November II. 2009
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Time to Support Real Health Reform
M ake your
voices heard
M aki H. M okial
A fric a n A m e r i
cans, w ho have the
h ig h e s t r a te s o f
chronic disease and
m ake up the largest
p e r c e n ta g e o f th e
uninsured, should be
especially pleased that in the
last few w eeks. Congress has
acted to bring us closer than
ever to com prehensive health
care legislation that will make
health insurance accessible and
affordable for all.
The U.S. House o f Represen
tatives has unveiled its version
o f health care reform . P revi
ously, the Senate announced it
is nearing the introduction of
by
its own bill. Both bills are d e
signed to low er costs, and pro
vide more security and stabil
ity for people w ho already have
health in suran ce an d to
provide affordable insur
ance to those who don't.
T h e H o u se b ill p r o
v id e s the best sta rtin g
point. It covers m ore of
the uninsured , and also
includes m easures to in
crease health care equity by ex
panding M edicaid eligibility,
protecting M edicare, m aking
new investments in com m unity
health centers and p roviding
free preventive services.
The House bill also contains
a public option provision that
still needs to be improved. That
is w hy the N a tio n a l U rb a n
League along with the C ongres
sional Black C aucus and the
Black Leadership Forum, an al
liance o f m ore than 30 African
A merican civil rights and ser
vice organizations, have joined
forces to ensure that a final bill
includes a Robust Public O p
tion like Medicare.
issue o f affordability.
T he H ouse bill's public op
tion w ould negotiate paym ent
rates with health care provid
ers. T hat's not good enough.
We believe that only a robust
public option like Medicare will
No triggers. No opt out.
We need a robust public
option like Medicare.
Access to an option for gov
ernm ent-issued health care will
provide com petition for private
health providers, low er costs
and help to close the healthcare
gap. We m ust be wary o f im
posing a m andate for health in
surance without addressing the
actually expand accessibility
and low er costs, not only for
A frican A m ericans, but for all
Americans. But, now that C on
gress has spoken, it is tim e for
the A m erican people to make
their voices heard.
T he B lack L ead ersh ip F o
Making Money and Paying a $10 Tax
W hether or not one thinks
that Oregon has gone too far
Some o f them use tax subsidies in handing out tax subsidies
— credits — to reduce their tax (there's good reason to think
so), w hether or not one thinks
liability to zero.
But the vast majority o f prof th at the loss carry -fo rw ard
itable C -corporations that have rule is a good one (there are
paid only the m inim um tax rely valid justifications for it) and
on the tax code accounting rule w hether or not Oregon should
known as "loss carry forward," ignore a C-corporation's O r
w hich allow s corporations to eg o n p ro p erty an d p ay ro ll
apply losses from prior years w hen a p p o rtio n in g tax ab le
to the current y ear to reduce incom e to Oregon (there's no
their Oregon taxable incom e to g o o d a r g u m e n t fo r th a t
schem e), the fact rem ains that
zero or less.
In other w ords, these co m a significant num ber o f prof
panies m ade money in the tax itable corporations are paying
year, but paid just $ 10 in income only the $ 10 minim um corpo
taxes because at some point in rate income tax.
M easure 67 w ould not end
the n o t-to o -d ista n t past they
the
system that allow s C-cor-
lost m oney and are allow ed to
porations
to keep tw o sets o f
subtract those earlier losses to
books.
It
w
ould not stop tax
make their current profits dis
subsidies
nor
prevent profit
appear for tax liability purposes.
able
C-corporations
from pay
Finally, a few corporations
ing
just
a
m
inim
um
tax.
use a com bination o f tax cred
T he m easure would, how
its and the loss carry-forw ard
rule to get to the $ 10 minimum. ever, put an end to the $10
corporate m inim um tax that
And it's not necessarily cor tw o out o f three C -corpora
porations with only a few hun tions have been paying.
So com e January, when O r
dred or a few thousand dollars
o f profits that manage to reduce egonians vote "yes" on M ea
their taxable income to zero or sure 67, they will be saying,
less on corporate tax returns. "Y es, a ll C - c o r p o r a tio n s
Indeed, am ong those that paid sh o u ld pay m o re th an ju st
only the $10 minimum tax in 2(XI6 $10."
Charles Sheketoffis execu
were 31 C-corporations with tax
able incom e o f $1 m illion or tive director o f the Oregon
Center fo r Public Policy.
more.
C orporations use system to pay the m inim um
by C harles S heketofe
come."
But that's wrong.
If you ask a corporation, ''Did
Some corporations paying the
you make m oney last year?” its
response may well be, "W ho's $10 m inim um have incom e,
though they may or may not
asking?"
It's no secret that co rp o ra have "taxable income."
W hat is "taxable incom e?"
tions keep tw o sets o f books,
one for shareholders and one It's the term used by the IRS to
for tax authorities. Those books define the incom e left after a
em ploy different definitions of co m p an y su b tra c ts b u sin e ss
w hat it m eans to m ake money, expenses and other deductions
which explains why in the same u n d e r ta x c o d e a c c o u n tin g
y ear co rp o ratio n s can report rules, not general accounting
p ro fits to s h a re h o ld e rs and rules — "profits for tax p u r
have no taxable income on their poses," in plain English.
Acts by the Legislature can
tax returns.
It also explains why som e fi change a com pany's "taxable
n an c ia lly healthy, p ro fitab le income," even if real-world prof
corporations doing business in its rem ain the sam e. F or in
O regon end up paying the cor stance, O regon stopped look
ing at the extent o f payroll and
porate minimum tax.
T hat's not w hat you'll hear property that m ultistate corpo
from some o f the opponents o f rations have in Oregon to ap
M easure 67 on the January bal portion the share o f their total
lot. That m easure w ould raise U.S. profits that Oregon can tax.
L arg e m a n u fa ctu re rs w ith
O regon's corporate m inim um
tax, which has been stuck at $ 10 people and property here saw
their Oregon "taxable income"
for over 75 years.
C onsider, for exam ple, the — and thus tljeir O regon tax li
statem ent by A sso ciated O r ability — drop significantly, with
egon Industries lo bbyist J.L. no impact on the pre-tax profits
W ilson at a recent legislative the c o rp o ra tio n s rep o rted to
com m ittee hearing on the bal shareholders. Corporate profits
lot language. He said that the for tax purposes w ent dow n,
ballots should include the state not real profits.
So how do so many profit
ment that "com panies that pay
the corporate m inim um tax do a b le C -c o rp o ra tio n s en d up
so because they have no in paying the $10 m inim um tax?
rum , w hich 1 chair, is en c o u r
ag ing citiz en s to flood C o n
gress w ith visits, e-m ails, tele
p hone calls, faxes an d social
media, to make our point clear:
N o trig g ers. N o o pt out. We
n eed a ro b u st p u b lic o p tio n
like M edicare.
To m ake your voice heard,
call your Senator at 202-224-
3121 or e-mail www.senate.gov.
You can reach your C ongress
man in the House o f Represen
tatives by calling 202-225-3121
ore-m ailing ww w.house.gov.
A r e c e n t H a rv a rd s tu d y
d o c u m e n ts th a t m o re th a n
45,000 A m ericans die each year
due to lack o f health insurance.
And w hile this is an issue af
fecting all A m ericans, it is es
p e c ia lly c ritic a l fo r A frican
A m ericans. M ore than 1 in 5
A frican A m ericans are without
M A R K E T
better ta the (Seditar
Rain but Still a Game
pitched so fast at first, but d e
S o m e p eo p le d o n 't know livery has been so slow, that no
where to start and others do not one seem s to know if there is
know how to not sw ing. A l en ough speed to reach hom e
though I hesitated to pick up this plate.
bat, I knew that it was time for
Within die same delivery cycle,
someone to pitch hit before the Tri-Met Rider Advocates were
clean-up batter came up.
on the chopping block while the
Therefore, as a self-designated M ayor welcomed the arrival o f a
hitter, there is no incertitude. I new, same day Amtrak service
know both how and w here to b e tw e e n
P o rtla n d
an d
swing in order to get on base. Vancouver, British Columbia.
Oftentimes hitters of such cali
I know that these are different
ber are deliberately walked. But agencies cooperating in an in
w hatever type p itch er on the ternational playing field. M ore
mound, they usually get on base. over, in terms of ongoing trans
O nce there, no on e w onders actions, tw o local entities col
w h o ’s on first? T hey will be laborate in a Free Ride Zone.
closely w atched because they Maybe if half-fares were charged
are also know n from scouting dow ntow n, w here m ost riders
reports for their running capa can afford to pay, the Tri-M et
Advocates could still be w ork
bilities.
O ver the past few weeks the ing and “m onitoring potential
M ajor Baseball L eagues have flash points" around their former
had a series o f playoff gam es, base o f operations.
One other pitch delivered, a
leading to the World Series. Si
multaneously, there has been a dead-locked percentage curb,
lot o f pitching, sw inging and had another mayor fighting for
pitch hitting in the local politi ‘his political life because o f a
controversial stance on tolls for
cal arena.
A rticles appearing in local a new 1-5 bridge over the Colum
Portland newspapers have been bia River."
To keep this $4.2 billion Co
very interesting to fans, key play
ers and bystanders in both left lumbia River crossing project on
and right fields. Rookies in the track, political heads might be
dugouts and custom ers sitting rolling. 1 wonder if the $472,000
in the last row o f the Centerfield non-renewed contract terminat
bleachers are seeing the game ing the Rider Advocates, in com
parison, could even be consid
even during rainy innings.
Starting in late A ugust a co n ered as a drop in the bucket of
sid e ra b le n u m b e r o f p itc h es this political rain game.
Tipping my Yankee cap, 1 bid
h a v e b e e n th ro w n to w a rd s
home plate and around the hom. you all so long and a fare well.
O.B.HiU
O ne is H 1N 1, better known as
Community Historian
“ sw in e flu " . T h is b a ll w as
N O W D E L IV E R IN G
Y o u r fa v o r ite n e ig h b o r h o o d g r o c e r y s to r e n o w d e liv e r s
g r o c e r ie s r ig h t to y o u r h o m e o r o ffic e .
* *»Y
Marc H. Mortal is president
and chief executive officer o f
the National Urban League.
Lobbyists Take a Soak, On Us
And public needs go down the drain
NEW S E A S O N S J
A**'
health insurance, we have the
highest rates o f chronic disease
and we spend a higher percent
age o f our incom e on health
care.
Clearly, passage o f co m p re
hensive health care reform is
not only an econom ic im pera
tive; it is a moral imperative and
a m atter o f life and death, espe
cially for Black America.
The
N a tio n a l
U rb a n
L e a g u e , th e C o n g r e s s io n a l
B lack C au cu s and the B lack
L ead ersh ip F orum are w o rk
ing h ard for a ro b u st P ublic
O ption like M edicare and a fi
nal bill that is w orthy o f the
A m e r ic a n p e o p le . We a re
clo se, b u t w e need y o u r su p
port to get to the fin ish line.
3i
cœsn
w w w .n e w s e a s o n s m a r k e t.c o m
you click, we deliver, (or pull up for pick up)
ber o f corporate lobbyists in
W ashington, D .C . A dding to
their clout are the thousands of
corporate ex ecu tiv es w ho je t
into o u r n atio n 's cap ital city
p erio d ically for c lo se d -d o o r
sessions with key law m akers
and regulators.
If you w onder w hy such c ry
ing public needs as health care
for all and environm ental pro
tection are constantly bent to
serve private corporate inter
ests, look to this arm y o f hired
guns and executive-suite d an
dies.
But let's concede that influ
e n c e - p e d d lin g c a n be h ard
work. Such tasks as glad-hand-
ing and passing out cam paign
contributions-that'll tucker you
out.
That's why the Ritz-Carlton
is so crucial to the system. This
sw ank hotel is a W ashington
oasis for frazzled lobbyists and
executives. F or one thing, no
ta c k y to u r is ts are th e re to
bother the sw ells, since room
rates at the Ritz start at $599 a
nig h t and run up to $5.800.
T hen there're the little touches.
For exam ple, where else do
guests get a "Bath M enu" in
their room ? "C hoose from an
a s s o rtm e n t o f b u tle r-d ra w n
baths to ease your concerns,"
says the menu. "A personal at
tendant will be pleased to draw
the bath o f your choice."
T he m enu offers T he Inau
gural Bath, with mineral salts
"from the depths of the bright
blue sea"; T he C apitol Bath,
with lavender, sea salts, and a
libation o f your choice; and The
Cherry Blossom Bath-actually,
rose petals are substituted for
cherry, but you do get a glass
o f cham pagne and strawberries.
Each bath adds 50 bucks to
the hill o f the soaking influence
peddler. But hey, as the Bath
M enu explains, a little rub-a-
dub-dub is no, an expense, it's
"a rew ard at the end o f a suc
cessful business day."
They soak us, then they take
a soak, w riting the w hole thing
o ff as the cost o f doing busi
ness.
Jim Hightower is a radio
commentator, writer, public
speaker, and author o f Swim
against the Current: Even a
Dead Fish Can go with the
Flow.