Can you keep a secret?

[salinen]

I know a guy who's an engineer, we'll call him Dave, and Dave's firm is working on the mechanical systems for the vacation home(s) for the CEO of a major computer software company. The property is lakefront, but I'll leave out which lake. It's more of a palace than a vacation home, with associated slaves quarters (maids, security guards, gardeners, cooks, etc). The main residence is gigantic and there are numerous outbuildings with miles and miles of walkways and driveways. A series of boilers will be utilized to heat and power the palace.

Here's the part that I find especially disturbing. Beneath all of those miles and miles of paths and drives are pipes that will carry hot liquid that will keep them free of snow during the winter.

We are in a major battle right now to protect and preserve our commons. The wealthy have bought our government and used their well paid employees (congress) to represent their interests only. We do have a representational democracy, and congress has evolved to only represent the wealthiest, who are critical to congresses interest, which is re-election. Actually it's almost impossible now to distinguish between the 1% and their Representatives.

If that CEO actually had to pay taxes, because we know he doesn't, then it might just filter back to the commons to fix those damn pot holes and bridges and schools and hospitals and fire stations and social security and Medicare and stuff.

All it will take is a revolution. The wealthy interest will never ever ever give this up without a fight. We need reforms on Wall Street, K Street, Insurance industry, Pharmaceutical industry, Monetary regulations, etc........ and any one of these reforms would mean revolution. Hell, if you wanted only to change assault weapon safety buttons, you'd have a major battle on your hands. That's where we are today.

OWS may fizzle, but it will be the first in a long battle to save the dream that the Founding Fathers had. Sounds cheesy but I have plenty of respect for those people who wrote and signed those documents. A Nations ideals must be just and moral and rise above the greed and selfishness that always attempts to re-right the principals only for their own gain.

Cheers.

[dkf]

1. How in the world do you know he pays no taxes?

[salinen]

2. Warren Buffet told me so

hehe

[dkf]

4. Warren Buffet pays taxes.

His argument is that he pays a smaller percentage of his income in taxes than his secretary due to the favorable treatment of capital gains but he has never said he pays no taxes whatsoever.

[hughee99]

5. Buffett also gets a huge tax break from his charitable donations

that I'll bet his secretary doesn't have. Yes, that's still money out of his pocket, but not in the form of taxes.

[dkf]

9. In a way I kind of agree that donations shouldn't be deductible.

Charity should be given freely and not used for tax avoidance.

Get rid of exemptions. All of them.

[MineralMan]

3. I imagine that Dave and all those "slaves" are very happy

to have the work. While you're right that this CEO is an example of someone who should be paying more taxes, and that he's wasting huge amounts of energy melting snow off his walkways, etc., the solution to our financial problems in this country don't depend 100% on taking his money. They really don't.

[dkf]

6. Working = slavery. That is just great.

Well with that mentality I guess the only way to freedom is to sit on your ass and collect your inheritance or government check.

[salinen]

12. The CEO is moving towards royalty

as the 99% move towards slavery. Are they not beginning their assault on Social Securtiy and Medicare and Welfare and our failing outdated infrastructure?

[MineralMan]

13. Yes. Well, the poster might want to ask "Dave" if he sees himself

as a slave. :shrug:

[saras]

7. What secret? The fact that Dave took some tips from the Chinese?

...and perhaps left a backdoor into these systems?

I just can't imagine a contractor, even after watching a homeowner snuff up more in cocaine than the entire remodel cost, ever doing such a thing. Can you?

[lifesbeautifulmagic]

8. I am positive I know (not personally) the person

you are talking about, and trust me, he can afford to pay $40 more, of every $1,000 over $250,000.

Providing he won't have his cadre of lawyers, accountants and advisers finding a way out for him.

[dkf]

10. Well the lawyers, accountants, and advisers have to make a living too.

See all the people living off this one man?

[salinen]

14. Yes

the lives of MBA's is probably not bad.

[Cal Carpenter]

11. I agree with you up until the part about the Founding Fathers

While there are some tidbits of lovely rhetoric from them, we can't romanticize what they stood for. They wanted to be free of one empire so they could start their own. Their 'all men are created equal' wasn't meant to imply that all humans are equal.

There is no great ideal of America to try to get back to. We need to look to the past with an honest, critical eye, and look forward to something different.

Abstract ideals of 'justice' and 'morals' are meaningless in an economic system that rewards greed and exploitation. The American empire has been built on this economic system.