Let's call the enduring Bush era and Republican state tax cuts what they are: a massive redistribution of wealth and power to the already wealthy and powerful. If you are a public servant, state worker, civil servant and scores of other professionals indirectly tied to government (and that would be all of us), the continuation of the irresponsible tax policies of the Republicans have nearly ruined your family's purchasing power already in 2011. Every cut in wages is money out of the larger economy. Every bit of decaying infrastructure, gutted educational institutions, and unregulated safety measures is a tax--one that the middle class, the poor and the retired among us cannot afford to pay.
These wage and benefit cuts are tax hikes for all but the wealthiest Americans.
Let's look at the sorry facts. States like Kansas have cut wages of state workers by 7.5% using the crisis they precipitated as an excuse to hurt the poor and middle class. The President unilaterally bought into the narrative wrought by his tax cut capitulation and froze federal wages. Pensioners and Social Security recipients have been unwitting victims of unfair benefits freezes for more than a year. And on and on. These "austerity" measures are taxes. If you are a federal worker, the pay freeze has already cost you significantly more than your "cut." Ironically, a lot of middling wage earners, including myself, saw their taxes go up this year as certain credits did expire.
So, a cut here, a freeze there, a benefit elimination and pension reduction later? Massive tax hike. All of it going to fund the outrageous amounts of "saved" money enjoyed by the wealthiest Americans. The poor and Middle Class have just been soaked. Tax death by a thousand cuts. Your tax hike will vary by region and energy price increases, but I conservatively estimate we have already paid a 10% premium on the return of the thieves to power. We still allow the hemorrhage of outsourced jobs. We still allow a virtual oil monopoly to set our economic and environmental agenda. These are the worst tax hikes of my life and they are unfairly levied against the poor and middle class. We could callously blame voters for this Republican fiasco, but the truth is Congress and the President allowed media empires to spread propaganda and lies. The full delusive power of Fox News on formerly sane people may have killed the nation.
There are two strategies to the GOP plan: ruin the recovery so they can use their propaganda tools to blame Democrats for the disaster. Second, take out the remainder of the unions and living wage jobs that fund the democratic party. This current crop of Republican is either stupid or evil. There is no middle area. If you enable evil through self interest, you are evil. If you believe idiotic spin and scapegoating, you are, in fact, an idiot.
So let's call these Republican budget cutting measures what they are henceforth: Republican Tax Hikes on our workforce, our poor and our retired population. The cuts are being used to fund the fabulous excesses of the wealthy--you know--the Tea Party's backroom financiers.
How many of us are not spending much money on anything but necessities--even if we still have jobs--planning for, with dread, the next stage of Rove and Norquist's economic extortion coming to a theater near you in early March? The Republicans have scared the crap out of the nation for so long they are willfully trying to impede our economic recovery.
The fight for our future has arrived. First Madison, next Fox News! Boycott even things you like that have the stench of Murdoch on them--from the Simpsons to body wash, and get right back in the face of the screaming wing nuts.
Please use this space to discuss the tax hikes you are presently enduring, bracing for, or foresee.