Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Of Morons, Ingrates, Fools and Apparatchiks






Jeebus, you would think that in the aftermath of Romney's finally blurting out the unadulterated truth, people would finally figure out what side their bread is buttered on. But it seems FAUX News still has most of the hoi polloi brainwashed against their own interests. To be sure of that, I had to tune in to Shepherd Smith's program on FAUX to see what Reich Wing TV was spouting. (I have to do this occasionally to see the sort of poisoned rot being fed the delusionary minions who still support Mitt despite his admissions.)

Leading the hour were a host of re-broadcasts, including of an Obama 1998 speech about "redistribution" in which he said:

"The trick is figuring out how do we structure government systems that pool resources and hence facilitate some [wealth] redistribution -- because I actually believe in redistribution, at least at a certain level to make sure that everybody’s got a shot.”

Which is not significantly different from the view of JFK while he was president. This is why JFK vigorously sought 'top-down' redistribution via his proposed tax policies. These included (Donald Gibson , 'Battling Wall Street - The Kennedy Presidency', Sheridan Square Press, 1994, pp. 22-23):

- the elimination of all tax breaks set up in the form of foreign investment operations or companies

- the repeal of all tax advantages by corporations operating in low tax countries, such as Switzerland

- the repeal of the 100% charitable contribution write-off by the wealthy

- Withholding tax on the investments, dividends and capital of the wealthy

- to ensure revenues could not be lost by too many shelters or at the 'end point'.

- Tax on investment dividends so that all those earning in excess of $180 k would pay a much higher rate.

-Devices that would prevent 'high bracket taxpayers' from concealing income from 'personal holding companies'.

- An anti-speculation provision that would ensure property or investments were kept at least one year - else no benefit from existing capital gains rates would apply

-The elimination of special 'gift' transfers as well as repeal of the $50 dividend exclusion and the 4% dividend credit.

Resoundingly reinforcing the general perception of JFK as a 'statist' (pro dirigisme) were the withering criticisms from the financial press at the time. One of these, which appeared in Fortune accused him of an attempt to "manipulate the tax level against the business cycle". ('Activism in the White House', June, 1961, p. 117) Of course, ALL these reactionaries and corporo-fascists would have protested levelling the playing field so the wealthy couldn't amass wealth to use against the rest of us. This is all Obama was echoing in his 1998 remark, but the Neocon-Repuke Nazis have their panties in a twist over it.

Now, let's get REAL for once! ALL TAX POLICY IS ABOUT REDISTRIBUTION!

It just depends on WHO is doing the re-distribution and where it's going to! The Repukes want redistribution for sure but DONE THEIR WAY. They want it to inflate the military -industrial complex to indirectly provide pork barrel spending on military bullshit - like here in COS to the tune of $1b, to support their special interests! The also want redistribution to the richest, and they've done that via tax cuts, especially over the Bush years, moving 1 dollar of every 6 upward to the rich from the bottom 95%, as Barbara Ehrenreich has observed (in Bait and Switch).

Thus, Mitt's recent comment, to wit:

"I think a society based on a government-centered nation where government plays a larger and larger role, redistributes money, that's the wrong course for America."

IS Horse manure. Hello, fuckwit! That's exactly what YOUR SIDE does every time it approves another multi-billion dollar pork barrel military project --- just to provide jobs for your minions in Repukesville districts. (E.g. to build 2,380 F-35 bombers at $ 0.3 billon each)You don't think we notice! That's also what you plan to do with your proposed TAX CUTS! But the brainless wonders who follow you come hell or high water can't figure it out. Can't figure out that those $4 trillion in tax cuts will have to come out of THEIR sorry asses! In other words, stealing from the less well off to help pay for caviar -stoked cruises, rose wine wraps and $100,000 golf trips to St. Kitts for the RICH! Oh, and $150,000 gold-embossed toilets with special butt -cleaners that can be activated via remote clicker! (So they needn't foul their dainty hands)

RE-DISTRIBUTION!!!

And then people wonder why the Gini coefficient, which measures inequality, has now fallen to the point that we're next to Mexico and the Philippines. In terms of practical applications, a Gini index of zero would denote perfect equality. In terms of western industrial nations, most developed European nations and Canada tend to have Gini indices between 24 and 36, the United States' and Mexico's Gini indices are both above 40, indicating that the United States and Mexico have greater inequality..In the whole panoply of criteria, and the full spectrum of research, the Gini coefficient (the prime indicator of income inequality) is the key factor.

The biggest howler of all from the Right's Romney zombies is that they believe some "Left Nazi" secretly recorded the Mittster's comments on camera phone, and now they are talking about "prosecution". This is because it was done at a "private gathering". Well, I hate to disappoint these ingrate bratskies, but I've since learned that it was one of THEIR OWN who recorded it then posted it on You Tube! Then, Jimmy Carter's grandson , James Carter IV, located it on the web, then managed to track down the source to obtain the whole tape, and made that available to David Corn of Mother Jones (Denver Post, today, p. 22A, 'Carter Grandson Arranged Romney Video's Release').

According to the account:

"Carter had watched countless hours of footage of Republican Mitt Romney and made it a habit to search You tube every few days for keywords like 'Romney' and 'Republicans'."

The piece goes on to note that on one day in August, one clip "jumped out"- according to CArter IV, it was "all blurred at the beginning and mysterious"

Something suggested there might be more than a brief clip, and sure enough with some diligence he found it! Carter then tracked down the source of the video and "convinced him that Carter could be trusted", i.e. in not divulging his name. Remember, this was one of the hotshots at the confab. One of the rich guys. Maybe he had guilty pangs, and felt like he had to take a shower after hearing and seeing the atrocity of which Romney spoke so cynically.

His way of getting his conscience clear? Giving the whole video to young Carter IV. After a "string of internet conversations" it then made its way to David Corn, an editor with Mother Jones magazine.

And the rest, as they say, is history.

And the Repuke babies keep on whining, because they can't handle the truth that their man is a thug and a RAT!


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