There is a difference between governments (local, state, federal) and corporations.
The job for corporations is to make lots of money for stockholders and CEOs. We hear “restructuring” when a corporation is laying off employees while raking in billion-dollar profits and paying little or no taxes. Employees are considered a disposable expense.
Governments exist to take care of those with special needs; to make repairs to bridges and roads; it may be a watchdog for how our food is processed; or help a preschooler’s ability to enter school (aren’t the dollars spent for Head Start a better investment than the cost of prisons — how many college graduates do you see behind bars?).
Governments may not be perfect, but isn’t it up to us to make them better, not destroy them? Like a cooperative, we all support governments and, in return, governments should even the playing field, giving everyone a fair opportunity.
But do we all support it?
The trend of the last 30 years is to drown governments in the bathtub and cut all revenues. Corporate taxes have never been lower, and taxes have shifted in scale from corporations and the wealthy to individuals.
We are very far from being a socialist country. We can be a capitalist democracy and care about our people. Examples are Germany, the United Kingdom, Japan, Taiwan and Switzerland; all have a health care system that cares for everyone.
We just need to want it and support it.
Diane Poirier, Lewiston
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There's a huge difference ...
... between the corporations you mentioned (the ones that make the news) and the overwhelming majority of them which strive mightily to do what's right for their customers, stockholders, AND their employees (including the CEOs) in spite of all the obstacles put in their way by governments.
The US corporate tax rate is just about the highest on the planet, even including those capitalist (if you say so) democracies you mentioned. Whatever the rate, the simple truth is that corporations do not pay taxes like individuals do. They consider taxes just another cost of doing business, factor them into the prices for their goods and services, and pass them on to customers - ultimately to individuals, most of whom are still in the middle class, in spite of current government policies to impoverish them.
Our federal government exists to carry out the duties and responsibilities enumerated in the Constitution. If it would stick to that, after about a century of perverting it, we would not need this discussion.
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