David Cay Johnston: Republicans are going after the best-funded social programs, not the weakest

[nebris]

by Gaius Publius on 3/03/2011 09:30:00 PM



David Cay Johnston of Tax.com nails so many good points in this interview with Sam Seder - not the least of which is the deliberate (in his view) Republican attack on the most successful programs in the country.

He notes that so-called "conservatives" are going after "the best-funded programs" rather than the underfunded ones (3:45 in the clip) and wonders rhetorically if there's a pattern. Excellent point; something I've also discussed here (second bullet). Of course there's a pattern; it's how they plan to win.

The data in the disparity-in-income discussion (7:20) is worth memorizing:

In the period 1980-2008, the top .1% of Americans have gone from $1.4 million to $6 million in income. In the same period, the bottom 90% have gained a penny per dollar per year.

Johnston notes of our last 30 years, "These policies are making us poorer." Not only that, but we're actively funding the rich in a "socialist redistribution scheme" (his striking phrase). Listen starting at 16:00 as he provides the detail; I'll bet much of it will be new to you.

There's a ton of value in this great interview. If you can, give it a few minutes of your time.

I used to say, in the battle with the revolutionary cadre known as Movement Conservatism, we're in the third quarter and losing.

Now that we've passed through Cave Week and the 2010 elections, I think it's clearly the fourth quarter, with no improvement in score (to say the least).

But Cairo-come-to-Wisconsin gives us hope, and Midwest Dems are showing us all how to finally strap it on and play to win. Hope we take the hint.

GP