Skip to main content

Class warfare: Honey, you ain't seen nuthin' yet

Republicans are hollering "class warfare," claiming that the current administration's call to increase taxes on the very wealthy, or at least those who have a home, food, a job, and a vehicle or two, is an insult to those who have worked hard to achieve the American Dream. Before the Republican party starts this fight,  they better be prepared to face the masses of Americans who, no matter what their politics, are struggling to reframe their lives with less income, fewer jobs, and less opportunity. For more than half of all Americans, the American Dream is becoming an economic joke.

My first response to Republican concerns about class warfare is: Which class is being attacked in this war? While it might be nice to set one group of "elite" people above others because they had the ability, intellect, and financial support to start or continue a business, doing that automatically lowers the class that has to work to keep those businesses operating.  The class currently under attack is the class that provides the work force of this country.

Why shouldn't all Americans contribute on an equal ratio to the costs of operating our government? America is based on equal rights, and to me, the equal right to vote also means the equal right to pay taxes.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Wanted: 850 new FBI agents

My dream job is finally available. FBI, here I come! When I logged on to CNN today and found that the FBI is hiring, ( cnn.com/2009/CRIME/01/05/fbi.hiring.binge/index.html ) my heart tripped the tango. I've always wanted to follow in the steps of one of my literary heroes, Mrs. Pollifax, the delightful grandmotherly woman who gets assignments that take her all over the world as a courier and spy. Ooops. Wait, it's the CIA that sends people all over the world. The FBI handles problems in the U.S. Okay, I can still live with that. Apparently this is the largest job posting for FBI agents since 2001, and it includes openings for more than 2,000 support personnel as well. I wonder if the FBI is trying to hire some of the financial folks and automakers who got pink-slipped at the end of 2008? Or is bail-out money going to the FBI? When most employers--including state governments--are letting people go, where does the FBI get money for new hires? The lengthy list of openings includes...

What's Next for 2009: Predictions and Educated Guesses

There's an old saying that the year will go the way the stock market goes for the first week of January. I hope that's true, because today's market went above 9,000 for the first time since November. Any ray of sunshine helps! I was delighted to say goodbye to 2008, which was a tough year all the way around. While I dealt with the death of friends and family and a job change, many Americans faced mortgage foreclosures, job losses, and economic failure. I count myself lucky to be employed, and I am especially looking forward to my first grandchild in 2009. So other than a grandchild, what do I think 2009 will bring? Here are my predictions and educated guesses: 1. Barack Obama will show us that he has more good sense, common sense, and downright intelligence than any president since Franklin Roosevelt. He has already demonstrated this by choosing cabinet-level staff that are experienced and educated in their areas and willing to work together. With a "can do" staff...

A book that makes me think

Every once in a while I read a book that I'd like to put on a reading list for every American. This time it's Susan Jacoby's The Age of American Unreason. It's clear from Jacoby's writing and her content that she is an American intellectual of the highest order. To get the full meaning of her prose, I found myself re-reading paragraphs, asking myself if I agree with her ideas, reviewing the framework she uses to make her points, and looking at her bibliography to assess her sources. From her bibliography, I've found at least three more books I want to read. What is her point? Jacoby believes that America has settled into an age of anti-rationalism and anti-intellectualism, as evidenced by the huge numbers of Americans who do not know--or never learned--the basics of science, the primary events of American history, and critical reading skills. Her point is that Americans believe what they are told without giving thought to who is speaking or writing, and that we ...