Stand Up To The Bullies!

When Ronald Regan cut the income tax on the rich by a third the income of the wealthiest individuals of the nation soared. The national debt also soared and the income of the remaining ninety percent of the nation remained flat. When George W. Bush further reduced the taxes on the rich the income of the wealthiest individuals increased again. The surplus Mr. Bush had inherited from Bill Clinton was then turned into a huge budgetary deficit, job growth fell to the lowest level it had been since World War II, and the income of those who were fortunate enough to still have jobs remained flat. Obviously, enriching the rich does not stimulate the economy or create jobs. Tax cuts for the rich increase size of our national debt without giving us anything in return. Yet here we have the Republicans threatening to block the SALT treaty, which would reduce nuclear arms, if the tax cuts for the rich are not extended. The Republicans also threaten to block an extension of unemployment benefits for those who have suffered the most from Bush’s recession, and to block an extension of tax cuts for the middle class if the tax cuts for the wealthy are not also extended.

This places President Obama in a difficult situation. The Republicans are holding the best interests of this nation hostage. They are demanding a ransom to be paid to the wealthiest individuals of the nation regardless of how much harm paying that ransom may cause. President Obama obviously feels that the harm that would result from the Republicans carrying out their threats is greater than the harm of foisting off a huge debt to our children. I can understand why he is making this decision, but I think he is wrong.

The rules of the senate allow the Republicans to act like bullies. Those rules allow them to extort money from the nation for the moneybags who contribute to the campaigns of Republican candidates. Caving in to bullies only makes them bolder. Sooner or later President Obama must stand up to them. Sooner is better than later. Now is the time to make the Republicans reveal just how morally and intellectually bankrupt they have become. This is not a matter of ideology it is a matter of greed versus patriotism and common decency!

Waiting to stand up to the Republicans will only make matters worse. The only way to make a bully listen to reason is to bloody his nose. Unfortunately the voters of this nation were foolish enough to reward the irresponsible behavior of the Republicans by giving them control of the House of Representatives. In other words, the bullies are becoming stronger. The voters must be shocked into reality. It is time to take the battle into the streets, to use the bully pulpit, and to show the voters what is at stake. Appeasement does not work. The extortionist tactics of the Republicans must be stopped now. Believe me the cost of trying to stop them later will be much higher!