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BY WILLIAM C. HENRY Ever since I read Glenn Greenwald’s piece regarding “scandal, legalization and the Panama Papers,” it’s become harder and harder for me to believe that hope is anything other than a four letter word. I’m finding it nigh unto impossible to reconcile my own feelings about fairness, truth and equal justice with the fact that there is obviously a percentage of the American (and the world’s) population that has been created (or cultivated) too narcissistic, too shallow, too callous, too egocentric, too avaricious, too uncaring, too dispassionate, too sociopathic, too just plain old me me me, to give so much as a tinker’s damn about anything other than their own f _ _ _ ing criminally nihilistic hedonism.
Sure, we knew about the uber-greedy (and traitorous) middle-finger-up-the-ass-of-
Now it turns out that pretty much everyone with a 
solid gold pot to piss in has been in on the scam all along, oinking with the same unbridled swinishness of so many unpatriotic American corporations. So it’s not just corporations who are traitors to their hard working, taxpaying protectors and providers, but anyone with a sufficient hoard of uber bucks who wishes to hide a goodly portion of it from the needs of their fellow Americans. And, certainly in America’s case, those “anyones” — be they corporations or simply ultra wealthy individuals — couldn’t carry out their maleficence without the succor and support of the folks who govern them. And, as universal avarice would have it, we’re learning that said financial filth also extends to the governing themselves. Many of the politicians and despots identified thus far probably don’t come as much of a shock. I think we already knew that Vladimir Putin and his henchmen, and the King of Saudi Arabia and his disgustingly unbounded nepotistic lineage, are not so secretly some of the scummiest thieves on the face of the earth, but the fact that the Prime Ministers of England, Iceland, Ukraine and Pakistan along with the entire leadership of China plus the President of Argentina happen to be among an ever-expanding list of the world’s most egregious larcenists might raise a few eyebrows.
It may also surprise you to learn that America’s indigenous rich don’t necessarily have to seek out secretive “offshore” banking whores in order to hide their excess. Currently 12 of our very own united states have established access to similar protections, with South Dakota, Delaware, Alaska, and Nevada leading the way. Isn’t it reassuring to know that a number of our own states (read: the governing) felt it so unfair that America’s wealthy were having to stash their overabundance overseas that they decided to get in on the scam?! Screw the needs of the country (or the world, for that matter) and God bless good old American resourcefulness!
Is it any wonder that America’s infrastructure is crumbling?! Folks, it takes TAXES to upgrade and maintain roads, bridges, sewer and water systems, schools, libraries, public transportation, parks, etc., etc.. It takes people paying their fair PROPORTIONAL share! It takes consciences. It requires an appreciation and awareness for and of the underlying protections and services that allow individuals and corporations to achieve and flourish. The U.S. Treasury comes up some 100 BILLION dollar$ short in tax revenues annually as a result of offshore stashing by greedy, selfish, underhanded American tax dodgers (and that doesn’t even count the costs of CORPORATE tax dodging)! Add that to America’s ruinous defense budget and you begin to realize just how phony the Republican mantra is that we can’t afford necessary social welfare programs. What a scuzzy, despicable, unconscionable LIE!
I swear, few have summed up all of this dirtiness better than Arun D. Ellis in “their” book, “Corpalism”: “Only a psychopath would ever think of doing these things, only a psychopath would dream of abusing other people in such a way, only a psychopath would treat people as less than human just for money. The shocking truth is, even though they now have most if not all of the money, they want still more, they want all of the money that you have left in your pockets, they want it all because they have no empathy with other people, with other creatures, they have no feeling for the world which they exploit, they have no love or sense of being or belonging for their souls are dead, dead to all things but greed and a desire to screw (my word) over others.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Fed up early stage septuagenarian who has actually been most of there and done most of that. Born and raised in the picturesque Pocono Mountains. Quite well educated. Very lucky to have been born into a well-schooled and somewhat prosperous family. Long divorced. One beautiful, brilliant daughter. Two far above average grandsons. Semi-retired (how does anyone manage to do it completely these days?) and fully-tired of bullshit. Uncle of the Editor-In-Chief.