The truth about 'class war' in America

[marmar]

The truth about 'class war' in America
Republicans claim, in Orwellian fashion, that Obama's millionaire tax is 'class war'. The reality is that the super-rich won the war

Richard Wolff
guardian.co.uk, Monday 19 September 2011


Republicans and conservatives always fight back against proposals to raise taxes on corporations and rich individuals by making two basic claims. First, such proposals amount to un-American "class warfare", pitting the working class against corporations and the rich. Second, such proposals would take money for the government that would otherwise have been invested in production and thus created jobs.

Neither logic nor evidence supports either claim. The charge of class war is particularly obtuse. Consider simply these two facts. First, at the end of the second world war, for every dollar Washington raised in taxes on individuals, it raised $1.50 in taxes on business profits. Today, that ratio is very different: for every dollar Washington gets in taxes on individuals, it takes 25 cents in taxes on business. In short, the last half century has seen a massive shift of the burden of federal taxation off business and onto individuals.

Second, across those 50 years, the actual shift that occurred was the opposite of the much more modest reversal proposed this week by President Obama; over the same period, the federal income tax rate on the richest individuals fell from 91% to the current 35%. Yet, Republicans and conservatives use the term "class war" for what Obama proposes – and never for what the last five decades have accomplished in shifting the tax burden from the rich and corporations to the working class.

The tax structure imposed by Washington on the US over the last half-century has seen a massive double shift of the burden of taxation: from corporations to individuals and from the richest individuals to everyone else. If the national debate wants seriously to use a term like "class war" to describe Washington's tax policies, then the reality is that the class war's winners have been corporations and the rich. Its losers – the rest of us – now want to reduce our losses modestly by small increases in taxes on the super-rich (but not, or not yet, on corporations). .............(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2011/sep/19/class-war-america-republicans-rich

[mdmc]

1. the war is over - if we want it

[Fire Walk With Me]

2. We dare not get upset over GE paying zero taxes last year. Riiiiight...

[orpupilofnature57]

3. Prime Example ,Let's Rock

[SlimJimmy]

4. Please tell that to our President. He has the CEO of GE on his

economic team. The President can't be arguing for corporations to pay their fair share when he has one of the biggest offenders on his team.

[Fire Walk With Me]

5. Perhaps he's hoping to shame them into positive, social behaviour?

:hide:

[SlimJimmy]

6. I don't think so. I think it's a mistake he needs to correct at the soonest available moment.

[ohheckyeah]

7. Let's talk about class warfare.

The rich and their corporations have raped and pillaged the world of it's natural resources; launched an out and out attack against unions; demanded more and more from employees while cutting or doing away with health care and pensions; trashed the economy through the banks, Wall Street and by off shoring jobs. All of the shots fired in the class war have come from the rich and corporations. So now, I'm supposed to worry or care about them being in the line of fire? If taxing them more is class warfare, GOOD! It's time to go on the offensive.

[Starry Messenger]

8. k&r