This is an amusing story. http://9to5mac.com/2012/05/01/senator-to...-tax-practices/

Republican Senator Tom Coburn talks about the debt crisis that his fellow republicans had a big hand in causing (I think he skips the causality). He's "livid" that Apple (specifically) is using legal means to lower their tax exposure.

As an Apple shareholder I'm livid that Apple is already spending far too much on taxes. As US citizens, I would think that millions should be livid that past and current governments spend trillions on bullshit wars and other frivolous pursuits. Never mind that this spending only helps to put more people in the grave - which is one way to skirt medical care.

I am. Our school district is cutting 300+ jobs, because of lack of funding. We can pay for bombs, but we can't invest in our children? If intellectual property is so key to the US economy, why are we doing so little to encourage and foster intelligence?

They need to get rid of the retardation of the public education system that is No Child Left Behind. That would be a great start. Go back to teaching subjects instead of tests.

Yep, like many well intentioned plans in practice it only made things worse.

Politicians need to wake up and realize that tax collection isn't the route to a free ride for themselves and their cronies.

Tom Coburn is pissed because he isn't being chauffeured in a Bentley.

Keeping (the majority of) Americans stupid isn't a byproduct of a poorly implemented educational system, it's by design. How else could the politicians ensure their ability to continue the financial rape and abuse of the country's citizenry?

Is it fair to subject the intelligent to the same abuse? Sure, it can be argued that way. But the better argument is that no one should be abused in the first place. But that's a lot of change that needs to happen. And we all know that kind of change only happens in Libya, Egypt, etc...

Just send Apple the invoice:

http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2012/05/dial-a-bullet/

Education is mainly a local and state (for higher ed) issue. States and Municipalities can't borrow money to fund continuing operations while the Federal government can, in droves. That's the simple answer to why Education is being cut to the bone while we still design fighter planes we don't need. Americans love their states and counties but the way they collect taxes (especially sales tax!) in the age of Internet Sales and Megacorporations like Apple is in serious trouble and no one's seems intent on doing anything about it.

The main reason fighter planes we don't are still being designed is because Congress is too chicken-shit to do anything that might affect the jobs in their states. They are more worried about reelection than doing what is good for the country (see how long the F-35 alternative engine program lasted, how behind schedule and over budget the F-35 is, or how many C-17s have been purchased since the Air Force has said they didn't need any more). Companies aren't stupid and they spread the suppliers of these programs to as many states as possible to ensure support from Congress.

Of course, that might be why the Defense Budget is footing over 50% of the budget cuts from sequestration when it is around 20% of the total budget.

Of course, this could be seen as one way to subsidise poor states with the money from wealthy states, without just moving the money around. We could use an open admission that this is necessary in the eurozone right now, to be honest.