Bacon's Rebellion

I have revamped the Wonk Salon to focus exclusively on public policy issues with a state-local dimension. No more posts on the Middle East, global poverty or federal budget priorities. Nearly every post has implications for Virginia policy. Here’s today’s offering:

How Will Health Care Reform Affect Costs and Coverage?
Rand Corporation
More health care insurance for everyone… but it’s gonna cost the states!

The United States’ 99 largest metro areas have accounted for a disproportionate share of unemployment in the three years since the recession, and the bulk of the increases occurred in jurisdictions outside the urban core, concludes a new Brookings Institution study, “The Landscape of Recession.”

According to Brookings data, the Washington and Richmond metro areas are exemplars of that trend — the suburban share of unemployment growth is 75% or more in both metro areas. The Hampton Roads metro area, where suburban unemployment is less than 50%, is an exception. (Click on map to view more legible image.)

Conclude the authors: “the sheer magnitude of increases in the suburbs over the recession and post-recession period raises questions about the capacity and infrastructure to connect people to jobs and social services. As public officials expend time, money, and effort on job creation strategies, they must also keep in mind job connection strategies like public transportation, education, and social service provision as a new geography of poverty emerges. Indeed, almost a third of the nation’s poor now live in large metropolitan suburbs.”

CITIZEN MEDIA, THE NEXT STEP is one on six Perspectives being developed at SYNERGY.

This Perspective is the evolution of the 24 November 2010 post on BRB and the logical next step from THE ESTATES MATRIX – PART TWO of TRILO-G.

The original intent was to post just the Overview in Chapter 1 and Chapter 5. However, with interest in the ill-timed proposal to cut funding for NPR drawing attention on this Blog, it seems useful to post the entire first five chapters.

Citizen Media IS the way to provide citizens with the information they need. Enterprise Media cannot do that and Agency Media has a different role.

Those not wanting to read the entire text will find that the Overview in Chapter One and the Summary at the start of Chapter Three provides a useful introduction.

Comments are welcome. This post is NOT subject to the Litmus Test in Chapter Five but derogatory and off-topic posts will be deleted per Mr. Bacon’s grant of that pejorative to posters.

EMR

CITIZEN MEDIA, THE NEXT STEP

Citizen Media serves the interests of the New Fourth Estate – citizens and their Households. Citizen Media is the source for information citizens must have to make intelligent decisions in the voting booth and in the market place.

OVERVIEW (Beta 1)

In 1999 Robert W. McChesney published the highly regarded and widely quoted book Rich Media, Poor Democracy: Communication Politics in Dubious Times. McChesney documented the devastating economic and social impacts of concentrated ownership of Enterprise Media (aka, corporate media or MainStream Media). McChesney’s focus was the impact of media concentration on democratic processes at the nation-state scale but the scathing condemnation of media in the hands of very large Enterprise’s touched on media’s negative contribution to a broad range of economic and social dysfunctions in contemporary society.

Now, twelve years later, the crisis of Rich Media, Poor Democracy and uninformed citizens have grown worse, far worse.

The Internet has not ‘solved’ the problems of media concentration; it has made understanding the core problems more complex. One need only Google ‘rich media, poor democracy’ to receive a fire hose of condemnation of Enterprise Media practice, especially following the 2010 federal elections. One need only survey the Blogisphere to feel the rising tide of anger from the uninformed. This hostility is termed The Anger of Ignorance or “intentional ignorance.”

As well founded as McChesney’s perspective was, it did little to change the tide. The reason? McChesney provided no overarching Conceptual Framework that citizens could use to sort out facts and realities and to reach a consensus on needed action. Like many in ‘Journalism’ he believed articulation problems was enough. To his credit, McChesney stated that change in media – and thus in dissemination of the information citizens needed – must be part of larger transformations but did not establish a context for those transformations.

McChesney focused on the nation-state scale impact of Enterprise Media. That was and is very important but there has been even greater negative media impact at the Regional, SubRegional, Community, Village, Neighborhood and Cluster scales. See End Note One

It is time for another try.

THE ESTATES MATRIX examines the evolution of the three “Estates of the Realm” from 1304 to 1775. It also outlines the Fundamental Transformation of these three Estates after1775.

During the period 1775 to 2000, the three historical Estates that had evolved over thousands of years transformed into the four contemporary Estates – Agency, Enterprise, Institution and Citizens / Households.

These four Estates evolved to manage contemporary civilization just as the three well widely recognized Estates of the Realm had evolved up to 1775. THE ESTATES MATRIX also outlines the need for, and role of media serving each of the four New Estates, and especially Citizen Media serving the New Fourth Estate.

CITIZEN MEDIA, THE NEXT STEP launches from the foundation established by THE ESTATES MATRIX. See End Note Two

CITIZEN MEDIA, THE NEXT STEP is a multi-chapter Perspective that presents a comprehensive review of what Citizen Media is and how it could evolve to serve the needs of the New Fourth Estate – citizens and their Households.

Chapter One (Getting Off on the Right Foot) opens with a review of unfounded perspective of True Believers in Journalism (with a Capital ‘J’) and their efforts to perpetuate the Myth that there once was a valid Fourth Estate comprised of print media family Enterprises.

Next, Chapter One outlines the three major challenges facing Citizen Media. Chapter One concludes with an articulation of Synergy’s oft stated THE BOTTOM LINE as it applied to Citizen Media.

This rendition of Synergy’s THE BOTTOM LINE lays out the context and questions which will determine if homo sapiens can preserve an advanced technology-based civilization or, at least evolve a NEW BRONZE AGE. Also see ENOUGH? (Forthcoming)

Chapter Two (Citizen Media Context) further considers the three challenges facing Citizen Media and examines the economic, social and physical context in which Citizen Media must evolve and flourish if citizens are to have the information they need to make intelligent decisions.

Chapter Three (Intentional Information Sabotage and Other Lesser Crimes) considers specific obstacles that stand in the way of citizens receiving the information they need to make well- informed decisions based on sound public judgements in the voting booth and in the marketplace. This chapter explore the definitions of Yackers, True Believers, Shills and Agents and considers the extent of Idea Spam and Intentional Information Sabotage.

Chapter Four (The Litmus Test Concept) provides the framework for a tool to protect Citizen Media from Idea Spam and Intentional Information Sabotage, forces that thwart the emergence of a reliable sources of information upon which citizen can depend.

Chapter Five (Prototype Litmus Test) outlines the proposed Litmus Test to screen counterproductive input in dialogue intended to evolve consensus on the best interests of citizens, individually and collectively. Application of The Litmus Test is a technique to nurture the evolution of perspectives and consensus on new strategies and tactics in spite of Idea Spammers and Intentional Information Saboteurs lurking among Yackers, True Believers, Shills and Agents.

Between December 2000 and March 2011 the “Arab Spring” erupted across North Africa and the Middle East. These events provide important lessons and underline the importance of the evolution of Citizen Media. See ENOUGH? (Forthcoming)

Future chapters will address Citizen Media funding and operations as well as provide graphic examples of why the evolution of Citizen Media is the sine qua non of a sustainable trajectory for human civilization.

Read the full essay.

CITIZEN MEDIA

CHAPTER TWO – CITIZEN MEDIA CONTEXT

Citizen Media serves the interests of the New Fourth Estate – citizens and their Households. Citizen Media is the source for information citizens must have to make intelligent decisions in the voting booth and in the market place.

Chapter Two further explores the three primary challenges facing Citizen Media and profiles the contemporary economic and social context in which Citizen Media must emerge, function and flourish to be an effective source of citizen information and understanding.

Chapter Two opens with an examination of why citizen understanding of human settlement patterns is critically important. The Answer is: The growing complexity of Urban society. This complexity requires a comprehensive Conceptual Framework and a robust Vocabulary to convey useful information to citizens.

A number of helpful comments were received in response to the Beta 1 version of CHAPTER ONE posted on 24 Nov at www.baconsrebellion.blogspot.com as “More on the Role of Citizens Media.” Much of the feedback focused on the three primary challenges faced by Citizen Media:

I. PROCESS – Creating a process that involves journalists and the Principles of Journalism but does not rely on the myth that a media ‘fourth Estate’ or anything like it still exists. See THE ESTATES MATRIX.

II. PARTICIPATION – Establishing a significant and continuing role of volunteer citizens. (The reasons for extensive volunteer citizen participation in Citizen Media are further articulated in the Beta 2 version Chapter One – Getting Off On the Right Foot and in this Chapter.)

III. UNDERSTANDING THE CONTEXT OF CONTEMPORARY HUMAN EXISTENCE – Creating a clear understanding of the spacial context of human economic, social and physical activity. This understanding is essential so that the information citizens need to make intelligent decisions in the voting booth and in the market place is has a consistent spacial context.

There are questions about I. PROCESS and II. PARTICIPATION some of which are explored in the Beta 2 version Chapter One (Getting Off On the Right Foot). However, much more confusion revolves around Challenge III. UNDERSTANDING THE CONTEXT OF CONTEMPORARY HUMAN EXISTENCE.

??Why do those concerned with citizens having information to make intelligent decisions in the voting booth and in the marketplace need to worry about UNDERSTANDING the basics of human settlement patterns??

Chapter Two addresses this question. The short answer is:

Because human settlement patterns are THE CONTEXT OF CONTEMPORARY HUMAN EXISTENCE See End Note One

1. As noted in the Beta 2 version of Chapter One (Getting Off On the Right Foot) there is a fourth major challenge. This is the challenge that many who consider Citizen Media focus on first: Who pays the bills for Citizen Media and from what revenue stream? There are answers to this challenge and to other questions but every question requires addressing the initial three challenges first. Who pays the bills and from what revenue stream and other questions will be addressed in future chapters of CITIZEN MEDIA, THE NEXT STEP.

SECTION 2.1 – WHY SPACIAL CONTEXT IS IMPORTANT (Beta 1)

In the discussion on the Beta 1 version of CHAPTER ONE, a number of commentors raised the question:

“Why is Challenge III – creating a comprehensive citizen understanding of functional human settlement patterns – so critically important to evolving Citizen Media?” See End Note Two

2. Astute readers will note that in the Beta 2 version of Chapter One, the challenge is articulated as “UNDERSTANDING THE CONTEXT OF CONTEMPORARY HUMAN EXISTENCE” replacing the language in the Beta 1 version – “understanding of functional human settlement patterns.” This is because of the controlling role of settlement patterns have on economic, social and physical human activities in contemporary advance-technology society. This is the SAME challenge stated a different way.

The reason is that:

Functional and sustainable humans settlement patterns are the sine qua non of most productive and sustainable economic, social and physical activities in Urban human societies.

The foundations for this reality are spelled out in THE SHAPE OF THE FUTURE, Vol I (PARTS ONE AND TWO).

While the focus of the work of SYNERGY is on the Fundamental Transformation to evolve functional and sustainable human settlement patterns, the Transformation of settlement patterns will NOT occur without a Fundamental Transformation of governance structure AND a Fundamental Transformation of the economic systems to support democracy and a market economy.

TRILO-G: FOUNDATIONS, BRIDGES, ACTION documents the need for these THREE Fundamental Transformations – settlement patterns, governance structure and economic system.

Read the full essay.

CITIZEN MEDIA

CHAPTER THREE – INTENTIONAL INFORMATION SABOTAGE AND LESSER CRIMES

Citizen Media serves the interests of the New Fourth Estate – citizens and their Households. Citizen Media is the source for information citizens must have to make intelligent decisions in the voting booth and in the market place.

Chapter Three shifts from a focus on the contemporary context in which Citizen Media must arise and flourish, the topic of Chapter Two, to the examination of a specific set of challenges including Idea Spam and Intentional Information Sabotage.

SECTION 3.1 SUMMARY (Beta 2)

Chapter Three addresses the question:

Who controls the identification and certification of information that citizens need in order to make informed decisions?

To maximize individual freedom, the first option in a simple, small, homogeneous society is to allow anyone say anything to anyone, anytime with no filters or certification.

At the scales of Household, Cluster, Neighborhood and Village (family, extended family, clan and tribe) peer pressure solved almost all the communication problems. This included taking cranky uncle out on a hunting party from which he did not return. It was not always ‘democratic’ but part of learning to speak for clan members was learning what to say and how to say it.

In a large, heterogeneous, complex society, absolute freedom of expression yields chaos. Yelling ‘fire’ in theater is NOT protected speech. However, saying hateful things IS protected unless the statements damage the interests of others and the speaker / writer KNOWS the statements are false. (There are higher standards for ‘public figures’ than for non-public figures.)

As a general rule, all speech that meets threshold criteria such as those established by the US Supreme Court’s interpretations of the US Constitution should be “free.”

However, in a complex society citizens need a way to sort out and understand the intent beyond “the media is the message” or “all the news that is fit to print.” Citizens need to understand the intent of the message and have a way to evolve agreement free from Idea Spam and Intentional Information Sabotage.

In a complex society that is in need of multiple Fundamental Transformations to achieve a sustainable trajectory, a consensus on intelligent citizen action must grow from a concept into a well-considered public judgement of more than a simple majority WITHOUT Idea Spam and Intentional Information Sabotage obstructing the path to that well-considered public judgement. See Coming to Public Judgement: Making Democracy Work in a Complex World Daniel Yankelovich (1991).

In a democratic society all citizens must have access to ideas that ANYONE believes but individuals and Households as well as Enterprises and Institutions would be wise to – and Agencies MUST – take actions based ONLY on ideas that have factual basis and broad citizen support – These are known as well considered public judgements. Gone are the days when ‘representatives’ can ‘know what is best for you.’ See ENOUGH? (Forthcoming)

Reaching a well-considered public judgement is NEVER popular with some minorities. Those who have the interest and ability to undermine progress are frequently those at the top of the Ziggurat who benefit from the current trajectory – aka, Business-As-Usual. Consider here, the timeless axiom by Nicholas Machiavelli concerning the difficulty of changing “the current order.”
Existence of the 20%/60%/20% Guideline in an ever more complex society points to the need for a firewall; a democratically arrived at system to identify and certify of information that citizens must have in order to make informed decisions. Chapter 3 of TRILO-G (Myths That Drive Abandonment and Scatteration) and GLOSSARY (PART THIRTEEN of TRILO-G) discuss the 20%/60%/20% Guideline.

A firewall would protect citizens from “unidentified” and ‘unsupported’ information as well from as Idea Spam and Intentional Information Sabotage during the period when citizens are making up their minds about what is in their best interest – individually AND collectively.

To preserve democratic governance and market economies that fairly allocate resources, Agency action must be NOT be based on the narrow interest of a few. This includes the wealthy at the top of the Ziggurat and of Enterprises and Institutions owned and supported by concentrations of wealth.

The scale of the obscene wealth gap between those at the top of the Ziggurat and all the rest of the citizens – and the fact it is growing wider by the month – is confirmed by recent studies. See End Note One

1. In “Surveying the Aftermath of the Storm” a report released in March 2011, the Federal Reserve Board documented that between 2007 and 2009 the “average American” Household lost 23 percent of its wealth. (CNN 24 Mar 11). The same report indicated that nearly 63 percent of the Households had a drop in net worth. However, in January 2011 The Economic Policy Institute documented that the top one percent of US Households had 225 times the net worth of the average Household. That was UP from ‘ONLY” 190 times the net worth of the average Household in 2004. In other words, the richest got RICHER during The Great Recession. For the reasons for the widening Wealth Gap see Supercapitalism: The Transformation of Business, Democracy and Everyday Life, Robert Reich (2007) and CORNERED: The New Monopoly Capitalism and the Economics of Destruction, Barry C. Lynn (2010). For a succinct proposal for a solution see “Fire the Rich” in 29 Nov 09 CounterPunch by David Macaray.

A proposal to establish a disinformation firewall to shield Citizen Media (citizen information sources) from Idea Spam and Intentional Information Sabotage is outlined in Chapters Four and Five.

Continue reading this essay.

CITIZEN MEDIA

CHAPTER FOUR – THE LITMUS TEST CONCEPT

Citizen Media serves the interests of the New Fourth Estate – citizens and their Households. Citizen Media is the source for information citizens must have to make intelligent decisions in the voting booth and in the market place.

Chapter Four provides an overview of a Litmus Test. Each Citizen Media Outlet might choose to have a Litmus Test. The Prototype outlined in this chapter would be used to screen / validate comments and input in the discussion of human settlement patterns and their impact on the economic, social and physical well being of citizens.

SECTION 4.1 AN ANALOGY (Beta 1)

One way to understand the need for a Litmus Test for comments and input on ideas and strategies in the Citizen Media Context is based on an experience by the author over 50 years ago. One of the many ways the author paid for eight years of undergraduate and graduate study at three universities was as a professional food taster.

The Department of Home Economics department at the University of Montana received a contract from the US Navy to develop and test freeze dried food for use on Navy submarines. The Department hired a team of students who ate in the central dining facility to do daily QUALITATIVE taste testing of recipes under development.

After extensive screening a team of male students who matched the age and health profiles of a typical submarine crew was selected. Even though each student had pre qualified to be on the team, before every daily taste test each student was given a test update – three cups of water with additives so that he water tasted salty, sweet, sour, bitter or un-flavored. Only after one pasted the ‘right now’ test did they receive the days payment (a silver dollar) and were asked to give their qualitative opinion on the item of the day.

After all, why pay any attention to someone’s view the QUALITY of a Navy Bean soup (a big favorite) or a pudding (lots of puddings) if for some reason they could not ‘taste’ at the time for what every reason: Too much to drink or too much red pepper on a pizza the night before; just brushed their teeth; had a peppermint life savor between classes, etc. The same is true for opinions on the information, strategies and ideas that Citizens need to consider in coming to well considered public judgements.

Why pay attention to someone who has demonstrated that they do not know what they are talking about?

Unless one understands the basis and context for the discussion there is no way to make an informed comment beyond “I do not understand.” Unless the commentor knows what they are talking about, the listeners / readers do not know if it is a serious question from a well founded critique by a well informed individual or just Idea Spam – or worse – Intentional Information Sabotage.

Read the full essay.

CITIZEN MEDIA

CHAPTER FIVE – PROTOTYPE LITMUS TEST

Citizen Media serves the interests of the New Fourth Estate – citizens and their Households. Citizen Media is the source for information citizens must have to make intelligent decisions in the voting booth and in the market place.

Chapter Five presents a draft Prototype Litmus Test focused on the evolution of the New Urban Region Conceptual Framework and Vocabulary. This test applies not to Citizen Media in general but to the work of SYNERGY as relates to the Fundamental Transformation of human settlement patterns and the related Fundamental Transformations of governance structure and of the economic system as outlined in THE SHAPE OF THE FUTURE and in TRILO-G.

SECTION 5.1 – A PROTOTYPE LITMUS TEST FOR DISCUSSION OF THE FUNDAMENTAL TRANSFORMATION OF HUMAN SETTLEMENT PATTERNS (Beta 3)

The following is a brief outline of key points parts of the Human Settlement Pattern Discussion Litmus Test.

I. QUESTION GUIDELINES

Questions are welcome subject to the following guidelines:

A. The fact that there are question guidelines and that questions are subject to those guidelines will be stated in each Perspective posted on the forum.

B. Legitimate questions will be answered, however, to save time be sure to read the post with care.

C. If one is not sure they understand the post, first check the definitions of Capitalized words in GLOSSARY accessed from the RESOURCE page at www.emrisse.com

D. After checking the Capitalized words if the reader is still are not sure they understand what is being said, the place to start is with the LINER NOTES for The Shape of the Future and then the LINER NOTES for TRILO-G. Both LINER NOTES are accessed from the RESOURCE page at www.emrisse.com

E. Questions that are repetitive and appear to be asked just to waste the time and effort of users of the Outlet will be ignored. Questions of repeat offenders will be deleted.

II. COMMENT GUIDELINES

Comments and observations are welcome subject to the following guidelines:

A. The fact that there are comment guidelines and that comments are subject to those guidelines will be stated in each Perspective posted on the forum / Outlet.

B. For those new to the forum / Outlet, reference must be made to the place to find background and details of the guidelines.

C. When relevant, there will be posted a list of those who are pre-qualified to comment based on past demonstration of their understanding of the context and objectives of the forum / Outlet.

D. In the comment being offered, the commentor must acknowledge that they understand the Citizen Media forum / Outlet’s Perspective established in the following Context and Parameters Documents.

E. All commentors will be required to use their own name or be placed on the pre-qualified list by the forum / Outlet originator after providing reason why anonymity is appropriate in their case.

F. First time commentors who violate Comment Guidelines will referred to Context Documents and Parameters. Repeat offenders deleted.

Read the rest of this essay.

Want to reduce the number of traffic accidents and automobile fatalities? Cracking down on drunk driving, enforcing seatbelt usage, installing air bags and banning texting while driving all have proven useful. But, while the incidence of traffic fatalities has declined from five per year in 1960 to two per year in 2000, the total number of fatalities has barely budged because Americans are driving so much more, says Todd Litman with the Victoria Transport Policy Institute in a recent paper, “Pricing for Traffic Safety.”

Pricing transportation so that drivers directly pay for the costs associated with their automobile travel can be justified on economic grounds, contends Litman. A major side benefit, rarely mentioned by pricing advocates, is that reducing the number of vehicle miles traveled also cuts the number of automobile accidents as well.

VDOT take notice!

Here’s the good news: If the Virginia Retirement System can generate an annual return on investment of 8% annually in the future, it will last until 2040 before the money runs out.

Here’s the bad news: If the assumed returns are more modest (or more realistic) — say, 6% annually — assets will last only until 2033, about the same time that the Social Security is expected to run out of money.

So finds a new study by the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College, “Can State and Local Pensions Muddle Through?,” using the conventional “ongoing” methodology for calculating pension fund exhaustion dates. Using the more stringent “termination” framework, the news is even more grim: Under a 6%-return scenario, the VRS could run dry by 2025.

That information appears in Appendix B in the report. You can see there how the VRS fares against other state and municipal retirement plans. It’s not a pretty sight. Though far from the worst, the VRS is in worse shape than many others.

The CRC’s calculations assume, of course, no significant changes to the way the retirement plans are structured. Gov. Bob McDonnell, as did former Gov. Tim Kaine before him, recommends sweeping reforms to the retirement system for public employees. Those who would oppose the reforms should take a look at the CRC study, which has no obvious ideological axe to grind, and contemplate what retirement for Virginia’s public employees would look like if we stick with the status quo.

I suppose there is one alternative to reforming the plans — stick up the taxpayers. That tends to be the preferred solution of my esteemed liberal colleague, Peter Galuszka, who in the previous post trotted out a laundry list of taxes that could be tapped to pay for continued state funding of NPR. But it might be a hard sell politically to ask taxpayers, few of whom participate in defined benefit plans, to cough up more money than they already do to support public employees in a retirement far more comfortable than they are likely to enjoy. Good luck with that!

The wolves are circling NPR, the supposed bug-a-boo of liberal bias.

Here in Virginia, Gov. Robert McDonnell, a staunch right-winger, wants to stop $4.2 million in state funding the Virginia’s NPR stations. The Republican-led House of Representatives wants to cut far more across the nation. Rationale for the cuts runs the right wing gamut from U.S. Rep. Eric Cantor who complains that NPR is “too liberal” to James A, Bacon Jr., who says that the 30-plus-year-old government funding model is dogmatically wrong although he likes NPR and is willing to kick in a few bucks of his own dough as NPR struggles to come up with a new business model. (THANK YOU, Jim!).

Not that NPR hasn’t screwed up. The firing of Juan Williams was completely out of line and and NPR executive stupidly fell victim to a ham-handed covert ruse by a right-wing video outfit (highly suspect itself). About 29 year ago, I co-broke a story in the Richmond Times-Dispatch about how the president of WCVE — Richmond’s public tv station — was self-dealing by using public money to buy tv remote equipment that was quickly amortized and then used by the president’s private, for-profit company to make commercials and broadcast basketball games.

So, just how bad is Virginia’s fiscal crisis anyway? Let’s look at ways we can find the $4.2 million to save NPR funding. Consider these:

• The Washington Post has reported that as the state is crimping on funding help for education and the mentally ill, the General Assembly renewed a $45 million annual provision for two big utilities, Dominion and Appalachian Power, to buy coal mined in Virginia. The measure has been on the books since 1999and gives tax credits worth $3 per ton for Old Dominion coal. Why is this government welfare needed? Metallurgical coal which the state produces now fetches $200 a metric done at the mine. Global demand for Central Appalachian met coal is so strong that Norfolk Southern railroad is scrambling to come up with 2,500 new hopper cars and collier are backed up at anchor in Hampton Roads. Why does coal need help?
• One thing I heard on NPR. Amazon.com doesn’t pay state sales taxes. Here’s a company that brings in more than $35 billion in revenues by selling goods over the Net. Virginia should think about getting its share. Back in the early Net days, people like then-governor George Allen, anxious to embrace the “digital Dominion,” fought taxing the Net. Well, that was then. Amazon.com ain’t exactly a start-up any more,.
• The gas tax. We pay among the lowest of any state in the country. This is the simplest solution.

So there you have it. Finding $4.2 million to save NPR funding shouldn’t be that hard, just as it shouldn’t be to ease the pain for the sick and students who need an education. It’s time to get past the financial-crisis panic mentality and the worry-mongers.

Peter Galuszka

Two recent actions by the McDonnell Administration raise questions about just how much state public education is being short-changed by el-cheapo spending practices.

Here’s a news item you aren’t likely to see in “Boomergeddon:” U.S. industrial behemoth General Electric paid no taxes in 2010. That’s right: zippo, nada, nichevo.

But GE? The famed and successful maker of lightbulbs, refrigerators, diesel locomotives, high tech medical gear and nuclear reactors (of the type used at Fukushima)? Last year, according to the New York Times, GE had worldwide profits of $14.2 billion, with $5.1 billion coming from outside the U.S.

How can that be? The Boomergeddons claim that America’s tax rate of 35 percent is a major impediment to the prosperity of U.S. corporations whose good performance (not to mentioned outsized CEO salaries) trickle down to us lower in the food chain through taxes, jobs, etc.

So how did GE do it? It has a first rate tax department, obviously, including lots of ex-Treasury Department types. It puts ins creativity to work at finding tax breaks, in fact, that’s part of the corporate “mission” statement. One rich seam to mine was GE Capital, with ties to Richmond, which found interesting tax dodges as a lender.