Nobody wants more taxes. But I think we also agree that something needs to be done to balance the budget, and it isn't as simple as cutting Entitlement Programs. One lay-off, factory closing or corporate cut back can result in disaster and even homelessness for once middleclass, hard-working individuals and their families, should unemployment or Medicaid be cut. For over 50 years, Social Security has alleviated the pressure on the elderly and their families. Welfare is a sticky but sometimes necessary wicket, and the exorbitant and rapidly rising cost of health care can mean bankruptcy for many families (especially since Kevorkian's fate continues to deny the terminally ill the right to choose "death with dignity" over bankruptcy.)
Macro Econmics has become so complex. The disaster of the international economic collapse, and the impact of ignorant banking practices exposed during GW Bush's presidency, has challenged even the most fiscally conservative professional economists to emphatically state that "the fix" must involve a mix of cut backs with increased taxation, if only of the "very wealthy" -- if only temporarily. (Click HERE to view an interview with Pres. Reagan's financial policy adviser, Republican economist and author, Bruce Bartlett. Even Harball's host, Chris Matthews, admires Bartlett for his clear grasp of U.S. economic history.)
So how did Grover Norquist manage to kidnap the GOP by forcing all its political members to sign the pledge banning ANY increase in taxes..."Even if your country goes to hell." (said about Norquist in disgust by Republican Senator Alan Simpson, who also calls Norquist "ludicrous and deceptive.") I'm just curious. It does not seem right that our country's Congress is so controlled by one man, Grover Norquist along with the Koch Brothers. None of these people were elected, but those Republicans who are elected, are forced to sign this "pledge" -- not to the U.S.A. -- but to Grover Norquist. Click HERE to see a summary from "60 Minutes" of Grover Norquist and his mandatory pledge, required of all those running as a Republican. I will guarantee you, it is pretty shocking to see this man gloating about his ability to "throw" elections, and admit that he is dedicated to rolling back our country's economy to "the turn of the Century" -- not the recent one, the 1900's. Back before women had the vote, before unemployment insurance, before Social Security, and before the Great Depression.
If we are going to roll back our economy to pre-1900, perhaps we should start with cutting Congressional salaries and benefits. Perhaps then, congress people such as Orrin Hatch and former Sen. Sharron Angle, will stop referring to those who find themselves suddenly unemployed as "spoiled" or comparing the unemployed to "stray animals." (CLICK HERE -- do these people seem "spoiled" or like "stray animals?" Kudos to Joe Carbone for being part of the solution, and not part of the problem.)
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