The August recess isn't over yet, but progressive organizations are using the time to mobilize against looming Republican plans—spearheaded by the Trump administration in the White House and by Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) in Congress—to give corporations and the nation's wealthiest individuals massive tax cuts while putting services and social programs on the chopping block.
Preaching to the choir. I’ve known all this in some form or the other for the last 35 plus years. It all started with Ronald Reagan trickle down economics and the rich create jobs BS. We got Bill Clinton and he continued the carnage, Bush put it on steroids and Obama did what? Kept most of us from going over the cliff with banksters but he helped them and not the people who lost their homes. Dems did next to nothing while raking in money from corporate overlords.
Where have the dem party been? they’ve had 35 plus years to debunk this proven incorrect facts that the repugs peddle. How many times does it have to be proven that it doesn’t work? When the whole middle class is gone?
Corporate media began with Reagan and deregulations just kept getting watered down and now a few own the whole mega monopoly deliverance of the news and what going on in this country and the world.
Wow! the dem party let all this happen and people told them in Nov 2016 we are sicked and tired of their lame policies so they created “Better Deal”.
They better do better than that.
The wealthy don’t need a tax cut, they need a substantial tax increase. The Country was much better off financially when the top tax rate was above 50%. The the cap on FICA tax needs to be lifted well above its current limit. Corporate tax loopholes need to be closed.
Here is another event, which started with Reagan taking the reins in 1980 and the associated boost of general corruption in America, - the surge in US health car costs in terms of GDP. This graph shows, that pre-Reagan we were still part of the pack, but by 2015 our cost were ~50% above the rest.
Click on the icon for the graph.
" Where have the dem party been?"
They have been what they have always been: the fake opposition party!
What can we do to help defeat the trump wrecking ball? I am ready to offer my time and my energy.
This move is the most important battle for America’s financial and economic health. We just cannot allow Republicans to cut taxes for corporations and the 1%, and in fact, we need to see their taxes increased. No status quo. Taxes MUST be for the benefit of Americans, not special interests and the wealthy.
Thank you, Americans for Tax Fairness, for taking a stand. You have my full and enthusiastic support.
That is, what I like to hear!
Go to the link below and join in the effort to revitalize the Congress with true progressives. That will not only stymie Trump, but also his likely successors, Pence and then Ryan and there will be all kinds of diverse opportunities to help refresh our government to a state of true democracy:
Of course we won’t be disappointed if some House Democrats don’t want to vote against their secondary income for elections, will we? We need to replace them with progressives (Democrats, Independents, etc.) who are willing to put themselves and a progressive program forward and reject corporate money, depending on citizen support instead.
I am afraid, that for some of the more powerful politicians corruption is probably the primary income, although unreported. That is why they fighting so hard for their benefactors against US, the people.
“Progressive Armies.” Now that’s a laff. Try and get a “progressive squad or platoon” together to do something useful. What world do these people live in anyway?
And this: let’s get the military and war metaphors out of organizing, unless we plan to organize leftist militias and engage violently.
I am not a proponent of violence of any kind - organized or personal - except in self defense and eating meat. And so I seldom use the language. Either walk the talk, change the language, or STFU.
Have you been living under a rock all that time, when Bernie’s campaign speeches drew thousands, when the women’s march outnumbered the Inauguration crowd on Pennsylvania Avenue? And more recently when progressive counter protesters regularly outnumbered the alt-right protest demonstrations?
Give you head a shake and inform yourself, before you attempt to join discussions in a forum of intelligent people
Mobilizing and organizing are related, but different. Large turnouts feel good and are necessary, but are waisted when they don’t result in further organization and action. The “feel good” aspect is especially problematic as well as the constant noise on social media. The goal is to build organizations that can create enough power for human survivability and progressive sustainable change, ultimately leading to nonviolent anti-capitalist revolution.
That is, why I keep on posting and re-posting the below link, so that ALL get the message, that such organization and action is indeed happening as the vast majority of progressive organizations are getting together and those few, who are not yet on board, are free to join in any time:
Hi,
my post which drew your “blue caution” explains why it appears to be necessary to repeat information on the largest cooperative grouping of progressive organizations many times over. To many of our fellow posters still do not yet know about it. The support for this cohesive force of all these organizations working together is vitally important for the clean-up of Congress in 2018 and 2020.
See you "blue caution and the post it pertained to:
That is, why I keep on posting and re-posting the below link, so that ALL get the message, that such organization and action is indeed happening as the vast majority of progressive organizations are getting together and those few, who are not yet on board, are free to join in any time:
Best,
Olaf
That email was NOT for posting, but an email to Common Dreams’ monitor in response to the blue caution I received while posting.
Now, that you have publicly posted my mail to you, you have succeeded to get it the third time in this very thread. 
Bill Clinton actually raised taxes on the wealthy. These were eliminated when George W. Bush cut taxes on the wealthy. The Democrats did oppose the Bush tax cuts, but the vote was 50-50 in the Senate and Cheney broke the tie. So, don’t blame Democrats for the fact Bush cut taxes on the wealthy.
Barack Obama, without a majority in Congress, was able to get a tax increase on the wealthy, but he had to agree to the sequester that froze government spending. Since government spending on social welfare programs helps the poor, cutting government spending hurts the poor. All social welfare programs since the Great Depression were enacted by Democrats and opposed by Republicans; e.g., Social Security; disability insurance; unemployment insurance; a minimum wage; Medicare; Medicaid; and the ACA.
It is true that Ronald Reagan gave us supply-side economics (cut taxes on the wealthy to stimulate the economy). What actually happened was a massive transfer of wealth from the 99% to the 1%. As Warren Buffett famously said: “It’s class warfare and my class is winning.” Democrats understand that the progressive income tax is the way to deal with wealth inequality in society. The Democrat Woodrow Wilson gave us the progressive income tax. Republicans want to cut the income tax because this will benefit the wealthy with high incomes who pay most of the income taxes.
Really it has only been the last two Democratic Admins that have taken the Neo Liberal stance and I am not convinced that Obama did it willingly. It could well be that the fairly recent Republican’t full court press is an indication that they have the reigns of Our government in hand and are preparing to whip the hell out of the poor horse. The horse of course being the American 98%. The gift of all three branches of government has not done us any favors either.
Under Clinton the top rate on ordinary income was raised from 35% to 39.6% but the top rate on dividends and long term capital gains was LOWERED from 28% to 20%.
If the Republican (and corporate Democrat) theory on taxation is that giving $4 trillion in tax cuts to super high earners and large corporations over 10 years will spur economic growth, then I’m sure they would also have to admit that giving $4 trillion to the customers of business instead would spur economic growth just as much, if not more.
$4 trillion would be enough to pay out $20,000 tax-free to all 200 million U.S. citizens aged 18 and older worth less than $1 million.
Both reducing tax revenue by $4 trillion and giving out $4 trillion would have the same initial (static) effect on the deficit. Although the return to the treasury of increased tax revenue from the resulting increased GDP growth from either would never be be enough to not result in an increased debt, the payouts, I’m sure, would result in a bigger increase in GDP (and thus a larger return to the treasury in tax revenue) than the tax cuts.
