News & Politics

Rant

Republicans Out of Touch With The Public

Posted 10 months ago|8 comments|384 views
Written by
Altruist
Eugene, OR
Once Again the Republicans in the House have shown how out of touch with the common American they are.

Despite the concerns for the deficit, despite our winding down our involvement in two wars, despite the constitutional objections to our involvement in Lybia. Despite the fact that the military has more waste and fraud than any other agency with absolutely NO agencies to keep track of spending or waste. Despite the fact that the majority of people in the country want military spending cut. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41993528/ns/...

Republicans have voted to actually increase Defense Spending by double digits. http://www.statesman.com/news/nation/hou...

Despite 19 different polls that indicate that the public want the rich to pay higher taxes, the Republicans have actually voted to reduce taxes on the rich giving them another trillion dollars. http://www.politicususa.com/en/polls-tax...

Despite an overwhelming majority that want Social Security and Medicare left alone, the Republicans have voted to kill Medicare. http://wonkronk.blogspot.com/2011/07/pol...

Now even President Obama seems willing to cut both Social Security and Medicare.

Policy in this country is being driven by the rich conservatives and the corporations, because they have bought off the law makers. The other 95% of us are not being heard because only money talks now. The tax policies are being shifted so only the middle class pay taxes, and the budget is being balanced by cuts to programs they and the poor depend on, while the rich are not being asked to sacrifice at all.

Once upon a time Americans were concerned about taxation without representation.

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COMMENTS
10 months ago: Some where, over the rain bow.

In your odd, little world, Al, how do you reckon the repubes took over the House in 2010?

Remember, it did happen.

You'd be some kind of history teacher.
10 months ago: Do you have the problem we have in the uk as the big corporations pay hardly anything in tax and then they get paid to employ people.
The big corporations make the rich richer and the poor poorer and the governments are letting them doit.
Altruist
Altruist
Eugene, OR
10 months ago: Red the tea Party did well because all of the Republicans promised to create jobs. Once they got in they didn't introduce one jobs bill. They concentrated on their pet social issues and then suddenly got concerned about the debt that they were responsible for 3/4ths of. Now with their austerity programs eliminating many public jobs they have actually done the reverse of their campaign promises. They were elected to create jobs but in actuality they are eliminating jobs.

I think there is serious buyers remorse already and as the huge cuts effect more and more people there will be a huge backlash against the tea party which is driving all Republican policy.

Yes English we have a problem with 2/3rds of corporations not paying any taxes at all. This is despite the fact that most of these corporations are making record profits. They are sitting on between two or three trillion dollars surplus but are not hiring people or expanding their companies because there is no jobs because the common people are suffering. http://www.alternet.org/economy/150387/2...

The Republicans continue to give the corporations more and more tax breaks because according to the Supply Side Economic fantasies of Reagan, all you need to create jobs is cut taxes and regulations. Unfortunately the reality is that they have been trying that for 11 years now and because of globalization all of the jobs have moved out of the country. Additional tax breaks won't help because they are already paying zero taxes and because they won't hire till there is more demand.

We need more rules and regulations because the corporations like BP Exxon and Massey Coal keep having disasters because there aren't enough regulators to keep track of them and the financial industries and insurance, are able to screw the public with impunity.

The Republicans believe the old failed supply side economics will work this time even though they never did. We need Demand side economics. Get more money into the pockets of the poor, so they spend, so corporations will expand and hire more people to meet the demand.

They push austerity which has the opposite effect. We need to take some of the money from the super rich and circulate that money in the economy.

The Republicans say that ALL taxes are bad and hurt the economy, but their austerity programs are a back door tax on the poor and the middle class that depend on them.

Taxes on the middle class and small businesses may discourage businesses and jobs, but taxes on the rich are the opposite. They take unused money and circulates it.

Some taxes like tobacco and alcohol taxes are actually Good because they discourage harmful behavior while raising revenue which can be used to offset the harm done.

A very small transaction tax on the financial speculation, risky hedge funds, and derivatives would create hundreds of billions of dollars and would discourage bad behavior. The best thing is this transaction tax would simply be collected by the banks as a small fee. It is simple with no forms or book keeping and no loopholes the corporations can get around, so that is a very good tax. I believe most of the EU Britain and France are moving to adopt that because it is the least painful tax.

Unfortunately all but 13 Republicans have vowed never to raise any taxes for any reason, so the only way we can get our financial house in order is to kick all of these unreasonable mathematically challenged ideologues out of office.
10 months ago: Yea right.

You are in for a rude awakening next fall Al.

You haven't figured out that most of America is as ignert as I am and as unenlightened as you are.

I hope you wake up before then man.
10 months ago: The concept of one person one vote has failed. We need to institute a system whereby, you get the vote if you can demonstrate and understanding of the issues and challenges facing the country.

Politicians running for office have to be restricted to talking about policy, issues, and the fundamental forces shaping policy and their vision of the US/State/County in the larger sphere.

Politicians by votes with promises of cuts and engage in attack adds that don't talk about anything substantive. We need to return the political process to one that involves intelligence, debate, and informed decision making.
10 months ago: The OP said "Once upon a time Americans were concerned about taxation without representation."

With the recent supreme court decision that free-speech rights permit groups like corporations and labor unions to directly spend on political campaigns. Do we need to worry about their representation without taxation?
10 months ago: Huh?

You lost me on that one Slim.

Freedom! A socialist's nightmare!
Content Removed by Slim Pickens
Altruist
Altruist
Eugene, OR
10 months ago: Yes Slim the Citizen's United Supreme Court case did away with our democracy because major corporations can now simply buy politicians, make up all kinds of attack ads to opponents they don't like and give unlimited funding to those they do like, all without having to disclose what they are doing. The American Public has become nearly superfluous except that the brainwashed dupes have to actually pull the levers.

There is no longer any freedom except the freedom to purchase the goods from 6 or 7 different corporations.

Edward you are right that our political system is now completely dysfunctional.

Having just two parties doesn't work because Republicans are no longer willing to cooperate, to compromise or to help any constituency except the rich and the corporations who pay for their campaigns.

A political system that worked would have at least three parties. Every vote would be a simple up or down majority vote on whether to act on an issue. If Yes then there should be at least three proposals made, one from the right one from the left and one from the centrists. Then lawmakers should do a preferential vote listing their 1st, 2nd , 3rd, etc. preferences. If three proposals, the 1st preference would get 3 points, the proposal disliked the most would get one.

The proposal with the most points would be passed. This would insure that centrist bills that help the majority of people would pass, and the extremists on each political fringe would be minimized. It would force lawmakers to cooperate for the good of the country and to compromise.

Currently much of what politicians do is just to irritate the other side.

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