Oct. 30, 2001 - 21:44 MST

THE WONDERING JEW

Go Where ?

Money talks, big money swings a bigger stick, seems to be a fact of life.

I read in the news the CEO of United - James Goodwin is now an ex-CEO.

Lets see now, what is the game plan ? Is it the Peter Principle on a grand scale ? Does it go like this, climb the ladder by stepping on others fingers, climbing from shoulders to head, rising to a position of eminence. Yaaay Home Run ! Then on to the great position of CEO of a corporation.

Although CEO's as a rule don't seem to have enough smarts to make their businesses profitable, they did have enough smarts to get a nice contract, stock options, bonuses and by Golly would you believe it pensions. Now by Jeeminy, does a millionaire deserve a pension from an organization he has almost put down the tubes ? and the icing, he gets a severance package in the millions.

All this from a corporation in trouble and with labor problems before September 11, 2001. Real nice deal if you can get it. Wish I could have hired in a job with a, "If you don't work out we will pay you a huge severance sum just to go on down the road." Usually it comes with a pink slip and at the most a month's income and a limited time in the HMO sponsored by the employer.

In Paul Krugman's Column this morning in the Rocky Mountain News, his first paragraph I quote: "Cynics tell us that money has completely corrupted our politics, that in the last election big corporations basically bought themselves a government that will serve their interests. Several related events last week suggest that the cynics have a point."

He mentions airport security issue and mentions that London based Securicor the biggest of three companies that provide almost all airport security in the United States - was threatening to sue for damages if baggage screening is taken over by federal employees. This just two weeks after we learned that Securicor's U.S. subsidiary - which had already been fined for employing convicted felons - continued to hire employees without checking thier background even after September eleventh, and then lied about it to regulators. There has apparently been jockeying in our hallowed halls of Washington to take the heat off and let Securicor's boys do their thing.

He mentions the House 'stimulus' bill the heart of which was a repeal of the corporate alternative minmum tax RETROACTIVE (caps mine) to 1986 ! Which would mean that selected (?) companies would immediately receive huge lump-sum payments from the government (our pockets), totaling around twenty five billion dollars, with no incentive effect at all. Mr. Krugman tells about the waffling and pushing going on there.

Then Mr Krugman mentions, "Just to cap off a great week for the mining interests, the Bush administration also announced on Thursday that the Interior Department would no longer be able to veto mining projects on public land."

He ends his column, "But on some subjects our leaders are clear headed: whatever else may be going on, they make sure that they are taking care of business."

Could it be said that Bush and his regime are honest politicians ? Guess so in accordance to a definition I once read -- "An honest politician is one that stays bought." and we know who bought them.

The way the course of history has gone in the past I would guess our government is following in the footsteps of those governments who suffered a decline and fall.

Maybe when every vulturous company and citizen begins to rely on the taxpayer to foot the bill it will dawn on them that the taxpayers have dwindled in numbers to being hamburger and frys pushers many of who lost their jobs long ago. Our corporations had their arms in Europe even during World War Two and have now established factories overseas, plus I now hear they can keep their money from being taxed. as it exacerbates, our country is gonna Go Where ? . . . . . . .

Blog