Juan Cole's blog,
Informed Consent, talks sense about many things today, but I really like what he says about taxes in his discussion of Mitt Romney's promised "20% across the board cuts":
Taxes are used for common purposes. They pay for interstate highways, environmental cleanup, and all kinds of national infrastructure. If Mitt gets an extra $480,000 to keep, it is not free money. It is being subtracted from the common pot of money that pays for the things we need government to deliver to us. Mitt’s investments are in companies that need their goods trucked around the US, but now he’s cutting money to pay for road building and maintenance. He’s eating the nation’s seed corn.
It seems bizarre to me that many people can't see this about taxes. Here's another thing Cole gives us to think about re Romney:
When he says he is going to “fix” social security and medicare (which aren’t broken, aren’t on the verge of bankruptcy, and don’t need any dramatic rescue) what he really means is that he is going to try to get rid of them gradually.
The super rich in the US really, really like 1928, and they hate the New Deal like the devil hates holy water, and they are trying to repeal it. Repealing the New Deal is 80% of Romney’s agenda.
Why is this Romney person out to destroy the middle class and decimate the poor?
Because he is evil.
ReplyDeleteOh, I really believe that Mr Romney is merely trying to get elected. Obviously, his money, alone, hasn't granted him enough of the power that he (and his whole family, evidently) crave.
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The destruction of the middle class and decimation of the poor are just side effects of Mitt's will to get elected by whatever means it takes. At the moment, that means includes pandering entirely to big bank and big corporate interests (energy, insurance, pharma, etc.). He believes he was born to be President; EVERYTHING else is just side effects.
ReplyDeleteDo you think Mitt might have them working in unison? Like, "OK, Rick, you go out and alienate everyone with half a brain, and you, Newt(ie), you go out and alienate everyone who does't love war, and then I'll look so good by comparison, I'll win!! And Rick, when I'm president, you can be Secretary of Health & Human Services, and Newt(ie), you can be Secretary of State--just like Hillary"......
ReplyDeleteI can't help but wonder what would motivate someone to spend millions of his own money to be elected. Surely someone so coolly analytical has looked carefully at this. Now I wonder seriously what he and his friends want. Besides the last little bit of money we regular people have in our pockets, that is.
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