a Taxing Situation
A singular tax, its destruction, a jewel for the new republican crown
AlterNet: An Embarrassment of Riches. The estate tax repeal has been put on hold
AlterNet: Case Against Inheritance Tax Is Bogus,
however temporarily by the twin hurricanes. My father used to have the
opinion that in a world of taxes he would sweep away; starting with the
income tax, the estate tax is one he'd keep. Mind now this was a long
time ago before the Reagan revolution, the contract on America, and the
steady beat of gilded era "truths". Nothing that happened in the 20th
century really makes these people happy. Or really much of the 19th for
that matter. They have their periods and their sticking to them. I have
my opinions on this, that stem from those days; the death valley days
of the late progressive era. Repeal of the estate tax is inconsistent
with democracy. Antagonistic to it, even. The thin reality skinning the
grand illusion of class mobility in this society is the minute churn
made possible by the non-invinceibilty of the elite. It is possible to
fall out of it, to be nudged out. There are gaps. It is possible to
make money that does not owe its production to preexisting means. A
pinnacle upper class able to completely protect and transfer its wealth
essentially has escaped democracy. It insulates itself and alters the
rules of society to gather to itself ownership of all possible
production. Suppresses what it cannot own. It is a fantasist's notion
to suppose the nation's owners would be content exist obligingly
alongside the world of ordinary people. As the gulf between the classes
widens the remaining power political institutions increasingly becomes
a threat. Finally it will become necessary to take the rule of the
people away.
I've heard it said by Wall Street Journal editorialists that
Russia's recent repeal of it's estate tax validates our following suit.
Russia's autocratic state is increasing becoming a favorably exercised
example for American conservatives. Another gambit is to point to
nations with significantly lower Gini indexes, phasing out estate
taxes. For very different reasons neither of these examples is remotely
relevant.
Tax cuts are a political platform. We can imagine a simple
taxonomy of terms in combination which might include (1) tax +
spend (2) tax + tax (3) spend + tax (4) spend + spend. There is an
implied cause and effect, some of these equal balance and some
equal debt. Some among the conservatives celebrate the concept they
refer to as starving the beast. killing bad big government by
systematically attacking its ability to raise revenue. As important as
the concept of starving the government to death I believe that the need
to trot out a tax cut with every election cycle calls just as loud. Not
even the monumental cost of repairing the damage done by
Katrina
FT.com / World / US - Katrina clean-up will hit Bush agenda, says Snow can interrupt the process established.
I've always had a special contempt for governments that couldn't
handle natural disasters. Countries that boast gated communities
of millionaires, just uphill from a low plain of shantytowns. Regimes
that can't help their people because thats not how they ever saw
government as being. As protectors - leaders. They had nothing in place
that could even begin to accomplish this. They never saw beyond
their own preferred mix of wealth extraction and collection. Their own
blend of incompetency & ideology. The dismantling of FEMA
hollowing it, clearing it out of professional staff to make way for
nests of political spiders. This is the result of canvassing the
despots of the third world for ideas.
Even now what we get from our own regime, Three thin ideological initiatives
The Wave of the Future: From Tragedy to Far-Reaching Policy, in Less Than a Month - Center for Media and Democracy.
The 'Katrina' wage Cut (suspension of the Davis-Bacon Act) an
initiative that allows less than minimum wage be paid to workers in the
gulf states On Josh Marshall's sites TPM and TPM cafe,
some have tossed around a counter proposal to have those in congress
who support this have their own wages cut (if possible to below
minimum) -- seems only fair, but I'm not holding my breath.
There is also a House Republican Study Committee (RSC) who
have tasked themselves with providing free-market solutions in response
to Hurricane Katrina, high gas prices and other difficulties. As well
there is operation save-the-presidents-tax cut; officially known
as 'Operation Offset' a revisiting of the budget plan in in the wake of
the gulf states rebuilding programs. I have some questions as to what
they intend here. Are they volunteering to give back their own pork --
which would be something? Are they volunteering each others pork
-- still commendable? Or are they handing over new deal and great
society programs for slaughter while leaving they're on ox un-gored?
Dana Milbanks has written a piece for the Post
Deep Pockets, Small Government and the Man in the Middle illuminating the minor differences even within the GOP on these questions.
Naomi Kline has written a couple of articles for the Nation
Purging the Poor (heard of on Amy Goodman's Democracy Now). And has coined the phrase disaster capitalism
The Rise of Disaster Capitalism.
She notes the parallels in approach and in corporation of those who
would rebuild (for a small fee) New Orleans and contiguous devastated
areas, with the Iraq reconstruction period of two years ago under the
aegis of the Provisional Authority government
There has been a lot made of the efficiency of the military
and the market vs the inefficiency of government. This has led to talk
in jest of course of dialing back the Posse comitatus act [legislation
put in place toward the end of post civil war reconstruction that
placed a bright line between the military and civilian affairs inside
US territory. Similar suggestions would replace FEMA with Walmart
Wall Street shouldn't trump the government in emergency response | csmonitor.com.
These are good jokes, Beau Gestes. They miss the larger question. The
US military is after all part of the US government why can't
other government agencies be encouraged to attain the effectiveness of
the military With its esprit de corps, can-do attitude. Its cold clear
lines of authority. Why are the institutions of democratic government
forever asked to heap ashes upon themselves, give way to others and
remove themselves from existence? Purse strings of a people must
be tied and untied by someone, that someone calls the shots.
11:33:17 PM  ;;
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