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Oil
Energy Axis
We wrote elsewhere about the overwhelming power of
Oil-Energy in U.S. government. Now we see it in all its glory in the energy bill
being debated in the US Senate.
Senator Cantwell, D-WA.,
among others, "says the bill is riddled with flaws, providing vast benefits
to the coal, natural gas, oil and nuclear industries while offering few
environmental protections." Quoted in the Seattle Post Intelligencer,
11/21/03.
Further on the article states:
"The
bill also includes $23.6m in tax breaks, with about two-thirds going to the oil, gas
and coal industries ... It also contains $18 billion in loan guarantees, to
build a pipeline to bring natural gas from Alaska's North Slope. "
It may seem funny, but we always thought private
industry under capitalism was supposed to invest its own money in enlarging its
business. But it seems the idea of a socialist program for industry, outright
grants from taxes paid by ordinary citizens, is the new idea.
This provides
funds for all business expense while industry gets all the profits and Bush tax
cuts to boot. On the other hand, socialism for industry is being accompanied by
a program of privatizing social services, that is, not tax supported, which
started the other way around.
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