Sunday, November 14, 2010

Rich: Beyond the deficit, extreme inequality threatens our society

You know, I agree with Frank Rich and I've argued the same: taxing the top 1% of income earners to cut the deficit is more than just the obvious way to close our fiscal deficit; Gilded-Age levels of income inequality are also a moral and social issue that portend political instability and social unrest.

However, I have to side with Obama's "moderate" approach: It's not about class, it's about math.

Too large a proportion of the electorate has been successfully brainwashed into voting against their own economic interests (although some, having parsed the numbers, disagree). Moreover, Americans rightly distrust the virtue of their Congress to spend any additional tax revenue prudently. And so any talk of what's right, fair, or socially stable can too easily be twisted into "class warfare" accusations from the Right. We can't undo their warped programming in an acceptable timeframe.

For us to win the debate, we must keep it simple and make the choices clear, like this poll did: either A or B: either tax the top 1% or cut everybody's Social Security. Then we'll see how the Teabaggers and Red State zombies like them apples.


By Frank Rich
November 13, 2010 | New York Times

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