Bail out versus corporate welfare, which is most appealing?

Bail sounds very fitting, considering that at last night's Oscars, the winner for the documentary, "Inside Job," questioned why the financial executives were not in jail. The financial executives should be in jail and they should be released in the monetary amount of bail that they received from the bail out funds.  I have a feeling that won't be happening. It is logical, it is consistant with the justice system, but there is always an exception to the rule and corporations are usually the exception. The corporations' indiscretion shows their influence over the government and sometimes makes me question if they are running the government. That previous statement conjures memories of Halliburton and Cheney. . . 

It is all in the language that we use. A corporation receives "bail out funds" but let us instead use the term welfare. Because, in reality, that is what is happening. Corporations file bankruptcy and receive welfare paid by courtesy of the American taxpayers. I have often heard people complain about the welfare recipients being supported by their tax dollars, but I have heard very few complain about the corporations doing it. These corporations fare very well, indeed. So well, in fact, that they make huge profits and fail to repay the money.  Some, such as Bank of America, don't even pay taxes. How is this legal? Corporations are some of the most heavily protected entities under the law. Yes, they function better than being a human being. I have considered becoming incorporated myself and that way, I can receive money and not be stigmatized for being on welfare, but rather, filing bankruptcy in my corporation's name. I would not do that because I have integrity.

The teachers and other social assests to the nation are suffering. Why are they not receiving money? (Does taxation without representation sound familiar? Bingo!) I want them to fare well more than any large company. The most famous social asset, who was a welfare to billions story in the UK, is J.K. Rowling. She was a single mother on welfare and she wrote the Harry Potter series and reversed her social conditions. Rowling got children and people of all ages to read. I would see people of all ages reading thick her books. If the corporations had such a positive impact on society, I would not have an issue with them receiving money, but when it is reported how much their CEO and other top employees are paid, I wonder what is their contribution to society.

The corporations have greedily taken too much of the public's money. It is time to resuscitate the areas in the most need. The people in Wisconsin and other U.S. states are appealing to the government for what they need. The protests in other countries seem to be effective, but do we have people power anymore? Or do we have to be a corporation in order to receive money?

Save the banks, kill the schools.

I sometimes forget where I am. I am in the system: capitalism, and I am probably the worst capitalist. I grew up in a lot of different countries with different systems and I was able to understand their systems, for the most part, a lot better than I understand capitalism. This is the reason behind the military member and their families moving so frequently because supposedly, if not moved, their loyalty will remain with that specific general, country, etc and they will adopt that ideology. Once again, it is rooted in history. I love being American. The Americans that I know are very tolerant of different cultures, religions and ideas. The best part about capitalism is that artists can profit from their work. I cannot stress the importance of the arts. I think critically about most song lyrics, visual arts--television and advertisements, and musical compositions. One thing that I fail to understand, however, is how to think like a true capitalist--money-centric. I am still building on that.    

Being in a capitalistic society, it should have been immediately apparent that the bail out money would go to the banks, instead of the schools, but I have always believed in doing the right thing, and that seemed very wrong to me.

Kanye West, who obviously gets it, wrote in his song, "Power": "the system's broken, the schools closed, the prisons open," and that is the most succinct way to describe what is happening. America's incarceration rate is so high that we have private prisons. That, in my opinion, is probably one of the worst ideas in the history of this country because it is an incentive to incarcerate people. How else would the prison profit? Whenever "overcrowding" is stated as the reason for Lindsay Lohan and other celebrities' reduced sentence time, I have a suggestion: utilize the private prisons! In a private prison, "the more the merrier!" Imagine if those private prisons were instead homeless shelters, orphanages, or shelters for victims of domestic violence. That is how I imagine things, but this is capitalism and private prisons are good for business. I still believe that criminals should receive a reasonable sentence and rehabilitation services, but profiting from prisoners seems like a conflict of interest.

Congratulations, Lindsay! I dedicate so many blog entries to you. I do truly hope that she gets help, though, and every other addict in the world because it is the rehabilitated that can help the current and future addicts. I do believe that she received special treatment and that is my major disagreement. A wrong will always be a wrong. There is no justifiable reason that some have been prosecuted for lesser crimes and she has received such lenient sentencing.

I have known people that have been to prison. I used to be very closed-minded about a lot of issues, and then, through a self-imposed exposure therapy, I opened myself to many different ideas and people. What I learned was that the only way that most people discover someone has been to prison is through a background check, job application, or disclosure. The better looking someone is, e.g., Lindsay Lohan, the less likely it is that one will suspect that they have been to prison. Hollywood employs known prisoners regularly and it is one of the best paying industries in the country. I wonder if their applications ever have a check box for if the applicant has been to prison or been found guilty of a misdemeanor. . . Save the arts, or the arts may save a prisoner. Ironic.