>>DONALD TRUMP SIGNED THE TAX OVERHAUL INTO LAW, WHICH OF
COURSE IS A HUGE HANDOUT IN THE FORM OF TAX CUTS FOR
CORPORATIONS AND THE TOP EARNERS IN THE COUNTRY, AND IN RESPONSE
AT&T SAID THAT THEY ARE GIVING THESE THOUSAND DOLLAR BONUSES TO
EMPLOYEES.
HOWEVER, NEWS HAS JUST STRUCK THAT AT&T ALSO PLANS
ON LAYING OFF AROUND 2000 OF THEIR EMPLOYEES IN THE NEW YEAR.
LET ME GIVE YOU SOME NUMBERS THAT HAVE JUST BEEN REPORTED --
>>SO THE REASON WHY THIS NEWS IS RELEVANT IS BECAUSE THE BIG
ARGUMENT THAT MAJOR CORPORATIONS LIKE AT&T MADE IN FAVOR OF THIS
TAX OVERHAUL, WHICH AGAIN ARE JUST TAX CUTS, WAS THAT IT WILL
HELP THEM HIRE MORE EMPLOYEES, IT MEANS MORE JOB CREATION,
WHICH IS GOOD FOR THE ECONOMY.
BUT IN REALITY WHAT WE SEE FROM
THESE CORPORATIONS IS THAT THEY ARE USUALLY WILLING TO CUT
JOBS AS SOON AS THEY GET THESE HUGE TAX BREAKS.
>>I THINK THE MOST IMPORTANT QUOTE IS FROM THE CEO OF AT&T,
RANDALL STEPHENSON.
HE SAID --
>>AND YOU KNEW THAT WAS WRONG, YOU JUST DID THAT SO YOU COULD
GET RICH AND GET YOUR PRECIOUS TAX CUTS AND DISTRIBUTE IT
MAINLY TO OBVIOUSLY SOME SHAREHOLDERS, WHICH IS NORMAL,
BUT ALSO TO YOURSELF.
BECAUSE IF YOU HOLD SHARES IN AT&T THAT
WILL COME BACK TO YOU, OBVIOUSLY YOU WILL GET HUGE BONUSES ETC.
FROM THIS, AND WHAT DID YOU DO?
DID YOU BEAT YOUR COMPETITION IN
THE MARKET FIELD?
NO, YOU JUST CAPTURED THE GOVERNMENT AND YOU
PAID OFF -- AND RANDALL STEPHENSON HAS BEEN PAYING OFF
REPUBLICANS FOR DECADES.
THOSE ARE THINGS WE CALL NOW CAMPAIGN
CONTRIBUTIONS, BUT WHAT THEY ARE IS LEGALIZED BRIBERY.
SO YOU
GIVE MONEY TO THE POLITICIANS, HE GAVE TO TRUMP IN THIS LAST
CYCLE, HE ALSO GAVE TO REPUBLICANS IN THIS CYCLE, HE'S
GIVEN FOR DECADES TO REPUBLICANS, THIS IS HIS PAYOFF,
HE WILL GET INCREDIBLY RICH FROM THIS AND HE MUST HAVE LAUGHED AS
HE SAID WE WILL CREATE MORE JOBS AS HE KNEW -- THEY DIDN'T MAKE
THIS DECISION YESTERDAY -- ONE OF THE LAYOFFS WAS ON DECEMBER
16 -- AS YOU KNEW YOU WERE LAYING OFF WORKERS.
THAT'S
FUNNY.
AND THE UNION WENT ON STRIKE AND FORCE YOU TO GIVE
$1000 PER EMPLOYEE, THEN YOU WENT AND TURNED AROUND AND SAID
IT'S BECAUSE OF DONALD TRUMP, I'VE DECIDED OUT OF THE GOODNESS
OF MY HEART TO GIVE $1000 PER EMPLOYEE.
YOU GOT YOUR HAND
CAUGHT IN THE COOKIE JAR WHEN THAT WAS AN OBVIOUS LIE BECAUSE
THE NEGOTIATION HAD BEEN GOING ON FOR OVER A YEAR, THEN NOW
AT&T SAYS WELL, I MEAN, MAYBE WILL GIVE THEM ANOTHER THOUSAND
DOLLARS.
YEAH, AND MAYBE WE WILL TRUST YOU.
>>I THINK YOU ARE RIGHT IN SPECULATING THAT THEY'RE LYING
ABOUT THE BONUSES, THOSE WERE GIVEN OUT TO THE EMPLOYEES
BECAUSE OF THE UNION FIGHTING ON BEHALF OF ITS EMPLOYEES, AND
AGAIN AS THEY GOT CAUGHT WITH THEIR HAND IN THE COOKIE JAR
THEY SAID MAYBE WE WILL ADD ANOTHER THOUSAND, WE'LL SEE HOW
THAT GOES.
BUT THERE SHOULD BE A FOLLOW-UP TO SEE WHETHER OR NOT
THEY FOLLOW THROUGH ON THAT.
WE REACH OUT TO AT&T TO GET A
STATEMENT FROM THEM IN REGARD TO THESE LAYOFFS, AND I WANT TO
READ YOU THE STATEMENT THEY DID GIVE US.
IT'S BY MARTY RICHTER,
THE AT&T CORPORATE MEDICATIONS PERSON.
HE SAYS WE'RE ADDING
PEOPLE IN MANY PARTS OF OUR BUSINESS THAT ARE EXPERIENCING
HIGHER CUSTOMER DEMAND, AT THE SAME TIME --
>>I WANT TO QUICKLY REPLY THAT.
THEY ARE MAKING THE ARGUMENT
THAT THOSE WHO ARE GETTING LAID OFF ARE THE INDIVIDUALS WHO WORK
FOR THE LANDLINE COMPONENT OF AT&T, AND THEY ARE SAYING WELL,
TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCES ESSENTIALLY MAKE THEIR JOBS
ANTIQUATED.
BUT AGAIN, THEY ARE ALSO LAYING OFF HIGH SKILLED
TECHNICIANS WHO LIVE IN SOUTHERN STATES.
HIGH SKILLED TECHNICIANS
ARE OBVIOUSLY STILL VERY RELEVANT TO THE BUSINESS,
BUT THEY ARE LAYING THEM OFF AS WELL.
>>WHEN THEY SAY EFFICIENCIES THAT MEANS YOU'RE GETTING FIRED.
I WANT TO BE CLEAR ABOUT THIS, PEOPLE GET TO RUN THEIR BUSINESS
ANYWAY THEY LIKE, AND SOME PARTS OF THEIR BUSINESS IS ARE LEGACY,
ARE ANTIQUATED, LOTS OF PEOPLE DON'T HAVE LAND LINES ANYMORE,
THERE ARE OTHER PARTS OF THEIR BUSINESS THEY HAVE TO SUCK UP TO
THE GOVERNMENT FOR, WHICH IS WHY THEY ARE IN THE MIDDLE OF BEING
VERY KIND, SHALL WE SAY, TO DONALD TRUMP, AND HELPING HIM
WITH THIS PROPAGANDA WITH FALSE TALKING POINTS BECAUSE THEY WANT
THEIR MERGER APPROVED WITH TIME WARNER, THEY WANTED TO KILL NET
NEUTRALITY AND DONALD TRUMP DELIVERED THE HEAD OF THE
INTERNET ON A STICK, THEY ARE THRILLED ABOUT THAT AND THEY
WILL MAKE BILLIONS BASED ON THAT.
THERE'S A REASON THEY ARE
SUCKING UP TO THE GOVERNMENT.
AND OF COURSE THE GIANT TAX CUTS
THEY GOT.
IF YOU WANT TO SAY LISTEN, I'M RESTRUCTURING HERE
AND I CAN'T KEEP EMPLOYING THE PEOPLE THAT USED TO SET UP YOUR
LAND LINES BECAUSE THERE IS LESS DEMAND, WE GET IT.
WE UNDERSTAND
THAT.
BUT YOU DON'T GET TO SAY, AT THE SAME TIME, THAT YOU ARE
CREATING JOBS IN ORDER TO TRICK PEOPLE INTO VOTING FOR YOUR TAX
CUTS THAT YOU ARE GOING TO KEEP WHILE YOU FIRE PEOPLE.
IT ISN'T
US GETTING INTO THE WEEDS OF HOW TO RUN YOUR BUSINESS, IT'S THAT
WE CAN'T STAND YOU GOING OUT THERE AND DOING PROPAGANDA AND
LIES SO YOU CAN TAKE THOSE TAX CUTS AND PUT IT IN YOUR POCKET
WHILE YOU FIRE THESE PEOPLE.
JUST BE HONEST ABOUT IT.
I KNOW
THAT'S TOO MUCH TO ASK IN THIS CASE FOR MULTINATIONAL
CORPORATIONS.
>>I WANT TO KIND OF LOOK TO THE FUTURE AND TALK ABOUT THE
RAMIFICATIONS OF THIS TAX LAW, AND HOW IT'S GOING TO AFFECT THE
COUNTRY, BECAUSE THE NEXT THING THAT THE GOP WANTS TO FOCUS ON
IN REGARD TO GOVERNMENT PROGRAMS IS WELFARE REFORM.
THEY'VE BEEN
VERY OPEN AND HONEST ABOUT THAT.
AND WHAT DOES WELFARE REFORM
MEAN?
IT MEANS CUTS TO THESE PROGRAMS WE PAID INTO, CUTS TO
PROGRAMS THAT HELP THE NEEDY WHETHER IT'S FOOD STAMPS, ANY
TYPE OF GOVERNMENT ASSISTANCE, MEDICARE, MEDICAID, ALL THAT
STUFF.
THEIR ARGUMENT WILL BE THAT, HEY, OUR TAX REFORM IS
GOING TO STIMULATE THE ECONOMY AND CREATE NEW JOBS, THUS MAKING
SOME OF THESE WELFARE PROGRAMS UNNECESSARY SO THE CUTS MAKE
SENSE.
BUT WE KNOW VERY WELL BASED ON CASE STUDY AFTER CASE
STUDY THAT THESE CORPORATIONS, ESPECIALLY AFTER THEY MERGED BY
THE WAY, ONLY LAY PEOPLE OFF, ONLY CUT JOBS AS MUCH AS
POSSIBLE BECAUSE THEY WANT TO HELP THE BOTTOM LINE.
SO I THINK
WE WILL LOSE JOBS, AND THEN REPUBLICANS WILL PASS THIS
WELFARE REFORM, I THINK PEOPLE WILL BE IN A LOT OF TROUBLE.
AND
I THINK IT MIGHT TAKE A WHILE FOR US TO REALLY NOTICE THOSE
RAMIFICATIONS, BUT I HAVE NO DOUBT THAT THEY ARE COMING.
>>DO I HAVE AN ISSUE WITH MERGERS, AND THEN CONSOLIDATION
AFTER A MERGER?
GENERALLY THAT'S GETTING IN THE WEEDS OF OTHER
PEOPLE'S BUSINESS.
IN THE CASE OF THESE GIANT MEDIA COMPANIES,
WELL, THEY KEEP GOBBLING EVERYTHING UP, AT SOME POINT
IT'S A FAIR QUESTION TO ASK ABOUT MONOPOLIES.
I THINK THIS
MIGHT BE A GOOD POINT TO ASK THAT QUESTION.
THEY DON'T WANT
YOU TO ASK THAT QUESTION, THAT'S WHY THEY GO AND SAY DONALD
TRUMP, WHAT A WONDERFUL GUY, WHAT A WONDERFUL, WONDERFUL GUY.
NOW DON'T ASK ABOUT OUR MONOPOLIES AND MAKE SURE YOU
APPROVE THAT MERGER.
A CORPORATION DOESN'T CARE ABOUT
YOU, AND DOESN'T CARE IF THEY TAKE AWAY YOUR MEDICARE AND
SOCIAL SECURITY.
IT ACTUALLY WILL LEAD TO HIGHER PROFITS FOR
THEM BECAUSE THEY REDISTRIBUTED THE WEALTH TO THEMSELVES WITH
THESE GIANT CORPORATE TAX CUTS.
IT'S NOT GOING TO SHED A TEAR
FOR YOU, IT'S NOT A PERSON, IT'S A CORPORATION, WE PROGRAMMED IT
TO MAXIMIZE PROFITS.
IT WILL CRUSH YOU, AND THEN GO ON TV AND
TELL YOU THAT IT DID IT FOR YOUR SAKE.
DON'T BELIEVE THE HYPE.
THE THING THAT FRUSTRATES ME ABOUT THIS STORY IS THAT WHEN
TRUMP SAYS ANYTHING, EVERYBODY ON CABLE NEWS REPEATS IT A
THOUSAND TIMES, EVEN IF THEY POINT OUT INACCURACIES, THEY SAY
IT OVER AND OVER AGAIN SO ALMOST EVERYONE IN THE COUNTRY HEARD
AT&T IS WONDERFUL, BECAUSE OF THE TAX CUTS THEY ARE GIVING
$1000.
VERY FEW PEOPLE HEARD THE CORRECTION THAT THAT WAS
NEGOTIATED BY AN ENTIRE YEAR BY THE UNION, ALMOST NO ONE HEARD
THAT, AND ALMOST NO ONE WILL HEAR THAT IN FACT THEY ARE
FIRING PEOPLE.
THIS IS EXACTLY WHY WE DID THE TYT INVESTIGATES
SERIES, BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT CREATING JOBS.
THE ONLY JOB THEY
CREATED IS A CON JOB, THAT'S WHAT THEY'RE DOING TO THE
AMERICAN PEOPLE RIGHT NOW.