We, in this country, need to get a serious dialogue going about profit.

[Initech]

Exhibit A:

Verizon To Reprimand, Fire Employees Who Try To Save Customers Money

Internal Verizon memos reveal that the wireless ogre is eager to reprimand or fire customer service representatives who proactively recommend blocking access to the company's overpriced data services. The company is also going to be stingier about issuing back credits to customers who spot unnecessary and unwanted services littering their monthly bills. The New York Times asked Verizon to explain itself, and the answer wasn't all that surprising.

According to the Times' tipster:

“
Effective this past month, all CSRs
* Web Access Blocks
* Data Blocks
* Premium SMS blocking
* Application download blocking
* Vcast Music or Vcast Video download blocks

Essentially, we are to upsell customers on the $9.99 25mb/month or $29.99 unlimited packages for customers. Customers are not to be credited for charges unless they ask for the credit. And in cases such as data or premium SMS, where the occurrences may have gone months without the consumer noticing, only an initial credit can be issued.

http://consumerist.com/2010/06/is-verizon-wireless-making-it-harder-to-avoid-charges.html

Absolutely fucking disgusting. I wish I could say this were an isolated incident but it isn't. It's just another reminder that the corporatocracy can and will fuck with us at any time they want, and they're the ones laughing all the way to the bank. The prophet George Carlin put it best - "The rich make all the money, pay none of the taxes. The middle class pays all the taxes, does all the work, and the poor are there just to scare the shit out of the middle class! Keep them showing up at those jobs!". It's the truth. Look at BP even, the mere fact that they even have $20 billion in profit to put into that relief fund is disturbing in and of itself. How much fucking money does one corporation need to survive? It's not exactly like they pay or treat their employees well with it, even Warren Buffett - the richest guy in America, said his own secretary only makes $60K. And most don't even do anything with it, they stick all those untold billions in an offshore bank account and let it collect interest. They pay little to no taxes on that money. And there's no estate tax so when the spoiled offspring - who you see peddled on those horrid shows on MTV and Bravo - of these assholes inherits it, they don't pay. Once you start putting profit as the be-all, end-all of society, we're truly fucked.

[socialist_n_TN]

1. It's called capitalism..........

This IS the attitude of a capitalist company.

[Initech]

2. It's actually more unchecked, unregulated capitalism.

What we're seeing in the gulf is a direct result of unchecked, unregulated capitalism at its finest.

[socialist_n_TN]

6. Unchecked, unregulated capitalism IS capitalism

as it IS today. What we see is what we get. We can argue all day about what capitalism SHOULD be, but the reality is that capitalism is what the capitalists SAY it is when they have the power to institute policy. And THIS is what we get when today's capitalists institute policies.

[Initech]

8. Look at it this way though - we were doing great as a society until Bush and Raygun fucked it up.

We were making things, we had a vibrant economy and we were actually doing well as a society. Raygun and Bush come along, deregulate industry and allow everything to be manufactured overseas, and now we're stuck with the highest unemployment record in the country. We don't make anything anymore. Apart from stupid bullshit like 2600 calorie cheeseburgers, Snuggies, Shamwows, and farting iPhones.

[socialist_n_TN]

9. Do not disagree at ALL, but find ONE Republican

anywhere, much less in the leadership of that party, that will say that government regulation of corporations is a good thing. Gotta face the reality. What we see out of capitalism TODAY is what capitalism IS, de facto.

Not only that, but just by calling for regulation, YOU ARE A SOCIALIST according TO the capitalists.

[Initech]

10. That's the part that pisses me off the most.

It's the dumbass teabagger obstructionists who, by the way are a product of the Fux Noise Channel, see everything they don't like as "socialist", specifically "national socialist" (NAZI), and that's what killed the health care bill. It will with everything else we try to get passed.

[readmoreoften]

11. Meh. It was inevitable. So things were "great" for 30 years after WWII. A spit in the wind of time.

Capitalism will never go back to the 1960-70s when the US working class was a little more protected by labor laws (although the losers in capitalism here and abroad were legion). The material conditions have changed. And we make plenty here: we're huge producers of weapons technology, for example.

There will be no reversal of globalization. No roll back to prettier capitalism for the US working class. FDR's Keynesianism existed to save capitalism and crack down on the internal "communist threat." But now there is not even a "specter of communism" to compete with and they've taken off the gloves. And there is no "keeping capital in check" at this point. Too late in the game. We have as much as shot of ending capitalism as regulating it. The ruling class doesn't need to pretend anymore. Hell, just look at the situation with BP. And when they need a shot in the arm of Keynesianism, they have a pure military Keynesianism to resort to now.

Even Europe is on the verge of losing all their reforms--and they still remember how to fight. We need to not kid ourselves about "regulated capitalism". Those were the "happy times" when our husband didn't beat us because Bill down the street was giving us the friendly eye and he was threatened with the notion he could lose us to another man. Now our husband has slaughtered every man in town and he's secure in the knowledge of his possession of us. We're about as likely to get shoes and a new dress by killing him as we are by fighting and begging. And all fighting and begging with him will be met with a response as violent as if we were trying to kill him.

[givemebackmycountry]

5. Correct.

And by the way, we are already there.
NOTHING stands in the way of profits and quarterly numbers.
NOTHING.
It's all about the BOTTOM line and that's where we're headed.
The BOTTOM.

All these religious assholes around the world all screaming about JEEESUS coming back.
Dumb asses.
JEEESUS has been back for awhile, he just changed his name to Goldman Sachs.
Because after all, that's what we all really worship right?
MONEY.
You ain't got none?
Bet you want some.
You got some?
Bet you want more.
And if you got some, I bet you spend most of your time worrying about it disappearing as I do.
Lose your job and there goes the money.
Now you want some again.
Need some again.

What a world.

[Initech]

7. We worship the almighty dollar and an "I've got mine - and you dont" culture. Exactly.

[geek tragedy]

3. the issue isn't profit, it's contempt for customers

Pennywise and pound foolish to engage in this kind of behavior.

[Initech]

4. Contempt for their own employees even.

I mean shit as a low-level employee where I work I continually get the shaft when my boss has absolutely ridiculous expectations and I cannot meet them. There was a great Jon Stewart bit a while back where he was explaining the Citizens United decision and he tried to incorporate himself so he could get tax breaks and be above the law when making bad decisions. I'll see if I can find that clip.