Values

As two competing tax bills make their way through Congress, it's pretty clear that neither will pass.  The "Buffet rule" bill favored by Democrats will be stopped in the House.  And the Republican-favored tax break for "small" businesses (defined as having less than 500 employees - that's about 99% of the total number of businesses in the country)  will be stopped in the Senate.  The Democrats' bill would raise more money that could be put to good use in helping the economy recover and helping secure the social safety net.  The Republican bill would decrease tax revenues, increase the deficit, and give the right wing more excuses to try to cut social programs. 

So the bills are clearly just stalking horses to set positions before the elections.  But the bills do point out the values that each side favors. As did Paul Ryan's budget bill.  Released with great fanfare and Mitt Romney approval a couple of weeks ago - this also, thank God, has no chance of passing the Senate.  

MoveOn's April 14 Daily Share had a great quote from George Carlin pointing out the absurdity of the Republican position on taxing the wealthy.  "Conservtives say if you don't give the rich more money, they will lose their incentive to invest.  As for the poor, they tell us they've lost all incentive because we've given them too much money." 

The NYT, referencing the Paul Ryan-authored, Mitt Romeny-endorsed budget  titled its March 29 editorial "The Cruel Budget" for good reason.  Ryan's budget would cut $3.3 billion from low-income programs over 10 years.  62% of the total budget cuts come from programs that assist low-income individuals.  The biggest cut is to Medicaid.  By eliminating the expansion of Medicaid in the health care law, cutting $1.6 trillion, it would leave another 17 million low- and moderate-income people uninsured.  In addition,  there is a 17% cut in food stamps.  Hard to see how this will work when most people run out of their food stamp allowance well before the end of the month already.

Remarkably, Ryan justified his budget based on his Catholic faith's concern for the poor and the benefit of local control. Hmmm...what a weird way to do this in the 21st century when state budgets are being slashed because of a lack of aid money from the Federal government.  Politico reported on the Wisconsin Democrat Party chair's response to Ryan's justification of his extremist budget:

“For Paul Ryan to justify his radical budget using Catholic social teaching as an underpinning either arrives from designed error or unintended ignorance,” said Graeme Zielinski, the communications director for the state Democratic Party.

“Many Catholics oppose the Ryan budget not in spite of our Catholic faith, but because of it. Catholics are taught that everyone, not just the rich, have a right to participate in our economic system. They also are taught that income inequality is a great threat to solidarity… It can be argued that a Ryan budget that clearly gives priority to capital and the super-rich over workers and the poor alters that balance in a way that offends Catholic tradition.”
I wonder if Paul Ryan was paying attention to the first reading at this Sunday's Mass.  It was from the Acts of the Apostles and discussed the state of the early Church:  "And the multitude of the believers had but one heart and one soul: neither did any one say, that any of the things which he possessed was his own, but all things were common to them...For neither was there any one needy among them. For as many as were owners of lands or houses, sold them, and brought the price of the things they sold, And laid it down before the feet of the apostles. And distribution was made to every one, according as he had need."  I'd like to hear Paul Ryan explain how cuts to medical care and food for low-income individuals to protect tax breaks for the wealthy square with this Biblical passage.