Here they come--America's Drill Team! Out front are the two high-strutting leaders, John McCain and George W, thrusting their drum-major batons and chanting "Drill! Drill! Drill!" Right behind them are the famous Marching Lobbyists of Big Oil, and--look!--prancing alongside are House minority leader John Boehner and the Merry Pranksters of the Republican caucus, doing a precision routine of call and response
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Postmodern piracy
Ever wonder why ships from multibillion-dollar cruise lines like Carnival Corporation, Disney and Royal Caribbean all pretend to come from Liberia or Panama? The companies are based right here in the US of A, but by registering their boats offshore, they get to pay corporate taxes there instead of here. Of course, those ports don't assess any corporate taxes. What fun! Royal Caribbean, for example, made $657 million in profits over the last three years, yet paid not a dime in taxes. Because they pay zip, we pay more.
Also, by claiming to be foreign ships, these U.S.-based giants can avoid our labor laws, forcing crews to work 12-hour days, seven days a week for $400 a month. Cruise companies spent about a million dollars lobbying the last Congress to protect their sweetheart deals. When Congressman Gene Taylor (D-Miss.) tried to rein in these outlaws, he says the industry's top lobbyist offered his family a free cruise if he'd drop his bill.
Call Rep. Taylor at 202-225-5772. Let him know we support his efforts to dock these tax cheats.