Have you ever read some of the letters to the editor in which the writer strongly defends the right of the rich to be given large tax breaks because if they didn’t get them they would leave the state or they would get high priced accountants to figure out how to beat the tax man? How droll. What do these folks think the guys who are making the big bucks are already doing to beat the tax man? Putting their money in off shore accounts, influencing state and federal governments to provide loop holes in the tax code as well as lowering the taxable rates on folks making big bucks? What makes these middle class or even poor folks come to the defense of the wealthy. The Madison Avenue guys have done a great job of selling the “American Dream” to the masses-“you too can someday become rich like those other guys”. That’s how they have been able to con the hard working Americans into working hard for less and less pay.
Think about it, the average working stiff in America has lost ground in the disposable income department; his or her income has been declining since the 1970’s. The gap between the rich and the poor in the country has escalated so that in the last 20 years the upper 1% now controls 27% of the wealth. We could go on and on but it really doesn’t matter because most people aren’t listening. They are to busy trying to make ends meet and to keep their heads above water. However, if you ask them who and what place someone is in Dancing with the Stars or some other trivial information they are Johnny on the spot. Ask them to tell you if teachers are paid too much money and get too many benefits and they will tell you that these folks get way to much money for what they do and they certainly should have to pay more of their benefits. A follow-up question like how do you think the pension plan got in such bad shape and they will scratch their heads and say it’s the union’s fault but the governor is trying to fix what those bad workers did. So much for enlightenment! It never occurs to them that their elected officials put them in the hole by not appropriating the money to pay the governments fair share and to make matters worse, past governors have given tax breaks and to pay for them they took monies from the pension plan to make up for the budget shortfall. Now that we are in deep financial problems because we have not fairly taxed the wealthy and have provided large tax loop holes for corporations the blame game has begun.
It’s the middle class working stiff and people on social security and let’s not forget those people on Medicare and those poor kids on Medicaid that have brought America to financial ruin. Their greed and demands for more government services have put us where we are today. Do you realize that 52% of Americans pay no taxes because they don’t make enough taxable income?
However, we are told incessantly that the rich are the job creators, not factually true, but we buy into the myth while they laugh all the way to their off shore bank. Interesting tidbit-one hedge fund manager last year earned over $4,000,000,000 that’s the equivalent of the salaries of 186,000 workers earning $40,000 a year. He probably paid less than 15% in taxes unless he made the money overseas and then he would have no tax liability. Think about it tonight when you go to bed and have time to reflect on things before you go to sleep. Twenty two Americans made over a billion dollars last year and you paid more taxes on your income then they did. And you think about how the republicans are shielding these folks, people who make over a million dollars a year and pay less taxes as a percent of their income then you do and ask yourself is this class warfare? Or are some folks in America able to buy the government so they can enjoy all the fruits of their labor while the rest of us pay the bill. And let’s not forget the United States Supreme Court is bought and paid for by these same rich folks. Just a thought, maybe we like royalty in America who knows? I think it’s time for Americans to wake up and tell the Tea Party to peddle their Bulls**t somewhere else we ain’t buying it.
Submitted by Bob Rann
