The following statements, made by some of our top
business leaders, show a remarkable disdain for struggling Americans.
Though their coments may seem too outlandish to have been uttered, or
inappropriately humorous, all the speakers were serious.
1. Environmental Wisdom from Exxon and MonsantoRex Tillerson, CEO of Exxon, which has used tobacco industry tactics to
cast doubt on climate change,
summed up the whole environmental issue with his own unique brand of logic: "What good is it to save the planet if humanity suffers?"
Monsanto has no such moral compunctions over corporate social responsibility. A company director once
said, "Monsanto
should not have to vouchsafe the safety of biotech food. Our interest
is in selling as much of it as possible." While Monsanto, according to
Food & Water Watch,
has "wreaked havoc on the environment and public health" with PCBs,
dioxin, and other dangerous chemicals, the company reported in its most
recent
financial report to the SEC: "We are committed to long-term environmental protection."
2. The Art of Delusion: How Business People Fool ThemselvesThis starts, fittingly, at
McDonald's,
where a company representative vigorously defended his burgers and
nuggets: "We don't sell junk food...We sell lots of fruits and veggies
at McDonald's...And we are not marketing food to kids."
Next, on to a company that
hides overseas earnings, avoids
federal and
state taxes, makes
$400,000 per employee, pays its store workers an average of about
$12 per hour, pays its CEO
$143 million a year, and operates overseas factories with working conditions that, according to the
Economic Policy Institute, "reflect some of the worst practices of the industrial era." Their CEO Tim Cook
says, "Apple has a very strong moral compass."
Such delusional heights are also reached in the financial industry, where Goldman Sachs CEO
Lloyd Blankfein is doing God's work, his colleague
Brian Griffiths feels that we have to tolerate inequality as a way to achieve greater prosperity and opportunity for all, and
Ponzi scheming JP Morgan's
Jamie Dimon is not only not embarrassed to be a banker, but also proud of the company that he works for.
3. Talking Down to the Down & OutIt's
hard to choose the most insensitive and condescending remark from
people who seem to lack empathy for the less fortunate. Perhaps hedge
fund manager
Andy Kessler, who addressed the issue of why these homeless folks aren't also working. Ignoring the
National Coalition for the Homeless conclusion
that homelessness is caused by (1) a shortage of affordable rental
housing, and (2) a lack of job opportunities, Kessler suggests they're
homeless because someone is feeding, clothing and, in effect, bathing
them.
Equally condescending is the Walmart executive who
presumed to speak for his low-wage workers just before Thanksgiving, saying, "Walmart associates are really excited to work that day."
Now back to McDonald's, which had these infamous
budget tips for
its own low-wage employees: "You may want to consider returning some of
your unopened purchases that may not seem as appealing as they did.
Selling some of your unwanted possessions on eBay or Craigslist could
bring in some quick cash...Consider bringing a brown bag lunch and
skipping the takeout...You might also consider a temporary part time
job to dig out of debt quickly."
But the condescension king has to be
Charles Koch,
whose foundation tried to convince half of America that they were rich:
"If you earn over $34,000 a year, you are one of the wealthiest one
percent in the world."
4. Paying Taxes with Imaginary MoneyTim Cook, the "moral compass" guy from
top tax avoider Apple Corporation,
blurted, "We pay all the taxes we owe - every single dollar." He has a lot of support. Whole Foods CEO
John Mackey protested, "It's not Apple's fault that they're seeking to avoid paying taxes." And
Rand Paul added, "What we need to do is apologize to Apple and compliment them for the job creation they're doing."
Exxon, which once
said "any claim we don’t pay taxes is absurd", used a "theoretical tax" to account for almost 90% of
last year's income tax bill.
The Economist explains
theoretical taxes: "Companies have two versions of the truth: the
theoretical tax bill, calculated using accounting profits..and the
actual cash tax they pay.."
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