As our elected officials continue to come up with a plan both sides can agree upon, it becomes even more clear that there cannot be an actual deal struck if one side continues to withhold on compromise. One side has already made two plans that included some sacrifice to social programs such as social security, medicare/medicaid, health care, and veteran benefits, but just enough to keep them running without shutting them down. Both plans were rejected because they contained equal cuts in tax breaks to corporations and energy companies, as well as having the top 1% pay their fair share of taxes.
Although one side continues argue against raising taxes, they forget that there are no taxes being raised, but only reinstated back to levels before the Bush tax cuts. During the Clinton years, there was actual economic growth that started with a revision of the tax code at all levels. The result caused one of the greatest economic expansion in both the public and private sectors that resulted in an economic surplus Bush would inherit. One of the many questions that was asked was, "how did we get into the mess we face today?" the answer is obvious and very simple: the Bush tax cuts.
During the Bush years, the tax code was rewritten to favor only the private sector and the top 1% of Americans (the rich). Most industries (especially the oil and energy industry) were deregulated for such organizations to earn profits. The result caused the greatest loss of jobs and professions. The middle-class would see their jobs go overseas as well as experience home foreclosures, thus having to either become part of the growing number of poor or having to work two jobs just to keep the house. Many families had to mutually separate in order to survive economically or just to survive. Today, those same tax cuts and corporate loopholes are now being said by all Republicans that they are needed to create jobs. On the contrary! It is the reverse. They (existing "tax cuts" and corporate loopholes) have not created jobs since their inception under Bush "W", only job losses.
Organizations did save a lot of money for growth and expansion, but under newly deregulated rules, they lined their pockets and were able to afford to move overseas to pay workers pennies over dollars. Doing so would help break up unions, no longer pay workers' health care, and turn over the pension fund to CEO's and stockholders. The Bush tax code was so rife with loopholes, troubled organizations were able to take advantage of the rules and rewrite their accounting books to show a profit and rob their employees of their retirement pension fund and 401K's and pocket the money as big bonuses for the top CEO's. Year after year, more jobs were lost and continue to lose jobs today, based on the assurance that such "tax cuts" are creating jobs.
As Republicans continue to play partisan politics, middle-class Americans who voted for them are now having voter's remorse. This is due to the fact that the Republicans in charge are not really representing all of their constituents, but only the top 1%. The only promise they made that put them in the House of Representatives was "jobs, jobs, jobs". Where are the jobs, Boehner? Now, they continue to hold the nation hostage under the threat of default while continuing to defy the President. This is tantamount to actual treason against the Constitution and all Americans.
Still, there are poor and middle-class Americans who continue to vote Republican, blinded by their swinging balony of hate and fear, simply because there is a black man in the Oval Office. They often say that President Obama is "...not their President". Yes he is! Deal with it! Republican politicians continue to laugh at those who are not rich and continue to vote for them, while stripping away their rights to collective bargaining and denying women the right to choose. Republicans often preach about smaller government and overreach, but we continue to see Republicans push for health care repeal, increased tax cuts for the rich, inventing new laws to strip women's rights, and deny immigrants a chance to become Americans. The latter is hypocrisy at it's best since all Republican office holders are decendents of immigrants and would deny today's immigrants the chance to become Americans.
Today, there is a war of the classes. The goal of the Republicans is to have only two classes: rich and poor. If they win and pass a new debt ceiling bill, the middle-class and poor will have to continue paying for the nations' debt incurred by the Bush "tax cuts" and two unpaid for wars, while the Republicans. There was uncontrolled spending under a Republican president but no outrage by the same Republicans who are outraged today. As they continue to say the Obama Administrations' spending is out of control, it is only because they (Republicans) say so with no proof (as usual). Now, they (Republicans) would continue political terrorism and bring the country to the brink of default simply because they do not want to compromise by closing corporate loopholes, cutting back on tax incentives, or reinstating tax rates for the rich equally with cuts in social programs most Americans use, need, or have earned through payroll taxes.
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