So apparently Republican U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin’s first Congressional district supports tax increases after all, so long as those tax increases target the middle class and not the rich:
Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) said on Sunday that House Republicans would oppose President Barack Obama’s payroll tax cuts for both employers and employees, arguing that the policy had already failed to provide a sufficient boost to the economy. “It hasn’t worked,” Ryan said, suggesting the current temporary tax cut should be allowed to expire, which will amount to a 50 percent tax hike on workers making less than $106,000 per year.
He also said he opposes the president’s proposal to require millionaires to pay the same tax rate as the middle class, known as the Buffett plan. “Class warfare might make for good politics, but it makes for rotten economics,” Ryan said…
So let’s recap.
According to Paul Ryan, letting temporary income tax cuts lapse that primarily benefit the wealthy constitutes “class warfare,” “rotten economics,” and a “tax increase,” while allowing temporary payroll tax cuts lapse that primarily benefit the poor and middle classes is hat’s just getting rid of a policy that “hasn’t worked.”
So in other words, if you’re among the top one percent of income earners in the United States, Paul Ryan is looking out for you, but if you’re poor or in the middle class, Paul Ryan could care less about you financial struggles.
When you find yourselves on the losing side of the opinion polls, what better and time tested way of re-directing the narrative than to pull out the typical tactic of invoking conflict. It’s the usual “us vs. them” or “they’re coming for your guns” that is accompanied by the rhetoric of war. “Class warfare” is yet another classic dog whistle to the base that tells them they’re girding for a fight. That the phrase includes war imagery was no accident.
Gratuitous American flag imagery soon to follow.
Someone needs to point out to Rep. Ryan that the Bush tax cuts apparently haven’t worked either…
Here’s another really good reason to raise taxes on the wealthy
Feature, not a flaw.
WHat most people don’ t understand is that over 90% or all taxes collected by the IRS comes from the TOP 1% of Earners in this country. THey already pay more taxes than the other 99%, but the DEMS won’t state this fact, cause they want to USE THE POOR and MIDDLE CLASS to get Re-Elected. Its not that they care about us, they only want us for 1 thing VOTES is ALL!!!
Ike…attribution please!
And GE paid less in taxes than you did last year…and believe me they had a far better year.
So do you support raising taxes on the poor?