America, it’s time to snap out of it. It’s time to turn off our “reality” televisions shows and set aside our iPhones so we can see the true state of the nation.
Our leaders, who used to be elected to represent us, now openly represent those who financed their election(s).
We know candidates have to make their campaign promises and concessions to those with the money and power. The trouble is our leaders no longer seem to have the time for the rest of us.
I am fully aware how this all sounds in the sane democracy to which we would all like to belong. But bear with me, just think about it. Why, in a sane democracy, would seriously needed services to the poor be cut during an economic depression?
Jobs are still being lost, benefits are still being lost, homes are still being lost, and more are going hungry. These are Americans, and they live in the most powerful country in the world.
Why, in a sane democracy, would a government try to balance a budget by reducing health programs for the poor and the elderly? As I write this, the House has just voted to restructure and reduce Medicare and Medicaid.
Why, in a sane democracy, are budget cuts for America’s modest and low-income people used to pay for tax cuts for America’s richest? Why shouldn’t our wealthiest pay their fair share of taxes?
The IRS has released new data showing that the amount the richest 400 American paid in taxes went from 30 percent in 1993 to 16.6 percent under George W. Bush. And it’s difficult to say whether the 16.6 percent will ever be paid when there are highly paid tax attorneys and accountants available to help them.
America’s corporate tax dodgers are prospering. The top five recently named by Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders include:
Exxon: $19 billion profits, $156 million tax rebate, no federal taxes paid for 2009;
Bank of America: $4.4 billion profits, $1.9 billion tax refund, $1 trillion bailout last year;
General Electric: $26 billion profits over the past five years, $4.1 billion tax refund;
Chevron: $10 billion profits, $19 million tax refund last year; and
Boeing: $30 billion Pentagon contract, $123 million tax refund.
“Those elites will have no moral standing to argue for higher taxes on middle–income people or cuts in government programs until they acknowledge how much wealthier they have become than the rest of us and how much pressure they have brought over the years to cut their own taxes,” says E.J. Dionne, syndicated columnist in The Seattle Times.
He adds, “Resolving the deficit problem requires the very rich to recognize their obligation to contribute more to a government that, measured against other wealthy nations, is neither investing enough in the future nor doing a very good job of improving the lives and opportunities of the less affluent.”
Joseph Stiglitz writes in Vanity Fair this month, “The more divided a society becomes in terms of wealth, the more reluctant the wealthy become to spend money on common needs. The rich don’t need to rely on government for parks or education or medical care or personal security—they can buy all these things for themselves. In the process, they become more distant from ordinary people, losing whatever empathy they may once have had.
“They also worry about strong government—one that could use its powers to adjust the balance, take some of their wealth, and invest it for the common good. The top 1 percent may complain about the kind of government we have in America, but in truth they like it just fine: too gridlocked to re-distribute, too divided to do anything but lower taxes.”
It’s time to stand up and remind our legislators who’s in charge. Raise taxes on those who truly can afford to pay more and leave Medicare and Medicaid alone.
Contact columnist Marylin Olds at marylin.olds@gmail.com
