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JOBS! JOBS! JOBS!
Thus speaks
President Bush. Tax cuts! Tax cuts! Tax cuts! he shouts. The louder he shouts,
the more it sounds like Lies! Lies! Lies! He got a tax cut of one trillion 200
billion last year. In the last three months 500,000 workers were fired! And each
week the number of new applications for unemployment comp. mount in the hundreds
of thousands. Along with this it should be noted that the US dollar is devaluing
at an unprecedented rate. One euro will now get you one dollar and fifty cents.
Only a few weeks ago the dollar would get you 1.9 euros.
There is
something seriously wrong with Bush economics. Deflation is now considered a
serious threat. Deflation means prices start dropping. If that happens consumers
stop buying waiting for the next drop in prices. The car you were considering
buying can be held off for a better price later. This slows production of
commodities for sale. More layoffs follow. That puts us smack into a full
fledged depression. "Deflation" is the new word for old fashioned
depression.
But there is
more "deflation." Tax cuts bring still another kind of depression, one
that strikes at the poverty level. Those living at poverty level before, under
Bush's tax cuts hit them like a Midwest tornado. Bush's tax cuts, according to a
Labor Party Press report put;
"More than
1 million low-income Americans lose government- subsidized health care."
"States
have eliminated Medicaid services, including vision and dental care, podiatry
care, and physical therapy."
"Eighteen
states and Washington DC cut their aid to families."
"State
governments employed 20,000 fewer non-education workers in December 2002 than in
December 2001."
"Every
state raised public university tuition and fees in the 2002-2003 school year and
13 states are cutting higher education spending in FY 2003."
"Nine
states are cutting K12 education this year, and more cuts are likely for next
year."
"Working
families are losing child care subsidies in Indiana (7000 children), Kansas
(2000 children), Ohio (15,000 children); and Connecticut (30,000 children.)
"New York
proposed to cut 30,000 working parents from Medicaid."
"Ohio
proposed to cut 30,000 working parents from Medicaid and cut services."
"Illinois,
Massachusetts and Tennessee are reducing welfare services, cutting staff and
closing offices. Connecticut closed four welfare offices and laid off 3,000
state workers,"
Well, there you
have it. It's a downward spiral with no end in sight. How long will it be before
we see the
depression level of unemployment with millions of workers willing to take jobs
at any low wage? Do you wonder if unstoppable wage cuts will effect all of us,
including the waterfront? Tax cuts, massive layoffs, wage cuts, production cuts,
widespread social and political chaos and loss of civic spirit face us if
another tax cut is the only answer provided by the Bush administration.
What we need is
a changed program - a "regime change" in Washington as Senator Kerry,
Democratic candidate for President in 2004 said. We need to increase jobs
instead of cutting taxes. Instead of cutting taxes use the money to provide
public jobs. hardly anyone disagrees there is a crying need for a public works
program to rebuild the nation's infrastructure. We all know the need for new
roads and repair, new schools, hospitals, clean air and water, better
environmental and specie protection, etc. That is a direct and sure way to more
jobs than through "tax cuts for jobs." Finally, the tax cut itself is
a fraud.
Washington
Citizen Action "report found that Washington will suffer $355 million in
cuts to essential services over 10 years to pay for the Bush tax cuts."
Also among the reports findings: Almost half of all taxpayers would get tax cuts
averaging less than $100, while millionaires would get tax cuts averaging
$90,000. By a 2-1 ratio, voters
actually prefer public investments (public works) over tax cuts as a better way
to improve the economy. Most economists not only think the tax plan will not
stimulate the economy, but 10 Nobel prize winning economists and even Alan
Greenspan have voiced reservation and outright opposition to Bush's new round of
tax cuts."
What really concerns more
and more ordinary people about the Bush administration is the appearance if not
the reality of unmitigated deception. If the truth were known, it might be said
the administration just doesn't give a damn. Either that or it is totally out of
touch with reality. Some monarchs of past ages suffered the same form of total
inadequacy.
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