2011-04-17

Taxes, Rallies, Politicians, Rich Folk, and Who's to Blame?

Russ Kronke is a member of our Frankfort, Kentucky, MoveOn Council. He brought the following information for sharing at a recent meeting of our council. I immediately appreciated how Russ had put a difficult subject into a clear concise document that, to me at least, asks the right questions and gives the right information. Thank you, Russ, for sharing this with us.
Mike
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TAX DAY RALLIES, ETC


PROBLEM

  • Verizon, Amazon, BFA, GE, Citi, etc are doing what the tax laws allow them to do. The corporation lobbyists may have influenced legislation, but corporations are not the right target.

  • It’s the government, its rules and regulations and the legislators who are being bought off that are the problem.

  • Rally, where, why and how? To get what? What can I do?


DEFICIT: It’s the revenue, not the spending.


WHY IS REVENUE A PROBLEM?

  • Oil subsidies

  • Corporate tax loopholes

  • Tax cuts for the wealthy

  • Jobs shipped overseas

  • Unemployment, insufficient job creation

  • Republican obstructionism and Democrat wimpishness, Lobbyists.

  • Citizens United Supreme Court Decision (Koch Brothers, Chamber of Commerce)


IS THERE A SPENDING PROBLEM?

  • We certainly don’t want waste but we don’t want to cut good programs. Republican ideology is attempting to slash good programs.

  • Too much war and defense spending

  • Need to spend more in areas that will create jobs and improve the economy.

  • Education needs support.


HOW CAN IT BE FIXED?

  • Grass roots activism to get leadership to act

  • Educate the public and get them to vote

  • President and Democratic leadership need to take a stand

  • It can only be fixed by Congress and the President.


WHAT ABOUT ENTITLEMENTS (SS, MEDICARE AND MEDICAID)?

  • Social Security is solid for 30 years --- do not touch

  • Medicare only source of affordable health care for seniors.

  • Medicaid is being abused by states and needs some reform.

  • Health Care costs need to be contained. They increase too much too fast.


WHAT CAN WE DO?

  • Rallies? Town halls? What kind? Where?

  • Get our organizations to support going after the real target, Congress and President

  • Demonstrations? Target legislators?

  • Letters to editors

  • Educational forums and material

  • ????????????????