By Mario M. Cuomo -- Let good sense trump ideology

[Jon8503]

Edited on Wed Jun-29-05 06:52 PM by Jon8503

Looking back to the beginning of the Ronald Reagan years in 1981, when huge tax cuts for already-prosperous Americans and a shrinking of programs benefiting the rest of the population were launched, it's clear that the forces of great wealth have been conducting a class war that they are winning decisively.
The battle continues today as Republican "wealth warriors" press for the privatization of Social Security, revision of bankruptcy laws to benefit corporate financiers at the expense of debt-ridden middle-class credit card users, the repeal of workplace safety regulations, and in other ways are forcing struggling Americans to shoulder responsibilities that have been government responsibilities for most of our modern history.

For example, the Bush administration is seeking to alter Medicaid by dropping much of the protection against catastrophic illness and substituting more access to primary care. That's an attractive notion unless you are seriously ill. Similar cuts are surely in store for Medicare once the president is finished with his Social Security misadventure.

This reduction in necessary programs is accompanied by more tax cuts, largely for the wealthy, including the elimination of billions of dollars in inheritance taxes benefiting only a small proportion of Americans. The champions of the already secure say their purpose in making these cuts is to "starve the beast." That's a cute way of saying they will use fiscal starvation to end or severely limit existing discretionary programs that help provide education, health care and other social assistance.

(rest of article at link)

http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/editorials/2005-06-28-cuomo-edit_x.htm