Going Over The Fiscal Cliff “Let It Happen Cappen” And Ten
Articles In Support
Hello dear friends,
The Republicans will never go along with a deal to increase
taxes on their wealthy patrons.
President Obama is put in a position of negotiating with himself. He can
only offer up larger pieces of the social safety net while exempting higher
incomes from the expiring bush tax cuts. It is for that reason that I say let
it happen Mr. President. The Republicans are willing to hold the economy
hostage if they don’t get their way. All the leverage that the Republicans have
is the perceived need make a deal to avoid the fiscal cliff. Once we go over
the cliff their leverage evaporates.
If we go past January 1st 2013 with out making a deal we
will accomplish something we could have never have done within the structure of
a deal. That is to get some additional tax revenue from the hyper rich. That is
what an overwhelming majority of Americans (seven out of ten) say that they
want. That same overwhelming majority does not want cuts to Social Security or
Medicare. They want to strengthen those and other programs which build up the
middle class. President Obama has a very high approval rating especially
compared to the Republican leadership. Simply stated the American people want a
shared prosperity. Corporate America
wants to increase their bottom line without regard for what is good for
ordinary Americans. A radical group of conservatives would like to dismantle
Social Security, Medicare and other elements of the social safety net. Look at
the fix the debt lobby; they are trying to convince the American people what a
bad idea it would be to go over the fiscal cliff. They are peddling a self
induced austerity crisis. Believe me the fiscal cliff is a much scarier
prospect for them.
Come January 2nd 2013 and no deal; sure the stock market may
throw a hissy fit.
Tax rates will go up for everyone. Huge cuts in the military
industrial complex will be on the horizon and the debt ceiling will still have
to be raised. At this point the pressure will be on the Republicans to mitigate
the perceived damage. The pressure will be coming from the upper middle class
Republican tax payers and everyone else in the middle brackets. Pressure will
come from corporate America
to raise the debt ceiling and not tank the economy. Add to that mix the
overwhelming majority of Americans who just want a shared prosperity and a
chance to make it into or stay in the middle class. The house Republicans will
be under extreme pressure to let the American economy get about its business.
Sure the deficit issue is a concern for America. I
would question the timing. The Republicans had little concern about the deficit
when they rammed thru the Bush tax cuts or when they started two wars of
foreign intervention and put them on the national credit card. They weren’t
worried about it when they passed the prescription drug benefit (retail), with
no effort to negotiate Medicare drug prices. They weren’t worried about it when
they supported reckless deregulation of the financial sector leading to a near
collapse of the economy. They weren’t worried about it when they bailed out
their patrons in the financial sector and left ordinary Americans to twist in
the wind, or when they encouraged the off shoring of the American
workforce. Now they would like us to
embark on a great crusade of national austerity, austerity for the American
people; not for their hyper rich patrons, the defense industry, the medical
insurance industry or the ever expanding incarceration industry. Let’s remember
that Social Security is a self sustaining program and it is not responsible for
the deficit. Let’s also remember that Medicare is far more efficient at
dispensing health care to the American people than the private healthcare
insurance industry
If we were serious about the deficit may be we should look
at inheritance taxation, raising the tax rate on capital gains, a financial
transaction tax and a look at the off shoring of corporate profits. Corporate America has managed
to buy a disproportionate share of the American politic and to get their way
with little regard for the poor, the working class or middle class. After all
we are a constitutional democracy where every citizen has one vote.
Here are ten articles which make the intellectual case for
calling the bluff of the house Republicans.
http://www.salon.com/2012/10/19/dont_fear_the_fiscal_cliff/?source=newsletter
Don’t Fear The Fiscal Cliff
http://www.salon.com/2012/11/13/some_dems_drive_over_fiscal_cliff_then_bargain/
Some Democrats
Say Drive Over Fiscal Cliff And Then Bargain.
http://www.salon.com/2012/12/22/over_the_fiscal_cliff_we_go_2/
Over The Fiscal Cliff We Go.
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2012/12/21-5 Playing Taxes
Hold’Em ‘GOP Crazies’ Save Progressives From Obama (Again)
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/13/fiscal-cliff-poll-pew_n_2292151.html
Fiscal Cliff Poll: Democrats In 'Strong Position
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2012/12/19 Fiscal Cliff:
Lets Call Their Bluff
http://www.commondreams.org/video/2012/12/19-0 Robert Reich:
Obama Has Compromised Too Much on the Fiscal Cliff
http://videocafe.crooksandliars.com/heather/sen-sanders-president-obama-needs-stand-fi
Sen Sanders: President Obama Needs to
Stand Firm Against Cuts to Social Security
http://truth-out.org/speakout/item/13326-dear-mr-president-stop-compromising-start-leading
Dear Mr. President Stop Compromising and Start Leading
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/12/fiscal-cliff-poll_n_2279553.html?utm_source=DailyBrief&utm_campaign=121212&utm_medium=email&utm_content=FeaturePhoto&utm_term=Daily+Brief
Fiscal Cliff Poll What Americans Would Like A Fiscal Cliff Deal To Look Like.
Here are the links to over 500 more Economic Justice
Articles
http://economicjusticelinks.blogspot.com/
