“It is useless to attempt to reason a man out of a thing he was never reasoned into”

Jonathan Swift
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"The Democrats have moved to the right, and the right has moved into a mental hospital." - Bill Maher
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"The city is crowded my friends are away and I'm on my own
It's too hot to handle so I gotta get up and go

It's a cruel ... cruel summer"

Tuesday, August 17, 2004

Holy Economics Batman!

Ok, can we go ahead and just call bullsh** on Bush's leave no millionaire behind economic policy? (For all ya'll who yawn at this stuff, I understand, please bear with me.)

This is a HUGE campaign issue this year, and after more than $2 trillion in tax cuts for the wealthy, Shrub's supply-side experiment has done nothing for America.

Let's run down a few facts:
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-The wealthiest 20 percent of households in 1973 accounted for 44% of total U.S. income, according to the Census Bureau. Now their share has jumped to 50% by 2002. Everyone else’s fell. (THIS MEANS YOU)

-Three in five of Shrub's vaunted newly created jobs pay BELOW the national median hourly wage.

-Prices are rising, health care is going up 10-18% year (50% just while Shrub has squatted in the white house), and 80% of workers salaries are failing to keep up. (THIS MEANS YOU)

-Shrub announced that he wants to eliminate overtime pay for 8 MILLION AMERICANS. (THIS MEANS YOU)

-The result of Shrub's LNMB policy means that for the first time in history, the share of additional income that has gone to corporate profits is LARGER than the share of additional income that has gone to employee wages and benefits. Where are the jobs? The pay?

-Your taxes went UP under Bush. That's right, state and local taxes WENT UP, to offset the LNMB tax act losses.

-52% of Shrub's so-called "Tax Relief" goes TO THE TOP 1% ! (Those making $1.5 million a year). What? You can't get by on 1 1/2 million bucks a year?

-The biggest buyer of US Bonds is, ready? . . . CHINA. This means that we are BORROWING billions from China and giving it to Bush's rich friends. WTF?

OK, OK, SO WHAT DO WE DO ABOUT IT?
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#1- Shrub needs to get the boot in November.
#2- Unearned wealth and labor should be taxed at similar rates, so those profiting from investments pay as much as those working multiple jobs and long hours just to get by.
#3- NO NATIONAL SALES TAX.
#4- No more tax breaks to corporations and CEO's that move their headquarters overseas and pay themselves lavish salaries and perks while cutting pay and benefits for their employees.
#5- Stop the deficit bleeding. The more we have to borrow, the higher the interest we have to pay to make the bonds attractive, the less we have in Social Security, Medicare . . . get the cycle?
#6- Get off the oil tit as soon as possible. It's a drug. America needs an intervention. HUGE tax breaks for hybrids will jump start this.
#7- Tax breaks for middle class (making 60k or less a year), not the ultra-wealthy.
#8- Repeal Bush's failed tax cuts for those at the top end of the earning spectrum. It obviously has failed to stimulate the economy.
#9- Tie corporate tax breaks to job creation. Create a PERMANENT good paying job, get a tax break.

CLICK HERE TO READ THE KERRY/EDWARDS ECONOMIC PLAN

Sources:
MSNBC
CAP
EPI
CTJ

PHEW! Long post.

-Prodigal Son