Monday, May 9, 2011

Occupational Parasites


Lawyers write our twisted laws behind closed doors where no real folks can see
          and they bill us hourly for interpreting what common sense should be
Truth be known, they despise themselves as much as they are hated
as members of a profession based solely upon obfuscation,
A lifetime of creating complicated documents to mask simple truths,
years of crafting inflated bills for services which are mostly quite trivial

Accountants add up dollars and cents, it is certainly not mathematics
          they muddy the results, add nothing to production
help management hide the truth and scheme to cut jobs and benefits
Still they earn a comfortable living and may even make it to the top
One rosy, cooked-up statement for the fools who own the stock
          one form for the government, so no taxes shall be paid
one secret internal report, just for the crooks who steal from the top

Real estate agents, more than any others, cling about our necks
          over a million in our great  land - they are a grasping, lying scum
They wind up costing everyone as they drive by in their new cars
          full of the “good taste” that is paid for with money falsely earned
They are often better than the rest of us, though usually under-educated
Just like they always say, there will never be a better time to buy or sell than now

Bankers sing the praises of their role in our small towns everywhere
while being anonymous, tiny parts of crushing multinationals
They will gladly lend at high interest rates when there is no risk at all
but the interest that they pay is no more than an eighth of what they charge
And their profits, bonuses and their service charges grow larger every year
          in their enduring parasitical relationship with their beloved host communities


Politicians stand behind the flag while kissing little babies
meanwhile crafting legislation based on their corporate sponsors needs
Spending outrageous sums on earmarked pork while mouthing a false conservancy
Cutting taxes while increasing spending for donors or to increase their polling numbers
Imperatively intoning God bless America! at the end of every speech written just for them
          making multi-generational careers far-removed from reality

Stock brokers pump us up over deals they know to be true dogs
          they churn us up and turn us over to scoop up more commissions
Licensed brokers full or self-respect, while prostitutes still go to jail
          they extend their legal flimflam upon us in most creative ways
And a misled public is convinced that the stock market is the only way
          to finance their golden years quickly and without any pain

Car salesmen know how to treat those drugged by constant advertising
          their techniques are well polished and you do not stand a chance
Just a moment here while I go and see what my manager has to say
          And how high was it that you mentioned your monthly pament could be?
They cynically laugh out loud at you, counting up their commission,
as you drive away, drugged deeper into debt

Certified financial planners help insure your future with expensive advice
          and every year your long-term strategy must follow the latest new fad
Their real jobs are not to earn you money, but rather to take it from your pocket
          besides, they bear no responsibility for your gains or your losses
They quote sage advice given by those in control of the markets,
Advice that they read in magazines while on vacations with your money
thus ensuring a continued revenue stream from your family to their wallets

Corporate executives attain their posts via smarmy shoulder-climbing
          siphoning millions for themselves, they are but criminal bureaucrats
Leadership does not grow from a life spent back stabbing and sucking up
          hiding behind lawyers and retreating to locked compounds
In unearned tribute to their value, their salaries increase no matter business outcomes
          anonymous strategic visionaries in expensive bland suits who have No Comment
Sacrificing everything for their careers of outsourcing and benefit slashing
          forced out at last to pursue other opportunities
or purportedly to spend more time with their families
          they simply inflate their guaranteed, unearned golden parachutes
and then go on to another firm to run it just as poorly, but for more rewards
         
Advertisers make their money pounding nonsense into your head
          it is the one and only way that they have ever known,
That is, constant repetition, over and over and over, once again
          the product matters little but best you mind the jingle
Why else would anyone buy a Chevy or swill gallons of Coca-cola,
          what rational human being would eat out at a McDonald’s
Who would really suck down a double cheese meat lovers stuffed crust pizza
          Knowing it was prototyped in corporate labs under marketing control, then
assembled and frozen in dingy factories by illegales and shipped in smelly diesel trucks

Mutual fund executives know how to make a buck,
though somehow even with their reputed, highly-paid expertise
they somehow always return less or lose more than market averages
which, of course, has no effect upon their exorbitant, hidden fees
Cozy deals with their friends yield insider tip-offs and after hours privileges
          and lead to a hearty disdain for the chumps who finance it all,
and brother, that’s you and me

Job recruiters are among the lowest of all the filthy greenback pond scum
          they charge employers for the interview they ill-prepare you for
They bill their contract workers by the hour and quickly forget their names
          yet they do nothing more than cut their tiny paychecks
They are pimping high skill jobs overseas for large corporations
          extracting an hourly fee for a minor one-time service
They know not even the right spelling of the acronyms that they are selling
          and even less about the business their customers are in
Computer resume filters yield all they need to know about
          the bodies and minds that they must move to continue living large

Real estate developers tear up virgin land in the name of economic progress
          turning their backs on their crumbling earlier works now all of 10 years old
They tout private enterprise and economic growth through their temporary job creation
          and play tax districts against each other for ever larger breaks
Loudly they proclaim the virtues of local control as they move on in,
          quickly they smash and grab new pristine land opportunities
covering them with the same formulaic shit from the east coast to the west
       then greedily they reach for more spouting the rubric of holy capitalism

Glitzy news reporters bring us sports and entertainment
          hoping to stroke our well-conditioned consumer appetites
They undergo numerous elective surgical procedures, are well-groomed
with lots of makeup and always in brand new clothes,
They can read in-depth reports for up to 3 minutes on any given subject
with topics scientifically designed to capture market share
So-called news channels are nothing more than
a co-op marketing scheme legalized by the government
and financed by the conglomerates who paid for their election

Recording industry executives pimp artists to their hapless fans
          only taking chances on those pre-approved for mass appeal
And their followers are paying higher prices for ever-shrinking choices
          in deeply meaningful messages, factory packaged just for them
To them, artists are mere commodities, bought and sold like braying livestock

Defense contractors miss no opportunity to wave the flag and play stirring hymns
          they quietly increase their federal budget share, each and every year
Preying upon our fears and playing upon love of family and country
          they have us spending more per year than all the other lands together
Their waste and fraud and failures are the stuff of budget legend
          but none dare to question them for fear of that awful label
‘soft on defense’

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