REPUBLICANS: PLEASE STOP HINDERING OUR NATION & START HELPING

 

…U.S Military Vet w/ Sign

 

Lower unemployment, more jobs, Wall Street success, and Obamacare is working.  Now, how about helping w/ income inequality?

 

It is totally ridiculous regarding the untrue rhetoric that is coming from the Republicans, especially from their leadership, criticizing a bogus lack of success by the current administration. 

Could coming out of the Great Recession have been better? Sure it could, especially if the GOP had pitched in instead of working hard at, and failing, to make Obama a one term president.  But when one listens to what the chair of the House Budget Committee, Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) said recently on Meet the Press, it makes you wonder what nation and president he is referring to. 

This GOP House Budget Chair said the following to the host Chuck Todd in his interview, “Look, the president has done two big rounds of tax increases. It’s one of the reasons why we have this stagnant economy we do. He’s practicing yet again envy economics, and it doesn’t work. We are an aspirational people. We’re an optimistic people and our policies should reflect that in our country, and that is not the kind of economic policy or politics the president practices.”

Stagnant economy?  OK, let’s just look at just how wrong they have continually been and what is going on today.  And let’s not forget that under the Obama administration, more jobs have been created than both Bush administrations…combined.

I think the Washington Post’s E.J. Dionne said it best: “Well. Regiments of Republicans claimed that Obama’s policies, and especially Obamacare, would be “job killers.” In the face of 58 straight months of private-sector job growth, will they ever admit their claims were absolutely wrong? Will anyone even ask them? And like them or not, aren’t Obama’s proposals on higher education, child care and pre-kindergarten programs all about aspiration and optimism? “

And by the way, regarding Obamacare, For the second year in a row, Obamacare premiums will be lower than anticipated. A Center for American Progress analysis of 2015 premium rates shows that premiums will increase by an average of only 3.9% from 2014 to 2015. From 2008 to 2010, the national average rate of premium increase was 10.9%, which is 179% greater than the increase between 2014 and 2015.  Yes, the ACA is working even better than expected.

The area that need the attention today is to deal with the inequality between the “haves” and the “have-nots”.  This means that we need to focus on increasing the wages and benefits people get before government taxes are levied. It’s why we must increase the minimum wage, strengthen, not weaken, our unions and find other ways of enhancing workers’ bargaining power with management.

As usual, progressives are more insistent than conservatives on increasing the market rewards for those that work for a living.  If this is achieved, government programs would not have to “redistribute” the nation’s tax-payer monies as they do under the current circumstances. In the meantime, if the two parties could just start working together for all Americans, the tax code and the various tax credits could be tilted toward those Americans who have been lagging behind for years.

As it is today, in the US, we currently “redistribute” tax monies in favor of those who are already doing well.  As an example, in 2014, H.U.D., which focuses on lower-income Americans, they spent $42 billion. But the numerous tax benefits for US homeowners totaled $154 billion, most of which went to the more affluent households.  The Republicans continue to rant against “redistribution”, but let’s ask ourselves, “Who is benefiting most from the system today?”  And many of those benefits came from the laws and rules that were developed by Wall Street lobbyists during both Bush administrations.

                                                                                                                        

And we don’t need to make changes that just deal with Washington politics.  As I wrote in a recent article about Wisconsin governor, Scott Walker, wanting to cut Wisconsin university budgets for building a luxury sports arena.  There is now a little item in Obama’s budget that would take away tax subsidies for the nation’s owners of pro sports teams that help them build new stadiums.

At this time of rising inequality, we all need to pay close attention as to whether government redistribution is making income inequality worse, or is it trying to improve the lives of those at the lower end of the economy. 

I must say I am looking forward to a day when we will no longer see those unfortunate individuals standing on the sidewalks with their cardboard signs asking for handouts.  I never had to see them when I was a kid, and I would hope that my grandchildren won’t have to see them in the years to come.

I also agree with the Massachusetts Senator, Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) when she told the wealthy factory owners that they needed to “pay forward” for a government that protects their property, educates their workforce and builds the infrastructure and highways required for transporting their goods to market.

It’s a responsibility that is on the shoulders of all of us.

Copyright  G.Ater  2015