Something You Can Do: Join the US Uncut Movement (and PA Uncut as well, both on Facebook)

Here's a flyer I'm handing out. US Uncut is one of the most spontaneous civic actions I've ever seen that you can only do with the Internet. You can suggest your own actions as well but I wouldn't start with taking over a bank.

The Greater Good Coalition supports the efforts of US Uncut at both the federal and the state level. Please keep reading our blog for progress in this effort. You can join both groups on Facebook. This is from their website:

US Uncut is a grassroots movement taking direct action against corporate tax cheats and unnecessary and unfair public service cuts across the U.S. Washington's proposed budget for the coming year sends a clear message: The wrath of budget cuts will fall upon the shoulders of hard-working Americans. That's unacceptable.

Obama seeks to trim $1.1 trillion from the budget in the next ten years by cutting or eliminating over 200 federal programs, many dedicated to social services and education. For instance, it cuts in half funding to subsidize heating for low-income Americans; limits an expansion of the Pell grant program for students; and decreases Environmental Protection Agency funding by over 12%.

Meanwhile, Republicans are using their new House majority to slash spending even more brutally. The GOP has made it clear that they are bent on raiding funds for Social Security, Medicare, education; determined to kill health care reform; and gut needed investments in infrastructure, climate change and job creation, at a time when America needs it most.

These cuts will come on top of very painful austerity measures made at the state-level across our nation–-worth hundreds of billions--since the recession began.

In short, budget cuts demonstrate that Washington has abandoned ordinary Americans.

But there is an alternative: Make corporate tax avoiders pay.

Enjoying record profits and taxpayer-funded bailouts as the economy slowly recovers from a financial crisis, nearly two-thirds of US corporations don't pay any income taxes, instead opting to abuse tax loopholes and offshore tax havens. According to this study from the non-partisan Government Accountability Office, 83 of the top 100 publicly traded corporations that operate in the US exploit corporate tax havens. Since 2009, America’s most profitable companies such as ExxonMobil, General Electric, Bank of America and Citigroup all paid a grand total of $0 in federal income taxes to Uncle Sam. Tax havens alone account for up to $1 trillion in tax revenue lost every decade, money that could be invested in K-12 education, colleges, public health, job creation and hundreds of other worthy public programs.

If we pay our taxes, why don’t they? If corporations profit here, shouldn't they pay here?

It’s time for ordinary Americans to fight back and demand an end to the corporate tax avoidance. Join US Uncut and together let's make corporate tax avoiders pay. US Uncut is a horizontal movement. There are no centrally planned protests. If you want one in your town or city, you'll have to take it on yourself. Read our blog about what to do next.

The Greater Good Coalition, http://greatergoodcoalition.blogspot.com/, email: greatergoodcoalition@gmail.com

Don't mind the shutdown as long as Obama fights for something

I don't mind the shutdown as long as Barack Obama fights for something. Frankly, I haven't seen a lot of that from him before. It would be refreshing. Related: toon from Tom Tomorrow (good move by my nemesis Markos) critical of Obama's horrible negotiation style.

More Norway Standard of Living Porn versus the NAACP's Prison Project

As some of you may know, aside from galactic conquest where all will kneel before Zod (and I change my name to "Zod"), the humble goal of our 527 is to tranform the United States into the mythical far away land of Norway, with the unicorns and fairy tale backgrounds and universal health and child care and such.


Here is more Norway standard of living porn:

Arne Kvernvik Nilsen, Bastoy's governor and a practicing psychotherapist, describes it as the world's first human-ecological prison — a place where inmates learn to take responsibility for their actions by caring for the environment. Prisoners grow their own organic vegetables, turn their garbage into compost and tend to chickens, cows, horses and sheep. They also operate the ferry that shuttles a number of them to school and jobs on the mainland, make their own dinner (they're allowed to use knives) and chop wood (using axes and chainsaws). Although authorities carry out routine drug tests, the prison generally emphasizes trust and self-regulation: Bastoy has no fences, the windows have no bars, and only five guards remain on the island after 3 p.m. and on weekends. "They are among the worst criminals in Norway. They are murderers, they are rapists, they are Hells Angels," says Nilsen. "But they keep the whole society alive and running." (See pictures inside the world's most humane prison.)

Read more: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2000920,00.html#ixzz1IuBx8TLm

Was it good for you?

Meanwhile, back on our horrible Back to the Future II world ruled by Biff the NAACP gives us this: 

Here's a bit. Cue the theme from Oz:

On April 7th, the NAACP released a new report, Misplaced Priorities, that examines America's escalating levels of prison spending and its impact on state budgets and our nation’s children.
Misplaced Priorities tracks the steady shift of state funds away from education and toward the criminal justice system. Researchers have found that over-incarceration most often impacts vulnerable and minority populations, and that it destabilizes communities.
The report is part of the NAACP’s “Smart and Safe Campaign,” and offers a set of recommendations that will help policymakers in all 50 states downsize prison populations and shift the savings to education budgets.
Below are profiles of the six cities studied in the report, as well as three profiled individuals. Click here to download a PDF of the full report.

Related: The NAACP has also been sending this mobile billboard around certain towns. It says: "Welcome to America. 5 percent of the world's people. 25 percent of its prisoners.

Interesting speech by Cornel West and how Obama's policies affect black underclass.

I guess the  next question is: Will Cornell West endorse somebody besides Barack Obama? I certainly think you can take the current president over the slue of outwardly crazy GOP contestants but is he open minded toward a primary challenge by say a Kucinich or a Grayson?

And now: the cheezy animated version of what the Greater Good Coalition can do

This is a cheezy animated version of what the Greater Good Coalition can do.