Good for him, not for the public

LESS than a week ago, Steve Ballmer was reportedly pressuring the new government to "invest in innovation" (typically meaning the investment of public funds in corporations under guises like "security"). Now we hear about Steve Ballmer promoting public looting, which is better known to many as "bailout" or "stimulus" (euphemisms). He takes his appeal right up to the congress.

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, who has been on quite a political tour as of late, sent a letter to all members of Congress Wednesday urging them to quickly pass the stimulus package.

The arguments he makes look familiar. Is he trying to 'pull an Abramoff'? Could it be true that Microsoft will require a bailout as it's entering debt [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]? Here are some older articles of interest:

• Ballmer says Microsoft not immune from global crisis
• Ballmer: Congress must 'stabilize' financial crisis
• Microsoft loses 90 Billion Dollars
• Microsoft, Cisco to lose $4.3 Billion as investment banks cut cost
• Microsoft will be hurt by financial crisis, RBC analyst says
• Microsoft's Market Cap Falls $24B in 17 Days
• Former Microsoft Manager Gets 2 Years In Jail
• SEC Foresees Rise in Fraud Cases
• Microsoft's Accounting Under Scrutiny

As a bit of historical background, the United States has a long and well proven tradition of funding technology projects using tax money or newly-issued debt, but it is usually marketed to the public as something in the interests of "security", defending the value of capital(ism), keeping the country ahead in "innovation" and so on and so forth. Ultimately, however, the fruits of such works are not returned to the public that paid for it. Instead, the assets are handed over to private hands which not only possess what ought to have been public but also use it against the population. Examples include companies like Boeing and it's no accident because that's just how the system is intended to work. ⬆

Related and recent posts:

• Microsoft Executives Go Personal, Pay Obama Instead of Their Lobbyists
• Microsoft Chooses New Lobbying Director with “Strong Ties to Democrats”
• Government Affairs or Just Cheating?
• More Microsoft Cronies in United States Government, Other Companies