I don't have a spending problem, I have an income problem.

[JohnnyRingo]

Much like American families themselves we don't have a spending problem, we have an income problem. Conservatives would like us to think we have continually expanded social programs over the years until Uncle Sam found himself up to his red white & blue suspenders in debt.

The sad truth is the opposite. Over the recent decades that most national debt has accumulated we've cut social programs at an alarming rate while simultaneously reducing our nation's income to record lows. Social Security has remained solvent because it's been "hands off" to income cuts so far, and we've even raised the taxable income level that funds it. That's why the Republican sharks have been circling the popular program with their premature declaration of its demise.

When times were good and the treasury was flush with cash, the Republicans called out that "It's the taxpayer's money, not the government's", and mandated a tax cut aimed at six figure incomes. When cash reserves fell under the reduced income and we faced a rising deficit, the GOP effortlessly shifted into reverse and claimed "A new round of tax cuts for the job makers will stimulate the poor economy and increase income". This whipsaw "wash, rinse, repeat" of tax cuts for every reason has resulted in a massive pay cut for our country while trying to balance a budget that included minimal aid to working and non-working families. This apparently flawed logic has brought us to their originally intended goal of eliminating subsidies to work a day Americans.

Now it's obvious we have to either increase our income or further decrease our spending, and Republicans in power have predictably opted for the latter. When it comes to balancing the books, the wealthy get the breaks. When it comes to spending, the working class suffers the pain. The wealthy don't use public parks, libraries, social services, or the public schools that face cuts. Their secluded mansions and gated communities don't require the safety services so badly needed in the ghettos and poorer suburbs of America. Their top dollar insurance policies insulate them from the weighty health care decisions made by those on public assistance and workers with high co-pays. Not surprisingly, this is the area where the GOP sees a need to cut federal spending.

They would have poverty and middle class households decide how to tighten their own belts on needed expenses like electricity, heating, and food while accepting less pay at work. After all, that's the winning model they've been using to claim a path to victory for the economy. Eventually, loss will turn to tragedy in both instances.

[old mark]

1. " I don't have a problem with drugs...I have a problem with policemen..."

Keith Richards.



mark

[xchrom]

2. recommend

[Waiting For Everyman]

3. Exactly right.

[bobbolink]

4. You are so right, yet charity aims to humiliate people as it insists they don't handle money well.

I will never forget seeing a sign in a food bank, requiring that people take a "class" in "how to manage money" before they could receive food!

THIS is what charity is about.... the idea that YOU are flawed, rather than the system is flawed and needs to be fixed.

The above example is just one of the reasons why I insist on JUSTICE rather than charity.

People can only do well when they are treated with respect, and poverty will only improve when we insist on talking about the REALITY of poverty.... that it is systemic rather than individual.

Best wishes to you.... :hi:

[Hannah Bell]

5. No, we have an income distribution problem.

http://rationalrevolution.net/articles/american_income_taxation.htm

[Dappleganger]

6. I don't have a drinking problem, I have a standing up problem.

--Ron White

[dionysus]

7. poor fellow, he was too high strung. i guess the strain... was more than he could bear...

couldn't resist.

[Capitalocracy]

8. You know what would be a great way to increase income

without raising anyone's taxes? Create more jobs and create a living wage requirement.

[SidDithers]

9. "I don't have a gambling problem, I have a money problem"...

Brian Malony, the Toronto banker who embezzled more than $10 million from the CIBC and lost it all in Atlantic City and Vegas.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Molony

Made famous in the book Stung, by Gary Stephen Ross (great read, btw) and the movie Owning Mahoney starring Phillip Seymour Hoffman which was based on the book.

Sid