Carl Gibson writes, "Despite billionaire Warren Buffett's pleas to reduce the deficit by shifting the tax burden to the super-rich, Republican members of Congress have officially come out in favor of raising taxes on the poor, while fiercely protecting trillions in tax handouts for billionaires, big oil and corporate jet owners. Right-wing politicians and corporate-media pundits have now set their sights on 'lucky duckies,' or the bottom half of Americans who don't pay federal income taxes."
A low-income single mother faces financial hardship and homelessness. (photo: Center for Justice, Tolerance snd Community)
GOP's Debt Solution: Soak the Poor
27 August 11
Reader Supported News | Perspective
magine a bulky schoolyard bully routinely holding you and your classmates upside-down by your shoes and pocketing the money that falls out, using the amount gained from his extortion to buy a new bike at the end of each semester. Now imagine enduring this process every day, all year, throughout each grade of school.
What if one day, the bully actually complained that you weren't bringing enough lunch money to school because he wanted a nicer bike? Would you comply and let him rob you of a larger amount, or would you and your fellow classmates surround the teacher and demand the bully return the money he stole?
Despite billionaire Warren Buffett's pleas to reduce the deficit by shifting the tax burden to the super-rich, Republican members of Congress have officially come out in favor of raising taxes on the poor, while fiercely protecting trillions in tax handouts for billionaires, big oil and corporate jet owners. Right-wing politicians and corporate-media pundits have now set their sights on "lucky duckies," or the bottom half of Americans who don't pay federal income taxes. As law professor Edward Kleinbard noted, this statement is misleading and ignores the need for meaningful reform of our tax code.
Jon Stewart creatively dismantled the poor-people-don't-pay-taxes argument on The Daily Show, highlighting conservatives who dismissed the $700 billion in revenue gained from ending the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy in 2010. According to Stewart's calculations, taking exactly half of everything owned by the bottom 50% of Americans would also generate $700 billion, exactly as much revenue as increasing the tax rate for the richest Americans by a modest 3%. Stewart sarcastically suggested Republicans trim the deficit by seizing all assets owned by the bottom half of Americans.
It's incredibly audacious for the rich to ask the poor to pay more in taxes in order to protect their budget-busting tax breaks, especially considering America's wealth disparity. The gap between the richest and everyone else has grown to levels even greater than on the eve of the crash that triggered the great depression, with the top .001% of Americans now owning 976 times more than the bottom 90%. In 1928, the richest only owned 892 times more than the bottom 90%.
And of course, those accusing the working poor of freeloading ignore the fact that 1 in 4 American jobs don't even pay poverty wages, or that the federal income tax is inherently designed to avoid hitting the poor, the elderly and working families with children. Such bold accusations also ignore the reality that all of the aforementioned groups still pay roughly one-third of their income in sales, property, payroll and excise taxes.
A single mother struggling to keep a roof over her child's head would probably love to trade places with a six-figure earner and bear the burden of paying federal income tax on a comfortable salary. But would a six-figure earner be willing to work three part-time minimum wage jobs and still worry about how the rent is going to be paid at the end of the month? Would he really be eager to forgo paying federal income tax if it meant he had to scrape quarters together to buy beans, lentils and ramen noodles for dinner?
Big oil doesn't need $4 billion per year in taxpayer subsidies - they're making record profits. Excessive tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires won't create jobs - the unemployment rate doubled after ten years of the Bush tax cuts. And corporate jet owners don't need a tax break while public employees nationwide are losing their jobs to budget cuts.
America needs to surround our teacher before recess and make a strong statement together - the bullies don't need to rob us of our lunch money to continue their excessive lifestyles. Let's stop subsidizing wealth for the sake of wealth, and leave struggling middle-class families alone.
Carl Gibson, 24, of Lexington, Kentucky, is a spokesman and organizer for US Uncut, a nonviolent, creative direct-action movement to stop budget cuts by getting corporations to pay their fair share of taxes. He graduated from Morehead State University in 2009 with a B.A. in Journalism before starting the first US Uncut group in Jackson, Mississippi, in February of 2011. Since then, over 20,000 US Uncut activists have carried out more than 300 actions in over 100 cities nationwide. You may contact Carl at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
Reader Supported News is the Publication of Origin for this work. Permission to republish is freely granted with credit and a link back to Reader Supported News.
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Comments
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There is nothing more apathetic than the average white middle-lower class individual. While an American spring is well-needed, I don't see it happening anytime soon. The nation is so sedated by television and fast food that they'll watch their livelihoods disappear down a drain rather than standing up to the authorities that allow it to happen. Good luck America!
TRUER WORDS WERE NEVER WRITTEN!!!
TO THE STREETS! TO THE STREETS! TO THE STREETS! TO THE STREETS! TO THE STREETS! TO THE STREETS! TO THE STREETS! TO THE STREETS! TO THE STREETS! TO THE STREETS! TO THE STREETS! TO THE STREETS! TO THE STREETS!
If a real majority of the people were involved in the voting process, I might agree. Our public officials are elected by a very small percentage of the American people. And, before you jump the gun, the whole election process is archaic, slanted towards middle and upper classes, and discourages those living on the outer fringes of society to vote. Precinct after precinct are located in churches which, IMO, is a gross violation of the separation of church and state.
when a bunch of us went to our congressperson' s office we were given papers to fill out and then after we filled them out we went home. (or to our miserable part time jobs...) how much money is being wasted deporting folks? did you see those kids come out on the street, msybe some risking their freedom? maybe the spring is passing us(are you also?) old fogeys by
I just think you made a mistake. When you say and its not going to be Republican etc. that sounds good, but then you add I'd rather be allied with them.
With who? the Republicans or the Democrats?
I will give you and up sign on the first but a down one on the second.
If they had the guts to do such a campaign, they should start TOMORROW because the repulsive Republicans need to be knocked back on their heels each and every day until that election!
no, they should have started YESTERDAY!!!
But back then Americans weren't so hypnotized by the GOP's rhetoric.
And the Tea Party, which started out Independent, has been infiltrated and taken over by the NeoCons. One of the problems with the TP and their ilk, is they have a poor understanding of history and society. Would most people really want to retrogress to the society and politics of 1776? I think not, but hey, don't tell the TP guys that.
It's too late for him, ABen. He has already been assimilated by the "BORG," (Big Oil & Republican Greed). This guy keeps showing up on this site under at least 8-10 different names. Leave him be and lets get our country back on track, by first, ousting the RETHUGS, AND TEABAGGERS, who led the way in creating this mess! VOTE IN 2012!!! VOTE ABSENTEE BALLOT AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE!
It will not add more taxpayers from the bottom but from the top.
The bottom will still be paying what they are paying now not more.
That's right, fall for the 'tripe' the fascists are forcing on you.
The republicans and democrats are equally to blame for letting the corporate ruling class to get away with pocketing obscene profits off the backs of the poor and working class.
Politicians of the two corporately sponsored political parties are not going to be the ones to deliver relief to the working class - time to look elsewhere for relief.
Barbara, this just a continuation of the "4R" (Ronald Reagan's Reverse Robin Hood) economic policies that still haunt our nation's financial well-being. The amazing thing, to me anyway, is that the VICTIMS of these practices continue to enable those who shamelessly brutalize them. SOOOO Un-American! The rethugs, kochs, cheney, rumsfeld, and the like all HATE our nation. That is why they are HELL-BENT on DESTROYING it through their GREED and LAWLESSNESS!
"We MADE you (poor) and we can BREAK you!"
The primary reason for this dilema is the destruction of the nuclear family. Some parents are failing to give a value system to thier children that helps them help themselves. In the end we begin looking to the state to provide. The failure of the USSR should give the obvious result of that fix. We are seeing the results of that fix in Europe. Coupled with the family deteriation is the lack of faith in God. I see a lot of that lack in what I read in this blog.
This will piss a lot of you off, I know. I hope so. Maybe you'll do some basic thinking of the values of what a human family is all about.
have you ever been to europe? or are you o e of those fat. self serving ignorant americans who swears up and down that this is the best country in the world on the basis of watching a few too many john wayne movies.
in europe, people are healthier, thinner, more educate and cultured. they eat good, real food, they speak several languages. they are physically affectionate with their children.
they do not spend every waking minute worried about paying their medical insurance or their kid's college.
perhaps before you go mouthing off about what's wrong with europe, you might want to get a passport and go visit. but of course, you can't afford to. you're to busy transferring your earnings to the wealthy
I think it's great that you don't need your Social Security money. You shouldn't get any.
Never make assumptions about people you've never met. In this case you made yourself look like an ass and couldn't have been further from the truth.
Nice try though.
So what Joe is saying is that it is FAR better to make the poor far more poor than to be a minor inconvenience to the rich - this is based on his vast experiece working off-shore... Let remind people again, off-shore USUALLY means you live on the oil rig and occasionally go on-shore. NOT the other way around.
Nuclear families in USSR/Russia: read this from the Rand Organization: http://www.rand.org/pubs/conf_proceedings/CF124/CF124.chap1.html - Nuclear families are stronger there than they were in the United States.
As for religion, 83% of Americans say they belong to a religious denomination. Your gut reactions do not seem to compare with facts.
Finally, Peggy Noonan is an idiot. Who was it that made college less affordable? Who was it that made it more difficult to get a higher education? Who was it that believed the rich should get richer and the poor should get poorer?
Republicans and Conservatives have always held that if you have the money, then you can get a higher education. But they'll be damned if they allow the Government to provide any assistance. She is saying, without saying, that these are the results of the conservative movement.
The real depressing truth is there has always been "at the bottom of our society is a layer of young people with no skills, education,value s or aspiratiolns... nobody has ever suggested to them that they need feel any allegiance to anything. ..."
This isn't due to the failure of parents trying to do this, it is the failure of our society to make it possible for parents to have the time to instruct their children, because, when they have to work at multiple jobs just to try to keep food on the table and a roof over their heads, they simply don't have any time left to spend with their children to instruct them about anything! So, maybe you will take a long hard look at why the nuclear family is disintegrating and put the blame right where it belongs, with the wealthy who have crushed and are crushing the middle class. While you are at it, get off of your high horse and learn something about other countries before you start passing judgement on them.
I would like to remind you that Jesus is and always has been a liberal.
The first time He was aware that He was a liberal, was when He turned over the tables of the money-changers in the Temple, it just happens that "liberal" was what the admonished money-changers called Him.
You never see a Repug introduce a bill to raise the Payroll tax maximum above $106,800.
Have ALL payroll subject to payroll taxes
and Social Security long-term funding is solved.
Sen. Sanders (I-VT) has a bill in Senate to accomplish this. That bill WILL wind up in the toilet.
Repugs in Congress should be flushed you know where in 2012.
Of course the danger, as history points out, is the poor very often are pushed to the brink, resulting in the likes of the French Revolution.
As for "job creators"? The whole "jobs creators" thing was created by people who for the most part want to insist unemployed workers receiving state and federal benefits be drug tested. I say fine. What's sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander. As soon as you produce and document a certain number of living wage jobs within the boarders of the continental United Sates you get a tax break Mr. "Job Creator". Until then I think we should tax living benefits for the workers whose jobs you sent overseas right out of you. Don't like it? Set up shop in that Ayn Rand/libertaria n paradise Somalia, you'll love their free markets!
Now all is owned and labor exported by Big-Brother Business which claims to hate, but actually owns, Big-Brother Government.
Now, I welcome SERIOUSLY-PUT AND RESEARCHED opposing points of view from the few rightist-inclin ed posters on RSN.
But to "Joeconserve", The bandying about of "family values" is a contradiction in current terms (Politicians use it all the time).
When it takes two adults working long hours to barely scrape by at jobs they hate and have no productive end, in sterile environments, commuting long distances and arriving home exhausted to their "latchkey" brood, who are, if they can afford one or the other, locked in daze in front of commercial, content-free TV or one of the ever-violent electronic war-games, how the Hell do you expect "Traditional" nuclear families to even exist, let alone flourish?
It has nothing to do with faith when the only allegiance any of the poor bastards have left is to the corporation who employs them as dispensable drones, and as they see their neighbor's jobs being shipped overseas?
Feel trapped yet? -You will soon!
You are a truly sad person and very misguided. Like nearly every Republican I know, and don't bother denying what you obviously are, you think you are righteous and deserve everything you got and the rest of us are nothing but a bunch of ne'er do wells with our hands held out. You make me sick.
You were given all the advantages and learned nothing? No compassion, no common sense? People are starving in the richest, luckiest country on the planet due to corporate and individual GREED.
As a native Montanan, and a military retiree, I'm embarrassed by your remarks.
Remember, there, except for the "Grace of God" goes yourself.
And, Joe, go back and reread the Beatitudes, particularly the one about "the meek shall inherit the Earth", and seriously reconsider your pridefulness. It does not become a person who expects to meet his Maker some day.
It was you who made the family and God reference mate but as usual, you and your ilk make your own circumstances into what "should be" typical as applied with a broad brush in a narrow context and are utterly lacking in vision beyond your own tunnel vision. I have prospered as an entrepreneur, failed and prospered again, and am in a valley from which the means to fight my way out seems to have been removed. have fought the fight with all my might and -And I grew up in post WW11 Scotland in similarly humble circumstances but always with a community spirit and a sense of humor.
So don't assume I know nothing, including the ability to love deeply and raise a family with what I hope are progressive and inclusive values. -I've lived all over the world, worked with passion and shared generously when I was in good shape and yes, I intend to get out of here before the Fragmented states is left in the hands of the likes of you and your God-bothering comrades -but when it's my idea. End of comments to your brick wall of a mind (my assumption).
This is easy and will start a power-shift rolling.
This is a no brainer !!
If we all did that, just think what we could achieve.
Exactly right! Anybody who wants true "freedom" will love it in Somalia.
(are you listening tea-baggers?)
Thanks for putting it PERFECTLY.
Or Texas! It's closer, we could watch from the sidelines and place bets on the results (a new "Blood sport" methinks). And it's already well down that road anyway.
My apologies to the decent Texans who -for reasons which escape me, still chose, or chose, to live in that felonious state, like Jim Hightower, Willie Nelson, the late Molly Ivins, Ann Richards, Jack Teagarden and Bob Wills to name but a few.
Public broadcasting, my ol' kilted arse (ass)!
Great article, Carl!
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