America is losing its international competitiveness, neglecting its poor

The high deficit, low tax trapPresident Obama is right about the need for investment in skills. But as a prisoner of the US's tax consensus, he is impotent
Jeffrey Sachs guardian.co.uk, Monday 31 January 2011 14.00 GM
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2011/jan/31/state-of-the-union-address-useconomy

<<snip>>

The truth of US politics today is simple. The key policy for the leaders of both political parties is tax cuts, especially for the rich. Both political parties, and the White House, would rather cut taxes than spend more on education, science and technology and infrastructure. And the explanation is straightforward: the richest households fund political campaigns. Both parties, therefore, cater to their wishes.

As a result, America's total tax revenues as a share of national income are among the lowest of all high-income countries, roughly 30%, compared to around 40% in Europe. But 30% of GDP is not enough to cover the needs of health, education, science and technology, social security, infrastructure and other vital government responsibilities.

One budget area can and should be cut: military spending. But even if America's wildly excessive military budget is cut sharply (and politicians in both parties are resisting that), there will still be a need for new taxes.

The economic and social consequences of a generation of tax-cutting are clear. America is losing its international competitiveness, neglecting its poor – one in five American children is trapped in poverty – and leaving a mountain of debt to its young. For all the Obama administration's lofty rhetoric, his fiscal policy proposals make no serious attempt to address these problems. To do so would require calling for higher taxes, and that – as George HW Bush learned in 1992 – is no way to get re-elected.

so the poor and the working class will fight each others -- and the REAL criminals -- the elites, clean out what's left of the New Deal.

I was hoping for something similar from Obama and the Dem Congress when we had control, but that has passed.

the poor and working class has become just another vehicle of the wealthy and corporate class, so our entire nation is suffering for it.

The whole world sees it, but nobody with any authority or backing in our government sees it or has the will to do anything about it. They are all too dedicated to being part of the problem. They have to be, because that is how they got there, and how they stay there. They know that, and don't dare step out of that pro-wealth, pro-corporate mindset.

Thank you very much, Bill Clinton, for remaking the Democratic Party as corporate sponsored part instead of a Labor sponsored party. You were right that the Democratic party could match the Republicans in raising money that way, but look at the long term cost that we are all paying as a nation! Look at what short-sighted demand for wealth causes!

Sure, the Democratic party now has more access to corporate leaders and their wealth than they could have dreamed of 20 years ago, but our nation is becoming a 3rd world nation, and there is little hope of turning us around.

• Where are the efforts to cut the military to reasonable levels?
  
• Where are the efforts to rebuild our public infrastructure to necessary levels of safety, access and accommodation?
  
• Where are the efforts to provide real access to real health care for all people, not just access to insurance accounts so that we become guaranteed profit sources for corporations?
  
• Where are the modern efforts to update and upgrade our care for the environment on par with what the Clean Air act and Endangered Species act where for their time? And where are the groundbreaking efforts to defend and expand those historic acts?
  
• Where are the real economy-wide efforts to get rid of corporate subsidies, get rid of our nation's addiction to fossil fuels, and create a true green economy?
  

In short, where are all the efforts to deliver on the promises made over the years, to deliver on all the potential for what could have been if our party had not been sold out to corporations?

This country never did fulfill it's amazing potential. Of course, things can change, but it may have to come from the bottom up. We voted for Obama thinking he was the leader we needed. Maybe there's just simply too much opposition from big business and the Republicans. Maybe no one could have pulled our asses out of the fire.

:nuke:

Sadly, poor people are less likely to vote than more prosperous groups further diluting their political voice which is already disproportionately low due to the monetary advantage of the rich.

and people stood in line for 3 hours, 5 hours... 7 hours and even longer.

You really think those were the affluent people standing in line that long to vote?

Why do you suppose it was the inner city voting machines that were targeted?

You don't suppose its because ...inner city (read POOR) people vote in big numbers, and they vote DEMOCRATIC, do you?

Yet, instead of being acknowledged and rewarded for our steadfastness, we get... ignored and dissed.

THEN, when we give up and *DO* neglect to vote, its damned time you recognize that it was a self-fulfilling prophecy by the UNPOOR.

turnout amung the poor. I think you may be projecting what you think I wrote rather than what I actually wrote.

any and all assistance, and there will be.

I repeat... it was POOR PEOPLE who stood in long lines to vote, not muddleclass people.

It might be a good idea to thank us.

They need to work harder for their corporate masters (and for less money) and stop complaining! :sarcasm:

Who would think that a black man elected President would be unable to relate to the struggle of the working people in this country?

Get money out of politics.