Spring Break
Republicans can't claim higher ground on alleviating tax woes
Sean Reed
Issue date: 4/20/09 Section: Opinion
Looks like the idiots finally found a voice. And, as usual, the Republicans have stepped up to exploit them.
On Wednesday, thousands of Americans dissatisfied with the size and scope of government spending took their concerns to the streets in an event they dubbed the "Tax Day Tea Party."
Harkening back to the cries of the nation's founders, protesters nationwide called on the government to stop the out-of-control pork spending they say is fueling the high American tax burden on the working class. According to the Associated Press, of particular concern to protesters across the nation was the recent surge in government spending brought on by President Barack Obama's $787 billion stimulus bill.
Unsurprisingly, many prominent Republicans, including former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, were quick to jump behind the movement, hoping to use the anger over taxes to regain some of the party's lost political clout following the mismanagement of the country during the Bush years. And sadly, no one has yet stood up against this blatant hypocrisy.
If there is anyone worth blaming for the current "high" tax predicament, it would be the Republican Party.
Over the past eight years, the so-called party of "small government" has been the major contributor to a vast and irresponsible expansion of government spending that led to the largest deficit in history. But it didn't have to be this way.
Back in 2000, as President Bush hit the campaign trail for his first bid at the nation's highest office, things could not have been more different.
Fueled by unprecedented economic prosperity, Democratic President Bill Clinton and the Republican-controlled Congress managed to do the unthinkable --they balanced the federal budget. In fact, they more than balanced it. Tax revenue actually exceeded expenditures, leading to the creation of a federal budget surplus.
By the time Bush was sworn in, the federal budget surplus topped out at nearly $558 billion.
On Wednesday, thousands of Americans dissatisfied with the size and scope of government spending took their concerns to the streets in an event they dubbed the "Tax Day Tea Party."
Harkening back to the cries of the nation's founders, protesters nationwide called on the government to stop the out-of-control pork spending they say is fueling the high American tax burden on the working class. According to the Associated Press, of particular concern to protesters across the nation was the recent surge in government spending brought on by President Barack Obama's $787 billion stimulus bill.
Unsurprisingly, many prominent Republicans, including former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, were quick to jump behind the movement, hoping to use the anger over taxes to regain some of the party's lost political clout following the mismanagement of the country during the Bush years. And sadly, no one has yet stood up against this blatant hypocrisy.
If there is anyone worth blaming for the current "high" tax predicament, it would be the Republican Party.
Over the past eight years, the so-called party of "small government" has been the major contributor to a vast and irresponsible expansion of government spending that led to the largest deficit in history. But it didn't have to be this way.
Back in 2000, as President Bush hit the campaign trail for his first bid at the nation's highest office, things could not have been more different.
Fueled by unprecedented economic prosperity, Democratic President Bill Clinton and the Republican-controlled Congress managed to do the unthinkable --they balanced the federal budget. In fact, they more than balanced it. Tax revenue actually exceeded expenditures, leading to the creation of a federal budget surplus.
By the time Bush was sworn in, the federal budget surplus topped out at nearly $558 billion.
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
Registered Independent
posted 4/20/09 @ 6:35 AM MST
Obviously written by someone who has never really paid income taxes.
Wish I could be there to see the astonished look on your face in 2011 when Obama's big tax increases actually kick in, and you get to experience first hand how little of your own hard-earned paycheck you actually get to keep. (Continued…)
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