One of the first things parents do when their children are old enough to understand anything is to teach them to share. Indeed, when a child exhibits selfish behavior, remonstration, if not outright punishment, is sure to follow. Case in point: a child is celebrating his second or third birthday. All of the toddler’s friends have been invited. They bring gifts and are excited at the prospect of watching those gifts being opened and more often than not, will want to play with the toys that have been unwrapped. But the birthday boy objects to sharing his gifts. They are, after all, HIS gifts. So he lashes out and throws a tantrum, at which time his mother intervenes and gives him the sharing talk. She points out that he wouldn’t have the wonderful gifts had his little friends not brought them and therefore, he should be willing to share them. It isn’t like his friends have come to take away all of his toys. They’ve actually added to his collection so it’s only fair that he be willing to show his appreciation of their largesse by sharing the bounty.
The concept of sharing is pretty much regarded as a virtue and something that we all should do. Except, of course, when it comes to wealthy people and taxes. All of a sudden, the concept of sharing goes out the window and accusations of class warfare are hurled at those horrible LIBERALS who have the audacity to think that the rich, having so much, could pitch in a little more and help this country out of the financial mess we're in. They (the rich) buy politicians to deliver the message that if they are taxed any more than they already are, the economy will crumble and the only thing standing between us and total ruin is the continuation of the Bush tax cuts.
Bullshit!
If those tax cuts were so great, created so many jobs, then where are all those jobs? Why weren’t they created during the Bush years? The fact is that George W. Bush had the worst jobs record of any president since Herbert Hoover. And the debacle he left behind has been playing havoc with the economy since he left office.
Here’s the truth. The tax cuts the Republican Party so desperately want to keep in place will cost $700 billion over ten years. There are those who argue that tax cuts don’t “cost” anything but that too is bullshit. Keeping those tax cuts in place will deprive our economy of $700 billion to help drag us out of the financial chasm we find ourselves in. $700 billion we could be spending on building roads, bridges, electrical grids, schools, fire, police – all stimulative to the economy because the money from the jobs created on those projects goes into the pockets of people who will spend it. When they spend the money on things like cars, televisions, vacations etc. they create a demand for yet more jobs and before you know it, the economy turns around and once again we are in boom times. It really doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure it out.
Here’s another truth. Over the last ten years the Bush tax cuts have cost (taken out of the economy) $2.5 trillion dollars (that’s Trillion with a capital T), which is 2 ½ times the cost of the Democrat’s Health Care plan over ten years. But according to Republicans, we need to repeal the Health Care plan because it’s too expensive but keep those tax cuts for the rich in place.
All of this because rich people don’t want to share. It makes me wonder if they were ever taught the concept when they were youngsters. Those in the top 2% won’t miss the extra 3% they’ll have to pay for income over $250,000. Come On! That’s chump change to them.
Here’s the truth. This country made them wealthy and it’s their PATRIOTIC DUTY to pitch in and help to dig us out of this financial sinkhole. The rest of us have been suffering: losing jobs, services, retirement and even our homes, so I think it’s about time we all started acting like we’re in this together instead of having one class – the privileged class – bear no burden.
I’m just saying…
