Vermont Moves to Improve Health Care Reform With Single Payer Health Care Plan #p2 #tcot

http://videocafe.crooksandliars.com/heather/vermont-moves-improve-health-care-reform-s

Sen. Dick Durbin takes aim at online puppy mills #p2 #tcot

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/04/03/sen-dick-durbin-takes-aim-at-online-puppy-mills/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheRawStory+%28The+Raw+Story%29&utm_content=Google+Reader

Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) has introduced legislation that would require all breeders to meet basic standards for shelter, care and exercise of their dogs.

The Puppy Uniform Protection and Safety Act is aimed at putting an end to "puppy mills," an unregulated and often hidden industry of puppy breeding that relies on housing dogs in cramped, unsanitary, and inhumane conditions. It would place regulations on direct-to-buyer dog breeders and ensure dogs sold over the Internet are receiving proper care.

"The media regularly reports stories about dogs rescued from substandard facilities -- where dogs are housed in stacked wire cages and seriously ill dogs are routinely denied access to veterinary care," Durbin said. "Online dog sales have contributed to the rise of these disturbing cases."

Under the Animal Welfare Act (AWA), wholesale animal breeders are regulated, licensed and subject to inspections by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, the Senator explained, but direct-to-buyer Internet sales are not regulated.

"My bipartisan bill requires breeders who sell more than 50 dogs a year directly to the public to obtain a license from the USDA and ensures that the dogs receive proper care," Durbin said.

Approximately 120 dogs were rescued from deplorable conditions at an alleged puppy mill in Tennessee on March 29. The dogs were rescued by Animal Rescue Corps and the Warren County Sherriff's Office after they received a tip concerning the animals' welfare.

"These animals were suffering from starvation and various untreated illnesses," Scotlund Haisley, president of Animal Rescue Corps, said. "We got here just in time for some of them. Every year, the estimated 10,000-plus puppy mills in the U.S. produce more than 4 million puppies while millions are killed in shelters."

Rep. Graves calls GOP’s billions in oil subsidies “market manipulation,” forgets he voted to extend them #p2 #tcot

Lee Fang, in a ThinkProgress repost:

In February and again in March, Republicans in the House of Representatives, on a largely party-line roll call, voted to extend tens of billions in taxpayer subsidies to big oil companies. At the sparsely attended "Continuing Revolution" Tea Party rally on Thursday calling for more budget cuts, we talked to a number of attendees about their thoughts on Republicans giving so much taxpayer money away to already ultra-profitable oil companies. Rep. Tom Graves (R-GA) was among the many lawmakers to vote twice to extend over $50 billion in taxpayer subsidies to the oil companies:

– House Vote 153 on H.J.Res.44: Graves voted to extend billions in oil subsidies.

– House Vote 109 on H.R.1: Graves voted to extend billions in oil subsidies.

However, when we caught up with Graves yesterday, he said he had no idea that the vote had taken place. He didn't seem to remember voting for them. In fact, after pressing the congressman, Graves called the idea of giving oil companies taxpayer subsidies "a manipulation of the market place":

FANG: Four billion dollars in oil subsidies that the Congress just passed to extend for the next ten years maybe forty billion for the next ten years to oil companies. Do you agree with that type of subsidy given the state our budget and deficit?

GRAVES: Uh, when was that passed? I'm not aware of what you're speaking.

FANG: It was in the continuing resolution debate. I think the Democrats raised a point of order to vote on it and it passed.

GRAVES: Hm. Yeah as far as subsidies, I mean I believe in the free market system all together, the capitalism system one hundred percent. Let the markets determine who is going to succeed throughout the market place.

KEYES: Do you think those subsidies are an aberration of the free market?

GRAVES: I mean they definitely influence the market place. Its somewhat of a manipulation of the market place if products aren't willing, aren't able to succeed on their own because of consumer demand and likeness of that product then why should government get in there and manipulate it?

rest at http://climateprogress.org/2011/04/03/rep-graves-calls-gop%E2%80%99s-billions-in-oil-subsidies-market-manipulation-forgets-that-he-voted-to-extend-them/

Bank Salaries Untouched by Financial Crisis…and Don’t Worry about CEOs of Fannie and Freddie #p2 #tcot

http://www.allgov.com//ViewNews/Bank_Salaries_Untouched_by_Financial_Crisis__and_Dont_Worry_about_CEOs_of_Fannie_and_Freddie_110403

It turns out that going into banking during the last decade really paid off (literally), regardless of the effects that the financial crisis and the succeeding Great Recession had on the rest of the economy.

 

Average compensation for bank employees during the past few years actually went up, according to Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation data. In fact, the rate of increase was the same as it was before the 2008 Wall Street implosion, leading to a rate of 35% over an eight-year period and an average salary of $83,050.

 

Peter Capelli, director of Wharton Business School's Center for Human Resources, said it is "sort of strange that after the worst crisis in modern times, you see wages rising" in the banking industry.

 

Bank employees aren't the only ones making out fine these days. Michael J. Williams, the CEO and president of Fannie Mae, which had to be rescued by Washington because of its involvement in subprime mortgages, earned $9.3 million in total compensation over the course of 2009-2010. Fannie's CFO, David Hisey, made $4.6 million and its chief administrative officer and general counsel, Timothy Mayopoulos, $4.5 million.

 

Compensation was similar for those running Freddie Mac, which also had to be bailed out. CEO Ed Haldeman Jr. took home $7.8 million, general counsel Robert Bostrom $5.2 million and CFO Ross Kari $4 million.

-Noel Brinkerhoff

 

Through the Crisis, Average Bank Pay Grew at Pre-Downturn Clip (by Jeff Horwitz, American Banker)

Evaluation of Federal Housing Finance Agency's Oversight of Fannie Mae's and Freddie Mac's Executive Compensation Program (Federal Housing Finance Agency Inspector General) (pdf)

Fannie and Freddie to Get Unlimited Aid…and Huge Executive Bonuses (by Noel Brinkerhoff, AllGov)

23 Members of Congress Receive Farm Subsidies - farm subsidies are not facing the axe #p2 #tcot

http://www.allgov.com//ViewNews/23_Members_of_Congress_Receive_Farm_Subsidies_110403

Whether it's $30 billion, $60 billion or $100 billion, slashing the federal budget means cutting back on a lot of programs. But farm subsidies are not facing the axe, and having nearly two dozen lawmakers receiving such financial support may have something to do with it.

 

The Environmental Working Group has determined that at least 23 representatives and senators, or their family members, applied for farm subsidy payments between 1995 and 2009. Seventeen were Republicans and six belonged to the Democratic Party, with the GOP taking in more than $5.3 million, compared to only $489,856 for Democrats.

 

The biggest beneficiaries of farm subsidies in the current Congress have been:

·       Rep. Stephen Fincher (R-Tennessee) $3,368,843

·       Rep. Vicky Hartzler (R-Missouri) $469,292

·       Rep. Kristi Noem (R-South Dakota) $443,748

·       Sen. John Tester (D-Montana) $442,303

·       Rep. Tom Latham (R-Iowa) $330,046

Fincher, Hartzler, Noem and Tester are all first-term members of Congress.

 

Five crops— corn, cotton, rice, wheat and soybeans—account for 90% of the government's farm subsidies and 74% of subsidies go to the top 10% of farms. According to the Department of Agriculture, 62% of U.S. farmers don't receive any direct federal payments.

-David Wallechinsky, Noel Brinkerhoff

 

Cut Spending – But Not My Farm Subsidies! (by Chris Campbell, Amber Hanna and Don Carr, Environmental Working Group)

Top Recipients of Farm Subsidies 1995-2009 (Environmental Working Group)

Large Corporate Farms Still Get Bulk of Federal Subsidies (by Noel Brinkerhoff, AllGov)

Half of USDA Farm Subsidy Dollars Go to Just 4% of Farms (by Noel Brinkerhoff, AllGov)

For seventh straight hearing, House Natural Resources Committee shills for Big Oil #p2 #tcot

CAPAF's Christy Goldfuss in a WonkRoom cross-post.

For the seventh time in a row, Chairman Doc Hastings (R-WA) of the House Natural Resources Committee held a hearing where he pushed for more domestic production of oil and gas, a proposal known to benefit Big Oil with little impact on gas prices. His colleague on the Committee, Rep. Jeff Landry (R-LA), whose largest single industry contributor is oil and gas, took the opportunity at the hearing to defend the profits of Big Oil.

He and other Republicans argued that the profit margin for major oil companies is commensurate with other industries. But in 2010, Exxon Mobil had $30.9 billion, Shell had $18.28 billion, and Chevron had $19.29 in profits. Bill Graves from the American Trucking Association had to "agree to disagree" with that reasoning.

Big Oil also was defended by the Republican majority witness from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Karen Alderman Harbert. When Rep. Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM) asked whether Harbert supported the billions of taxpayer subsidies that go to Big Oil, she refused to give a yes or no answer. She instead tried to squeeze in a pitch for why Big Oil subsidies are necessary, even with billions in profits. She feels that denying those subsidies would be unfairly, "singling out the oil and gas industry and penalizing it."

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce also supports oil speculators, by pushing to repeal the new authority that the Commodity Futures Trading Commission has to police speculation under the Dodd-Frank financial reform law. The Democratic minority invited witness from the Gasoline & Automotive Service Dealers of America, Inc., noted that "the fastest way to $6 a gallon is to cut the funding to the CFTC."

To sum up, the House Natural Resources Committee is doing a great job defending Big Oil with hearings on issues that benefit Big Oil, with Republican members that ask questions and make statements in defense of Big Oil, and the Republican invited witnesses that support Big Oil.

rest at http://climateprogress.org/2011/04/03/house-natural-resources-committee-big-oil/

Asked If Untaxed Corporations Should Pay Their Fair Share, Rep. Jeff Duncan Says Taxes Are Too High #p2 #tcot

remember - GE paid 0 taxes!

http://www.onepennysheet.com./2011/04/asked-if-untaxed-corporations-should-pay-their-fair-share-rep-jeff-duncan-says-taxes-are-too-high/

Last Thursday, at the sparsely attended "Continuing Revolution" Tea Party rally on Capitol Hill, we spoke to a number of attendees about the growing "Mainstreet Movement" against corporate tax dodgers. As we have reported extensively, thousands of profitable corporations have exploited corporate loopholes to pay far less than their fair share of taxes. Big corporations, like Boeing, CitiGroup, Bank of America, Arch Coal, ExxonMobil, and others have managed to escape paying a single dime in corporate taxes in recent years.

We asked Rep. Jeff Duncan (R-SC) if he is concerned about corporate tax dodgers. Duncan replied that corporate taxes are actually too high. When we reminded him that many of the country's largest and most profitable companies actually pay nothing, he was in disbelief. Eventually, Duncan conceded that he would have to "research that and get back with you":

FANG: There's been a liberal equivalent of the Tea Party, where folks are organizing and protesting because they don't think that corporations are paying their fair share when we've got this deficit problem. To give you an example, GE, Bank of America, ExxonMobil, a lot of these big, very profitable companies haven't paid anything in corporate taxes. Do you think those companies are paying their fair share?

DUNCAN: Sure I do. I think what we've got is a tax policy that needs a change that allows them to bring earnings they have in subsidiaries off shore back and invest them in this country at a lower tax rate. We are uncompetitive with the rest of the world.

FANG: But they're already paying nothing.

DUNCAN: Well I'd have to research that. I don't know that–

FANG: The New York Times had a big story I think earlier this week that GE paid nothing at all.

DUNCAN: I'm not sure of that, I'll look into that and verify that. But what I'm saying is, we're uncompetitive with the rest of the world with regard to corporate tax rate. We've got Canada that just lowered their corporate tax rate from whatever it was to eighteen point five and it's going to fifteen percent next year.

FANG: How do you get lower than an effective tax rate of zero?

DUNCAN: Well like I said I don't know that is an effective tax rate of zero. You have to look at the bigger picture and I'll be glad to research that and get back with you.

rest at http://thinkprogress.org/2011/04/02/jeff-duncan-corporate-tax-cheats/

JPMorgan, Kroger, Capital One, TiVo Warn of E-Mail Breaches

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-04-02/jpmorgan-kroger-capital-one-tivo-warn-of-e-mail-breaches.html

JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM), Kroger Co., Capital One Financial Corp. (COF) and TiVo Inc. (TIVO) said they were affected by a security breach that may have enabled an unauthorized person to see some customers' names and e-mail addresses.

JPMorgan and Kroger yesterday disclosed the accessing of the data, which occurred at Epsilon, a Dallas-based provider of e-mail marketing services. Capital One and TiVo issued statements today. The information was gained by a person outside Epsilon, according to separate statements.

All four companies said no personal identification information or credit card details were compromised. JPMorgan, Kroger, Capital One and TiVo all said they are investigating the incidents.

Jessica Simon, a spokeswoman for Epsilon, declined to say how many more companies might be affected, citing a continuing investigation. She said she didn't have details on which law enforcement agencies might be involved in the probe.

Epsilon said the breach occurred March 30.

To contact the reporter on this story: Dan Hart in Washington at dahart@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Sylvia Wier at swier@bloomberg.net

How Allowing Money Laundering Keeps Our Bubblicious Finance Afloat #p2 #tcot

(photo: RogueSun Media)

Last June, Bloomberg did a long story on the Deferred Prosecution Agreement that Wachovia negotiated with DOJ. As "punishment" for helping Mexican drug gangs to launder more than $363 billion through casas de cambios for three years, Wachovia had to pay $50 million fine and a $110 million forfeiture of the proceeds that were clearly from drug gangs.

In my post on Bloomberg's article last year, I compared the size of this business (plus some other illegal ones Wachovia engaged in) to how much Wachovia was losing in mortgage shitpile.

So $373 billion in wire services (some of which were surely legal), $4 billion in bulk cash services, and some portion of $47 billion in digital pouch services (again, some of which is surely legal and may pertain to remittances). Compare those numbers to the $40 to $60 billion or so in Wachovia subprime losses Wells Fargo ate when it took over Wachovia. Was Wachovia laundering money for drug cartels because it was so badly exposed in mortgage-backed securities, or was it so heavily involved in products that could be used for money laundering just for fun?

It sure looked to me like Wachovia was covering this up–and berating their own money laundering guy who kept pointing to these transactions–because they were so deep in the shitpile.

The Guardian just did its own long story on this (h/t NC) that, among other things, confirms my suspicion there was a connection between the shitpile and the money laundering.

At the height of the 2008 banking crisis, Antonio Maria Costa, then head of the United Nations office on drugs and crime, said he had evidence to suggest the proceeds from drugs and crime were "the only liquid investment capital" available to banks on the brink of collapse. "Inter-bank loans were funded by money that originated from the drugs trade," he said. "There were signs that some banks were rescued that way."

rest at http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2011/04/03/how-allowing-money-laundering-keeps-our-bubblicious-finance-afloat/

.@gop budget proposal, H.R. 1epitomized the do-nothing reputation and partisan bickering of politicians on Capitol Hill #p2 #tcot

The Republican Party has validated the American public's growing frustration, annoyance, and near-historically low disapproval of Congress with a bill proposed this week that epitomized the do-nothing reputation and partisan bickering of politicians on Capitol Hill.

The proposal, which Republican Majority Leader Eric Cantor of Virginia touted as a safety measure against the looming threat of a government shutdown, would make the Republican Party's February budget proposal the "law of the land" if Congress fails to enact a budget resolution before current government funding expires on April 8.

The Republican Party's February budget proposal, H.R. 1, called for $61 billion in discretionary spending cuts, most of which targeted popular social programs that the Democratic Party vehemently opposed. The bill earned a veto threat from President Obama even before it passed in the House, and after it passed it was deemed dead-on-arrival in the Democratic-controlled Senate. Nobody so much as blinked when the bill died on the Senate floor due to a lack of bipartisan support.

So what will it take to pass this new proposal and to avoid the potentially devastating effects on the economy and job creation if a government shutdown occurs?

In short, a miracle.

In order to become law, Cantor's bill requires that the same Democrats who so staunchly opposed the GOP's $61 billion in spending cuts on March 17 then turn around not two weeks later and vote for those very same cuts.

Not even Rod Serling could have thought up this one.

But lest you should be fooled by the media's claims that this is yet another "symbolic" measure put forth by the ever-unserious GOP, Cantor was quoted Wednesday telling reporters, "We are serious."

The Hill reported that "aides could not immediately explain how their new bill would solve the crisis or whether they expected the Senate to approve it."

 

According to Cantor spokeswoman Leana Fallon, "[I]t is our hope that this bill will, at a minimum, spur the Senate to pass some bill funding the government for the rest of the year so that we can work quickly to resolve any differences." If Congress fails to act, she added, "passing this bill would at least keep the government open."

rest at http://the-reaction.blogspot.com/2011/04/gop-validates-americas-hatred-of.html

Sorry, Haters – Stock Market Surging Under ‘Socialist’ Obama, Recovering from Decline under ‘Free Market’ Bush #p2 #tcot

According to Rachel Maddow in the clip above — and according to the chart from Jed Lewison at DailyKos below — the stock market certainly is doing well under the socialist jackboot of Pres. Obama's anti-capitalist policies.

Corporate profits grew 36.8 percent in 2010, the biggest gain since 1950.

As Maddow said, referring to the chart on her MSNBC show last week, if you focus on the line going up after the inauguration of Pres. Obama, "Regardless of how you personally are doing, this part of our nation is living large. Despite what you hear about the economy at home, the stock market is in tall cotton."

Maddow pointed to this article from McClatchy to explain why middle-class families and small businesses find themselves relegated to the short cotton while mega-corporations and the stock marketeers are availing themselves of the tall rows:

Corporate profits grew 36.8 percent in 2010, the biggest gain since 1950, according to Friday's latest report from the Bureau of Economic Analysis. No sign could be more clear that U.S. companies see the so-called Great Recession in the rearview mirror.

The strong profits, however, mask the continued difficult terrain for businesses. Yes, profits are high, but that doesn't mean business is strong…

[Analysts] think several factors are behind the strong profits, which seem to contradict other indicators of an underperforming economy, especially the 8.9 percent unemployment rate. These factors include record low interest rates since late 2008, muted demand for borrowing by companies and a surge in productivity that has allowed companies to do more with the same number of workers or fewer.

Profits aren't rising solely because companies are making and selling more widgets to keep up with customer demand, which would be the case in a healthy, booming economy. Instead, they're more profitable because it now costs less to make the same widget, often because there are far fewer workers needed to make it…

rest at http://www.pensitoreview.com/2011/04/03/sorry-haters-stock-market-surging-under-socialist-obama-recovering-from-decline-under-free-market-bush/

Paul Ryan Dodges Fox News’ Questions About Whether He’ll Eliminate Tax Breaks For Oil Companies #p2 #tcot

On Tuesday, House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) plans to lay out his proposed budget for the next fiscal year. Promoting his plan on Fox News Sunday this morning, Ryan made clear that his plan for deficit reduction would demand drastic spending cuts shouldered on the backs of low- and middle-income Americans without asking for similar sacrifice from the wealthy. Asked repeatedly by host Chris Wallace whether he'll eliminate tax breaks for oil companies, Ryan hemmed and hawed without giving a clear answer:

WALLACE: A lot of Democrats that are already saying, even before they've seen your budget, that you do all of this balancing of the budget on the spending side, and unlike the President's debt commission, you don't do it on the revenue side. Do you eliminate tax breaks? Do you bring in new revenue by eliminating, for instance, tax breaks for oil companies?

RYAN: We don't have a tax problem. The problem with our deficit is not because Americans are taxed too little. The problem with our deficit is because Washington spends too much money. … So we're not going to down the path of raising taxes on people. […]

WALLACE: But for instance, you will not eliminate tax breaks for Big Oil and Gas?

RYAN: Those are the kinds of details that we'll come out later with, that the Ways and Means Committee will work on. We're not going to go into the little details of which tax expenditure goes and which tax expenditure stays.

rest at http://thinkprogress.org/2011/04/03/paul-ryan-oil-gas-taxes/

.@foxnews VIDEO: Fox’s Brit Hume Is Left Speechless When Asked About G.E. Paying Zero Federal Taxes #p2 #tcot

While any sober solution to the country's deficit problem should include both revenue enhancement and spending cuts, conservatives have been completely unwilling to even consider tax increases, proposing steep cuts that will do little to solve the deficit, while doing much to hurt the middle class and the most vulnerable. Toeing that conservative line on Fox News Sunday today, Fox personality Brit Hume argued that cutting taxes will actually lead to increased tax revenue. Fox analyst Juan Williams responded by noting this is often not the case, citing the fact that G.E. — the nation's largest company — paid nothing in taxes last year. Williams' response flummoxed Hume, who appeared dumbfounded and at a loss for words. Host Chris Wallace had to jump in to smooth things over with a joke:

WILLIAMS: You're going on as if, you know what, we don't know how in America how to help our own deficit problem. We do! We just have to tax people.

HUME: Juan, Juan. What we need is not higher tax rates. What we need is higher revenue. And how do you get higher revenues? You get higher revenues from an expanding economy. That's where the big money comes from.

WILLIAMS: Yeah, and G.E. paying no taxes? That's good for America? Come on, you know that's not right.

[Pause]

WALLACE: I just want to say, I pay all my taxes!

Watch it:

rest at http://thinkprogress.org/2011/04/03/brit-hume-ge-taxes-speechless/

pathetic: Top Republican refuses to say if new GOP budget will end corporate welfare #p2 #tcot

House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) said Sunday that the GOP 2012 budget will exceed even the $4 trillion in spending cuts over the next decade recommended by President Barack Obama's debt commission.

But Ryan wouldn't commit that his new budget would follow the debt commission's lead and end corporate welfare for oil and gas companies.

"Widely reported that your budget will cut spending by $2 trillion over the next decade. True?" Fox News Chris Wallace asked Ryan during their Sunday interview.

"Well, it's more than that," Ryan said. "Quite a bit more than that."

"$4 trillion?" Wallace wondered.

"Looking at more than that right now. We're fine-tuning the numbers. Congressional Budget Office literally today, over the weekend. We'll cut more than that," Ryan explained.

"We will be exceeding the goals that were put out in the president's debt commission," he added. "You talk about the president's debt commission. They got $1 trillion from closing a lot of tax loopholes, ending a lot of tax deductions. Do you do that?" Wallace asked.

"Not only do we want to cut spending, not only do we want to reform government spending, we want economic growth. We want job creation. Pro-growth tax reform is a key ingredient to getting this economy working again, getting the economy growing again. The way to do that -- and we agree with the direction of the fiscal commission -- lower tax rate and broaden the tax base. And those are the things we'll be proposing."

"Democrats are already saying, even before they've seen your budget, you do all this balancing of the budget on the spending side and unlike the president's debt commission, you don't do it on the revenue side," Wallace noted. "Do you eliminate tax breaks and bring in new revenue by eliminating tax breaks for oil companies, for instance?"

"We don't have a tax problem," Ryan declared. "The problem with our deficit is not because Americans are taxed too little... and so we're not going to go down the path of raising taxes on people and raising taxes on the economy."

"Does it mean you won't eliminate tax breaks for big oil and gas?" Wallace pressed.

"Those are the kinds of details that you'll come out later with, that the Ways and Means Committee will work on. We don't go into the detail of which tax expenditure goes or stays. We're going to lower tax rates and broaden base. You'll see more details Tuesday."

"We are giving [Democrats] a political weapon to go against us," Ryan later admitted. "But they will have to lie and demagogue to make that a political weapon."

This video is from Fox's Fox News Sunday, broadcast April 3, 2011.

rest http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/04/03/top-republican-refuses-to-say-if-new-gop-budget-will-end-corporate-welfare/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheRawStory+%28The+Raw+Story%29&utm_content=Google+Reader

What Are We Doing Subsidizing Corporations Through Tax Giveaways? #p2 #tcot

http://blog.buzzflash.com/node/12553

It's tempting to blame government for our middle-income 15-20% tax rates. But the true culprits have documented their own guilt. Comprehensive financial reports called '10-Ks' are issued annually to the SEC by U.S. corporations. Amidst tedious pages of income, flow, and outgo, company accountants deftly balance management's desire to impress stockholders with the need to avoid self-incrimination.

PayUpNow.org has documented recent corporate tax activity from the 10-Ks. We took non-deferred federal tax payments over the past three years and analyzed the figures to determine which companies and industries consistently meet or avoid their obligations. The entire dataset is available on the PayUpNow.org website.

The GOOD seems to be in the health care industry, where Humana, Medco, Wellpoint, and United Health all paid taxes at rates close to the 35% corporate maximum over the past three years. Some nation-wide family favorites fared well, too. Home Depot, Walgreens, CVS, Kohl's, and Best Buy all approached the 35% rate three years running. Good places to shop.

Companies within specific industries were generally grouped together, as if they didn't want to fall far from the tree. In the middle of the pack were Costco, Walmart, and Target, all consistently paying in the mid-20% tax rate range. Even more noteworthy was the tech industry, which had several companies paying taxes at annual rates between 15 and 20 percent: Microsoft, Oracle, Dell, Google, Apple, Amazon, Cisco, and Comcast.

On to the BAD...Kraft Foods and Coca Cola paid less than 10% in taxes over the three-year period. Chevron paid 5%. Hewlett-Packard 3%. IBM 2%. Exxon 2%. Carnival 1%.

Can't get much worse, it seems. But it does. It gets UGLY.

Boeing and DuPont and Dow Chemical and Verizon all made profits three years in a row, but all received net refunds for the three-year period. The ugliest result comes from General Electric, which made pre-tax profits of $44 billion over three years but received almost $5 billion in refunds! So ugly, indeed, that the company buried its tax benefit (refund) strategy in a nondescript passage near the end of its 10-K.

The big picture:

The top 100 companies, with $5 trillion in 2010 revenue and $500 billion in pre-tax earnings, paid less than 10% last year in non-deferred federal taxes. If these 100 companies had paid the 35% tax designated by U.S. tax law, an additional $140 billion would have been collected in federal taxes in just one year. This is approximately equal to the total budget deficits for all 50 states.

Pay Up Now is committed to a focused national effort to refuse the business of the worst corporate tax offenders. We should not have to subsidize them with our own tax money.

Paul Buchheit is a college teacher, an active member of US Uncut Chicago, founder and developer of social justice and educational websites (UsAgainstGreed.org, PayUpNow.org, RappingHistory.org), and the editor and main author of "American Wars: Illusions and Realities" (Clarity Press). He can be reached at paul@UsAgainstGreed.org.