As go Skinnerian rats, so go the corporate CEO's and Wall Street honchos.
Everybody's in a panic over the impending sequestration/disappearing tax cuts.
I'm frankly tired of hearing about how big business (or, as the right wing calls them, small business) and the stock market are reacting to the potential loss of pennies on their billions of dollars.
We plain old people have been called whiny, lazy, greedy and unimportant for quite long enough. Since 2008, many of us have lost homes and jobs; since long before that, we have not been able to afford health care. Creepy Mitt Romney, who some still believe is a nice guy, figures that Obama won the presidency by offering us unwashed masses goodies like health care and affordable student loans. His prediction for liberals winning the White House in 2016 is free dental care.
Asshole.
Really. It's hard to frame a serious rebuttal to a man who builds elevators for his cars, while for years a growing number of Americans have had to choose between the mortgage and medication, car repairs versus clothing.
Mormon or Christian, there is no religion that I know of that scorns people for wanting to be safe and healthy. And while our friends and neighbors helplessly lost their health and security, we have had to listen to politicians and the media whine about fearful, insecure multi-millionaires.
How could we even conceive of denying bonuses to the Wall Street geniuses that plunged us into recession??? How can we expect corporations to hire people and pay taxes at the same time???
Bullshit.
When times are bad, we have been told to suck it up. Pull your kid out of college, skip those dental appointments, patch up that old car yet again.
I believe it is time for the wealthy to stop the hell whining. If you want your business to prosper, invest in research and pay a living wage. If you want the stock market to succeed, then sell stocks that are worth the investment, and not mere quick and dirty trades. Stop screwing around with the power you hold.
And our politicians need to stop feeding the power machine. Because it is broken.
As for me, I've given up so much financial security over the years as these criminals have continued to plunder our democracy, that raising my taxes doesn't scare me. I can't afford the dentist or the car repair as it is. You really can't take that much away from me.
So sequester the hell out of yourselves. And end those tax cuts. Lets see how long the cowardly bullies who hold all the cards last when the cards become worthless.
In this country, there have been times when things got so bad that Americans stood up and said, "I am willing to risk my life to make things better." It's time to do that again, folks. For ourselves and for our children.
Showing posts with label Bush tax cuts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bush tax cuts. Show all posts
Monday, November 26, 2012
Thursday, November 15, 2012
"Playing" with Words
I would like to thank Chris Hayes for pointing out that the phrase du jour, "fiscal cliff" is not at all a "fiscal cliff." It is another republican word-fuck, pardon my peevishness.
He pointed out that, in fact, if Congress continues to refuse to act on tax cuts and spending bills, what will actually happen will be a combination of increased taxes, a lowering of the deficit, and what we have, up until the republican party got its hands on it, referred to as "austerity."
How will it affect us plain old people? Our taxes will go up, but not so much that we will fall into despair and bankruptcy.
The rich guys, however, will see a drastic reduction in the income that they stuff in their Cayman Island mattresses. So much so that they may not be able to buy that new jet; no, actually, it won't be that much. These gazillionaires will actually be required to increase their tax rates on earnings from today's 35% to the Clinton era's 39.6%. And don't forget the non-earned income, all that money they use to play with the stock market, and only have to contribute a measly 15% of the profit to taxes. That would go up to an ungodly 20% for a hard day of not working.
The effect of these tax increases will immediately begin to slow the deficit.
And then there will be the austerity budget. If that goes on for too long, that could actually hurt us plain old people. We will lose some programs that we rely on, while the military might actually, if they really wanted to, reduce some of the wasteful spending from their budget.
That's when all that good government bullshit will hit the fan.
Because once those tax cuts go, and the austerity spending cuts happen, there will actually be real pressure on Congress by 98 percent of us, and not just the usual fat-cat lobbying groups, to reinstate the tax cuts for the middle class as well as needed programs.
Won't we be surprised by how much power we actually have in Washington when that happens!
He pointed out that, in fact, if Congress continues to refuse to act on tax cuts and spending bills, what will actually happen will be a combination of increased taxes, a lowering of the deficit, and what we have, up until the republican party got its hands on it, referred to as "austerity."
How will it affect us plain old people? Our taxes will go up, but not so much that we will fall into despair and bankruptcy.
The rich guys, however, will see a drastic reduction in the income that they stuff in their Cayman Island mattresses. So much so that they may not be able to buy that new jet; no, actually, it won't be that much. These gazillionaires will actually be required to increase their tax rates on earnings from today's 35% to the Clinton era's 39.6%. And don't forget the non-earned income, all that money they use to play with the stock market, and only have to contribute a measly 15% of the profit to taxes. That would go up to an ungodly 20% for a hard day of not working.
The effect of these tax increases will immediately begin to slow the deficit.
And then there will be the austerity budget. If that goes on for too long, that could actually hurt us plain old people. We will lose some programs that we rely on, while the military might actually, if they really wanted to, reduce some of the wasteful spending from their budget.
That's when all that good government bullshit will hit the fan.
Because once those tax cuts go, and the austerity spending cuts happen, there will actually be real pressure on Congress by 98 percent of us, and not just the usual fat-cat lobbying groups, to reinstate the tax cuts for the middle class as well as needed programs.
Won't we be surprised by how much power we actually have in Washington when that happens!
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Put Up or Pay Up
In this neverending debate about extending the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy, I never hear what I think is the big question, although there is quite a bit of tap dancing around it. I hear Democrats say that the tax cuts haven't worked in the ten years they have been in existence. The representatives of the corporations in the republic party claim that without the extension of the tax cuts, businesses would not have the money necessary to create jobs. I even hear some brave souls ask why, if this were the case, jobs were lost and not created during the tax cut years.
The big question is:
When is business going to step up and take responsibility for themselves?
Look around. What corporate giant doesn't get bailouts and handouts from the government on a steady basis?
The federal government sinks money into airports so that airlines can make huge profits. As a result of these huge profits, not possible without the American traveler or the federal government, the airlines neither pass on savings, nor do they increase jobs, job security, or job benefits.
In fact, as the government has stepped up to take on the full responsibility for airport and flight security, the airlines have stepped back by further automating check-in, and cutting staff positions on the front lines, where people should be interacting and observing passengers as a very natural and common sense function of improving anti-terrorism security.
The federal government pours money into health care, by subsidizing private hospitals and insurance companies, who make enormous profits. Again, pass on the savings? Not their responsibility. Likewise for the pharmaceutical industry, who benefits from government money for research and development, and then is allowed to own the findings (including individual genes), thereby maximizing profit and prohibiting further scientific development and growth.
The Supreme Court decision granting personhood to corporations allowed them to exert control over the election process, without taking any of the responsibilities of personhood. We have carried the philosophy of capitalism to the extreme in which they are expected to be immoral in the interest of greater profit. That's right, immoral, not amoral. Because there are people making corporate decisions, and when they make decisions that injure others, it IS immoral.
We need to reframe this argument. The wealthy should not give up their wealth to take care of the rest of us. They have the responsibility to use their wealth to further the society which allowed them to be wealthy. They have the responsibility to create jobs, jobs that pay a living wage. They have the responsiblity to invest in infrastructure, and research. They have the responsibility to pay taxes, to allow the government from which they benefit to continue to function.
Beginning in the Reagan era, the philosophy of wealth regressed to the mentality of the robber barons. Capitalism meant gathering wealth for its own sake. Capitalism meant using the federal goverment to further power and profit. Capitalism meant never having to say you're sorry.
The eighties were the years of "He who dies with the most toys wins." Why on earth haven't we realized that not only does that not work, it is neither true nor funny? As the middle class has stagnated, as our rating in health care, education, longevity have sunk in comparison to other developed countries, why on earth don't we understand what is happening? Why are we so afraid to see that capitalism is not only NOT democracy, capitalism seeks to curtail democracy. Capitalism is a tyranny that feeds on democracy. It lives off the people's government and starves the people while bloating with its own useless wealth.
Jobs were not created during the Bush years initially because tax cuts and government handouts allowed for more corporate profit without any annoying increase in the cost of labor. But as the Democrats took control of Congress in 2006, and especially since the 2008 landslide presidential election, corporate America has been holding us all hostage. The past two years, the argument has been that corporations need more financial freedom and less regulation, otherwise the American people will suffer. The proof is the stagnating jobless rate.
But the reality is that the failure to create jobs has been the boon of the republic party, which represents the corporation. Had businesses acted responsibly, as they have long stopped doing, they would have used their fortunes to invest in research and development and to create jobs. But that would have most likely resulted in an electorate that would have voted from reason and confidence and not out of fear, giving the Democratic party continued control of Congress.
The Democrats drop the ball when they fail to challenge business to prove it deserves its power and capital, as President Obama challeneged the auto industry. The banking industry, the insurance industry, the airline industry, all need to be challenged. If they want to profit from doing business in America, they need to act responsibly. THEY need to stop expecting the federal government to keep paying for their greed and negligence. And as long as they are not stepping up, the federal government needs to take more control, only give funding under specific conditions, and collect taxes adequate to maintain the wellbeing of the hard-working Americans to which the corporation is really, truly beholding.
The big question is:
When is business going to step up and take responsibility for themselves?
Look around. What corporate giant doesn't get bailouts and handouts from the government on a steady basis?
The federal government sinks money into airports so that airlines can make huge profits. As a result of these huge profits, not possible without the American traveler or the federal government, the airlines neither pass on savings, nor do they increase jobs, job security, or job benefits.
In fact, as the government has stepped up to take on the full responsibility for airport and flight security, the airlines have stepped back by further automating check-in, and cutting staff positions on the front lines, where people should be interacting and observing passengers as a very natural and common sense function of improving anti-terrorism security.
The federal government pours money into health care, by subsidizing private hospitals and insurance companies, who make enormous profits. Again, pass on the savings? Not their responsibility. Likewise for the pharmaceutical industry, who benefits from government money for research and development, and then is allowed to own the findings (including individual genes), thereby maximizing profit and prohibiting further scientific development and growth.
The Supreme Court decision granting personhood to corporations allowed them to exert control over the election process, without taking any of the responsibilities of personhood. We have carried the philosophy of capitalism to the extreme in which they are expected to be immoral in the interest of greater profit. That's right, immoral, not amoral. Because there are people making corporate decisions, and when they make decisions that injure others, it IS immoral.
We need to reframe this argument. The wealthy should not give up their wealth to take care of the rest of us. They have the responsibility to use their wealth to further the society which allowed them to be wealthy. They have the responsibility to create jobs, jobs that pay a living wage. They have the responsiblity to invest in infrastructure, and research. They have the responsibility to pay taxes, to allow the government from which they benefit to continue to function.
Beginning in the Reagan era, the philosophy of wealth regressed to the mentality of the robber barons. Capitalism meant gathering wealth for its own sake. Capitalism meant using the federal goverment to further power and profit. Capitalism meant never having to say you're sorry.
The eighties were the years of "He who dies with the most toys wins." Why on earth haven't we realized that not only does that not work, it is neither true nor funny? As the middle class has stagnated, as our rating in health care, education, longevity have sunk in comparison to other developed countries, why on earth don't we understand what is happening? Why are we so afraid to see that capitalism is not only NOT democracy, capitalism seeks to curtail democracy. Capitalism is a tyranny that feeds on democracy. It lives off the people's government and starves the people while bloating with its own useless wealth.
Jobs were not created during the Bush years initially because tax cuts and government handouts allowed for more corporate profit without any annoying increase in the cost of labor. But as the Democrats took control of Congress in 2006, and especially since the 2008 landslide presidential election, corporate America has been holding us all hostage. The past two years, the argument has been that corporations need more financial freedom and less regulation, otherwise the American people will suffer. The proof is the stagnating jobless rate.
But the reality is that the failure to create jobs has been the boon of the republic party, which represents the corporation. Had businesses acted responsibly, as they have long stopped doing, they would have used their fortunes to invest in research and development and to create jobs. But that would have most likely resulted in an electorate that would have voted from reason and confidence and not out of fear, giving the Democratic party continued control of Congress.
The Democrats drop the ball when they fail to challenge business to prove it deserves its power and capital, as President Obama challeneged the auto industry. The banking industry, the insurance industry, the airline industry, all need to be challenged. If they want to profit from doing business in America, they need to act responsibly. THEY need to stop expecting the federal government to keep paying for their greed and negligence. And as long as they are not stepping up, the federal government needs to take more control, only give funding under specific conditions, and collect taxes adequate to maintain the wellbeing of the hard-working Americans to which the corporation is really, truly beholding.
Friday, November 12, 2010
Blood from a Stone
Above: Erskine Bowles having a good
laugh over Alan Simpson's fake budget
cutting proposal.
So you thought you'd tightened the belt about as much as you could? Alan Simpson and Erskine Bowles beg to differ.
They are proposing cuts in Social Security and Medicare as well as Defense spending; while we're at it, let's "level the playing field" on taxation, so that even those who are holding on to their mortgage by a thread can forego the interest deduction that they count on.
In the middle of the craziness wherein the republic party is insisting we cut spending while not cutting taxes on their corporate cronies, these guys have tossed in the kitchen sink. And they did it pretty much by sneaking in in the middle of the night and slipping it in the President's in-basket when he wasn't looking.
I am looking forward to the day that the Tea Baggers who gave the House back to their republic friends realize that the government is now seriously considering taking away their Medicare.
It should be an interesting time, if we are able to live through it. There are people out there who have no idea what it is like to not be able to afford to send your children to the doctor, much less to college. They don't get that without public transportation, some of us can't get to work, because we don't make enough to be able to afford a car with it's expensive accoutrements, like taxes, insurance, repairs, and don't forget, gas. People that believe in Reagan's trickle down theory, because they are the tricklers, not the tricklees. And we just put them in charge of our government, again.
If Reaganomics worked, we wouldn't have record foreclosures and more than 50 million Americans without health care. If the Bush tax cuts worked, we would all have jobs and be earning a living wage.
The thing is, if you take away the safety net, as thin as it is, it is going to cost the government more to clean up the mess.
But the thing is, really, that this is about people. People trying to work, trying to pay bills, trying to take care of their families, trying to make it to retirement age.
We aren't going to be ready to move forward until those who have the means contribute their fair share. All those other cuts Alan Simpson, the tea baggers, and the republic party are proposing are trying to get blood from a stone. It doesn't work.
If Reaganomics worked, we wouldn't have record foreclosures and more than 50 million Americans without health care. If the Bush tax cuts worked, we would all have jobs and be earning a living wage.
The thing is, if you take away the safety net, as thin as it is, it is going to cost the government more to clean up the mess.
But the thing is, really, that this is about people. People trying to work, trying to pay bills, trying to take care of their families, trying to make it to retirement age.
We aren't going to be ready to move forward until those who have the means contribute their fair share. All those other cuts Alan Simpson, the tea baggers, and the republic party are proposing are trying to get blood from a stone. It doesn't work.
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