The War On The Middle Class In One Chart

Instead of the Republican proposal to cut much-needed programs for families, children and low-income people (the blue column), why not remove the tax breaks for the wealthy (green column)?

Originally reported by AmericanProgress.org.


This entry was posted in Corporate Influence, Infographics, Politics, Shocking. Bookmark the permalink.

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  • http://twitter.com/DragonflyKid CherokeeGirl

    I can’t believe people are so stupid as to let them pull the huge Heist of 08 and continue to extract and rid us of our property, and the people say “Obama’s great” WAKE UP! He’s the problem! Carnival barker!

  • http://www.facebook.com/kelliesmyers Kellie Smyers

    What does Obama have to do with Republican Governors and Senators!? The executive branch can’t control that..

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1361784071 Amanda Cotylo

    YOU wake up, Dragonfly Kid. The Republicans are the ones trying to extract and rid us of our property, it has nothing to do with Obama. I fail to follow your point. Did you even read the chart?

  • Anonymous

    Give Dragonfly a break….after all, just a kid, right? Knows not what she speaks of………

  • http://www.facebook.com/tumaru.noel Ben Tumaru O’Brien

    Ignorance about how these things (on both sides) really effect the world and arrogance on saying I’m right and your wrong just because I’m saying it and I don’t like you.nnThese two thing make up the suffering of much of the world. I only wish that they would teach young people of America to see the ignorance and arrogance in the world with the compassion it will take to solve the problem instead of making it worse.

  • http://www.facebook.com/rfra3645 Red Ryder Driver

    ben this is spoken like someone with more knowledge than most.. by someone that looks and sees the “collateral damage” done daily by the minute.. nnit is refreshing to know that at least some people out in cyberland understand that the poo flinging has gotten us as far as it is going to get us. the rest is damaging.. very.. nasty nasty stuff. to the whole country.. nnthank you for voicing your opinon :)

  • Anonymous

    At Dragon fly.. you have written a perfect example of free speech. Here is mine. IDIOT!!!!

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_6ZNBOXW6FIEY6QTKM3357JDSSY John

    Are you drunk?nnObama’s the one doing the moral and right thing, while the Republicans (both those in congress and their governors) are taking from the poor and giving to the rich who are already full and overflowing.nnYeah, some godliness.n

  • http://rickladd.com Rick Ladd

    But . . . but . . . but . . . some poor soul may have to forego that 73′ yacht for a mere 52′ one, or (horrors) give up a vacation home in Jackson Hole or Martha’s Vineyard. Think of the social ostracizing these folks would suffer for having “made” it then being forced to cut back some of their perks and/or luxuries. I, for one, wouldn’t want the responsibility of causing so much grief. Don’t you agree?

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_QOOFA4LEKLQIJ2A7KOGTHPXK34 Phil Errup

    considering we’re in a 1.4 trillion dollar hole, saving 42 billion is like saying “hey, we owe $1400 on our credit card. Let’s send 42 bucks and call it even.” That barely covers the minimum payment.nnIt’s actually even worse. It’s more like saying “We’re up to our eyeballs in debt, so well only charge $1358 to our credit card instead of $1400″nnI’d say we need to cut spending and end tax breaks, and that’s just the beginning. If we keep printing money to cover our debt, the dollar will crash, and then $20/gallon gas, 15 bucks for a quart of milk, ect. will be the norm.nnIt’s time to stop arguing about which side sucks more. We need to at least stop the hemorrhaging of our federal budget, then figure out our priorities.nnAnything else is just heads in the sand.

  • Anonymous

    It would sure be nice if people would quit pointing figures and start working on solutions to save our country. Look at Japan! Those folks are in much worse shape and are showing a lot more dignity than the ignorant people who think they are going to save a couple of bucks on taxes if someone else gets cut. The real issue is equalized taxes in addition to reforms in spending and election contributions. If the country can ever get enough elected officials who really care about people, maybe we can start working on bringing jobs back to the US because that is really what drove us in the state we are in and the cuts to the wealthy and corporations were icing on the cake.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_6ZNBOXW6FIEY6QTKM3357JDSSY John

    Part of the reason we’re in this bad of a shape is because of 2 things…nn1. Bush hid the true costs of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars to us by not including them as part of his regular budgets – a political trick to make things look better than they really are. And then he gave away massive tax cuts to the wealthy, digging us into an even bigger hole; (the cuts should have only gone to the middle class and small businesses, to spur job growth.)nn2. The financial meltdown of 2008, leading to the various stimuli, bailouts, and ramped up spending supposedly to avert financial catastrophe.nnSolution:nn1. Reverse the tax cuts for the wealthy (those making over $250,000/year). Those tax cuts never create jobs, nor lead to broad economic prosperity.nn2. Reverse the welfare breaks introduced in the tax code in 2009. Stop encouraging sloth, and senseless breeding.nn3. Slowly wean us from being a consumer-based economy, encourage saving and responsibility.nn4. …

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Robert-James-Walter/1175471289 Robert James Walter

    Republican action is corrupt. Middle class is screwed ,

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_6ZNBOXW6FIEY6QTKM3357JDSSY John

    I’ll take the 1990′s over the 1980′s. nnGet real.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_6ZNBOXW6FIEY6QTKM3357JDSSY John

    Newsflash: There is nothing “incompassionate” about taxing the wealthy a little more than the Average Joe – they still have A LOT / TON MORE LEFT OVER THAN EVERYBODY ELSE! Policies that squeeze the majority poor and middle-class stifle economic growth. Clinton proved that a strong and vibrant middle-class is the key to economic vitality.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_6ZNBOXW6FIEY6QTKM3357JDSSY John

    No Kool-Aid, just common sense, and love of country.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_6ZNBOXW6FIEY6QTKM3357JDSSY John

    Why do you think Lincoln and (before him) our Founding Fathers worry about the CONCENTRATION / AGGREGATION OF WEALTH IN A FEW HANDS as opposed to a strong, vibrant and economically healthy middle-class?

  • Anonymous

    The game is to keep the (little people) arguing with each other while the elites slowly steal everything you have and eliminate any chance of your getting back to freedom and true democracy. It is not of the people, it is now “coming at you by “some people” and you can’ t do a thing about it cause your still arguing with those others who have no control, just a little voice to spit at you. Like, we are the problem? America needs to wake up or the entire planet is screwed. Bush was a puppet and Obama is more of a puppet. Each day that goes by Obama makes Bush look intelligent. Geeeesh, wake the heck up America. We are being controlled, manipulated and packaged by the elitist clowns who started it all by pretending to be on “our side”. The Dummyrats and the repugnantcans are both to blame. We must get into the streets and demand the freedoms that are in the constitution. All have rights, all have the same opportunities. It is not for the super rich, mob connected or those who control the media. It is for all. Allowing the constant separations by those who wish to cage us via Political Correctness is just another way they reign in the boundaries as the ignorant think “how nice, how lovely, they really do care about us and want a better world. They use your emotions against you and then allign you against those with common sense. Wake Up America. You are getting screwed!nWe must work together, not allow the control freaks to keep us arguing amongst ourselves. United, we stand. Divided we fall. Lets continue to be the light for the world, Get out of Afghanistan, and Iraq, and heal our sick nation. Power lies with the people, not some ignorant,self centered fascist Government made up of snobs and power freaks. Unite.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_6ZNBOXW6FIEY6QTKM3357JDSSY John

    i DID NOT SAY ABOLISH ALL PRIVATE PROPERTY. Stop making wrong attributions, by way of 2nd-hand quotes.nnI say it is JUST for the wealthy to pay a little more in taxes than they do now to help counter the imbalance in our fiscal house.nnI say that we need strong unions to fight for fair wages and benefits for workers whose toil and ingenuity help rake in the dough, instead of been paid slave-labor wages while executives and shareholders appropriate all the profits to themselves.n

  • jenius

    So what you’re saying is that you’re unaware that taxes were raised in the 80′s? Several times?

  • jenius

    nnRemoving the regulations that the CPA act added helped cause the recession.nn

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Amanda-McKnight/1180230730 Amanda McKnight

    The Elite in power have created a system to divide and conquer the working man. He strips him of his voice, then will cut jobs, cut pay, and cut benefits. As for the rich, even Steven King stood up in Florida and said that Yes, he’s rich, and if there is such a state of fiscal emergency, then why isn’t he paying 50% in taxes? The business owners, CEO’s, and top margin shareholders are the leaders in this country- True leaders always do what is necessary to ensure the people are being taken care of because without the people, that CEO can’t make his millions. Why should the rich pay for it? Because they can.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Amanda-McKnight/1180230730 Amanda McKnight

    It’s not all republicans. The Tea-Party is the real problem with all of this. As for our President, while I think he has done some good, his silence on this subject is very troubling. There have been many requests from various people asking for the President to show support to the working American, but he has remained “on the fence” not taking a side. That bothers me. I voted for Obama, trust in his policies- but if he actually supports the demise of the middle class, well, I guess he forgot from where he came.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_6ZNBOXW6FIEY6QTKM3357JDSSY John

    That is why we have a pogressive tax system – the wealthy pay more because they simply have more, and still have much more left over. It is the MORAL thing to do. Last time I wrote on this subject I was forced to reference how our nation’s Biblical roots informs our laws and policies. I mentioned how Jesus deemed the “Widow’s mite” (cf. the poor or middle-class in a country) of much more “weight” than the tons of “gold” that the rich donate/give/pay in taxes, etc. (See Luke 21:1-4). Not that the rich’s giving is not appreciated, but they, “out of their abundance” have given what may only be a drop in the bucket for them, whereas the poor/middle-class really feel the burden/pain/pinch of that little that they pay in taxes. That is the difference.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_6ZNBOXW6FIEY6QTKM3357JDSSY John

    I am torn on Obama’s role in this debate. Like you, I want him to come out very strongly siding with the workers, even walking the picket line and addressing the demonstrators! But I am a pragmatist, and given the foul political atmosphere in this country intersecting race, autonomy of states, etc., it is probably the smart thing to refrain from being overly involved. I did not vote for Obama (believe it or not), but given the crap-pile he inherited upon taking office, I am still cutting him some slack. He will certainly get my vote come November 2012 unless he screws up royally within the next year and a half. It would take something supernatural for me to vote for any of the current crop of Repugnicant contenders. Or maybe some Independent darkhorse would emerge out of the blue? We shall see!n

  • Anonymous

    I think people are starting to notice that they have little power. The gap between the rich and the poor has been growing drastically, there’s no good objective way to look at the fact that 400 people in the US have more wealth combined than the bottom 155 million Americans. This is what deregulated Capitalism causes. The companies who get the nice fat tax breaks also spend millions in lobbyists every year, there are even more lobbyists than senators! 50% of the people in our congress are worth anywhere from 5.5 million to 167 million. This seems almost like a conflict of interest to me. And get this, nowadays millionaires don’t feel rich anymore! At least not until they hit 7.5 million. Jesus.

  • Anonymous

    And sounds like you are greedy and selfish Alan

  • Anonymous

    And it sounds like you are selfish and greedy Alan

  • Anonymous

    John said this of the aptly named Progressive Income Tax: “It is the MORAL thing to do.” nnSays who ? Liberals ?n Uh no Alan, the income tax was passed INTO LAW in 1913. Oops, I keep forgetting that right wingers believe they ARE the law.n

  • http://twitter.com/YeahSure34 Steve Sinno

    You couldn’t have said it any better!! We the MIDDLE CLASS have to get together and MARCH to Washington. MILLIONS of us have to get together and demand what we want. We need to put one of our own in every office not just the White House. We don’t have to keep sitting back like we are the Rich and the Governments ATM machine whenever they need more money to fix there mistakes. We don’t need Democrats or Republicans. They are all corrupted the same way. We need a NEW PARTY created from us. The country is obviously not being run properly. If the Middle Class is weakening then America is weakening. WE ARE AMERICA! Lets get our country back!

  • Anonymous

    Unfortunately the decade of greed and Reagonomics did happen.

  • Anonymous

    Who am I to decide Alan? I am an American citizen, a taxpayer and a voter – which means I have JUST AS MUCH RIGHT AS THE RICH TO DECIDE ON THE TAX STRUCTURE OF THIS COUNTRY. Don’t like it? TOUGH.

  • Anonymous

    Did the wealthy cause it? Why yes,as a matter of fact they did, Alan. As I recall, the great recession was caused by banks, insurance companies, and Wall St. brokerage firms loading up on derivatives and credit default swaps, causing a monumental loss of wealth and jobs to the average American.

  • Anonymous

    Inflict Alan? Gee, and I thought the income tax was voted DEMOCRATICALLY into law – oops, I forgot, the right wingers think they are the law, and can ignore any law they don’t like.

  • Anonymous

    Gotta hate that right wing conservative greed and arrogance!

  • Anonymous

    No Alan, liberals don’t say so – the income tax LAW says so. Don’t like it – then be a good libertarian, and GET OUT OF MY COUNTRY. No one is forcing you to live here if you think the tax system is so onerous.

  • Anonymous

    Since when did hedge fund managers and CEO’s of corporations become Joe Sixpack Alan? Oh, and by the way, your equating all poor folks with government leeches tells me all I need to know about your morality (or should I say lack of morality).

  • Anonymous

    Nice try Alan, but the right wing kool aid is not swallowed on this site. Bush added $3 trillion to the national debt between the 2 wars and his tax cuts.

  • Anonymous

    No Alan I don’t give up. Here’s an answer…. Article 1, section 8, clause 1 of the US CONSTITUTION gives the goverment the power to tax and spend. As I recall, the US CONSTITUTION was written by our founding fathers – so go argue with them if you don’t like it. And the 16th amendment to the US CONSTITUTION made the income tax permanent. Don’t like it? TOUGH.

  • Anonymous

    It seems to me that the fruits of life are presented to all of God’s Children. The middleclass are the engine of this country. We must insist in a peaceful way that the Wealthy and the Big Corporations pitch in when it comes to paying or paying more taxes. It is time for these people to share with the rest of us! nn When attending a funeral service last week, one of the subjects that the pastor mentioned is after passing over that whoever in this life has been first, will now be last. Whoever in this life that has been last will be first! The point being that material things on this earth are really of no value, it is how we behave in life that counts.nnI whispered in the ear of a person sitting next to me, Do you suppose that means that when the poor and the middle class make it to that room that has been prepaed for us that the Koch brothers will be there waiting on us hand and foot? That person sitting next to me laughed!!nnI am sorry if that is a terrible thought, however, isn’t it o.k. to wonder?nnHave a nice Evening!!!!nnnnnnnnnn

  • Anonymous

    We have fundamental problem in this country. 1. We do not know how to save. 2. We do not teach our children appropriately about finances and think credit cards are a given. 3. Our poor live better than any 3rd world country. If we have programs to help the needy and those same needy can afford cell phones for all the members of their family and have cable tv then I believe that is a bit backwards. 4. I personally know people living off government programs because they do not want to work and would rather be funded to to go to school!!! What is wrong with that picture? So I suppose it is ok for me to work 80 hours a week to provide a good life for my family at the sacrifice seeing them because I want to take the high road and rely on myself to sit back and watch others just like my friends live off of my sacrifices? Do we need programs to help the needy, yes. Is how we evaluate those who qualify for the programs off center and in need of serious oversight? What happened to taking pride in your hard work? I have worked with the public for many years, served my country and witness first hand the corruption in these programs each and every day. Sickening…Cuts may not be necessary if the programs were run appropriately to get rid of those abusing the system which is a much higher percentage than many of you think. Sickening.

  • Anonymous

    We have fundamental problem in this country. 1. We do not know how to save. 2. We do not teach our children appropriately about finances and think credit cards are a given. 3. Our poor live better than any 3rd world country. If we have programs to help the needy and those same needy can afford cell phones for all the members of their family and have cable tv then I believe that is a bit backwards. 4. I personally know people living off government programs because they do not want to work and would rather be funded to to go to school!!! What is wrong with that picture? So I suppose it is ok for me to work 80 hours a week to provide a good life for my family at the sacrifice seeing them because I want to take the high road and rely on myself to sit back and watch others just like my friends live off of my sacrifices? Do we need programs to help the needy, yes. Is how we evaluate those who qualify for the programs off center and in need of serious oversight? What happened to taking pride in your hard work? I have worked with the public for many years, served my country and witness first hand the corruption in these programs each and every day. Sickening…Cuts may not be necessary if the programs were run appropriately to get rid of those abusing the system which is a much higher percentage than many of you think. Sickening.

  • Anonymous

    Boy you right wingers sure do LOVE states rights – the segregationists in the South were all for them too. As far as I know an amendment to the US Constitution cannot violate another amendment – so go peddle your “as long as it doesn’t violate the 10th amendment” elsewhere.

  • Anonymous

    That’s your best answer Alan? Quick, turn on Fox News and Rush Limbaugh so they can tell you what to think and say.

  • Anonymous

    The truth hurts, doesn’t it Alan?

  • Anonymous

    Oh, so questioning whether you should obey the laws of our country (including the tax laws) is now the new right wing definition of “patriotic dissent”? Gee, my definition of it is an unpatriotic tax cheat.

  • Anonymous

    No such thing as “Obamacare” Alan – you really need to ditch those right wing talking points.The correct term is the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Now, as to your assertion that Obama decided to ignore one judge’s decision about the PPACA – the right wingers have ignored the 4 judges who have said that the PPACA is constitutional. I guess the score is PPACA = 4 and right wing Obamacare = 1.

  • Anonymous

    Taxation is NOT “taking the property of others.” See the 16th amendment to the Constitution.

  • Anonymous

    The Community Reinvestment Act, which increased bank lending in minority neighborhoods, did not cause the recession. It was caused by the deregulation of the banking and insurance industries by the Republicans – specifically the Gramm-Leach-Blilley Act of 1999, which eliminated the protections of the Glass-Steagall Act of 1933, and the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956. GLB allowed banks and insurance companies, such as Bank of America, AIG, etc., to buy derivatives like credit default swaps. And buy they did!!! When all those credit default swaps went belly up, it threatened to take down the banks and institutions that owned them – necessitating a bailout by the Federal government to prevent a complete collapse of our financial and banking institutions that all Americans depend on.nSo Alan, you can give all the Republicans who got rid of those pesky “banking regulations” a high five for causing the great recession and the resulting government bailout.

  • Anonymous

    You are correct that it is a game they play in pitting Americans against Americans – but it is mostly the right wing who practices “divide and conquer.” All you have to do is listen to 5 minutes of Rush Limbaugh (if you can stomach it). The recent shenanigans in Wisconsin by the Republicans also illustrates this – pitting union vs. non-union and public sector vs. private sector workers against one another.

  • Anonymous

    And no one is stopping Rush Limbaugh – who is alway complaining about the national debt – from donating his millions to the Treasury either. How about it Rush? Stop complaining and start donating!

  • Anonymous

    The “tired old Social Gospel” argument Alan? Oops, I keep forgetting you right wingers pick and choose which parts of the Bible you like and will follow. And Alan, the 16th amendment to the Constitution – the law of the United States – says we have a Progressive Income Tax.

  • Anonymous

    Our poor live better than any 3rd world country? Well thank God they do – because the US is NOT a third world country – at least not yet. I am glad we do not have 3rd world standards for treating our poor in this country. When did we get to the point in this country where everyone is jealous and spiteful of their neighbor, just because the neighbor doesn’t work 80 hours a week, or because the neighbor is a public sector worker, or because the neighbor is a union member and doesn’t have to pay as much for health insurance, or because the neighbor had their home saved from foreclosure by a law? Where did this feeling of “I am sacrificing more than the next guy, so I have a right to be jealous of them”, come from? Beware – the Republicans are using “divide and conquer” to pit Americans against Americans – don’t fall for it. United our country stands, divided our country falls.

  • Anonymous

    And no one is stopping Rush Limbaugh – who is alway complaining about the national debt – from donating his millions to the Treasury either. How about it Rush? Stop complaining and start donating!!

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Hb-Pattskyn/1241088357 Hb Pattskyn

    I think you hit a key point with #3 “Slowly”…. this won’t be fixed over night. I think the reason some people are in a panic right now is that nothing that is being proposed by politicians feels “slow”.

  • Anonymous

    Yes John, that IS part of the reason; the other part is the exploitation of Freddie Mac and Fanny Mae by the Democrats that wanted to give free homes to minorities. They bankrupted those institutions even after having been warned a number of times. They destroyed the housing market.

  • http://freeaudionetwork.wordpress.com/ secular1

    This is what 35 years of US workers cowering, conforming and complying has wrought us. That was then, this is now. Stand up & act.

  • http://freeaudionetwork.wordpress.com/ secular1

    Given WI Governor’s attempt to lower teacher wages and benefits its self evident you are jealous of what others have…

  • http://www.facebook.com/DR.SEUSS1 Eric Susee

    How un-American! Socialist! This country was built upon the sweat of the CEO’s of the corporations! Screw the middle class! Screw the poor! Screw our descendents’ educations! Support Business Interests in the name of God and Country!!! What a steaming pile of horse droppings.

  • http://www.facebook.com/DR.SEUSS1 Eric Susee

    Naw, you’re not selfish. You just don’t want to have to give a fair share in taxes is all. I mean, the more you make, the smaller the percentage of it you should pay in taxes. Right. It’s the American way? Even if it means de-funding things like education. Because, you know, screw the kids. They don’t need no steenking edumacation. Our old folks are being spoiled by the MediCare/Aid as well. Slash it. Those old phuckers are just dying anyway. Right? Yeah, you’re right to protect your property supercedes everything else. Naw. You don’t have a selfish or greedy bone in your body, dude. What a steaming pile of crap.

  • http://www.facebook.com/DR.SEUSS1 Eric Susee

    Been reading your replies and I’ve come to the conclusion that you work for Fox. Only an employee o Fox could be such a tool. I think a nice jalapeno enema would be a good thing for you. A battery acid waterboarding, maybe. Cold? Yeah. But hey. You make me look balmy. You, by your posts, show yourself to be a cold, heartless, greedy, piece of shit.

  • Anonymous

    Explain to me why, if someone works hard for their money and doesn’t want the government to take it,its wrong. Lets me guess Eric, big corporations and the millionaires are the downfall of this country. Boy-I never heard that before. Keep watching MSNBC,ABC,CNN and all the others-hows the kool aid taste. Why are you dems so against people who make money. The rich people and the wallstreet fat cats are the reason you never reached your potential-right? Stop hating on people who have more money then you. If you don’t like it, go start your own company. Its alot a fun. I will ask this question for the 10th time on this site-no one has answered it yet. WHAT IS RICH AND WHAT IS PAYING YOUR FAIR SHARE! Cindy, its not greed by Alan -its called working hard for your money and buying something nice for yourself or your family. Nice language Eric-maybe if you could educate yourself and not write like a thug,you could find a better job that pays better-by the way make my hamburger rare.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Richard-Smoker/100002016946909 Richard Smoker

    I am wondering if an informal poll should be taken…nHow many people think Obama has his head inside the bubble blown by Geithner and Summers and the other D.C. stooges?nOK….nNow……nHow many people think Obama is suffering from a simple cranial rectal inversion?nnOr is Obama dancing at the end of the corporate puppet masters strings?nnDon’t hold your breath hoping for change!

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Richard-Smoker/100002016946909 Richard Smoker

    Do we need programs for oversight of the corporations who pollute and commit fraud? YES! Do we need programs to make sure the wealthy and corporations pay their fair share of taxes without cheating and tax evasion? YES! Is how we we evaluate the oversight of those programs off center and in need of serious oversight? HELL YES! Does that answer your question?

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Richard-Smoker/100002016946909 Richard Smoker

    Let me shorten your rant for you… Heil corporate fascism! n Enjoy clutching your precious TEAbag when you are being ground under the boot heel of merciless corporate robber barons running their fiefdom.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=4000399 Molibi Maphanyane

    The arguments below are so strange because slinging accusations at one another doesn’t work. Why don’t we actually try to convince one another.nThe basic point is this, without investment in Education, Infrastructure (i.e. human and physical capital) the economy will collapse in the long run. The people who stand to benefit the most from national investment in those two things are the corporations, because they use them the most. Therefore they should pay higher taxes.nnConsider this, why are billions being sent to Afghanistan and Iraq to build roads and bridges when the bridges in the US are collapsing and killing tax paying citizens. The problem is that the national infrastructure has taken a back seat to neo-conservative “worldwide” agendas and multinational opportunism.nnWorry more about where your taxes are going than how much you are spending on those taxes. if you are rich, wouldn’t you rather employ a nanny that can read? If you take away public education that simply won’t happen. What about breakthroughs in medicine and technology. How much of that is financed by government? who stands to benefit the most from those breakthroughs. you can’t tell its the postal worker? its the guys earning the big bucks on wallstreet. So lets be realistic here. Don’t talk about ideology, talk about the sustainable growth the US economy. look at other nations because GDP growth actually is a 0 sum game, and your growth is only worth looking at in relation to other countries. The countries that are dominating the world economy are focused on investing in their own countries and the rich aren’t complaining about it because the government investment is driving the growth of their wealth in the short and long run.

  • Anonymous

    But they donate all their money to the poor -Like Michael Moore does. I am sure Eric is tough-just read his writings. Maybe Michael Moore should pick Eric up, in his private jet, and fly over to Russia for a stay.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/John-Freer/803704792 John Freer

    WE ALL NEED TO SUFFER, EVEN THE TOP 1%; THE TOP 0.1%-ALL. ALL. ALL!

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_QNBYUFWROT3JNPBPFCAYMTRLAA Greg Adams

    We came together to form bands-tribes-towns-cities-states-countries because we found we could not go it alone, we all eventually need the help of others for protection from enemies foreign and domestic, famine, illness, old age, and the wrath of mother nature. Yet we seem to forget this. We formed governments to help and protect us all not just a few. We all pitch-in and help to the best of our ability to make it work. Some of us go into the military or government service what ever but we all pay taxes again to our ability. The more this country has given us the more we owe to it. It is patriotic to pay taxes we owe this to the society that protects us and our rites. It takes all of us to make it work.n Furthermore, to govern is to regulate this what a police force is. In the hundred or more years before the regulations of the Nineteen-thirties without regulation the market would spike up and down fortunes and pensions be damed. We had stable market for forty years up until deregulation of the Reagan era and we again have a unstable market Da! Why do we want to return to a system that didn’t work before.n If lower taxes created jobs then the eight year Bush era should have created more jobs than in the last thirty years. However, there were fewer jobs (privet sector) created under Bush in eight years than Obama in two years. Yet this cry is rarely heard and they want to end Obama’s programs. nRecently I’ve seen pie chart after pie chart demonstrating that if we are not careful we will be spending most of our money on the people, Is this not what our government about.n I want my child educated and grandma feed and cared for this is what my forefathers and I put on a uniform for and were willing to give it all for.

  • http://twitter.com/YeahSure34 Steve Sinno

    I’m talking about MILLIONS and MILLIONS of MIDDLE CLASS Americans all united for the same cause and not giving up till we get it. Unless you want to live 6 people in an apartment like rats with no money and NO American dream. That’s where we are going!

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Nycl-Poster/100001515845411 Nycl Poster

    The reason why we are in this mess now is because this administration chose to make history by giving us Obama care instead of focusing on job creation. The wars, although expensive, do not even come close to the cost of entitlements in this country. Folks, we are running out of money, plain and simple. We can chose to point fingers but in the end we ALL have to give up something. As for hating the rich, I got news for you dolts, $250,000 is nowhere near rich in NYC. My tax rate is something like 48%. Why punish people that work hard?? You libs tell us that big companies and rich folks are the enemy but would you rather they ALL left the USA?? Will uncle Obama step in and create jobs?? I think not. 35% of all paychecks in this country comes from social programs, less than half pay taxes. Conservative like myself would like the gov to stay out of the way of business. If you keep taxing and regulating, companies move away. If you dont believe me, take a look at where most US companies have their central offices. Its never any big city, its always some out of the way state. In the end, both sides are to blame but most of the nonsense I hear today seems to be coming from the left. If Afghanistan war was so bad, then why are we still in there?? If Gitmo was so bad then why is it still open?? If Obamacare was going to make thing chepaer, why did everything go up in price?? The only victims I see here are the taxpayers. Even this Soros funded website makes me sick. When you libs grow up and learn what it takes to create and maintain a company, you will understand but judging by the hippies in the WI battle and the posts here, I dont think that will happen any time soon….and how do these folks have this much time on their hands anyway?? I cant find time to go to the doctor for a checkup.

  • Anonymous

    I agree. Also, those that are slinging accusations and calling names is not productive. I think what we all want is a fair life for everyone. As a whole, we need to invest in everyone to give everyone a chance. I know there is a belief that has a basis of fact that there are a lot of people that just feed off the system and don’t give back and I see that too, but another thing we have to realize is that there are a lot of sub-cultures that are involved in a vicious cycle that is EXTREMELY hard to eradicate yourself from because those that you are supposed to look to for support can barely support there self let alone someone else. Whose fault is that? A child who is trying but just can’t get away for many reasons? A parent who tried and ended up in the same cycle as their own parent. I’m excusing the lack of effort some people display nor crime or anything along those lines, but merely suggesting we look at the big picture instead of focusing on the small areas and blaming. Let’s stop blaming and start fixing.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Robert-Alexander-Mansfield/810294753 Robert Alexander Mansfield

    The comments section is cracking me up

  • Anonymous

    How come the union people of today are way below average in the middle class realm?

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