Category: Business

Closing Thought–08Feb22

If you have been shopping in the past year or so then you will be having ‘sticker shock’ for the prices of everything has done nothing but rise….especially food and gas….we need to eat and we need transportation so we suck it up and make the sacrifice and spend the money that we worked so hard to get.

The news is much more troubling than the prices…..

A new analysis released Tuesday ahead of a congressional hearing on pandemic-era price gouging shows that U.S. corporations in the food and energy sectors—from Tyson to Exxon Mobil—are pushing higher costs onto consumers while raking in ever-increasing revenues and handing executives massive pay packages.

Conducted by the advocacy group Food & Water Watch (FWW), the analysis spotlights the fact that skyrocketing food and energy—specifically gasoline—prices have been major contributors to the overall rise of inflation in the U.S. Between December 2019 and December 2021, the nation’s Consumer Price Index (CPI) jumped by 8.5%.

According to FWW, overall energy costs rose 20% over that period while the price per gallon of unleaded gasoline increased by 31.7%.

Meanwhile, FWW found, “the cost to feed a family of four on a ‘thrifty’ food plan has increased by 33.5%,” driven by the rising prices of ground beef (+19.2%), bacon (+31.7%), chicken breasts (+19.7%), milk (+17.4%), and eggs (+16.5%).

The analysis emphasizes that such “egregious” price increases come as leading corporations in the U.S. food and energy sectors are reporting growing revenues and huge profits. Tyson Foods—the second-largest chicken, beef, and pork processor in the world—has seen its revenue grow 11% above pre-pandemic levels.

The corporation also rewarded its top executives with higher pay in 2021 even as it raised prices for consumers, blaming supply chain issues.

https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/02/01/data-highlights-egregious-pandemic-profiteering-us-food-and-oil-giants

At least it is good to see that CEOs and corporations did not suffer the same fate as the rest of us mere mortals.

Biden promises to address rising inflation….and if you think this will do anything to help us peasants then you have not been paying attention for the last 50 years.

There is a way to help us peasants but it is not an option for the corporations pay Congress to see that they continue to make their obscene profits while screwing the rest of us.

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I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Is This ‘Winning Through Intimidation’?

The GOP is quickly becoming an authoritarian party….something we have not seen in this country for a very long time.

I thought the GOP and RNC were pro-business….but apparently not.

The House has a select committee that is investigating the 06 January insurrection and for some reasonb the GOP is running like a very scared rabbit…..to the point that the minority leader of the House has issued a threat to business that cooperates with the hearings…..

Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy is threatening social media and telecommunications companies that comply with the House’s investigation of the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, while warning of a Democratic “surveillance state.” The California Republican on Tuesday took issue with investigators’ Monday request that more than 30 companies—including Apple, AT&T, and Verizon—preserve records relevant to the attack. He claimed compliance with the request to save records from April 1, 2020, to Jan. 31, 2021, would be a violation of federal law and “put every American with a phone or computer in the crosshairs of a surveillance state run by Democrat politicians,” per Politico.

Appearing Tuesday on MSNBC, Rep. Adam Schiff said McCarthy and former President Trump are “scared” and “don’t want the country to know exactly what they were involved in.” The Democratic-led committee, which includes two anti-Trump Republicans, wants to get a handle on communications between Trump and members of Congress, including McCarthy, on Jan. 6, though there’s been no request for records yet. “We’ve asked companies not to destroy records that may help answer questions for the American people,” says a spokesperson. “The committee’s efforts won’t be deterred by those who want to whitewash or cover up the events of January 6th, or obstruct our investigation.”

“If companies still choose to violate federal law, a Republican majority will not forget and will stand with Americans to hold them fully accountable under the law,” McCarthy threatened, claiming such companies would be “subject to losing their ability to operate in the United States.” CNN reports McCarthy’s office would not provide “a specific federal statute that a company would be in violation of if it complied with a duly empaneled congressional committee.” While the committee has subpoena power, requests for phone or social media records, especially those of members of Congress, could result in a legal fight, per CNN.

Could this be obstruction of justice?

https://www.alternet.org/2021/09/kevin-mccarthy-obstruction/

As I stated previously the GOP has become a party in search of authoritarian rule.  (More on this in a future post)

This swing to authoritarian swing should scare the s*it out of the American people….but instead they are embracing the stupidity.

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“lego ergo scribo”

Corporate Social Responsibility

The big issue these days is that of voting rights and the assault from the Right….and corporations are weighing in……of as an opinionated SOB I had something to say about their ‘two cents worth’……https://lobotero.com/2021/07/20/but-they-signed-the-letter/

As I said then….this is a PR stunt nothing more.

Theses corporations have been funding all those that are assailing voting rights for decades…so why now?

Well one answer could be that they have become socially responsible……to that fanciful description I say…BOLLOCKS!

Across various segments of American life, the private sector has begun to take on tasks big and small that one might think should be tackled by the public sector. Domino’s filled in potholes. Dawn’s dish soap saved ducks. American Express pitched in on historic preservation. Walmart started selling low-priced insulin. A slew of companies help workers pay for school. Much of America’s health care system is still handled through private insurers and your job. As people lose faith in government to act on sweeping issues such as climate change and guns, they’re increasingly looking to corporate America and asking whether there’s something they can do about it. If Congress won’t tackle gun violence, maybe Dick’s Sporting Goods can try.

It’s not a bad thing for brands and companies to try to make the world better. Starting a business often involves identifying a problem to solve, and it’s much better for companies to help than to do harm. Corporate social responsibility is fine. There are, however, limits.

“Of course we want businesses to be responsible,” said Suzanne Kahn, managing director of research and policy at the Roosevelt Institute. But she emphasized that this does not constitute a plan for how to organize society. “Private companies don’t, can’t, or won’t plan with the same values that we demand and expect the government to.”

Companies have a profit motive and are ultimately accountable to shareholders. Doing what’s lucrative often doesn’t align with what’s best for most people, and when they do nice things, it’s often because they know it will play well with consumers and workers. Domino’s helped fill some potholes because it was good advertising for pizza pickup customers, not because it’s overly concerned about the future of America’s bridges and roads. The issue is, the entity that should be driving the bus on America’s bridges is kind of asleep at the wheel.

https://www.vox.com/the-goods/22585831/starbucks-bathroom-privatization-government

All this ‘social responsibility’ is nothing more than trying to cash-in on public focus…..it is PR plain and simple……to believe they have found their social consciousness is just plain silly and very goddamn naive.

Motivations are never about the health of the nation but rather the greed that drives all their decisions.

Social responsibility my ass!

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

“War Is Good Business”

Closing Thought–06Aug21

I have been an anti-war advocate for over 50 years…..and in that time I have participated in many protests in the past….and during those protests there was a common slogan….”War is good business….Invest your children”……

But just how good is business?

These are the 100 top defense industries….and as you can see business is good for most of them…..

https://people.defensenews.com/top-100/

How sad that the death and destruction is so profitable…..

Why should corporations invest in the country when dealing in death and destruction is so profitable….I find that idea repugnant.

Your children are basically dying to make some even more wealthy…..and somehow that is acceptable.

WHY?

(He sits shaking head in disgust)

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

But They Signed The Letter

One of the big news stories of this year is the GOP’s attempts at voter suppression…..if you are unaware then where the Hell have you been?

Corporations have been feeding the GOP for decades and Toyota trying to repair its reputation has stated that they will NO longer give to those people in Congress that push the Big Lie and voter suppression….a good start but I do not trust them to keep that pledge when profit is their main concern.

Now 150+ companies have signed a letter in support of the Voting Rights Act……

– More than 150 companies including Apple Inc (AAPL.O), Best Buy Co Inc (BBY.N) and PepsiCo (PEP.O) urged U.S. lawmakers to introduce and pass a voting reform act in a letter signed on Wednesday, as other efforts have stalled in Congress.

The companies called on lawmakers to reintroduce the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, an amendment to the Voting Rights Act of 1965 named after late U.S. Representative John Lewis, who died nearly a year ago. The act would help prevent voting discrimination and set up an improved system for states to report changes in election law.

“We have a duty to work until every American can participate in our democracy, but that won’t happen until every eligible voter in this country has fair, equitable and safe access to voting,” said Chip Bergh, CEO of Levi Strauss & Co (LEVI.N), a signatory to the letter, in a prepared statement.

The companies are part of a group of corporate executives called Business for Voting Rights.

“The business community is proud of our role in encouraging our employees, customers, and communities to exercise their right to vote and have a say in our government,” the companies wrote in the letter.

U.S. companies have spoken up in support of voting rights reforms and against restrictions on voting that have passed in Republican-controlled states including Georgia. Some companies have come under fire from elected officials for their positions.

Former President Donald Trump and his supporters made unfounded claims that there was widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election.

Democrats are expected to reintroduce the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, Reuters has reported.

(reuters.com)

How lovely.

But signing a letter does nothing but waste time and paper…..if they truly are concerned then turn off the lobbyists and the money spigot…..without that act this letter is nothing more than a fart in the wind.

Turn The Page!

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Closing Thought–16Jul21

Blues comes to my town!

Film star Morgan Freeman, a Mississippian by birth, is bring his blues club to the Mississippi Gulf Coast….Biloxi to be exact…..

Oscar-winning actor Morgan Freeman is bringing the Blues to Biloxi with plans to open a second location of his popular Clarksdale juke joint in on the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

WLOX in Biloxi reports that Freeman’s second Ground Zero Blues Club will be will be located inside the old  Kress Building in downtown Biloxi. The 20,000 square foot space was formerly called Kress Live, a live music and entertainment destination.

Freeman co-owns the club with former Clarksdale mayor and attorney Bill Luckett. They started the original Ground Zero in Clarksdale in May 2001 and since then, the club has become a tourist attraction in Mississippi.

The juke joint got its name due to Clarksdale being described as “Ground Zero” for blues fans from around the globe.

(magnoliastatelive.com)

As a big fan of the Blues I wish them lots of luck and I will see them soon.

Enjoy your upcoming weekend…

Be Well….Be Safe….

Economic Development?

I have always thought that the promise of ‘economic development’ was a “LIE”…..it is the promise of something that is not going to happen to justify some sort of con perpetrated on the community.

I got thinking about this term more when I watched a piece on the local news…..the head honcho of the country economic development was taunting the building of several small strip malls.executive offices…as a bright world in which the county lives in……

First of all let’s define the term ‘economic development’…..

Economic development is a concerted effort on the part of the responsible governing body in a city or county to influence the direction of private sector investment toward opportunities that can lead to sustained economic growth. Sustained economic growth can provide sufficient incomes for the local labor force, profitable business opportunities for employers and tax revenues for maintaining an infrastructure to support this continued growth. There is no alternative to private sector investment as the engine for economic growth, but there are many initiatives that you can support to encourage investments where the community feels they are needed the most.

That definition is all blue skies and unicorns.

My question is to the city council where is this building economic development?

They built a structure that may remain empty….they employed a couple of guys to erect the structures but where is that economic development?

I mean where these couple of small malls were built sits in an area full of unused space……just two blocks away is a large strip center that sits 90% unoccupied….about one mile away is a large strip mall that is only about 70% occupied and 2 miles away is a strip center that has many open spots for businesses to jump on…..and this does not include the smaller strip malls within a 5 mile radius that sit basically unoccupied…so why were these new malls necessary?

So with this said where is all that ‘economic’ upside?

All this is just my area…..the broader look at local development is just as bleak…..

The average minimum wage in my county is $7.25…that is about half what is needed for a living wage.

So again I ask what ‘economic development’?

Land speculators and contractors are the only people making out like bandits…..by using the BS of ‘economic development’….there is few economic benefits for the average worker in this county.

My next question is….how with so many open spaces for businesses to expand how does a contractor/developer get the cash to build something that may go unused?

Of course I am told that these new structures will benefit the community…..and how does a empty office space enhance my community?

Just who will benefit from this non-existent economic development?

What makes anyone on the council think that business will rush to snap up this new space?

Are the objectives of development met by these structures….those objectives are 1) provide for basic needs.  2) Raise the level of living.  3) Expand the range of economic and social choices.

These structure fail.

How does these ‘new’ buildings offer any of those?  Just who profits from this wish and a hope of destroy land and cutting down trees om a wish and a hope?

My thought is that if we truly wanted economic development then maybe paying livable wages would do more than the promise of empty buildings.

The council needs to design a plan and program for filling empty spaces before the destruction of more land….the council works for the people of the city and should not bow to the cash and wishes of developers….especially on the lie of ‘economic development’.

Just a thought.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Closing Thought–08Jun21

JP Morgan has the right idea!

I seldom say much good about corporations but JP Morgan has made an announcement that I can agree with fully.

JPMorgan Chase will restart its political donations but will not give to Republican members of congress who objected to certifying the Electoral College victory of President-elect Biden, according to an internal memo reviewed by Reuters.

Why it matters: 147 congressional Republicans, the majority of whom hold seats in the House, objected to state election results over baseless claims of widespread election fraud fueled by former President Trump.

Context: JPMorgan, the country’s largest lender, was among several big businesses that paused their political contributions following the deadly Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol as Congress voted to certify the election.

  • The bank said it will resume its contributions through its political action committee this month.
  • The big picture: JPMorgan plans to update its giving strategy by focusing on lawmakers who oversee financial matters that the bank considers “moral and economic imperatives for our country,” including addressing the racial wealth gap, education and criminal justice reform, according to Reuters.

https://www.axios.com/jpmorgan-gop-donations-election-certification-615c6c44-07bb-40d2-8ae1-1d1ba3afe939.html

Corporations played a major role in the Civil Rights passage….they should do so again.

They want to be ‘citizens’ of this nation then they need to step up and do the hard work to save our fragile republic.

JP Morgan has the right idea but how long will they beat this drum?

My guess is not long at all.

Turn The Page!

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Ford’s Game Changer

Ford has been on the front line of innovation in the auto industry….think Mustang and Pinto……and now they have done it again…..and it is the most popular pick-up truck in the world….the F150.

Ford has revealed the all-electric F-150 pickup truck one day ahead of schedule. The truck, dubbed F-150 Lightning, was on display Tuesday at Ford’s Rouge Electric Vehicle Center in Michigan during a speech from President Biden.

Images from the event show that the F-150 Lightning largely looks like its gas and hybrid counterparts, though the truck has a more modern grille, with an unbroken light bar that stretches from headlight to headlight. And even from a distance, it seems that the F-150 Lightning will have a large portrait touchscreen similar to the one in the Mustang Mach-E.

Biden gave the country and the world a peep at the new Ford in a speech in Michigan….

President Biden got to test drive Ford’s electric pick-up truck Tuesday when he made an unscheduled visit to a Ford driving course that typically carries out safety tests. The Secret Service trailed Biden as he tried out the Ford F-150 Lightning, CNN reports. Biden apparently gave away a secret when he told reporters the truck went from 0 to 60 in about 4.4 seconds; a rep later told reporters that information was supposed to be made public when the truck is officially revealed Wednesday, though he said it was fine that the president had let it slip early.

I applaud the ingenuity of Ford and under different circumstances it could be the game changer they are promoting.

A game changer?

First there needs to be a game before it can change…..

Who will buy an electric truck when there are few power charging stations across the country?

Wait…Biden has said that his infrastructure plan would give the country about 50,000 charging stations.

Now that sounds good right?

The problem is that his plan will most likely go NOWHERE in the Senate.

I say again…hard to be a game changer when there is no game to change.

This was purely a political thingy….reality says it all….was this just a PR thing to justify any government funding?

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Turn The Page!

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Can We ‘Move On’?

This is the desire of some when talking about the events of 06 January……especially those that either participated or helped fund the insurrection.

I especially like the statement by yet another moron in the GOP when he said that the insurrectionists were just a group of tourists visiting the Capital……

To that desire I say ‘bite me’.

They, insurrectionists, are traitors and anyone that defend this action is one as well.

No true American should never move on from this assault on our nation….would they have the country ‘move on’ from the events of 9/11?

A recent webinar of business PACs want to put this behind them and move ‘forward’…..

Following the attack on the United States Capitol on January 6, dozens of corporations announced they were suspending PAC donations to the 147 Republicans who voted to overturn the election. Many more announced they were suspending all PAC activity. For the National Association of Business PACs (NABPAC), the trade association for corporate PACs, this is a problem. 

Emails, video, and other internal documents obtained by Popular Information reveal how NABPAC has been encouraging its membership, which includes more than 250 corporate PACs, to “move beyond” January 6 and resume their political contributions.

On March 2, NABPAC hosted a webinar called “Where Do We Go From Here.” The event featured Michael DuHaime, a prominent Republican operative and crisis communications consultant. During the event, DuHaime and others provided strategic and messaging advice about how to restart political donations — including donations to the 147 Republicans who voted not to certify the Electoral College results based on Trump’s lies. 

The event was attended by about 80 representatives of corporate PACs, including major companies like Delta, Dow, Altria, Northrup Grumman, New York Life, Lincoln Financial, and Boston Scientific. NABPAC board members include representatives from Microsoft, Kraft Heinz, Eli Lilly, Home Depot, and Cigna. 

https://popular.info/p/exclusive-how-corporate-pacs-are

These PACs funded Donald Trump and the fools inn the GOP that made this insurrection possible and now they want us to overlook that and go back to business as usual.

Why do I say that corporations are just as guilty as the insurrectionists?

There’s been a lot of talk lately about fascism, generally in the context of Republicans denying people their right to vote or Donald Trump sending an armed mob to murder five people at the U.S. Capitol to try to install him as America’s first strongman dictator.

Indeed, authoritarian governance is a major aspect of fascism. But there’s another piece to the puzzle, and it is playing out right now across America, and getting almost no coverage whatsoever.

It’s when giant corporations are able to control government and thus stop things like a national healthcare system, rational gun control laws, free college, or even the tiniest tax on carbon. When they’re able to push through “criminal justice reform” that makes it nearly impossible to prosecute corporate CEOs when their companies kill workers, consumers, or even poison entire communities.

It’s when they don’t do it through presenting strong and defendable ideas in the public realm and before Congress, but by pouring cash into the pockets of individual politicians and their parties.

https://www.commondreams.org/views/2021/05/08/corporate-america-has-been-shoving-fascism-down-our-throats-decades

Move on?  Again to that I say….’bite me’!

We should never forgive or forget

But sadly money talks and they will spend what it takes to make the American people forget their part in the insurrection.

This blog will never forget….and I will keep writing about the traitors that were part of this assault….whether physically there or behind the scenes financing the events.

Be Smart!

Learn Stuff!

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”