Forum Post: Re: After collapse of Super Committee
Posted 12 years ago on Nov. 23, 2011, 11:21 p.m. EST by OldCrow
(22)
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After collapse of “supercommittee”
Obama, Congress make new austerity plans
By Patrick Martin 23 November 2011
The official demise of the congressional deficit-reduction “supercommittee” has become the starting point for the next round of austerity demands from both the Democratic and Republican parties. Both parties represent and respond to the interests of the corporate financial elite, where there is unanimous agreement on making the working class pay for the crisis of American capitalism but divisions over the best political strategy to impose this outcome. The Republican Party, representing the most rapacious factions of the ruling elite, seeks to make the most of a political framework in which the working class has no representation or influence on government policy. It rejects even one dollar of additional taxes on the wealthy and seeks to impose the entire burden of deficit reduction on working people, through cuts in social spending, primarily the destruction of Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security…
….The Republican Party, representing the most rapacious factions of the ruling elite, seeks to make the most of a political framework in which the working class has no representation or influence on government policy. It rejects even one dollar of additional taxes on the wealthy and seeks to impose the entire burden of deficit reduction on working people, through cuts in social spending, primarily the destruction of Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security. One party strategist quoted in the press this weekend suggested that the Republicans expected to defeat President Obama for reelection, win control of the Senate and retain control of the House of Representatives, giving them complete control of the federal government. In that event, he said, the Republicans would adopt the plan for privatizing Medicare and turning Medicaid over to state governments that was proposed by House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan earlier this year and endorsed by the House of Representatives in its budget resolution, on a party-line vote. The result would be the effective abolition of entitlement programs enacted in the 1960s upon which tens of millions of people depend for basic health care. The Democratic Party represents, not working people, but that faction of the financial elite which is concerned that too overt a policy of favoring the wealthy will provoke a political upheaval from below. They are alarmed by the popular support for the Occupy Wall Street protests, which Democratic mayors have sought to suppress through a combination of flattering phrases and brutal police violence. The Democrats seek to use minor increases in taxes on the wealthy as a political fig leaf. This would allow the Democrats to claim they have achieved “equal sacrifice,” as though a dollar taken from a janitor, a secretary or a college student is the same as a dollar taken from a multi-millionaire. In any case, the tax increases on “millionaires and billionaires” will be evaded or passed on to workers through the manipulation of the tax system….
….The Democrats seek to use minor increases in taxes on the wealthy as a political fig leaf. This would allow the Democrats to claim they have achieved “equal sacrifice,” as though a dollar taken from a janitor, a secretary or a college student is the same as a dollar taken from a multi-millionaire. In any case, the tax increases on “millionaires and billionaires” will be evaded or passed on to workers through the manipulation of the tax system…..
For the sake our our children and future generations of Americans, we need to take back our democracy from the rich and powerful who are using their vast sums of money to "speak" as if they represent millions of Americans. They are twisting our laws and manipulating our policies in their favor at the expense of the average American. The $50 or $100 a normal American may give to a political campaign becomes meaningless when corporations or other special interests are handing our millions to buy political access to the decision making process. Here's my 2 cents on what we need to do:
For decades now the corporations and special interests have had our "representatives" bought and paid for (both on the right and the left). Don't get distracted by the symptoms - we need to address the root cause. Concentrating our efforts on getting the money out of our politics is the best way we can create an environment in which further reforms can be realized. Until we end the current system of legalized bribery (campaign donations) and paid lobbying our politicians will continue to be the LAP DOGS of the corporations and special interests. What we need first and foremost is real, loop-hole free CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORM!!!! If the corruption is not dealt with first, the chance of any other meaningful reforms becoming a reality is almost zero - the special interests will just use their money to buy votes and put forward bills that create loop-holes or otherwise twist the law in their favor. If we want our children to live in a country where there vote matters, we need to get the money out of our politics, otherwise they will increasingly become the 21st century version of the "landless peasant." Spread the word - End the LEGALIZED BRIBERY!!! CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORM needs to be THE main goal of the protests!!!
Check this shit Out! I want you to speak truth to power!. Say it once, say it twice. Say it loud. Say it proud. I'm down with the KTC. The Revolution starts here!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGaRtqrlGy8&feature=related
http://occupywallst.org/forum/make-a-stand-join-the-clan/
The Revolution starts here! No one can silence the Revolution!