2011-12-23

Payroll tax cut

And then there's the fact that the use of the Social Security tax ("payroll" tax is preferred especially by those who like to disconnect it from its purpose) as an instrument of fiscal policy and redistribution undermines the integrity of the SS system. It is, in my opinion, an extremely bad precedent to use the SS tax rate in this way. The next thing coming down the pike will be turning the SS system into essentially a welfare program with means testing and all-out politicizing of the program. It is playing right into the hands of the rightwing that would like to destroy the program anyway. Pure shortsightedness on the part of progressives to support payroll tax cuts. Sure, it's out of desperation that they support these tax cuts, but it is the wrong way to help the lower and middle class, and it threatens their longer term security.

"Job creators"

Every time I hear a Republican say "job creators", I think "job exporters". The R's are like a puppet show out of Alice in Wonderland, constantly and with perfect consistency, spouting their bromides and never getting seriously challenged by the MSM. Even when challenged, they keep to their script. They started a class war, and if it continues for long it could easily get ugly on the streets and ports. Then they will be the creators of jobs...for riot cops.