It is a class war and whenever one forgets it, one loses his or her ass.
Take, for example, the widely circulated story of a proposal by President Obama to raise the Medicare age for elegibility to 67 from 65. Supposedly this was proposed in exchange for tax increases, such as letting the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy expire. But they expire anyway on December 30, 2012.
If we really want shared sacrifice, let all the Bush tax cuts expire. Not just on the rich. Why should the elderly suffer because middle class folks don't want to pay taxes? Why should poor folks suffer more? Why should we lose a whole generation to joblessness?
Time to "eat our peas." Raise taxes and stop screwing people.
If people can die for this nation, all folks can pay taxes. That means ending the Bush tax cuts for all. And raising the capital gains tax from 15%. It's obscene. Those who exploit the labor of others pay taxes at a lower rate than those they exploit. History will judge this nation and its elites very harshly. We should now. The failure is in our jobless rate and the pain and suffering of our people while elites party away on Wall Street and in Washington D.C.
It's time to say "No more" to those who take so much from our people.
Some Democratic voices speak out below.
"I think it's a non-starter with our caucus," Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ) told TPM. "I think this is no time to be gracious, this is a time that these programs need to be defended as strongly and aggressively as the Republicans are protecting tax cuts for the rich."
Asked about possible Medicare cuts, Rep. Frederica Wilson (D-FL) turned her head to the side and grimaced.
"I do not agree with that, and I don't agree with it because of my constituents. I represent mostly African-Americans. They will pay Medicare taxes throughout their careers, and by the time they are 60 -- especially black men -- they're dead," Wilson said. "So 65 was a stretch. That's a non-starter. They deserve that after working so hard, that's too late. That's too late."
TPM
For too many, 65 is too late.
Apparently the Rs rejected it. Good.
And whether it was "rope a dope" as some claim, or a real offer for a deficit deal, it does not matter because we must fight it. Let's fight to prevent the wealthy from killing grandma. Cause if we can't do that, this nation does not deserve to continue.