* the Tea Party know-nothings think they have won a great political victory at the expense of our country … it is our job to get them un-elected in 2012

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Republican Tea Party "know nothings"

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Robert K. Lifton writes in The Huffington Post (8/1/11) …

• The failure of our political leaders to come to grips with a viable solution to significantly reduce deficit spending has already raised questions about the ability of our democracy to take the necessary difficult steps to reduce our reliance on debt.
• it makes sense for the wealthy to support an increase in taxes if that helps significantly to reduce government deficit spending and borrowing which threatens the values of their stock and bond holdings.
• And the rich know full well that there is no way to reduce the deficits and the debt without increasing revenues by raising taxes.
• Wealthy Americans also understand that the richest of us have benefited enormously in the extent of wealth accumulation compared to the rest of the nation.
• I can report anecdotally that every affluent person I have asked about the subject has agreed that an increase in taxes is necessary as part of a program to reduce our nation’s deficit and mounting debt. This position by the wealthy is not some altruistic impulse but makes practical sense for them.
• wealthy Americans also recognize the illogical and specious nature of some of the arguments presented against raising their taxes. They know, for example, that raising their taxes will not in the slightest reduce their incentives to keep on working and producing wealth.

The ultimate irony is that while the wealthy

are prepared to pay higher taxes,

the Tea Party ideologues are in the process of destroying the wealth

by refusing to accede to any program that raises taxes on the rich

in order to reduce the deficits and debt.

Their intransigence threatens the wealth of America.

• It is time for the rich to get off the sidelines and make clear to their representatives in government and to the media that the Tea Party and their converts are acting against their true interests.

read the entire post at … http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-k-lifton/why-americas-rich-should-_b_914524.html

LMW COMMENT …

• Most sensible people (including the wealthy as Mr. Lifton points out) are distressed that the debt ceiling issue was made hostage to the Tea Party know-nothings and that the first steps towards deficit reduction include only cuts in government expenditures and not greater equity in taxes for the wealthy.
• Many are already blaming President Obama for this, as if he desires this result. As far as I can see, the president accepted the best deal he could get from people who would gladly have destroyed the credit of the U.S. and created global chaos in pursuit of their wrong-headed goals.

It is wrong to blame the president. 

The people who should be blamed

are those who voted for the Tea Party candidates in 2010.

• The correct response of those of us who are disgusted by Tea Party politics is to get those people un-elected in 2012.

A Democratic House and a filibuster-proof Democratic Senate in 2012

will correct the mistakes of the great debt-ceiling fiasco of 2011.

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