I suspect we’re arguing from wildly different first principles here: you’re a Christian socialist, and I’m an atheist anarcho-capitalist.

We can disagree on the morality of competition, but at the very least I think we can agree that it does lead to technological innovation. The very fact that you and I can have instant debate over long distances wouldn’t have occurred without the competition inherent in capitalism. You may claim that such technological advancement is not necessary to live in communion with Christ, but I don’t think you can make a credible claim that such technology would exist outside of a capitalist framework. The example of every place that has tried socialism/communism stands against the notion.

Yes, Intel is doing production overseas. I’m not claiming everything will come back. But do you not agree that more profits will come back here at a 5% tax rate than at a 35% tax rate? And that this is not a negative for the government, because at 35% most of those profits won’t come here (to be taxed) anyway?

The fact that some jobs have already gone overseas is no reason to continue the policies that send them there.

Later (but soon), when the truth finally comes to the surface, we will ALL see that money and ownership are the tools of the warring, and without them… things would be quite different. I like to use the idea that Earth is a spaceship, and the first step to flying the thing… is managing to get its Earth-wide crew to get along with each other and cooperate instead of compete. But as long as tug-o-warring over money, ownership, ideals, borders, and the empowerments those devices allow and promote, the crew of the spaceship Earth won’t be going anywhere but down the tubes.

Competition is NOT healthy, and never was. Get back to love thy neighbor instead of bill and distrust thy neighbor. The neighbors are NOT thems or theys, they are other we and us. Everytime you gouge someone that you think is a them, you’ve hurt us, and yourself. Everyone on the planet being on the same team, is better. Ask the USA military. They (THOSE we) know about non-competing over survival supplies and empowerments. They use custodianship instead of ownership, and freely-handed-out requisition forms instead of money. They are a commune. Smart.

Capitalism would be better if everyone worked for one giant Earthwide company, too. But somebody would surely put up a border between labor and management, and the (class) warring would start all over again. The lesson has not yet been learned. When doing pyramid schemes like capitalism, the loving strong bottom layer is the most important layer of all, but capitalists don’t think that way. As I said before, the upper layers of the pyramid are so far heads-in-the-clouds that they can’t even see the pile of dead bottom-layer folk, speak nothing of appreciating them for their willingness to hold tons of weight on their backs.

Work on stopping pyramiding… and if successful, a whole lot of other problems (like the monetary resent seen nearly everywhere) will evaporate. My suggestion… try Christian socialism/communalism… instead of capitalism.

A message to the meek non-competers: Our time is coming… stay pure. Our reward is the inheritance of a very cool spaceship… and without the fighting over Earth resources and profits (without capitalism), we’ll be able to fly wonderfully… and easily ascend to dimension 4. The materialists/owners won’t be doing that anytime soon.

“I think we should stop government policy designed to hurt American employment and help employment overseas. Of all the policies in which our government engages, one that actively stops capital from flowing into America from overseas seems rather idiotic.”

Really? What do you think those overseas people spend their money on? USA goods maybe? But moreover, you make it sound like you are in competition with people outside USA borders. They’re on the same planet as you, ya know? Care about THEIR success, or only yours? Wake up, my man. You need to get OFF your meds, competition-addicted one. Have ya got a little US vs THEM warring mentality going, ya think?

But geez, make up your mind at what you want to blame. Keep in mind that corporations run your government. Thus, you won’t be able to tell WHO is an US and WHO is a THEM… and we can tell you are already suffering that dilemma. Just hit anything. Here, take this hammer in your right hand and smack your left hand. There ya go. Sad.

Given your average Cisco corporate commercial, we have to endure 30 seconds of a young woman being invited into a police station where the cop proudly announces that everything in the city is being watched via camera. That’s just an example of Cisco marketing culture and vision.

^That is also an example of the re-gurgitant industry they want to ship back here. Not core technology that American workers would like to get paid well for. Like I said, the core tech facilities are already a fait accompli.

My p.o.v. must seem irrationally conspiratorial to you, but my common sense tells me that even without this plan, corporations would have most certainly found accounting tricks a long, long time ago to bring “jobs, factories..” the whole 9 yards to American soil with or without a corporate earnings repatriotion clause. It just sounds not only fishy in its purpose, but even a non-issue at this late hour.

Actually, much like regulation, my gut instinct is that many of these restrictions actually don’t bother major corporations. The US having such a high corporate income tax actually confers a competitive advantage for multinationals over domestic-only companies. As always, if restrictions hurt Company A slightly but hurt its competitors gravely, it might be a good idea for Company A to support those restrictions.

procopius,

I think you overestimate the power of “creative accounting”. But the idea of a “privately funded stimulus” is figurative. To the extent that tax cuts are stimulus, so is this. This is not subsidizing corporations to repatriate earnings and invest them locally — which would be active stimulus — it is simply removing an existing PENALTY for doing so. Rather than offering a helping hand, it’s removing a roadblock.

Wingnut,

If what you said had ANY relation to ANYTHING I was speaking about, I might bother with a response. Instead, I only hope that the nurses drag you away from the unsecured computer you used to find us, and make sure that you get current with your meds. Godspeed, good crazy sir!

Second, what does this even mean?:
“By permitting companies to repatriate foreign earnings at a low tax rate—say, 5%—Congress and the president could create a privately funded stimulus of up to a trillion dollars. They could also raise up to $50 billion in federal tax revenue. That’s money the economy would not otherwise receive.”

Not only are those figures a little wonky without any context,statistical landmarks, and serious study, but what exactly is the implication for the comment of a Pres/Congress privately funded stimulus? Was that a figurative notion, or literal?

My gut tells that while the Fed. govt is happy to do its part to prohibit corporate reinvestment into our country, the corporations themselves embarked on this journey first and enlisted the govt to codify policies that “finished paving the road.”

So, if the people who created the pyramid scheme coupons… wants some of them sent back (likely so they can buy more contracts with civilian companies that gouge the hell out of the government), then why not? The coupons belong to AmWay (American Way). That pyramid on the back of the dollar… Columbian Freemason? That USA capital… district of Columbia? Just be thankful that the gov even ALLOWS pyramid schemes like capitalism to exist AT ALL. Feel lucky. We American Christian communalists hate the thing and want it gone.

One question that occurred to me as I read this post: “If businesses are being taxed at 40%, perhaps the ‘powerful special interest groups’ for big business aren’t quite as powerful as many on the Left would have us believe?”

But on second thought, it’s also true that this 40% tax is actually absorbed by the consumers so maybe big business isn’t so concerned after all?