Ben Franklin's comment that only death and taxes are certain still stands - for real people. I took part in a protest today aimed at drawing attention to certain nonhuman 'persons' among us that can get a free pass on both: big corporations. Wells Fargo. FedEx. Verizon. Bank of America. Even Google, despite the touted "don't be evil." None of these paid a meaningful amount in taxes this year, and they're not alone. Nor are they subject to human frailties such as a conscience, a limited lifespan, or the inability to be in more than one place at a time. But in the US, since Citizens United v. FEC, they are for some reason legally held to have one of the essential rights of personhood - free speech - and even more baffling, this is considered to entitle them to unlimited political spending. My opinion is that many of America's current political woes can be traced back to this, and that it is directly connected to the willingness to cut back on essentials such as education rather than going after those who aren't paying their fair share.

If we held these corporations to the same standards we apply to real people, our country would be in substantially better fiscal shape. Other countries - more successful ones than the US, heretical as that may sound - do. Why don't we?