The Tax Cut Compromise Sparks Class Warfare....As Usual

Well, it's dominated the news recently, President Obama and the Republicans in Congress have struck a deal on extending the Bush tax cuts. While there are a few objections coming from those on the right the bulk of opposition to this plan is coming from the left. As usual we're hearing the same arguments that the high-taxation promoting progressive liberals always use.

Obama's debt commission was unable to get the required votes to actually send it's recommendations to congress, (I told you they wouldn't). More on that in a little while though. There's certainly no shortage of articles out there from the left displaying their disappointment at President Obama for this compromise. The typical tax cuts for the rich sentiment that they always use even though those same tax cuts for "the rich" hit a large majority of small business owners that the left so often claims to care about.

Here's an article from Robert Kuttner off of Obama's propaganda blog the Huffing and Puffington Post that describes why bipartisanship is a bad thing and how Nanci Pelosi is right to reject it. Apparently he wasn't paying attention to the election in November. Here are some highlights:

"The economy will be fixed only with more public investment, more progressive taxation, and more regulation, but partisan compromise dictates less of each." - Robert Kuttner

By "public investment" he means more stimulus and if you still don't think the stimulus was a total failure than you're denial is astounding. More "progressive taxation", he would say that means more taxing of the rich but he actually means more taxing of everyone, which would reduce tax revenues as I've covered many times before, (The Laffer Curve). The last one here is my favorite, "more regulation", by that he means more government micromanaging of our economy. Just look at the last blog I did and you'll see I've already covered this one.

I've explained previously how the President's debt commission was a re-election rouse that was never going to accomplish anything. It was just meant to look like President Obama actually cares about the debt and deficits. Robert Kuttner in all his wisdom fell for it though.

"will very likely come out with a plan to narrow the federal deficit by slashing what's left of public investment. The whole tilt of this commission is somewhere between conservative Democrat and far-right Republican." - Robert Kuttner

Remember, public investment in his eyes means stimulus. He also links to a few other plans that you can view from his article. One of which he references here:

"One of these, Rep. Jan Schakowsky of Illinois, issued her own alternative plan, which increases social investment in the short run in order to get a stronger recovery going, then reduces the deficit over time with higher growth, progressive taxation and cuts in military spending." - Robert Kuttner

The higher growth is a projection that just assumes the progressive plan will actually cause growth. Sure, it'll grow government but not the economy, or have you been living in a cave for the last couple of years?

"One other progressive on the commission, former SEIU president Andy Stern, has held out hopes of a grand bargain but no bargain that might appeal to Stern seems to be forthcoming." - Robert Kuttner

Andy Stern is a Communist who calls himself a progressive. I'll prove that in a little while but we've got a few things to cover before then.

Here's another article, this one is from Bob Burnett, off of Obama's propaganda blog The Huffington Post, (remember, this is where Obama tells people to go for news, I'm just taking his advise).

"For months, Barack Obama knew that Republicans were cutthroats, who wouldn't hesitate to hold the working people of America hostage in order to secure a tax-cut "ransom" for the rich and powerful." - Bob Burnett

So all of those "rich and powerful" people that create all of the real jobs in this country are just holding Americans hostage and it's the progressives who are here to save you from those evil vipers. It's funny considering that every time the progressives are in control of our country we end up with a recession and a growing government and welfare state. Never mind that though, I'm sure it's just a coincidence.

"Negotiating out of fear is bad practice, in general, but wildly inappropriate in an era where Progressives are battling to maintain Democracy in America." - Bob Burnett

Well, Conservatives are battling to maintain our Republic and Constitution. Democracy means majority rules, right? Well, didn't a vast majority of Americans throw the Democrats out of office in November? Just as they did to the Republicans in '06 and '08. It seems a compromise with the Republicans is what a majority of Americans did want doesn't it? So, whose really fighting for Democracy here? As usual it isn't those that claim to.

The next two lines are not next to each other in the article but show something very telling as to how mad the left is at Obama.

"The good news is that we now know who are dealing with and have two years to take corrective action."

"I am confident we can do this, with or without Barack Obama" - Bob Burnett

See? They are going to push forward with the agenda that Americans overwhelmingly rejected in November "with or without Barack Obama". Looks like they'll be looking for a primary challenger if Obama doesn't change course.

There are plenty of other articles from the left out there saying similar things about progressive taxation etc. Some want to push a new deal system like a new unionized WPA, (Works Progress Administration). That was a new deal stimulus-esque job program where FDR used government jobs to help get Democrats elected in struggling districts. Add a union and I'm sure that will work out great. Wait a minute...isn't that pretty much what the stimulus has done?

To those of us that have done our research based on facts rather than biased ideology, we know that the tax cuts for the rich is an argument made again and again. Whether it's Calvin Coolidge, JFK (though the left is quieter about that one), Ronald Reagan, or George Bush, any tax cuts that actually lessen the tax burden on businesses that create jobs is always called tax cuts for the rich. Bill Clinton cut the capital gains tax also by the way, which helped those evil rich businessmen. This latest hissy fit by the left is no big shock and the arguments are nothing new.

In closing I'd like to get back to former SEIU union leader Andy Stern, the most common visitor to the Obama White House, and a member of the debt commission. In this video he's quoted as saying:

"Workers of the world unite, it's not just a slogan anymore, it's the way we're going to have to do our work" - Andy Stern

Now why would I call him a Communist? Look at that quote. Now I'd like to show you another:

"WORKING MEN OF ALL COUNTRIES, UNITE!"

The quotes seem very similar don't they? Well the quote in all capitals, (which is exactly how it appears in the book), is the very last line in the Communist Manifesto written by Karl Marx. Remember, Obama was influenced by the "Marxist Professors and structural feminist". Andy Stern's presence on the President's debt commission proves that Obama hasn't forgotten who he is. This was all expected and planned.

Next year, as I've said before, will be very telling. He will go around congress as much as possible using executive orders. Dick Morris covered this well. I'd link you to this story from his website but the site wouldn't load for me so I've just put the text here.

Via Dick Morris.com

Obama Using Executive Orders To Implement Radical Agenda

Does President Obama plan to move to the center in response to his overwhelming rejection at the polls on November 2nd? No way! Instead, he is moving to implement, through executive action, two of the most controversial items in his 2010 agenda -- a carbon tax and pollution permit system and a ban on the use of secret ballots in union elections. Through executive action by the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) and the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), the Obama Administration is planning to effectuate both policies without asking Congress.

Never mind that he couldn't persuade even a top heavy Democratic Congress to pass either program. Or that public opinion polls show massive rejection of both measures. Or that each is a sure job killer by itself -- and together, they are even worse. This arrogant, ideologically-driven radical is determined to have his way and the public be damned!

The EPA is currently soliciting public comments for its plan to use the Clean Air Act of 1970 to regulate carbon dioxide emissions. The Clean Air Act, as the name indicates, is designed to fight against pollution -- unhealthy chemicals that are belched into the air by smokestacks. It was passed to fight sulfur dioxide, particulates, nitrous oxides and other chemicals that cause human diseases. To use it to fight carbon dioxide -- which we all breathe without ill effects -- because of concerns about global warming -- is a perversion of the law.

Worse, because the Clean Air Act is designed to protect public health by measuring aggregate pollution in each geographic area, it limits economic development in communities where the pollution levels exceed prescribed standards. But carbon dioxide doesn't poison anyone. It makes no sense to ban factory expansion in areas where the nature of the industries is that there will be high carbon dioxide levels (like oil area of Texas and Louisiana). But that's what the EPA plans to do, virtually making economic growth illegal in large parts of the United States.


Meanwhile, Craig Becker, the former chief counsel of the SEIU (Service Employees International Union) -- now the head of the NLRB -- has secured a 3-2 majority party line majority to repeal the Dana decision which mandates secret ballots in unionization elections. The NLRB will rule that if a majority of workers check off that they want a union on cards then the union will automatically be approved without a secret ballot vote of the entire workforce. Currently, if a majority of the workers sign the cards, a secret ballot vote is then triggered. Frequently, the union loses these elections, proving that the card check off is subject to coercion and bullying. The Democratic majority in the Senate wouldn't approve the card check change so the NLRB is planning to accomplish the same objective administratively, trapping workers into unionization they would reject if afforded the opportunity to vote by secret ballot.

Both the pollution permit/carbon tax and the forced unionization proposals will be job killers. The U.S. has maintained its 25% share of global manufacturing by replacing workers with energy driven machines. In the past ten years, the number of manufacturing employees has declined by 33% but our production has risen by 50%. But automation takes energy -- lots of it -- by taxing energy, we are eliminating the strategy that has preserved our jobs. And massive unionization of the private sector will also drive out our jobs. Since 1990, unionized manufacturing jobs have declined by 75%. But non-union manufacturing jobs have actually risen over the same period by 15%.

After he lost Congress in 1992, Bill Clinton, too, resorted to executive orders to maintain his momentum as president. With Congress unwilling to pass anything he proposed, the president canvassed the Administration for ideas that could be implemented by executive orders. A very productive period followed during which tobacco regulation, higher educational standards, affirmative action reform, and other key measures were implemented without asking Congress' permission. But Clinton's executive orders were on subjects on which Congress had not voted. They did not contradict the express will of the body. Obama is using the strategy to act in direct defiance of Congressional action. He is passing ideas Congress refused to pass, even when he had huge majorities.

Obama will live to regret these moves. Republicans in the House will defund these actions and insert legislative language making it a crime to spend appropriated funds to implement them. By this strategy, all of the controversial Obama legislation will be at issue during the budget fight -- taxes, Obamacare, cap and trade, and card check. The more these issues are inserted into the budget fight, the greater the chances of Republican victory.

So President Obama has not learned the lessons of 2010 and likely never will.

We'll soon find out, 2011 should be very interesting.