When The Billionaire Class Doesn’t Like Facts...
By louisehartmann
They simply scrub them away from the view of the public. With the main debate in Washington these days centered on how much the rich should pay in taxes, the Congressional Research Service issued a report last September on the effect of upper income tax rates on economic growth. The CRS report found that low taxes on the rich did not spur economic growth – but instead fueled wealth inequality. Republicans – led by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell – protested the report since it undermines their main political talking point that rich people are “job creators” who need to be coddled with low tax rates.
CRS bowed to the pressure and withdrew the report this week. However the reports author told TPM on Thursday that he had nothing to do with the decision and the he continues to stand by the finding in his report. Democratic Congressman Sander Levin released a statement in response to the scrubbing of the report saying, “It would be completely inappropriate for CRS to censor one of its analysts simply because participants in the political process found his or her conclusion in conflict with their partisan position.”
Whether they’re facts about taxes, climate change, healthcare – you name it – if they don’t jive with the Billionaire Class – then Republicans just ignore them.
Comments
#2
Reagan created 5.3 mil job in 1st 4 yrs, averaged 2 mil/yr thru presidency.
Obama has created 5.5 mil private sector jobs in last 2.75 yrs, avg of 2 mil/yr, 160,000+/month
Bush created total of 1 million jobs in 8 yrs, avg of 135,000 per YEAR. Remember Bush - He was last Repub governor to claim business experience.
Eisenhower - 400,000/yr
HW Bush - 700,000/yr
Nixon/Ford - 1.4 mil/yr -
Only 2 Prezs created more than Obama - both Dems (Carter, Clinton). Reagan, Kennedy/Johnson same amount.
Dems better for jobs. Dems better for stock market. Market down nder 3 Presidents - Hoover, Nixon, Bush.
#3
Republicans and billionaries ignore facts at their own peril. Gravity does not depend on whether or not one believes in the its prinicples. Cancer does not leave your body because you refuse to accept the doctors diagnosis. Likewise, when an independent analysts tell Republican plutocrats that their economic plans do not hold water, it is wise to believe the analysts. This year's Republican's are acting very much like the Emperor who has no clothes. They only seem to care about their ideology and the facts be damned. Their comments in the presidential election that they would not allow their campaign to be "fact checked" is the height of hubris. I expect when all the dust has cleared and the votes are counted that Republicans will claim that the election was stolen from them because too many illegal aliens voted.
They remind me of my youth when sore losers in a pick up game would take their ball and go home if they could not win playing by the rules. Cheating has become such a part of their normal way of doing business that they have begun to believe the rules encourage them to resort to bad behavior. Empires are not defeated by external forces; instead empires decay because of internal corruption. The Republican Party is a corrupting infulence on the American system of government. I am happy to have a loyal opposition. However, I am not happy to have a crooked, corrupted opposition that spits and stomps on the United States Constitution. Republicans have gone too far in their partisian behavior. They have stepped over the line.
#4
Let me see... The name of this entity is the 'Congressional Research Service'. so, I guess it's safe to guess that the reason for their existence is to provide a service, and that service, if I'm reasding this correctly, is research. I'm also guessing that, with the word, 'congressional' in their name, that they provide this service to the congress. Paid for by our taxzes, in theory, at least, they're beholden to the constituency of the congress, or the citizens of the United States of America. Sooo... they're given this research project. Doesn't the information gathered in the course of that research become property of the citizenry of the United States? Isn't an order by the few, to destroy this information, if not illegal, at least wrong? I don't think it's really a very hard question. Lock the bastards up! Unless I'm not allowed to use the word, 'bastards'. In which case, I'll say, "Lock the dingleheads up!"
#5
What so surprising about the republicans hiding facts? Conservative christians have been hiding the truth for millenia.
#6
Look Inside A Republican to see the truth and discover a LIAR.
#7
"Low taxes on the rich did not spur economic growth." Did you hear that Ronald?
I wonder how much privatization and loss of of public sector jobs, spurs economic growth? How many more teachers do we lay off and how many more tax breaks do we give the Koch brothers before we admit cigarettes cause cancer?
In addition, I think an entire book has been written about how tax breaks for big business creates incentive to stash the windfall instead of reinvesting back into the company for tax write offs.
#8
"…the report's author…"
"…if they don't JIBE…"
(Sorry, I'm an editor!)
#9
Global, your rants make no sense at all, nothing but a conflicting mismosh of thoughts that come from your very confused mind.
#10
It is intuitively obvious to the most casual observer. If the rich get a tax cut they save a good portion of the money, especially in uncertain economic times, or when they wish to initiate a capital strike to bring down prices; either way the result is a decrease in the velocity of money and lack of stimulus to the economy. If you give money to the poor from whatever source the money is spent and thus increases the velocity of money stimulating the economy. The rich know this; if they only wanted more money they could best obtain greater riches in a healthy and expanding economy fueled by the growth of prosperous lower classes. As our corporatist state lurches toward it's transition into Empire the rich will spend less and less of what they regard as their money on panem and allow the 99% to provide our own circenses. Where are our Grachii?
eirigi
#11
Oh, you mean the World isn't 5,500 Years old like the conservative christian coalition demands it is or the political corruption it supports from the pulpit(?)!
#12
Keep telling the FACTS Thom! I am so tired of the lies and half-truths being spread.
#13
Are the readers of this blog so few that only a dozen people actually make comments?
#14
The "New Right-Weyrich" never said they would promote truth, co-operation, deliverance. Their goal is to reform gov't which means Our Form of gov't. Democracy will become Theocracy/Oligarchy and the elite will run - not just N.America; but, the World. As Bush said on that podium....The New World Order! Bilderberg Group, TPP, G8 - the sole purpose is to make the world a level playing field. Raise the standard of living for 3rd world countries, lower the industrialized countries, and SELL more products to ALL. The Austerity Agenda is NOT working in Europe. While we don't get the newsfeeds, there are thousands marching and protesting this agenda. It does our country NO service to ignore what the world is doing and we can anticipate the same actions/reactions in our country - sooner than we expect. Big money, Big corporations, Big politicians/lobbyists will bloody our land for their greed; but, we will overcome!
#15
Conservative christians is a misnomer. Ccnservatives and christians are mutually exclusive.
#16
I try not to be judgmental when I read the comments made, but to my thinking you’re a pious ass. You are without a doubt a right winger who feels we as a nation can trust the corporations and the wealthy in our nation. News for you Republican, we heard the same bull coming from the right wing con(s) during the years of rule by that war criminal who was elected by your type and his name is Bush. Small businesses, are these the same guys I see lining up to hire the illegal workers from south of our borders each morning or the same small business owners who pay a minimum wage and no health insurance to its workers? There is a reason why we need intervention from the government, especially in the form of healthcare and that reason is to protect the workers who make the money for these so called small business owners. These are the people who are too cheap to pay a living wage or provide health care. The greatest threat to America is from the small minded people like yourself who think you know what is best for the country as long as it includes your kind profiteering of the sweat and toil of the workers you might employ, hypothetically in your case. Without regulations to protect the workers and the environment this country would look more like China and less like America, if people of your mentality actually ran things. And if we are unlucky enough or if the Democrats are too complacent to vote, we probably will look like China in the near future under the rule of King Romney and his batch of criminals. I can see the streets running red from violent protests if this butcher becomes the next president of America. He would repeal the needed healthcare act to appease his crony business associates and corporations, while the children and people with pre-existing health conditions in this country suffer for lack of healthcare coverage. As long as it is the rule that those with the means determine what the working class of this nation will have to suffer with because they are part of the "47%" he (King Romney) and his ruling class does not represent in this nation, we will always be just another country with its working class sliding downward to profit the wealthy. Money from the elite presently run this country with its bribes to the nation’s political ruling class, but it will not take much to change that once the masses take to the streets as we did in the 60's. I heard your king Romney state a few days ago that it will take people giving up many of the benefits they now receive to revive this country. I highly doubt he was talking about the wealthy giving up anything, especially their massive tax breaks in the Ryan budget, and more likely he was talking about cutting out most of the social programs that the poor and middle class use as a safety net to prevent them from falling into a dark pit of poverty and despair. You can only push the people of this nation so far before they decide they will push back. Even a well-mannered dog will bite back if pushed into a corner, and America is very close to that situation. If the wealthy and the politicians think they will balance the budget on the backs of the poor and middle class by eliminating social programs, while giving 5,000,000,000,000 dollars (Yes, it is in the trillions) in tax cuts to the wealthy, they will be in for a very unpleasant surprise in the future. A very unpleasant awakening indeed. I suppose that is why D.H.S. order 350.000.000 rounds of ammunition this year, in case the dogs decide to bite back.
#17
I disagree with that interpretation of yours Mr. Reiter. All the Christians I have any had contact with are Concervatives. Most of the Christians that use th pulpit for a means of indoctrinating their followers are Republicans and concervative politically. So I guess it would depend on who you are speaking of. Personally I find most Christians, Muslims and Jews offensive by nature of their beliefs that I disagree with.
#18
Mr. Reiter, as an Independent I find that most Democrats are liars as well. As in the case of Mr. Obama, he has lied about most of the changes he was going to bring to the White House. Transparency, civil rights, where they are holding the terrorists and just about everything he promised he would do he has not and everything he said he would not do, he has done. Liars come in both the R. and D. parties equally. In order to be elected to political office these days lying is a prerequisite by nature of the game.
#19
Global, I tried to follow your logic but it's like looking at one of those optical illusions where the steps go round and round and apparently never stop going up - it's impossible. Do you sit all day and think to youself "what's the most preposterous, illogical and wierdst things I can come up with"?
#20
I'm refering to the true meaning of Christianity, for example Matthew 25 feeding the hungry, tending to the sick, the poor, the homeless. Where do you see in the agenda of the Republicans, e.g. conservaties, their agenda for the less fortunate? Look at their agenda of cutting all help for the less fortunate while giving tax breaks to the top 1% percent rich. In fact, all of the major religions cleave to the idea of helping the poor. An example of the Old Testament would be with Jubilee where dept is forgiven.
I agree, I'm addressing the political...
#21
On the same night that President Obama was inaugerated, 14 Republicans met in a resturant on K Street in D.C. and swore an oath to obstruct everything President Obama would do. Over 300 fillibusters in the Senate by all Republicans, every bill introduced in the House to help America rebound was obstructed. And you blame President Obama for not fulfilling his promises?
#22
Hey Ken, you sound like a bitter blow hard. Try to stay focused, I prefer not to have a king or a master to be a slave to the government. FYI, I voted for Ron Paul in the primary, as far as I am concerned a vote for Romney will at least slow the descent into total socialism until this country is ready for some real freedom.
#23
Here we go again, for me another round of embarrassment must be endured. The secrets of secrets for all time and in my life so far, this must be the Pontius Pilate, the ancient tyranny of info facts that’s been the governor guidance of Judaea Washington D.C. I know not what they do because they don’t want me to know. Great Caesars ghost what happened to the freedom of the press, the first amendment. The unabridged format of ideas in free thinking. Yikes. The haves and the have not’s
Never heard of this place called the “The Congressional Research Service”. For good reason, because it’s not open to the public? LOL.
Now laughing and giggling to myself with an understanding to the absurdity of our government structure. This government organization installed in 1914, about the same time the Federal Reserve was established. Now we have two huge agencies that are secret only known to Congress. Beginning to believe these are all connected the CIA and FBI which are secret Sam stuff too. Sheesh. You mean those reports that are secret only to Congress might leak out to governors or biggy business too. Like the mainstream media. MSNBC might very well be broadcasting about which jail progams are the most comfortable for them to be in. LOL. Soon.
The agencies with binders of secrets. All this reminds me of the story about Pythagoras. ca.560-ca.480 BC. To be reported that when those Pythagoreans found out that some radical numbers could not be counted, they are nonterminating, they would get rid of anyone who might tell. Keeping the math a secret. So as centuries past nothing has changed. So the same forces are working today. Gee whiz Obama you’re not working fast enough. Chuckle Chuckle. Oh God help me.
Then as it was reported the other day George Bush and Company had a meeting in the Canary Islands that was secret. No one knows what they talked about. But they must be the Bush Base those very rich people that really have no rules, just make money money money. One wonders if our Congressional Research Service can find out these secrets about the Canary Island secrets and these biggy business secrets. All this is needed to help us understand the “free market” don’t you think?
#24
Churches are abusing their tax-exempt status when they are endorsing candidates.
#25
People indoctrinated by the radical right propaganda machine may actually believe Obama is not supporting workers and unions.
#26
Some of them believe Jesus said "life begins at conception" Very sure that He did not. Organized religion is generally another form of big business, so their agenda is basically like the top 1% and large corporations.
#27
We can not afford the “free market” of the rich and powerful.
#28
Your comment shows that you have been totally indoctrinated by the radical right propaganda machine. So you call it a descent to join with all civilized countries that care about the health needs of all their people ? Your freedom is more slavery to the rich and powerful.
#29
Thanks for the optimism, but with the 52% fighting against the 47%, looks like the top 1% will be very hard to overcome.
#30
How about the term: radical religious right ?
#31
And your comments show that you are lost to the dark side -- socialism. It does not work, it only inslaves the fools that jump in the pot of water. What is so radical about wanting to put this country back on the path of individual freedom and self worth. It really comes down to liberty versus tyranny. With top down government control of all the basics in life we all will be lost souls with very few choices But to follow the herd of collectivism.
#32
You're forever blowing bubbles..from the inside of one. The whole purpose of government is to protect the majority from the few connivers that are skilled at corruption and thievery. Individual freedom and self worth are fine until they begin stealing from and cheating other people. You'd scream bloody murder if a few people tried to cut in-line in front of you at the grocery store. But that is just what many people who like to think of themselves as lovers of individual freedom and self worth are doing to the rest of us....cutting into the line ahead of us and thumbing their noses at us. Those arrogant, selfish bastards believe they are more deserving than the rest of us in grabbing up the lion's share of everything. We need a strong, honest, incorruptible government and law enforcement to keep people like that in line or behind bars where they belong. The real tyranny comes from those few who managed to wheedle their way up there stepping on everyone else on their way up. A strong, honest government is the only way to keep laissez faire capitalists from hogging everything for themselves. Oink, oink!
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