Getting Paid To Gamble

The PG&E gas line explosion and the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and rig explosion are indicative of why President Obama should allow the tax cuts for the wealthy to expire. These are the people who gambled with the lives of the crew of the Deepwater Horizon and the innocent people living in the San Bruno, California suburb. These were also the people who previously plunged the rest of us into an disastrous economic recession, putting millions out of work and out of their homes. The only people who seem to have benefitted from the recession are the CEOs and top executives of these companies. Most of them aren’t going to jail. They aren’t giving any of the money back. They are supported and praised by their respective companies, given lucrative severance packages and sent home until they are quietly hired by another company. Why should they continue to receive the benefits of lower taxes?

The bottom line is that these companies are not trying to improve the lives of everyday workers through creating jobs and stimulating the economy, they are only trying to improve their own lives and do so by gambling with our lives on a daily basis. They gamble with our financial, emotional, and physical lives and the lives of our families and then receive huge salaries for doing so. The GOP would have you to believe that if we continue lower taxes on the wealthy, they will spend and create jobs. I don’t see that. If I am a habitual gambler and get more money, what do I do? I gamble more and put more on the line. The compulsive gambler doesn’t know when to stop gambling and these are big-time compulsive gamblers. Businesses try to shave costs and reward those who cut the cost of doing business. These CEOs then place your life and my live on the table and gamble that they will win. The stakes are getting higher and the losses are getting more expensive to you and me. Tony Heyward gambled and 11 lost but he still received close to $18 million for the gamble. Check it out:  http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2010/07/top-1-making-280-1979/