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The GOP War on the Middle Class: It’s Time for Americans to Fight Back
It’s time most Americans recognized that there is a war going on in this country. Not Iraq or Afghanistan. No. The war is being waged by some of the wealthiest and most powerful people against working families, against the disappearing and shrinking middle class of our country. The billionaires and filthy rich corporate execs of America are on the warpath.
Greed’s at issue. They want more and more and more.
In 2007, the top 1 percent of all income earners made 23.5 percent of all income. Let me repeat that: The top 1 percent earned over 23 percent of all income; that is, more than the bottom 50 percent.
One percent here – to fifty percent here.
But for the very wealthy, that is apparently not enough. The percentage of income going to the top 1 percent nearly tripled since the 1970s. All over this country people are angry, frustrated. But one of the reasons people are angry and frustrated is they are working incredibly hard. There are people who don’t work one job, two jobs; there are people working three jobs and four jobs, trying to cobble together an income in order to support their families. And while people are working harder and harder, in many cases their income is going down.
The fact is, 80 percent of all new income earned from 1980 to 2005 has gone to the top 1 percent. Let me repeat that because that is an important fact. It explains why the American people are feeling as angry as they are. They are working hard, but they are not going anyplace. In some cases, in many cases, their standard of living is actually going down.
Now the Republican Party, after converting huge surpluses into huge deficits during the Bush era, after opposing deficit-reducing health reforms, student loan reforms and big-bank taxes during the Obama era, after continuing to clamor for trillions of dollars in deficit-expanding tax cuts while gutting House pay-as-you-go rules to make it easier to expand the deficit – yes, these very same Republicans — threaten to blow up the entire economy for us all and throw the United States of America into a default for the first time in its history. . .
— unless, of course, we make drastic reductions to spending on domestic programs, on our schools, on our infrastructure, on unemployment entitlements, on all the things that serve to give working people a chance at a dignified life.
Oh, but we can’t eliminate tax breaks for the wealthiest one percent who hoard all the money, say the Republican demagogues. That will kill jobs. So they preach.
Will it? Get a lesson from history and get a grip.
Ever wonder why “trickle down” economics does not work? “Trickle-down economics” and “the trickle-down theory” are pejorative terms that refer to the policy of providing across the board tax cuts or benefits to businesses, such as tax breaks, in the belief that this will indirectly benefit the broad population. While the idea of letting ‘deserving rich’ keep more of their ‘hard earned money’ so that they will reinvest it to create more jobs sounds plausible — experience with greed in the last 30 years proves otherwise. Wealthy greed. Lowering taxes on the rich without linking that tax break to any incentive to invest in the economy and create jobs has – time and again– been linked to job loss, not gain.
We’re fast approaching the 11th hour. It’s time for Americans to stand up to the Republican tyrants who hold our economy hostage, and demand that the Republicans raise the debt ceiling – something they did seven times under George Bush while piling on massive debt from two wars – without condition. Or face extinction as a political party come next fall.
Image: Down With Tyranny
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43 Responses to The GOP War on the Middle Class: It’s Time for Americans to Fight Back
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boil
Jul. 14th, 2011 at 10:50 pm
i hope there is a wake up call for the youth of today. i grew up during the vietnam war in chicago, and as a young teenager, i knew about what the older kids were doing. i was in grant park for one of the demonstrations, and had to run away from the gas…. these guys were fighting the draft and the war, [as the economy was great back then. you could live very well in the middle class on one income.] no one went bankrupt from one illness. gas was 26cents, other than that frigging war and the kennedys and king, if they didnt kill those progressive guys, we would never had raygun. everything would be really different now.
please mobilize and strategize, its going to come from the bottom up, like what you all are writing about here. some of us old guys are still radicals in their head!…..
thank you and good night…
Billy
Jul. 15th, 2011 at 5:00 pm
There is a peace movement. It is the Ron Paul movement. Ron Paul will be the next president because he is the only anti war canidate we got. Obama will have troops in lybia by october or he will have worse, The first deafeat Nato ever had. Ron Paul wants to march all, ALL of our troops home. He wants to end the greed of the FED. By printing money they are taxing. A TAX is stealing but done by the goverment. Americains; Republicains AND PROGRESSIVES will take back our country. We will Elect Ron Paul 2012!!!!!!!!!!
Shiva (Moderator)
Jul. 15th, 2011 at 5:08 pm
Thats strange, Quadaffi is almost ready to quit. He has already talked to certain countrys to see if he can move there.
Billy
Jul. 15th, 2011 at 5:38 pm
You are completely misinformed. Just a couple days ago 4 million Libyans marched for Qaddify.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=j...
And his son just yesterday said he plans on having 4 million armed civilians waiting for western intervention.
You cannot win a war dropping bombs. You cannot win a war by supporting people like the rebels. These people are al Quida. They are not nation builders. I don’t care what you think of Gaddify he IS a nation builder. Libya is a strong nation both economically and militarily. A western country cannot win a civil war for another country.
Most importantly Obama cannot win a war without first declaring a war. And he will never get a congress to support the Blood loss of life of all the innocent civilians that this endless bombing has caused. When you bomb a country on its holy day you do not gain supporters. You solidify the Opposition. Even if we kill Gaddify Libya will not fall under the rule of the Benghazi central bank. And the Libyan people will fight to the death to protect there freedom.
Shiva (Moderator)
Jul. 15th, 2011 at 5:51 pm
bit.ly/qHhPjc
Carry on
MC
Jul. 18th, 2011 at 8:43 pm
ihope that the President doesn’t cave in to the Republicans demands. I believe that we the people of this country that is in tune with what is happening in this country. We are at war but not just with other countries, right here in our own country the Republicans that are running for office are going to push our country backwacks and we the people that believe in justice for all should band together and rid our country from bigots, gangsters in government and those that wish to take our freedeom. We need to march, protest against anyone whom tries to infringe on our freedom on the elderly the poor and the disabled. All American should band together and march against injustice. VOTE NO TO ALL REPUBLICANS AND TEA PARTY MEMBERS COME 2012.
The Platzner Post
Jul. 14th, 2011 at 10:57 pm
Fight back!!!
Sally
Jul. 14th, 2011 at 11:10 pm
In thinking about the GOP “cut spending mantra” and how they say that people have to live on a budget, so should government: it occurred to me that when we were first married 35 years ago, and my husband and was still in school, money was tight. So we bought what we needed, and paid the bills. But when money got really tight, we did not cut put electricity or insurance..I got another job so that there was more money coming in. The GOP has this all wrong…with less revenue, jobs across the country are CUT and CUT some more. Every time they tell a department to do less with more, people are thrown to the wolves. Is there waste? Of course…but don’t we all spend money on things we really don’t need, like movie tickets or that new computer, that $4 coffee every morning? The GOP is showing that they do not care a whit about women, the poor, the elderly, kids, education, the EPA, the CDC, the CPSC, or any of the departments that keep our food and water safe from corporations’ contamination. Who in hell do they think is going to vote for them? No one with a brain.
Kat Parks
Jul. 15th, 2011 at 2:28 am
Sally, you are right. The only problem is that 58% of the US Gov’t budget is tied up in the most wasteful department that isn’t even able to complete an audit. (That would be the Department of Defense & the Pentagon) Because no one in the Fed Gov’t is willing to look too deeply into the spending, especially redundant and wasteful spending, so they are taking from the other 40% of the budget which has ALWAYS been the first place to face cuts, and never has received a “bonus” in times of plenty. Is it any wonder that we can’t seem to balance the budget when they won’t even look at the biggest black hole of the Federal Gov’t.
Reynardine
Jul. 14th, 2011 at 11:25 pm
Now, in the last hour of Bastille Day, we need to reflect that a people united and focused can tear down the most impregnable citadels and break open the grimmest dungeons. We need to reflect on that… and then, we need to unite and focus.
Shiva (Moderator)
Jul. 14th, 2011 at 11:45 pm
Its all falling apart for them. Lindsay Graham and Bob Corker as much as admitted it was the wrong fight at the wrong time. Some republicans are pointing at Cantor because he has underhandedly got the tea party in the house to not support any debt increase because he wants to make a name for himself.
their little world of lies and deceit is falling into a chasm. This will not be forgotten by the people. We need to spread this word and as Thomas says, fight back.
Thomas Bishop
Jul. 15th, 2011 at 12:19 am
I agree, Shiva. And it’s not surprising that Republicans in Congress balking at reasonable compromise and are wary of closing tax loopholes — because many of these benefit some of their top campaign donors.
Eric Cantor is no exception. The question is whether Cantor will risk default, selling out middle class Americans and sending our economy into a deathly tailspin, just to protect his wealthy donors.
David Donnelly of Public Campaign Action Fund reported today that research of data from the Center for Responsive Politics shows that in the 2010 election cycle, Cantor received at least $254,000 from the political action committees (PACs) of ten of the country’s most egregious tax-dodging corporations.
And through the first six months of 2011, Cantor received at least $32,400 from the PACs of these tax dodgers. Roughly 65 percent of these contributions are from Wall Street banks.
Cantor is being paid well to tank the American economy — in old fashioned terms, we’d call that bribery and selfish political opportunism.
Listen everyone: if we can’t create a political atmosphere where payola corruption and irresponsibility is politically punished, the GOP irresponsibility will continue.
And the GOP will continue forward hellbent in their leap off the abyss only for so long as they believe that Americans will not blame them for the results. Republicans need to be thoroughly disabused of the notion that they will escape blame for the coming cataclysm, now and LOUDLY. Let’s put an end to the GOP’s mindless and dangerous demagoguery and hold these jerks accountable.
Don’t let them get away with deliberately tanking our economy.
MrHitch
Jul. 14th, 2011 at 11:59 pm
The TeaParty did have it right at one time (to stop Wall Street bailouts) but have evolved into a hate mongers group. Big government isn’t the problem per se, it is BOUGHT government that is the problem. Term limits, campaign finance reform, fair trade (not free trade), stop outsourcing jobs, and repeal the USSC Citizen’s United vs FEC ruling. Instead of employing real solutions, our “elected” officials are posturing and playing games with our lives and our childrens’ lives. The GOP has lost all hope for ever becoming a viable party. The teaparty insurgents have destroyed the GOP. Makes you wonder if the Teaparty politicians were implants by the dems.
Tom
Jul. 15th, 2011 at 12:24 am
These phonies(The GOP) have manufactured 2 wars and it wouldn’t surprise me if they had a pretty good notion that it might evolve into a recession !The GOP plan is to bring this Country to its knees and holler uncle.They care for no ones welfare except the blood sucking Corporate whores and the rich ! They have taken advantage of every loophole to enrich themselves along with all their buddys.Many Americans are still asking whats wrong with the economy,where are the jobs,whats wrong with the Country?The answer is simple,The cruel and uncaring Republicans are responsible and they will continue on the path to ruin unless we stand up and say enough!Standing next to them and holding hands are the fundamentalists, this group along with the Corporations are dictating policy for The United States.What we want no longer has merit, our will means nothing to these dictators . It’s time to wake up and let them know who’s boss!Vote these Gangsters the hell out of our Govt.Maybe they will all rise into the air and get out of our hair.
Billy
Jul. 15th, 2011 at 5:13 pm
There Is a GOP presidential candidate that has been consistent on opposing the Iraq war, opposing Afghanistan. Opposing an open declaration of war on Pakistan (our invasion and assassination of Osama.) Been speaking out of the atrocities in Libya (the murder of Gadifys son and 3-6 year old grandchildren.)
And there is hope, He raised more money than any other viable GOP candidate (Mitt Romney is a piria in his own party) He ran a extremely successful campaign in 08 and can single handily be accounted for the raised awareness of the FED. And the inability of our country to sustain our oppressive wars for empire.
Ron Paul will be the next president because he has a true belief in freedom. And understands PEACE. and even speaks to PROGRESSIVE’s who understand the blood toll of the war on drugs; and has enough balls to go on a FOX news debate and say ALL drugs should be legal! RON PAUL 2012. But we need your help. Help us change the GOP in the right direction!
Himself
Jul. 15th, 2011 at 8:14 pm
Ron Paul is against the war, this is true. However the rest of his libertarian policies would ensure COMPLETE corporate control of this country. The people would become serfs in a corporate feudalism. His idea of freedom is the golden rule “He who has the gold makes the rules”
billy
Jul. 15th, 2011 at 11:25 pm
No, He will end the oversea’s spending, He will end the federal drug wars. Cutting off clandestine war spending worldwide. He Will end the Unconstitutional Income tax. Then It is up to us to take our country back state by state, city by city, block by block. Let the people be free and the world will flourish. Government can only steel from one person to give to an other. It is up to the people to make our society.
Shiva (Moderator)
Jul. 15th, 2011 at 11:35 pm
My god the tea is strong with this one.
Kim
Jul. 16th, 2011 at 3:48 pm
Ron Paul cannot and should not win. He is insane. We should not vote for insane people to run the government.
seeinthedark
Jul. 15th, 2011 at 1:23 am
It’s long past time to bring the wars home. The assault on freedom and liberty for the vast majority of Americans is a carefully orchestrated strategy perpetrated by wealth to create a subservient workforce that has no protections and accepts increasingly less compensation to work the way they are told. First the corporations conceived of NAFTA to send jobs out of the “homeland”. This started the ball rolling and they calculated that if product X was costing them $300 to produce with American workers that had benefits, pensions, sick time and protections in their jobs, then just think of how much more we could make if product X cost us only $40 to make in China. Who cares if the workers had no rights. These workers would be lined up and shut up if they knew what was good for them. The outsourcing of jobs had the effect of eviscerating the unions in America and, no unions, no money for war chests to give to the opposition. This is what has produced “blue dogs” and “purple pigs” and whatever you want to call them. Politicians have to go to the money to finance their campaigns to hold on to their jobs and their ambitious egos. This is why you see Dems willing to offer up the elderly and the poor for austerity as a compromise that produces nothing but misery for the Americans that it punishes. The next big piece of the puzzle came with 9/11 which with the village idiot at the helm gave them an opportunity to construct a police state apparatus in the homeland. Try saying something risky on your phone and don’t be surprised if it isn’t intercepted. this apparatus is in place just in case some folks don’t want to toe the line and go along with the program. One of the last bastions of solidarity and prosperity left in America was the public sector unions so they were the next to be targeted. I bet few ever would have thought that you would see an America that banned collective bargaining. Slave nation, anyone. Other parts of the puzzle will be put into play, such as a rollback in the minimum wage, overtime pay, etc. The comedy show taking place in DC over the debt ceiling is one more factor as it will jeopardize every worker’s credit, including workers mortgages and keep them so preoccupied that you won’t see the rest of the noose being drawn around your neck. Don’t be mislead; this is a war to the death and you’d better be prepared to fight with all your being or you’ll never emerge from serfdom reinforced by modern technology.
novenator
Jul. 15th, 2011 at 2:24 am
Damn straight. This war has been waged on the wealth creators who do the work for long enough. The line has to be drawn here and now…this far and no further!
seeinthedark
Jul. 15th, 2011 at 2:31 am
OK, John Galt. Is that the wealth creators who gerryrigged the tax code to get all the breaks(i.e. hedge funds that pay a max of 15% tax) or the oil guys who take down over $5B from the government or is it the trust fund crowd that earned their wealth by getting spit out of an ermine-lined birth canal.
Tom Johnson
Jul. 15th, 2011 at 8:43 am
I believe he was actually referring to the hard-working men and women in this country (present AND past) who have always been the real generators of wealth…
JÖTUNN
Jul. 15th, 2011 at 7:09 am
What we need is a new political party who’s objective and purpose is to oppose the other two, and actually stand up as a center-aligned, pro0middle-class party. While we still have 2 parties that favor the ultra-upper and upper-middle class, the working folks who make their way of life possible will always have to work just a little bit harder each day for the same few bucks.
Who’s in?
Slip
Jul. 15th, 2011 at 7:09 am
This is ridiculous. Why are we punishing people who have been successful? The lower 50 percent of income earners hardly even contribute to our taxes yet the upper one percent of earners pay roughly 34% of our taxes! Grow up. If lower income earners wish to be taken seriously they should pay their fair share.
usgovinfo.about.com/od/in...
I’m currently a student and hope to work into business. I go to school, work hard, and network so that I will be successful and can hopefully make a large salary to support my family. If we continue to tax the upper income makers more than any other group, it defeats the purpose of me going to school and trying in the first place.
Shiva (Moderator)
Jul. 15th, 2011 at 9:22 am
the problem is that all of the wealth is concentrated in 20% of the people. If you are going into business then you must understand that that means the people you are depending on to buy your products are not working. Why are they not paying their taxes? Because they are not working. Because their wages have went down since 1980. Our tax laws are the reason they are not paying, not the fact that they don’t want to pay their fair share. Most of America’s just like you. They would work are given the chance.
The other policy that you are falling into face first is that the wealthy are job creators. 2% of the wealthy actually create jobs. There was a time in America when they survived very high taxation and were even more profitable. Everything you are saying is wrong. In 1980 the tax on the wealthy was over 50% and they were successful. Today most of them are paying an effective rate less than the middle class. You want to know why people want to tax them more? It’s because the wealthy’s wages have one up well over 30% since 1980 while the poor or middle class have remained stagnant or went down. I am sure that you will be the first person to own his own business and pay people as little as possible. Your statement if lower income earners wish to be taken seriously they should pay their fair share is utterly absurd. They pay their full share dependent on the wages that they make. you have a great deal to learn about business, about life and about history.
slip
Jul. 15th, 2011 at 1:39 pm
I’ll go ahead and ignore your personal slander at the end and jump to the point. Calling out the Republicans for rejecting the tax bills is a moot point because they are the ones actually trying to end our debt problem. Notice the “slight” change in the postition of power in Congress? That’s probably because the people are sick of the bullshit the Democratic Party and President have put us through these last couple of years.
Yet the same party that is trying to help and actually produce change that makes sense (no pun intended), you shoot down. You can call me out that I have a lot to learn about life and business; you’re right, I do. But looking back on how the country has been run the last couple of years it’s not hard for me to laugh at you and the Democratic party.
Shiva (Moderator)
Jul. 15th, 2011 at 4:02 pm
That wasnt slander, that was fact.
You have missed the fact that the conservatives are crumbling. You cannot fix the debt without income. Everything the cons wanted is being washed out. The republicans in the senate are admitting this was the wrong time to make a political point. All this republican cuts were aimed at making Obama look bad and it has backfired.
Its like you being in business and in debt, and at the same time refusing to increase your profits to pay it off.
You can laugh at me all you want, but you still have a very great deal to learn about business and politics
www.politicususa.com/en/s...
Duglarri
Jul. 16th, 2011 at 12:04 am
“Why are we punishing people who are successful”- because punishing people who are unsuccessful just seems like piling on.
Why should rich people pay most of the taxes? Because they have most of the money.
Who should pay for the society: those who benefit most from it, or those who benefit least? By your logic the poor and unsuccessful, who have nothing, should pay for everything the rich enjoy so much more than they do: who do you think benefits most from roads, railways, airports, and so on? Do you think Goldman executives would still be rich if there were no schools to train the employees who work for them, no water coming out the taps in their office towers, no sewage systems to remove what they need removed?
No courts to enforce their demands for payment from people who can’t afford to pay? No jails to jail people who fall behind in their payments?
Of the top 28 industrialized economies, 27 tax their rich at higher rates than the US. US Tax rates are at 60-year lows.
The America of the last 230 years taxed the rich. The new America does not. That old America led the world. This new one is on the verge of collapse.
Patrick
Jul. 15th, 2011 at 1:43 pm
Wait just a second here. The wealthy elite are paying the lowest tax rate in 60 years. But I don’t blame the republicans, I blame their leaders. I personally would create such a tax hell for the ultra rich that:
1. everytime they see a dollar they openly start weeping
or
2. they are forced to go live in those countries they’ve been creating jobs in for the last 20 years.
All that’s for certain is there’s more of us than there is of them, and we are stupid to let this happen.
Jim Nelson
Jul. 15th, 2011 at 7:16 am
Bill Ayers and the Weather Underground in the 60′s spoke about the need to kill over 20 million Americans to achieve their utopia. The left’s war with freedom and liberty will not be over until concentration camps are built to “punish” the conservatives.
Shiva (Moderator)
Jul. 15th, 2011 at 9:17 am
I would suggest that the left is not against freedom or liberty. I was strongly suggest that the conservatives are far more against your own freedom than anyone else. I strongly suggest that you read this link and tell me if you think the conservatives are for American freedom. bit.ly/mRURXM
By the way if you have fallen for the concentration camp routine then you might want to see a doctor immediately
jieyin
Jul. 15th, 2011 at 9:25 am
“…the top 1 percent of all income earners made 23.5 percent of all income…” – dare you also reveal how much tax percentage wise those top 1 percent earners paid? “…there are people who don’t work one job, two jobs; there are people working three jobs and four jobs…” – who offers the 2,3,4 jobs to your “people” if the “class war” you proposed win its way to level the entire country? This is stupid and ridiculous.
Shiva (Moderator)
Jul. 15th, 2011 at 9:41 am
if the top 1% were concerned about how much taxes they pay, they would be making sure that the middle class and lower class were working fullbore and not experiencing high unemployment and stagnant wages. The top 1% while they pay most of the taxes are paying a far less percentage of their wages into taxes than they used to pay. They were profitable and successful when they were paying higher taxes.
It’s nice of you to feel sorry for the top 1%. It might be better of you to feel sorry for the bottom 80% who have very little of the wealth and buying power in this country
Reynardine
Jul. 15th, 2011 at 1:48 pm
Merrily we troll along, troll along, troll along… I see we’re on the boiler room list again.
Anne
Jul. 15th, 2011 at 9:58 am
I always have to shake my head in disbelief when folks say the wealthiest Americans shouldn’t have to pay more taxes or have certain loopholes closed since they are the “job creators.” Rather than face the fact that the unemployment rate is unacceptably high in spite of the fact that the “job creators” are doing exceptionally well but are not hiring, they choose to blame the president.
Michael Snyder
Jul. 15th, 2011 at 1:48 pm
If you put someone in office who promises you the moon, don’t surprised if a moon sized charge shows up on your credit card.
Its government by the people, for the people, and paid for by the people.
BTW, If you soak the super rich with taxes, they just move to a different country. It is one of the downsides of living in a free country, that the darn people can act in their own self interest. If you had 5 million dollars and someone stuck their hand out for 2 million of it, you would move too! :)
Do you want to live in a country without rich people? That means you nor your kids couldn’t be rich either. I think Russia tried that one :)
On the other hand, if a government doesn’t act its self interest; by taking a little bit more from each citizen over a lifetime than the services they provide for the citizen; then the government ceases to exist!
While not directly related, if a church doesn’t take in more than it hands out to the poor, then it ceases to exist too.
Thus it is not rich verse poor issue, because a church would have the same problem and they are designed to help the poor.
It is an issue of voters picking the people for office that act in the long term government’s self interest and don’t blow money like drunken sailors making their friends happy (for both parties)…
Yes, I do think we should simply the tax code, becuase the people who can afford it, pay people to find the best way to use it in thier favor. We can move rates around, but remember your changes may not have the effects you think they will.
But overall this only a little part of the much larger problem…
Shiva (Moderator)
Jul. 15th, 2011 at 3:58 pm
I find it interesting that when faced with far far higher taxes before the Reagan admin, the rich did not leave and they were still profitable. Buying into the “rich will leave” bs is not the right thing to do.
If the rich decide to leave what does that do? Creates an opportunity for others to become rich and balances out the ration of wealth in the country. I say good riddance
Mike
Jul. 15th, 2011 at 5:35 pm
Well let’s see here: 86% of ALL Federal Income Tax is paid by the top 25% of the bracket. Yes, that’s right. The top 25%! And the Top 50% of the braket pay 97% of ALL Federal Income Tax!
Oh, and the TOP 1% of the bracket pays 39% of ALL INCOME TAX!
So how is this fair, you ask? Well it’s not, quite frankly. When you compare the amount of Income Tax paid versus benefits used, it’s downright unfair to higher income brackets.
The simple fact is a ‘tax cut’ helps the wealthy out more because they’re taxed much, much more. Lower and Low-Middle Income brackets don’t see the break as much because they pay much less of a percentage of their paycheck in taxes to the Federal Government.
So what is the real war? It’s the age-old class warfare of the Haves vs. the Have-nots. The major stressors are inflation and the law of compound interest. The more you have, the better off you generally are and the less time it takes to double your money with compound interest. If you’re on the top of the pile to begin with you have a lot easier time shrugging off the woes of the world. If you’re on the bottom, it’s a struggle. Always has, always will be that way.
Using taxes on the rich is a very noble attitude preached by the cruisaders who either have no money or who have a lot of money but feel guilty. “Hey, let’s tax the rich since we know they have no morals whatsoever and just want to take a bath in their greed,” is their mantra. Yet there are tens of thousands of philanthropists out there today who regularly fund charities and programs to help those less fortunate. They just don’t want government interference.
Which is really the point here. Class warfare is being used by the Liberals (notice the word ‘Liberal’, not Democrat) and Socialists and Fundamentalists. Whether for power or for good intentions (the path to hell is paved with them), the idea is simple: Legislate everthing in order to create a perfect utopia and ‘an even playing field’. It doesn’t matter what party you’re from, if you’re trying to increase the size of the government to keep/prevent/provide people with everything, you’re part of the problem. Democrats and Replublicans are both guilty of it. Whether it’s ‘save the rich’, ‘save the poor’, ‘save the athiests’, ‘save the religious’ or save (fill in the blank), it’s ultimately, “Hey, let’s fix it with some laws and money”.
Let’s get real folks. There is no utiopia, there is no perfect way, and we should not have to commit ourselves to saving every last person. This country was founded on the principals of freedom and liberty, the idea that hard work and effort make you better. We have the right to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness. We don’t have the right or validation to take it from someone else just because we think it’s right just for us. We can spend our money much better than the government can spend it; let us have it back. I guarantee the ones who want tax increases and no cuts are the ones who can’t hack it in the real world.
Shiva (Moderator)
Jul. 15th, 2011 at 5:41 pm
“86% of ALL Federal Income Tax is paid by the top 25% of the bracket.”
Doesnt that scare the hell out of you? To know that the wealth of a nation exists in the top 20% of the population? Do you ever wonder how the nation can exist with that ratio? Who has the buying power?
Sorry, the last part of your tea party whine doesnt cut it. Americans dont leave Americans to die in the streets like tea bags do. You may also stop using the utopia silly talking points.
demosthenes
Jul. 16th, 2011 at 10:30 pm
This diatribe about republicans vs democrats vs. tea party has to end for any real progress to come forth. At this point there are only a few minor differences between the parties. We are left with semantically different policies that have the same end result. We are left with candidates who are unqualified to serve. We become distracted from issues that truly matter, as smoke is blown in our face about superficial issues that stir up passions.
The role of a politician is to be a servant of the people. To hold the rights and values of the majority above all else, including corporate interests and personal beliefs. There has not been a worthwhile presidential candidate in decades, and there is not likely to be one soon, simply due to the amount of pandering, gladhanding, favors, and nepotism that is required of anyone to pull enough funds to have a successful campaign.
The American government has been besmirched for so long now that has gone from a dream to a joke. There is no accountability, freedoms have been eroded away, power has been abused, and bureaucracy has flourished to the point of bills being pushed through to law without those approving having a clear understanding of what they are signing.
Politicians in America are employees in a service industry. In any other service industry in existence, if the employee treats the overwhelming majority in the fashion that the majority of our citizenship has been treated, the parent company would go out of business.
Freedom is not the ability to vote for one of two or three ill suited candidates. The illusion of choice in a scenario such as this has been used by governments the world over for centuries. Because it works. It is basic psychology – tell someone they are free to choose, and then offer them A, B, or C … they will become so focused on the minor differences between the three, they forget that there are many other options available.
It would serve many posting on here to read through the body of the Declaration of Independence, rather than just the introduction. To paraphrase a colloquialism of the far right … this is America, if you don’t like it, you can get out.
Shiva (Moderator)
Jul. 16th, 2011 at 10:33 pm
You did very well till the last paragraph