Soundgarden 1991

In 1973, the bloated, complacent, and backwards thinking U.S. Automotive industry took a wallop when OPEC introduced an Oil embargo and took steps to wrest control of the oil market from US and European backed oil companies.

American cars of the 1970's were ridiculous monstrosities and American automakers weren't invested in the type of innovation and design investment necessary to stay competitive.  The 30 years after WW2 had led to a malaise of over-confidence.  German and especially Japanese car makers were ready to pounce on the small car market, with advanced vehicles that not only were far more efficient and better cars but, also what a large segment of the customer base in the United States wanted.

Of course, since then the sad truth is the American car industry has still not learned the lessons of 1973.  Today, gas prices across the country are reaching the highest real cost as well as the highest relative price ever.  And are drivers in the United States equipped to handle this? 

Nope.

You see American car shopper sucks or to be fairer, consistently makes the bad vehicle choice, especially when given the chance to make that choice.  Every time gas prices relax a little bit, Americans go out and buy giant gas guzzling monster vehicles.  Now maybe it's a symbiotic relationship between car makers and consumer.  As the giant land yachts of the 1970's didn't go away they were simply jacked up and retitled Sport Utility Vehicles and Trucks.  Everyone wants a big truck.  Even so-called midsized trucks like the Ford Ranger, Honda Ridgeline, or Chevy Colorado would be big trucks in an earlier era.  Of course, some really small Utes have just been reintroduced; the Hyundai Santa Cruz and Ford Maverick (also as a hybrid) but, it's way late to finally introduce these smaller more efficient models.

Additionally, while the hyper car market is tiny and geared towards the super rich, it's moving to electric vehicles.  But, the "affordable" luxury and performance market isn't getting great gas mileage either.

Brazilian Fascists love TrumPutin 
and hate President Biden and Trudeau
I guess Glenn Greenwald is having
a real impact!

So, thanks to Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine, energy prices are spiking across the globe.  And Americans are once again moaning about paying at the pump.

Unbelievable.  Or... in reality it isn't... because the American dream of cheap energy derived from fossil fuels is yet again another cornerstone of the endless Republican assault on the United States.   

43 years ago President Jimmy Carter, a good and decent and deeply religious man put solar panels on the White House.  President Carter called for 20% of American power to be procured from solar In Year 2000.

This was a smart, forward-thinking plan and one which would have helped usher in the electric car revolution far earlier as well as combat what executives and scientists working for the fossil fuels industry  already knew in the 1970's; that climate change was going to destroy the planet and kill millions (or more) people.

Instead, what we got in 1979 was an Iranian Revolution because the Shah of Iran, whom the United States and British had placed into power in 1953 to help the oil from Persia flow, was a brutal dictator and murderer.  The Hostage Crisis opened the doors to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave for the villainous Republican Party. 

And in 1981, Ronnie Raygun stepped into the White House with his oil-drenched hairdo, phony cowboy demeanor, and chickenhawk warmonger swagger and promptly took the solar panels off the roof and declared the United States would never break its' addiction to fossil fuels or foreign entanglements.  Reagan was already a brain-addled fraud in the pocket of Big Oil, before being shot and suffering brain damage.

So Reagan's handlers told him to open areas of the United States to exploitation and ruin and in 1986, Raygun gave a speech "crowing" about how "freedom", "the marketplace", "the entrepreneurs and businessmen and women of America" performed miracles after he decontrolled Oil from The Government.

No Eternal Allies only
Eternal Interest in Middle East Oil

What a fucking asshole.  Reagan's fraudulence set the course to tie the United States to the Middle East and for the next 40 years the American people have suffered because of it.  Reagan incited and assured Saddam Hussein the US would support him and Iraq against Iran.  Well that led to 30 years of violence in Iraq and Iran didn't it? 

And opening the United States to haphazard oil drilling ushered in disastrous oil spills via the Exxon Valdez (1989), BP Deepwater Horizon (2010), too say nothing of all the lesser spills you've never heard about, and the monstrously destructive 21st century fracking boom with all it's accompanying environmental destruction.

But, this post is already too long and I've barely touched the disastrous W(orst President Ever) Maladministration drilling policies or Former Republican Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke and all his associated crimes*, misappropriation of funds, and abuse of authority.  And that's the problem; it takes a lot of reading and the acknowledgment of background information which bad actors on the Right are unwilling to engage in because they've mastered the art of the Meme and the bumper sticker and conservatives have entered an Era of having their own facts.  

They simply assert High Gas Prices Biden Fault shorthand.  So, instead of getting a fuel efficient vehicle or investing in an electric vehicle, a whole bunch of Americans who asserted it was their right to get the gaudiest, biggest, least practical, non-efficient Truck are now crying about high gas prices and petulantly pouting that mean Pete Buttigieg said they should buy an electric vehicle  

*- Career Criminal Traitor Trump showed Republicans they had been a bunch of "Suckers and Losers", when you have authority you commit crimes and you keep committing crimes non-stop because the media isn't interested in following them all up.

Government of the Rich, by the Rich and for the Rich

"I don’t think $3.5 million is a heck of a lot of money" - Supreme Court Justice Antonin "Fat Tony" Scalia. And in comparison to the people with whom Antonin rubs shoulders it isn't. 

Americans are mad. The 1% have always tried to funnel that anger at the Government. By and large the Rich have successfully duped conservatives into believing the Government is the source of their woes.

Look over there! That teacher has a pension! Look over there! That postal employee has good retirement options! Look over there! That Poor person is eating food and has air conditioning!

The Rich and the Republicans have spent years destroying Americans' confidence in Government by deliberate sabotage, demagoguery over "blaah people's lives getting better" from white Iowa farmers money which they use to eat steak, work out and drive Cadillacs.

The fact is the wholly-owned Republican Party and Pro-Business Democrats do the bidding of the Rich and Powerful. That Government act as the Economic Hitmen and Goon Squad enforcing the will of the Rich upon the Nation.

Even now, during the Republican enforced Shutdown, P90X Ryan offered up his Death to the Poor Budget Plan as "an olive branch".

Ryan's plan is, of course, nothing more than the same Right-Wing gibberish and contains the same-old Republicans canards; Raise taxes on the Middle Class ("broadening the tax base"), eliminate medicaid and make medicare more expensive (if you were wealthy you'd be healthy), increase retirement contributions by federal employees (eliminate the middle class), “opening up America’s vast energy reserves to development.” (Drill Baby, Drill!!!)

Nonetheless, the Republicans Coup attempt is not the endgame. The endgame is "Smaller Government". The Smaller Government they want is one just Small enough to fit into the pockets of the Super Rich.

But, it seems the Koch Brothers are a little skittish about the anger they've helped to foment. Koch Industries public relations arm released a memo denying any involvement in the Republican Government Shutdown.

However, Koch has not taken a position on the legislative tactic of tying the continuing resolution to defunding Obamacare nor have we lobbied on legislative provisions defunding Obamacare.  

We believe that Congress should, at a minimum, keep to sequester-level spending guidelines, and develop a plan for more significant and widespread spending reductions in the future 

Meanwhile, the McCutcheon v. Federal Election Commission SCOTUS case is clearing the way for Unlimited Campaign Contributions. So, the Rich can choose the 536 politicians in DC who they will instruct to steadily turn the nation into a Neo-Feudalist hellhole wherein 99% of Americans will be born into Wage Slavery and have no recourse and no friend in Government.

But, the apologists for the Rich will tell those slaves that they are free. 

So, Grover Norquist will tell those slaves they don't need the damned government for anything, and when Koch Industries turns the nearby stream into a slurry of coal slag or when ExxonMobil oil pipeline befouls an entire rive and marshland, those American slaves Grover dreams of creating will simply shrug and accept it as the way things ought to be.

Update:
What Corporate Behemoths and Plutocratic Thieves want is a Government in which 99% of the American people literally can not petition for a redress of their grievances. It's the whole point of Privatization, Deregulation and Outscouring to make a Government that does not respond to the 99% but caters to the whims and directions of the Super Rich.

Hello Joe Barton, John Boehner and other Republicans. BP is awaiting your apology!

For all the dastardly reporting detailing the disgusting fallout and on-going damage done to the Gulf due to the reckless negligence of BP, Halliburton and Transocean, after the April 20, 2010, explosion aboard the BP-leased Deepwater Horizon spewed 5 million barrels of oil into the Gulf and killed 11 workers.

“The Gulf is returning to normal.” - Ken Feinberg.

The images of eyeless shrimp, lesion covered fish and deformed crabs are commonplace in the Gulf now 2 years after the worst Oil Spill in American History. "Some of the things I've seen over the past year or so I've never seen before," said Will Patterson, a marine biologist at the University of South Alabama and at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab. "Things like fin rot, large open sores on fish, those were some of the more disturbing types of things we saw. Different changes in pigment, red snapper with large black streaks on them."

But, guess what the rapacious Oil Conglomerates don't give a fuck. If they poison the waters, obliterate life and destroy the livelihood of millions of Americans so what? As long as the bottom line is safe.

As long as Republicans, place the blame for their evil onto President Obama, to satisfy the bigotry of their stable of warped conservative drones.

"I think the people responsible in the oil spill--the federal government--should take full responsibility for what's happening there," John Boehner, Speaker of the People's House? Or Propagandist and Lackey for BP?

Republicans and Conservatives hate America so much that they would impeach The American President [Is Obama's BP Shakedown an Impeachable Offense? - American Thinker] for holding a Foreign Company (BP) accountable for their shoddy, slipshod, reckless, money-grubbing negligence in the Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill.

How can "Freedom-loving" Conservatives agree with the US Government giving billions of tax payer dollars to BP, who has used and is using that money to subvert and bribe people overseas? How can they abide a Party which defends a Corporation which damaged the Gulf so severely that it'll take decades to recover.

"I apologize," Republican Joe Barton told Tony Hayward. "I do not want to live in a country where any time a citizen or a corporation does something that is legitimately wrong is subject to some sort of political pressure that is -- again, in my words, amounts to a shakedown. So I apologize."

Corporations are people, my friend! But, personal responsibility ends when Corporate-hood begins...

While the response operation was going on, BP was responsible for cleaning it up, sort of... If you can call throwing millions of pounds of chemical dispersants, burning the oil and setting up rubber buoys a "clean-up" response. Now, if oil is found where it shouldn't be, an investigation will take place, led by the Coast Guard, to find the "responsible party". BP is no longer automatically liable. "What it means is we're going back to the normal way of handling coastline issues," explains BP spokesman Ray Melick. The Normal way being for them to cut all safety features, steal as much oil as possible and leave the clean-up to whatever Nation was stupid enough to invite them in. As Greg Palast wrote, BP Cover-Up "They Knew",

Two years before the Deepwater Horizon blow-out in the Gulf of Mexico, another BP off-shore rig suffered a nearly identical blow-out, but BP concealed the first one from the U.S. regulators and Congress.

“I urge the citizens of Louisiana: Move on already,” Ken Feinberg said. As Melick added about BP, "We're not going anywhere." How true! The damage wrought by BP isn't going anywhere. It'll be here for decades. So just move on America... You and your lives mean little compared to the Corporate Person BP.

Republicans Plan to Turn America into a Slave State

Think Progress reports Republican scum-bucket John Shimkus of Illinois proposed that Multi-National Oil companies drilling costs be paid for by US Taxpayers in the case the company does not find oil. So, when BP gets a lease to drill, baby drill and they fail, the costs of their Failure should be paid for by Poor and Middle Class.

"Just because you have a lease, it doesn’t mean there’s oil underneath there. You have to look for it. It takes capital expense … I’m tired, I’m really tired of this attack on drilling. Now multiply that to a multinational corporation and it’s the same thing. If they go deepwater drilling and they don’t hit, should they not write that off as a business expense? Sure they should." - Republican Congressman Shimkus

John Shimkus also made a ham-handed attempt at Orwellian language by talking about "my little mom and pop drillers" in an effort to appeal to downstate Illinois conservatives. Because either he or they believe most petroleum comes from the local farmers oil well down the road?

Republicans are evil slime. Oil companies are getting Billions of free taxpayer welfare while at the same time they and the oil speculators are jacking prices up and making obscene profits.

But, the reason this additional Corporate welfare burden would be paid for Middle class and Poor is because Giant Corporations don't pay taxes in the US.

A comprehensive new study that profiles 280 of America’s most profitable companies finds that 78 of them paid no federal income tax in at least one of the last three years. Thirty companies enjoyed a negative income tax rate over the three year period, despite combined pre-tax profits of $160 billion.

“These 280 corporations received a total of nearly $223 billion in tax subsidies,” said Robert McIntyre, Director at Citizens for Tax Justice and the report’s lead author.  “This is wasted money that could have gone to protect Medicare, create jobs and cut the deficit.”

This really points to the bigger Republican Plan. The Republican Crony Capitalists, Vultures and Dutiful Lapdogs of the Plutocracy have been chipping away year after year at the Tax code in order to set up a system of legalized theft by the 1%.

The Right-Wing plan has always been to create a tax system wherein the entire burden of government falls upon the Middle Class. This accomplishes three goals:

1) Giant Corporations are protected by a legal system which subsidizes their losses and violently protects their profits,
2) The meager pittance of Medicaid, SSI, unemployment thrown to the poor comes entirely from the middle class,
3) Facing the entire burden of a Nation-State and Massive Overseas Empire The Middle Class is ground down into poverty and penury.

The current Republican Recession which is impoverishing so many Americans is the result of 4 main factors:

1) Investment Firms and Banks making Risky Loans and Investments,
2) American Companies not investing in creating jobs in America,
3) The Economic Policies under former President Bush, including tax cuts for the wealthiest families,
4) Military and DoD expenditures during the GWoT.

But, Shimkus' plan would go further towards the real goal of the Republican Party which is the the destruction of American Democracy and the creation of a Neo-Feudalist Slave State the Rich Plutocracy has always wanted.

Joe Walsh says Obama is acting like a Boy tells the President to Quit Lying

"He acted like a ten-year old... We voted for him because of who he was...", Republican Representative Joe Walsh, thinks President Obama is a ___.

If there is one thing Joe Walsh knows it's that President Obama is black, "Most people voted for him because of who he was. He was a historic figure, our first black president." And that is all he knows. Joe Walsh is an embarrassment. As one of the leading figures of the 2010 Tea Party Republicans he is filled with the Ronald Reagan/ Grover Norquist ignorance of Government is the problem let's drown it in a bathtub....

As such he knows his job is to say the most incendiary buffoonish things and act like the Federal Government is corrupt and incompetent. And the Republicans have spent the last 30 years undermining and corrupting the Government. Joe Walsh and the Tea Party Caucus are the same as it ever was...

And as Joe Walsh endears himself to the Teabaggers by slandering that you-know-what in the White House, he continues the Republican tradition of screwing the working man over for his Corporate Masters. Just 4 months ago, Joe Walsh and the other 235 Republicans in the US House voted unanimously to continue giving US Taxpayer dollars money to Multinational Oil Companies.

"You've spent money like a drunken sailor for 3 years," - Joe Walsh. Hey Joe, what would a chicken hawk like yourself know about military service members? It'll be great when in 2012 Walsh loses his ill gotten and uncared for District, then he can stay in Washington DC and start a Tea Party think tank.

Somebody Drill George Bush, Dick Cheney, and Sarah Palin

“This is not a natural disaster, this is a man-made fucking catastrophe of epic proportions!” ~ John Goodman, Treme

Sarah Palin, Dick Cheney and George Bush love to have their hands coated in Blood and Oil. And when Blood and Oil can be spilled into the ocean due to their efforts to deregulate Oil Companies and do irreparable damage to a fragile ecosystem they smile.

Republicans really don't care if you die. Everyday more and more Americans learn the Republicans Message is: Fuck You and Fuck the World, Give Us Money.

This giant oil slick heading towards the NOLA coast is the direct result of the "Election" of never done a real days worth of work, Chicken Hawk Oil Barons George Bush and Dick Cheney. It's a direct result of Republicans 30 year plan of deregulation of government. It's a Stab-In-The-Back of the American People.

Last year the Republicans sent out Bobby Jindal to decry and scoff at 'Volcano Monitoring' and other wasteful environmental measures. Jindal is now requesting Government assistance with this Disaster. Being a Republican means never having to worry about Hypocrisy. Republicans and Conservatives love to blame government for everything and ensure any government plan to aid the unfortunate in America is slashed but whenever a rich man's portfolio loses 20%, Republicans are there with the bailout and disaster relief.

And American workers died when the rig exploded. Dick Cheney's Halliburton continues to make money off of the blood of dead Americans just the way Dick Cheney wants it. And you betcha, Sarah Palin wants American workers to die horribly, cold and alone in the black oil coated waters of the Gulf, so she can Drill Baby Drill.

But, conservative troglodytes would have you believe Businesses have your best interests at heart. They don't. To Republicans and Corporations the American worker is a cost overrun. American workers demand things like a living wage and safe work environments and the chance to go home at night with all their limbs.

But ecological disasters and dead Americans are what you get when Republicans get elected to office.

Related:
BP and TransOcean fought Government regulations on Deepwater Horizon Rig, Thanks Dick Cheney!