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Manhattan Diary by Cahir O'Doherty

GOP class warfare: protect billionaires at all costs

Posted on Monday, September 19, 2011 at 10:04 AM

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If the GOP wants to talk about class war this week, then they should seek the opinion of the 99% of Americans they forgot to ask.

Let's start with you.

If you're like most other working Americans now you probably can't get a raise, or you can't get health insurance, or you can't get a pension, or you can't get a 401k, or you can't bargain collectively, or you can't get a mortgage, or you can't get social security, or you can't get Medicare, or you can't get a student loan, or you can't a credit card, or you can't get a vacation - and you sure as hell can't get a financial bailout.

It's like there's no way out.

But the tycoons of Wall Street, the sacred heads of our banking and corporations who can walk between the rain drops on their way home to their gated communities, can get every item on that list - and then to thank us for bailing them out they can award themselves record breaking bonuses.

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America has slipped so far to the right these days that we can't tax billionaires at the same rate as the middle class, without the GOP screaming that we're becoming the Soviet Union.

And in one sense of course, we truly are. Last week, the US Census Bureau released new figures showing that nearly one in six Americans now lives in poverty — that's a record 46.2 million people.

The American poverty rate is the highest of any major industrialized nation, and many experts believe it could get worse.

But the GOP playbook this week will tell you that taxing the rich to address truly insane social inequalities equals class warfare. And bleeding the middle class of their last cent equals freedom, apparently.

The only real agenda in the Republican playbook is to reduce taxes still further for the "job creating rich." Never mind that for over a decade the job creators have not created any worthwhile jobs. The other pressing thing the GOP want to do is to prevent payroll taxes for the American worker.

What's that if not class warfare?

Not every person in the country knows that Americas rich are playing the least amount of taxes now in the history of the Republic. They need to learn this.

Because with help from the GOP Americas rich want your pension funds, your collective bargaining rights, your unions, your health insurance, your Medicare and your home.

And with help from the GOP they are going to get it.

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EphraimKibbey | Sep 19, 2011, 05:13 PM EDT

"The only real agenda in the Republican playbook is to reduce taxes still further for the "job creating rich." Never mind that for over a decade the job creators have not created any worthwhile jobs." You should qualify your statement with "here in the US" as they have created plenty of jobs in China, South America, etc.. But some of them fail to see that setting fire to the basement of their house will, eventually, reach and consume them on the top level. I was watching a business show on CNBC this morning and strangely they were supporting a balanced approach out of our mess with substantial increases as well as minimum taxes on millionaires and on taxing dividends and capital gains at the same rate as earned income. So some others of them, like Buffet, do understand the dangers we all face from the games the GOP are playing. There is a paper trail showing where the Wealth of This Nation went over the last decade and it can be followed right up to the doors of the masters of the GOP. Thanks for a well written, truthful article. I am glad that someone is out there countering the GOP propaganda.

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peterson | Sep 19, 2011, 01:26 PM EDT

Actually, the tax increase begins with those earning $200,000 and higher. The lower end of that list includes thousands of small business owners who employ more people than those at the higher income levels. That is a fact !!!

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jerrydonovan | Sep 19, 2011, 01:23 PM EDT

I wonder as to how many on the political right have ever read Rearum Novarum?This is the papal encyclical issued by Pope Leo x111 app.130 years ago.I would like to hear their take on this encyclical.

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Nicomax | Sep 19, 2011, 01:02 PM EDT

For many on the far right, it is not just a case of not raising taxes on the very top income earners, but actually giving them a bonus of lower tax rates as a reward for their being so swift and clever. We can only sit in awe of their wonderfulness.

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hollabackgurl | Sep 19, 2011, 12:53 PM EDT

I suppose the more obvious rejoinder to shut conservatives up is that 45% of people don't make enough money to have an income tax bill.

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hollabackgurl | Sep 19, 2011, 12:51 PM EDT

This 45% pay no taxes thing has never passed the smell test. It's a myth, or a lie if you prefer. 53.6 percent do pay taxes. 23.3 percent are either young people or destitute people. 10.2 percent are the elderly. 4.5 percent receive tax breaks that benefit the wealthy more than the poor and middle class. 8.4 percent are (for the most part) working class people and people with kids that are trying to improve their lot in life. Conservatives and Republicans are trying misreading the data - what about children, and old people, and perhaps even the poor?

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Reilleyfam | Sep 19, 2011, 12:36 PM EDT

Well said.

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eiriamach | Sep 19, 2011, 11:58 AM EDT

Look at the efforts in various states to restrict voter registration among the young, minorities, and the working class. Look at the assaults on the rights of unions to negotiate for fair working conditions, fair pay, and essential health- and life-insurance benefits and pensions. Look at the war on women's health care, i.e., Planned Parenthood clinics that serve middle-class and working-class women. As a result of clinic restrictions, teen pregnancy rates will spike in coming years, more children will be born in poverty to teen mothers, and more women will be trapped in poverty. The agenda is clearly a shift in political control, not only a monopoly on wealth.

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eiriamach | Sep 19, 2011, 11:07 AM EDT

Right, it is class warfare, but the goal of the war is not to "protect" billionaires but to "empower" them politically. It's class warfare launched by the deluded representatives of the wealthy-- GOP in the House of Representatives-- against middle-class American workers and the poor. The poor they will leave to die in hospital emergency rooms if they meet with accidents or diseases because having health insurance was their responsibility and they should have bought it with their food stamps! The middle-class they will reduce to serfdom at the hands of corporate moguls (it's a buyers' market for job applicants). Political control is much easier when there are just two groups: the oligarchs at the top of the socio-economic ladder and the dis-empowered rest of the population slipping further and further down from the center.

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patrickesq | Sep 19, 2011, 11:02 AM EDT

It is amusing to read some of the comments of your readers who are offended by your stated view of the facts. Most of them express their disagreement by calling you names or by distorting or ignoring the facts. The dramatic growth in the poverty levels in America is clearly getting worse with the consequence of inadequate health care, nutrition and housing. Fifty million Americans are now without health care insurance. And the Republican Congressmen uniformly want to abolish the Affordable Care Act so that the rapacious private insurance companies will be back in charge of determining who gets insurance coverage at the exorbitant rates that will protect their profits and the more than generous compensation of their executives. The 2012 elections will give the American people a clear choice between allowing the Republicans to continue their push of a Corporate take over of America, or a system that taxes people fairly based on their ability to pay, and promotes the general welfare of all Americans by allowing them to pursue their happiness on a level playing field.

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genemowry | Sep 19, 2011, 10:45 AM EDT

Republicans are masters at distorting the truth and using scare tatics. Obama has been set up to fail by them. Americans have short memories do you really want these people in power? Look what they did the last time they had all the power!!

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loveapint | Sep 19, 2011, 10:38 AM EDT

I have been thru many elections at my age, the Dumbacrats have always said at election time "tax the rich" Will Congress exempt themselves like they always exempt themselves from everything? A lot of these millionaires started their business' from sthe start, risking all their money and property and built a sucessful operation. So why do the dumbacrats want to punish them for being sucessful? Tax the rich is a phrase that has outgrown them. Instead cut back on foreign aid to all those counties that hate us. Also stop the money to the UN, which is anti-American and kick them out of NY

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jamieLM | Sep 19, 2011, 10:22 AM EDT

Here's another set of statistics and you can look it up, too. 1. 45% of all U.S. households pay NO fed. income taxes at all - NONE. 2. The top 1% of all income earners pay 39.5% of all federal income taxes. In 2010, the U.S. govt. paid out $2.3 TRILLION in entitlements: unemployment benefits, Soc. Sec., disability benefits, Medicare, Medicaid, vet's benefits, education assistance, etc. In 2010, 59% of all Americans received a govt. payout in one form or another. Is the tax system fair? No, it isn't. I'm for closing a lot of the loopholes for people who are taking unfair advantage and revamping the tax code for everyone, but it's more complicated than just thinking that taxing the rich into oblivion will solve all the debt problems of the U.S.

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hollabackgurl | Sep 19, 2011, 10:11 AM EDT

George W. Bush gave the rich massive tax cuts every year of his presidency (and those cuts are STILL in effect) so where are all the jobs these job creators were supposed to bring us? And why did the Bush economy nearly destroy the American economy?

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colkelley | Sep 19, 2011, 09:56 AM EDT

And Obama does nothing to protect his billionaire buddies George Soros (who wants to collapse the American currency like he did in Europe so he can make more Billions), or Warren Buffet? Grow up Cahir and educate yourself beyond what your knee-jerk radicalism allows. On average, Democrats in the Federal government have greater individual wealth than the Republicans and use their offices to enrich themselves further. Nancy Pelosi has heavy investment in tuna canning in American Samoa so the last increase in the Minimum Wage did NOT apply to...wait for it...AMERICAN SAMOA! Show some brains and call for the Constitutional ban on allowing lawyers of either party to hold any public office not directly related to law enforcement.

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