A Letter to An Angry Woman

Bless you, Ms Hartle. I am fascinated by the demonstrations and counter moves happening in social media where everyone takes their crack. Would be fascinated to know who posted their pic and statement first, because it sure has morphed into a tactic for both sides. Understanding that no one is really talking to the other party at the moment—both right and left are largely speaking to their own constituencies—but the heightened sense of dialogue one would hope would be a good thing. That is so long as it does not devolve into the sickening ethos of the Loudoun County GOP in Virginia.

Of course you are right to point out how petroleum dominates our consumer culture and the myriad ways that it does that. It also cannot be argued how interdependent we are on each other.

Elizabeth Warren made such a compelling argument this campaign season, dominated as it is by the various positions over who contributed and who didn’t and who is getting too much, and who needs to give something back. It seems to me that your point (from the right) is very similar to the argument that Warren makes, and in so doing you illuminate the absolute correctness of Warren’s central thesis which is that we all depend on each other on this world.

"There is nobody in this country who got rich on his own - nobody. You built a factory out there - good for you. But I want to be clear: you moved your goods to a market on the roads the rest of us paid for. You hired workers the rest of us paid to educate. You were safe in your factory because of police forces and fire forces that the rest of us paid for. You didn't have to worry that marauding bands would come and seize everything at your factory. Now look, you built a factory and it turned into something terrific or a great idea. God bless! Keep a big hunk of it. But part of the underlying social contract is you take a hunk of that and pay forward for the next kid who comes along."

Taken further one could also make the point that if we hope to continue to innovate and lead and create prosperity we need to continue to work together.

By the way I googled the salary of an average oil worker, came up with about $70,000. The President of Exxon Mobile, Rex Tillerson, in 2010 made in salary and bonus—which does not include the long list of additional perks and benefits-- nearly $6 million. He was also awarded 225,000 options of Exxon stock.  At the end of the 2010 when those shares were issued, Exxon’s share price was about $70, so the options awarded would have been about $18 Million, making his combined haul around $24 million.

So Exxon valued the contribution of the CEO at roughly 350 times that of your husband. On a tax basis, the shares are not taxable, so at max, Rex’s tax bill for 2010 would have only been calculated against his $6 million salary, and about 75% of his actual compensation would have been protected from taxation. We can be sure and take heart in the fact that you could have taken advantage of the standard deductions. However, all of that income would have been liable to taxation after deductions. Occupy.

I went to the 53% website. It seems to me that this sort of “democracy” serves the well to do, because it highlights and strengthens the schism between the middle and working class and the poor in this country. So long as these entities argue over where tax or health or jobs policy should be, the people with resources and the influence that purchases are free to legally use their immense wealth to continue to place a heavy thumb on the scales of justice. It really is stunning how many people on the 53’er site are struggling so mightily and yet direct all their anger to people that have even less than them. Actually, it seems that’s the whole point of the site.

I have no reason to doubt the sincerity of the original person who posted, your post, or those that responded in support. It cannot be denied that good corporate citizens pay taxes. I understand that contractors that build homes also often have to build roads and other infrastructure to support the families they hope to sell to. This is part of the investments these companies make to be good citizens in the community and so reach potential customers. Those contractors though did not build the interstate highway system. That was built on the collective tax base of the American public. We all know that much of our infrastructure is funded with federal tax dollars. 

But you seem well informed and must also know that many corporations have gamed the system up to and including the point of actually getting their paid lobbyists to help write legislation which is extremely favorable to them. In 2009 a total of $3.5 billion was spent on lobbying. That money was spent to support narrow economic interests. Almost 10% of it was spent by the healthcare and insurance industries alone, and their lobbying specifically was invested to protect their profits both now and in the future. I understand that there are those that think that their interests intersect with those of the industries, but capital unfettered by regulation tends to grow perversely. Corporations by their nature are there to create profits. They are not there to serve people.  I do not wish that they go away, but I do believe that an unregulated market ran amok.

The system is completely corrupted by this wash of cash, and it soils everything it touches. Perhaps the OWS crowd can’t articulate their rage well, but they know a rat when they see one and as with millions of other American’s there is such a general sense that power lies in someone else’s hands, just out of our line of sight or field of reach. It is the corruption of this money which led the SEC and the Fed to look the other way, which allowed all these firms to engage in a riotous Ponzi scheme investing in sub-prime loans and then bundling them as hi-grade derivative investments, insured by AIG, and sold to Fannie and Freddie. Just this week Citibank, a huge TARP recipient, admitted to and agreed to pay a fine for betting against the derivatives they sold.

The market, deregulated by Clinton, and heated up by low interest rates put in place right after 9-11 ran amok and everyone was making so much money no one wanted to look at the rot and corruption behind the curtain. Capitalism itself, always morally weak when left on its own, was corrupted by an overabundance of cheap money and lack of regulatory zeal. It seems to me that when the TEA Party crowd got started they were pretty angry about the corruption that TARP represented, especially the government bailouts of the big banks and financial institutions. That anger has now been displaced by ever more heated rhetoric against the poor or disenfranchised. Is it just a coincidence that this rhetoric parallels so nicely with the political needs and desires of the rich and super rich?

I see you’re retired now, and I’m sure put in your time. Do you really think that is a good thing? GE earned over $10 Billion and paid no taxes last year? Was there ever a year that you did not pay a dime? I know that since I was 17 there never was a year like that for me. Why all the anger and the poor and none at those with real wealth, those that have abused their power, and who it seems still hunger for a greater and greater piece of the pie, especially those that use taxpayer provided TARP money to start lobbying against any regulation of their markets before the ink was dry on the legislation???

I am confused about the Microsoft reference. Bill Gates is a brilliant guy and spends most of his time now doing good things. Great things even, as I am sure many of those do who made their fortunes on Microsoft. But does that mean that the CEO of Exxon is righteous in accepting compensation at a level 350 times that of the average oil field worker. Is it right that benevolent though he is Bill Gates should sit on a $50 billion pile of cash while a working mother of two has to decide between asthma medicines for her son, or new school clothes for her daughter. Should that mother who now may be exempt from paying taxes be forced to pay more than he Social Security payroll tax as many of these flt tax proposals would require? What message is that? Where is the morality of a country that demands that? Does the republican right really believe that 20 million unemployed and 10 million more underemployed are really just lazy? Is there no sense of the horrible thuggery of it all where selfishness masquerades as fairness?

I see devout Christians  speak in support of the original 53’er that started this all, but it seems to me  obscene to accept without  comment that so many of the least among us suffer so greatly while others amass unimaginable wealth. I am mystified that some with little real wealth of their own would from a Christian perspective defend that in any way. By the way I am neither unemployed nor poor. I am just angry at the absolute indecency of our current political and business environment.

It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God. Mark 10

But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. You will be repaid at the resurrection of the just. Luke 14