Tom Harkin has served the people of Iowa since 1975, first as a Representative and since 1985 as a Senator. Yesterday he wrote an op-ed for a newspaper in Iowa that managed to find its way into my in-box. I wish more Senators would lay out the argument to invest in America as well as Senator Harkin did. Considering the Republican Primary Circus in Iowa, it is especially refreshing to see that Iowa actually sends adults like Harkin to Washington, and has done so for at least 36 years.
Harkin began his piece by recognizing that this is Labor Day week-end, but said he won’t be celebrating because there are 29 million unemployed or underemployed Americans with nothing to celebrate. For some reason the Politicos in Washington have gotten so distracted by Wall Street’s worries about the national debt, that they have forgotten that most of America lives closer to Main Street than to Wall Street. There is a huge sector of the American economy, made up of small businesses, that is not listed on any national stock exchange.
Certainly long term debt is a problem. But it is a problem that can be solved over time, and shouldn’t be used as an excuse to allow Main Street to crumble while the fat cats on Wall Street worry that they might have to actually give up their tax free investments and yachts and luxury cars and mansions in gated communities staffed with immigrant domestic slaves.
In another interesting OpEd, the Wall Street Journal endorsed the economic plan of Jon Huntsman—apparently the only adult Republican seeking the presidency. The Huntsman plan is bold, but not likely to ever be implemented because it gores too many sacred oxen. The biggest fight would probably be about eliminating the mortgage deduction. For most Americans, especially those living on Main Street, the mortgage deduction is the only tax break they get while filing income taxes. I know that for years it was the only deduction I was able to claim. Of course Huntsman also plays to his base by advocating for the repeal of “ObamaCare” and the regulations put into place after the Enron Scandal and the recent Wall Street crash and any environmental regulations that might impede the philosophy of Drill Baby Drill.
What is becoming increasingly clear is that the two political parties have two completely different visions of America. Democrats see America as a place where every family feels secure; workers have dignity; children have access to world-class educations; and taxes are used to fund things like the Hoover Dam, and the Eisenhower system of inter-state highways and universal health care. Republicans see America as a place where greed trumps compassion, and the only reasonable investment is in things that get blown up or pollute the environment.
Do yourself a favor; click on the link to Harkin’s OpEd and read it. Harkin is a real American Patriot. And when you see Huntsman rising in the polls, remember that you read about Huntsman in this blog long before the Wall Street Journal fell in love with him.
Homework:
Des Moins Register OpEd by Tom Harkin
CBO Says Expiration of Bush Tax Cuts Would Cut Deficits by 50% Over Ten Years
Wall Street Journal Opines About Huntsman's Jobs Plan
Everything You Never Wanted to Know About Accounting Regulations Enacted After Enron
Harkin began his piece by recognizing that this is Labor Day week-end, but said he won’t be celebrating because there are 29 million unemployed or underemployed Americans with nothing to celebrate. For some reason the Politicos in Washington have gotten so distracted by Wall Street’s worries about the national debt, that they have forgotten that most of America lives closer to Main Street than to Wall Street. There is a huge sector of the American economy, made up of small businesses, that is not listed on any national stock exchange.
Certainly long term debt is a problem. But it is a problem that can be solved over time, and shouldn’t be used as an excuse to allow Main Street to crumble while the fat cats on Wall Street worry that they might have to actually give up their tax free investments and yachts and luxury cars and mansions in gated communities staffed with immigrant domestic slaves.
In another interesting OpEd, the Wall Street Journal endorsed the economic plan of Jon Huntsman—apparently the only adult Republican seeking the presidency. The Huntsman plan is bold, but not likely to ever be implemented because it gores too many sacred oxen. The biggest fight would probably be about eliminating the mortgage deduction. For most Americans, especially those living on Main Street, the mortgage deduction is the only tax break they get while filing income taxes. I know that for years it was the only deduction I was able to claim. Of course Huntsman also plays to his base by advocating for the repeal of “ObamaCare” and the regulations put into place after the Enron Scandal and the recent Wall Street crash and any environmental regulations that might impede the philosophy of Drill Baby Drill.
What is becoming increasingly clear is that the two political parties have two completely different visions of America. Democrats see America as a place where every family feels secure; workers have dignity; children have access to world-class educations; and taxes are used to fund things like the Hoover Dam, and the Eisenhower system of inter-state highways and universal health care. Republicans see America as a place where greed trumps compassion, and the only reasonable investment is in things that get blown up or pollute the environment.
Do yourself a favor; click on the link to Harkin’s OpEd and read it. Harkin is a real American Patriot. And when you see Huntsman rising in the polls, remember that you read about Huntsman in this blog long before the Wall Street Journal fell in love with him.
Homework:
Des Moins Register OpEd by Tom Harkin
CBO Says Expiration of Bush Tax Cuts Would Cut Deficits by 50% Over Ten Years
Wall Street Journal Opines About Huntsman's Jobs Plan
Everything You Never Wanted to Know About Accounting Regulations Enacted After Enron
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