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xchrom

(108,903 posts) Mon Dec 2, 2013, 07:31 AM Dec 2013

5 Ways Our Lives Are Being Violated by Corporate Greed

http://www.alternet.org/economy/5-ways-our-lives-are-being-violated-corporate-greed

1. Drug Companies: The Body Snatchers

***SNIP

But the industry is going beyond profits, to the actual privatization of our bodies. One-fifth of the human genome is privately owned through patents. Strains of influenza and hepatitis have been claimed by corporate and university labs, preventing researchers from using the patented life forms to perform cancer research.

2. Oil Companies: Ripping Up the Country, Ripping Off the Taxpayers

***SNIP

How have the big oil companies reimbursed America for our oil and natural gas supplies, and for their pollution and the environmental degradation of mining and fracking? Exxon, with 70-90% of its productive oil and gas wells in the U.S., declares only 15% of its income as earned here, and pays only 2.2% of its total income in U.S. taxes. Chevron has about 75% of its oil and gas wells and 90% of its pipeline mileage are in the United States, yet the company claims only 20% of its income in the U.S., and pays only 3.8% of its total income in U.S. taxes.

3. Telecommunications: We're Paying Them to Spy on Us

The CIA and NSA have been using our tax money to pay AT&T and Google and other companies to access its data - our data - for surveillance purposes. With almost no transparency or oversight, the CIA has been paying AT&T to monitor our overseas phone calls. Hundreds of dollars per customer per month goes to Verizon for similar snooping. The NSA compensated Google, Yahoo, Microsoft and Facebook for penalties accrued in the secretive Prism surveillance program.

4. Banks: Almost 40% of Our 401(k)s Lost in Fees

Based on the 6% historical stock market return, an individual investing $1,000 a year for 30 years in a non-fee fund and then holding the accumulated sum for another 20 years would end up with $269,000. Imposing the industry average 1.3% fee would reduce the final total to $165,000, a 39% reduction.

4 replies

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5 Ways Our Lives Are Being Violated by Corporate Greed (Original Post) xchrom Dec 2013 OP

The Oligarchs And Corporations Own And Control The Politicians That Own And Control Us cantbeserious Dec 2013 #1

corp greed tardybar Dec 2013 #2

Fracking BlueinOhio Dec 2013 #3

Surprised that Big Ag (such as Monsanto) is not included... CoffeeCat Dec 2013 #4

cantbeserious

(13,039 posts)

1. The Oligarchs And Corporations Own And Control The Politicians That Own And Control Us

Reply to xchrom (Original post)

Mon Dec 2, 2013, 08:13 AM

Dec 2013

eom

tardybar

(22 posts)

2. corp greed

Reply to xchrom (Original post)

Mon Dec 2, 2013, 08:57 AM

Dec 2013

Here in Staten Island they take pristine land with rare 400 yr old trees and glacial moraine. For what, to bulldoze it all for cheap housing and quick profit. Savemanresa.org is fighting an uphill battle to keep the park like area for the future generations to see what an old growth forest looks like. If we want to fight on we need funding which is not available. In addition, no national news to shed light on the injustice of it all. So it will occur with out due process and the public will lose an irreplaceable gem.

BlueinOhio

(238 posts)

3. Fracking

Reply to xchrom (Original post)

Mon Dec 2, 2013, 09:33 AM

Dec 2013

Here in Ohio they have admitted that the waste water from fracking is causing earthquakes. There are no faults and the area before fracking did not have earthquakes. Also another way corporate greed is robbing us is they now are suing people over bad reviews even if they are well deserved. Fake phone lines that never reach anyone or my favorite pay on line but the website is fixed that it almost never goes to where you can pay in hopes that they can get late charges and higher interest rates. When is consumer protection and bankruptcy laws going to be addressed, that horrible bill that was passed during bush 2 admin. Is what ushered in the economic meltdown and nothing has been done to undo it. Just a reminder hillary clinton voted for the mess. Do you honestly think they will ever arrest themselves?

CoffeeCat

(24,411 posts)

4. Surprised that Big Ag (such as Monsanto) is not included...

Reply to xchrom (Original post)

Mon Dec 2, 2013, 10:22 AM

Dec 2013

I recently read that Monsanto does not allow ANY external research on its GMO crops. You will be sued if you try.

I live in the Midwest and there was an article about a local researcher from Iowa State University (ISU is a land-grant university with an agriculture college) who attempted to research Monstanto GMO plants. He was met with a very heavy hand.

Not only do these bastards resist labeling, so we don't even know what is in our food--they don't want any sort of research or testing on their product. We ingest this stuff, for Pete's sake.

To date--there are still NO long-term studies on how GMOs affect human beings.

This is corporate Fascism at its finest--lubed by our "elected representatives" who serve these corporate masters, not you and I.

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