"Politics has become so expensive that it takes a lot of money even to be defeated." Will Rogers

From time-to-time, I'll include a political comment - often a recently submitted letter-to-the editor.  I do so because I believe that whether you're retired and/or grumpy, you should stay involved in the political process to make sure all of those young non-retired (hence, productive) happy folks don't rule everything.  The following is the first of what will be a small proportion of all postings,

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          The view of a corporation as a person, - a decisive element in the “Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission” ruling of the Supreme Court – was significantly enhanced in 1886 when corporations became "natural persons" under the law, sheltered by the Bill of Rights and the Fourteenth Amendment. It started in California in a court case titled "Santa Clara County v. Southern Pacific Railroad and later upheld by the Supreme Court.

          If “Citizens United” is to over turned, the view that corporations are persons protected by the constitution has to be debunked.  A significant step in that direction would be to eliminate corporate income tax.

          I know that this step has very little support - especially among liberals - but some thought would reveal its wisdom in several ways:

·        Any taxes on corporations is just part of the cost of business and is passed on to the consumer making the goods/services more expensive.

·        Corporations hire lobbyists to promote loopholes to avoid paying taxes and succeed admirably.  One out of four corporations pay no income tax,

·        Corporations furnish only 10% of the federal tax revenue.

·        Paying no income tax means fewer lawyers, accountants and lobbyists thus also reducing the cost of business.

·        Lowering the cost of business means that American made goods are more competitive than foreign made.  This means higher wages, lower unemployment and a higher gross national product (GNP).

·        But most importantly, a cornerstone of the argument that corporations should be allowed to contribute financially to politics is destroyed.  If corporations financially contribute to the running of the government, they logically have a right to participate in the political process.

© 2014 Lester C. Welch