“margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;”>
“font-family: Verdana;”>Congressman Emanuel Cleaver from Kansas City dubbed it a “sugar-coated Satan sandwich.”
“mso-bidi-font-style: normal;”>New York Times Joe Nocera declared it a “jihad on the American People.” Robert Reich, former Secretary of Labor under President Clinton, said it was “ransom paid.”
“margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;”>
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>They are all talking about the latest bill to be signed by President Obama to both raise the debt limit and cut spending. It’s all doom and gloom, unless you agree as I do with Tulane professor Melissa Harris-Perry, who said, “The voice and the power belong to you.” That would be us, the majority.
“margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;”>
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>The deal that was struck has little to do with balancing a budget and putting the country on a sustainable and solid financial footing. It called for $2.4 trillion in cuts from the hides of working and middle class folks. There was no attempt to address revenue options. That would mean rich folks have to open up their pockets and pay up.
“margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;”>
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>The Tea Party represents a small but vocal minority in this country, but they are proving to be a formidable bloc. The Republicans can seem to rein them into the fold and this latest victory will certainly embolden them further. Tea Party ideologues were willing to push the nation to default its credit rating and jeopardize the entire economy in order to get its way. The radical right clearly has President Obama by the crotch.
“margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;”>
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>The elite rich didn’t have to worry about making a sacrifice. They have once again been protected by a Congress that no longer acts on behalf of even their own districts which are suffering multiple economic woes created by the wealthy in their games of financial roulette.
“margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;”>
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Sadly, some of us of have bought into their wicked argument that there’s too much spending, that the burden of all these social programs is weighing the economy down. Yet the tax rate for the country’s richest is the lowest ever as these parasites have constantly figured out loopholes to keep from paying their fair share. It is estimated that minimally $100 billion is uncollected from these corporations and individuals who then add it to their empires. Their mega profits in their safety net. Our safety nets are being eliminated.
“margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;”>
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>The deficit reduction is being shoved on us by the same people who created the financial meltdowns. Wall Street has taken no responsible for its role in the recession. These same people don’t intend to take a hit in these worrisome financial times. If it means defunding the programs so desperately needed because of the financial debacle they created, so be it.
“margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;”>
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>What just happened in Congress and will continue if we don’t stop it is an unspoken austerity program. When you hear the term austerity, you should start to shudder because it will destroy poor people and bring working people to their knees. Think mass unemployment, mass homelessness, mass hunger and mass hopelessness. Austerity measures historically have an adverse impact on the most vulnerable populations so that those in power can maintain their current standard of opulent living.
“margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;”>
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>We see the full picture of the Republican plan including the intentions of their incorrigible Tea Party children. They have given us the sandwich and the Kool-Aid. Soon we will feel the brunt of the plan. It will not be enough to organize food pantries and free clinics. The People will have to step up its game and organize for a direct and swift strategy to wrestle our power from the hands of a few.
