If their exists any doubt that the Republican party is dominated by the NeoCon philosophy, John Dean, in his new book, “Broken Government: How Republican Rule Destroyed the Legislative, Executive and Judicial Branches” puts it to rest. In a recent web article Dean remarks:

Republicans’ authoritarian rule can also be characterized by its striking incivility and intolerance toward those who do not view the world as Republicans do. Their insufferable attitude is not dangerous in itself, but it is employed to accomplish what they want, which it to take care of themselves and those who work to keep them in power.

The NeoCon primary directive is to “rape and pillage”, figuratively if not literally (although some of the literal does take place as “collateral damage” to their agenda, i.e., endless war). The organization that embodies the NeoCon movement is called “The Project for the New American Century” and their agenda can be summarized as follows:
1) Increase an already enormous military budget at the expense of domestic social programs
2) Toppling of regimes resistant to our corporate interests
3) Forcing democracy at the barrel of a gun in regions that have no history of the democratic process
4) Replacing the UN’s role of preserving and extending international order

Their exists a mentality amongst certain people who are terrified of choice, they consciously or subconsciously want life choices made for them. Many prisoners are or become like this, and would rather stay in prison than have to face an existence in the outside world. Are the majority of Americans of this frame of mind? How about you “Joe the Plumber”? We’ll find out in a few days if Americans want control of their lives, or to be controlled by an increasingly authoritarian government.

Yesterday the Obama Campaign registered a request for investigation with the Dept. of Justice. They are requesting that the White House, the DOJ, and the McCain Campaign be included in an investigation regarding the whole “ACORN voter fraud” allegation.

Basically, here’s how it works:

1. A number of Republican officials send in letters to the DOJ suggesting that ACORN is committing voter fraud. (NOTE: some theorize that the whole “firing” issue within DOJ has to do with certain folks not willing to go along with this scheme. Read on)

2. The republicans cry “voter fraud” within the ACORN organization, then try to associate ACORN with the Obama Campaign (remember McCains pointed accusation about ACORN during this weeks presidential debate?)

3. The FBI and DOJ initiate an investigation into ACORN, and the states that have filed a complaint (13 states, I think).

4. The states are inundated with Feds and lawyer types looking into their voting processes, thus getting in their way, slowing and process down, and often causing the states to “tighten up” their procedures. Ohio is an example of this. Fortunately their shenanigans (an attempt to disenfranchise over 200,000 voters) didn’t work there, and was recently rejected in court.

5. These investigations (#4 above) often target newly registered voters, and others that may not have had the luxury of a stable home year after year. In other words, students, lower income folks, etc. In other words, people who would most likely vote for the Democrat TIcket.

If the allegations made by the Obama campaign are true, this would indeed be the greatest attack against our democracy to date. It would be an outright conspiracy to undermine American’s right to vote.

So, what do we have here? If you can’t win the vote, get rid of the vote. “Country first”? I don’t think so. America, the shining light of democracy? No.  Carl Rove, are you in on this dude?  It sure smells like it.

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Most corporations, including the vast majority of foreign companies doing business in the United States, pay no income taxes, according to a Government Accountability Office report released Tuesday.

    During the eight-year period covered by the report, 72 percent of foreign-owned corporations went at least one year without owing taxes, and the same was true for 55 percent of domestic corporations.

    Small companies were much more likely to pay no taxes than larger companies. Still, more than 3,500 large domestic corporations – with more than $250 million in assets or $50 million in gross receipts – did not pay taxes in 2005.

    The report said about 80 percent of the companies studied paid no taxes because they didn’t generate any profit after expenses. Money-losing companies can legitimately owe no tax, and others can use provisions of the tax code to lower or eliminate their liability.

    But the lawmakers who sought the data seized on the report as proof of corporate gamesmanship.

    ”It’s shameful that so many corporations make big profits and pay nothing to support our country,” said Byron L. Dorgan , D-N.D., who requested the report along with Carl Levin , D-Mich. “The tax system that allows this wholesale tax avoidance is an embarrassment and unfair to hardworking Americans who pay their fair share of taxes. We need to plug these tax loopholes and put these corporations back on the tax rolls.”

    The report covered the period from 1998 through 2005. During that time, corporate income taxes as a share of gross domestic product dipped, from 2.2 percent in 1998 to 1.2 percent in 2003, the lowest share since 1983. But receipts jumped after that, hitting 2.7 percent in 2006 and 2007, according to the Office of Management and Budget. That was the highest share since the late 1970s.

    The GAO report also found that foreign-owned corporations were somewhat more likely to report no income than domestic corporations. There are several possible reasons for that. Foreign corporations may be younger, and startups are more likely to have no net income after expenses. They may also be in industries with lower profit margins.

    Another possibility could be the use of transfer pricing, which companies use to account for transactions between subsidiaries in different countries. Creative, rule-stretching use of transfer pricing can allow companies to push their profits into lower-taxed jurisdictions. The report does not attempt to examine whether illegal transfer-pricing caused the difference between foreign and domestic companies.

    But companies looking for lower-taxed jurisdictions often take profits out of the United States. The country’s 35 percent top rate on corporate income is among the highest in the industrialized world.

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So, evidently our government, in conjunction with it’s Suger Daddy corporations, has found a perfect way to make us “feel sorry” for corporations, while behind the scenes they are getting away with murder.  They have the highest corporate tax rate in the world, yet the majority of them pay no taxes.   Hmmmmmm.  I guess it’s easy to show little or no profit on your tax returns when  you are making huge “campaign contributions” (read “bribes”) to your local congressional rep. while also paying your top executives astronomical salaries for coming up with innovative tax dodges.