A Blueprint For Economic Disaster

Make no mistake – the demonization of public workers is just the latest in a long series of distractions by the right wing and economic elite as they pick the pockets of the “other 95% of Americans”. This coordinated approach is nothing new, but the agenda of wealth theft is taking on a new form – and is being replicated around the country on a state and federal level.

Anyone following the developments in Wisconsin knows that this is a result of a falsely created budget deficit and an excuse to eliminate the freedom to contract by public workers – something that has absolutely no impact on the current budget. Indiana is going through a similar assault on public employees with legislation targeting collective bargaining. And no sooner was Andrew Cuomo elected as Governor in New York that he attached public workers.

In New Jersey – a state whose public schools are consistently in the very top tier of the country, Governor Christie has attacked and demonized teachers unions, skipped out on the state’s pension plan payment in order to “balance” his budget last year, while cutting taxes for those earning over $400,000 and costing the state $1 billion in revenue. Most ironically here, Christie talked about “two classes of citizens” but instead of talking about those who can afford such things as heat, food and medicine all at the same time and those who can’t, he focused on health and pension benefits. Even more ironic is that these are the same people who either don’t think anyone should have “rich health benefits” or that you should only have if you can afford to pay for them. On top of this, while Christie is being hailed by those who don’t know any better, he too is looking to raise the estate tax exemption in NJ and give more tax breaks to the wealthy.

On the Federal and state level, “budget and spending cuts” merely translate to slashing of services that are needed most at this time – all in the laughable name of responsibility – coming from the same Republican Party that is directly responsible (maybe that is why they are using that term) for the economic ruin that many Americans face now. The key element of this “blueprint for disaster” is the job killing tax cuts (which clearly didn’t work for the Bush tax cuts) and the cutting of services.

Couple this with massive income tax breaks for the top 1-5%, a reduction in social security tax payments at the same time a manufactured “crisis” is trotted out (with the help of Obama administration), and the reality is that even if every single public worker is fired, the structural problems that directly relate to the lowest income and estate taxes in history on those who need it least while vital services to everyone else are drastically reduced will only lead to a widening of the already overwhelming wealth gap between the small number of “haves” and the huge and growing number of “have-nots”.

This is precisely what the Republicans want. This is precisely what they have done in the past – pick a scapegoat to distract from their real agenda of killing jobs and killing the middle class, all while lining the pockets of the super rich that keep them in power. Lather, rinse, repeat.

This time, hopefully Americans are on to this deadly game and will recognize this for what it is – a direct assault on the economy, since an economy can’t function without a robust middle class. When even Goldman Sachs sees danger in the Republican blueprint for disaster, you know it is serious.