budget blueprint | Thomas Johnston

Republicans continue to attack the poor and seek to further benefit the rich! Where is Americans outrage over what the Republicans are allowing the tea baggers to do? I once considered myself a fiscal conservative with liberal social leanings. Now the Republicans are trying to pass their CRAZY “budget blueprint”, I am seeing that I cannot even call myself a fiscal conservative anymore by this far, far right fiscal thinking. I am beginning to have RAGE against the Republican Party for allowing the tea baggers to be the tail wagging the dog. Republicans are proving crazy is infectious!

The Republicans are alienating independents like me by catering to these nut bag tea baggers. Even Donald Trump is gaining momentum with the “birther” theory as part of this “Tea Party” movement (I agree with Bill Maher – I will stop calling them tea bagger when they stop calling it Obamacare). Showing this is a movement of nonintellectuals.

The “budget blueprint” that passed the House of Representatives today (Friday, April 15, 2011)¹ calls for changing Medicare to a voucher system, cutting Medicaid and food stamps, all while not only keeping the Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest but also reducing the top corporate and individual income tax rates from 35% to 25%. Where is the rage against this?

The Democrats by default come across as less fanatical and more level-headed. “Democrats dismiss this strategy, saying that although some spending cuts are needed to rein in deficits, wholesale reductions in education, public works, research and other core government programs leave Americans unable to compete globally.” says Pat Dollard². While programs like Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security and the defense make up the majority of the budget, these programs can be improved, made more efficient or even reformed without throwing the baby out with the wash! Where is the rage from the poor?

GE made $14.2 billion profit and paid no taxes and in fact received a $3.2 billion tax benefit. ³ GE also employs a 975-employee tax department⁴ to insure they find as many loopholes as possible. Why are the Republicans leading their fight by attacking programs that assist the poor and elderly instead of attacking the corporations they are trying to help even more with an even lower tax rate? Why are they not trying to get the U.S. out of 2 very expensive wars? My thoughts are the Republicans are influenced by the self-serving interests of the Tea Baggers. The tea baggers are self-indulgent and have the idea, if it does not benefit me – cut it. Where is the rage against Corporate America?

Wall Street bonuses increased 17%⁵ from an already astronomical amount, after the government bailout. Why have the Republicans not besieged Wall Street in this “budget blueprint”? Again, does it have something to do with protecting big money? The poor are an easy target that find it difficult to have access to defend itself in a government that money = access! The poor do not have access as demonstrated by my unsuccessful attempts to have an elected official listen to my concerns about E.R.I.S.A. and inspiring a blog Mr. Smith Still Needs to go to Washington⁶. Where is the rage against Wall Street?

There was a time when it was political suicide to even mention cutting, changing Medicare or Social Security! The idea of such caused outrage! Where are these groups now? Are they allowing the Republicans to hang themselves? Why aren’t the old school Republicans curtailing the Tea Baggers? Where is the call to reform for Corporate America & Wall Street? Where is the rage against the Tea Baggers? In the past I would hear tea baggers say they wanted to “take America back” and I would ask, who are they taking it from? Now I know, they want to take it from the poor and helpless so they have more for themselves. I am glad my tax money does something to help the poor, sick and elderly because I do not have the money the tea baggers are trying to protect from the government. I wish I could do more to help the poor, sick and elderly! Why don’t the Democrats harness this rage and take America back – from the crazy tea baggers (note: I am not using rhetoric, I am saying who I want America taken back from)! Am I the only one outraged?