Congress, Politics, Things That Tick Me Off

The Gang of Six and Their War on Main Street

Submitted by Lawrence Rafferty-Guest Blogger

It is probably just me, but it seems that every time we hear about a proposed deal to extend the debt limit and avert a government shutdown and a debt default, the plan does nothing more than cut the taxes on the wealthiest Americans and Corporations.  The latest proposal by the so-called Gang of Six is just one more example of Congress attacking the Middle Class.

“The cuts in the Gang of Six plan aren’t minor, either. It proposes a chained CPI adjustment to Social Security, which may not be a bad idea when combined with other measures to boost benefits and strengthen the program, but on its own is tantamount to a $1,300 cut each year for recipients over their lifetimes. Strengthen Social Security co-chair and former Obama adviser Nancy Altman has denounced the idea as an overly harsh cut. “The chained-CPI is poor policy, and given that seniors vote in disproportionately high numbers, it is equally poor politics,” she said.”  Think Progress  This latest attempt by both sides of Congress to claim victory over the imaginary debt crisis just seems to be another attempt to please their corporate masters.

Does it bother anyone else that a group of Senators from both sides of the aisle would call themselves the “Gang of Six”?  These Senators are doing their best to terrorize the Middle Class so maybe the moniker is appropriate. While some of the details of this proposed plan have not been agreed upon, what we do know troubles someone like myself who may be utilizing Medicare and Social Security in the next few years.  “These tentative changes include repealing the Alternative Minimum Tax and establishing three simple tax brackets for individuals, while cutting “tax expenditures” and adjusting the corporate tax rate to between 23 percent and 29 percent.”  Business Insider  How can a tax rate be lowered for major corporations who pay no taxes now?

The proposed cuts to Social Security retirees is especially disturbing.  “Lawmakers and the Obama administration are reportedly considering switching to a “chained” Consumer Price Index. According to the advocacy group Strengthen Social Security, the chained-CPI could lead to annual Social Security benefit cuts of $560 for those aged 75, $984 for those aged 85 and $1,392 for those aged 95.  “The proposal to shift to the chained-CPI is actually a stealth attack on Social Security,” said Joan Entmacher, director of family economic security at the National Women’s Law Center, during a Friday conference call with reporters.” Huffington Post    Is anyone surprised that the Congressional terrorists would be considering reducing payments to Seniors and reducing corporate tax rates?  Just why is Social Security being discussed when it has no impact on the Deficit?

I have a novel, Gang of America idea to suggest that would actually reduce the deficit and protect Social Security.  Actually, it is not my idea, but the idea of the vast majority of Americans who are repeatedly telling Congress to tax the wealthy and Corporations and to leave Social Security alone.  I realize my Gang does not have much lobbying power, but we have millions of votes.  Congress, it is time to get on board with the Gang of America’s ideas and you just might save the economy and your jobs.  Let’s hear your ideas to “fix” the imaginary debt crisis.

Respectfully submitted by Lawrence Rafferty-Guest Blogger

177 thoughts on “The Gang of Six and Their War on Main Street”

  1. Elaine,

    Check the NPR archives…this last Thursday they had one hell of a interview with some freak from Louisiana Legislature who is the Speaker of the House as well as Chair of ALEC….Talk about Conflict…. I think his first name is Nobel….He has to be the biggest psychopath ever to hold office…..

  2. AY,

    I first heard about ALEC when I was doing research for some of my Turley posts earlier this year. The most recent edition (August1/8, 2011) of “The Nation” has a number of articles about the organization. I’ve been considering doing a post about ALEC.

  3. Elaine M.,

    Here in my opinion is how it started…and it get really bad….The Insurance folks want the Insurance Dollars of the NEA and AFT and affiliates….They have to destroy the Unions in order to get them opened up…Introduce ALEC and you can see where we are headed….

  4. Elaine,

    National Heritage Academies, Inc. (NHA) is a “for-profit” charter school management organization headquartered in Grand Rapids, Michigan that was formed in 1995 by entrepreneur J.C. Huizenga.

    http://www.edchoice.org/Foundation-Services/Speakers/J-C–Huizenga.aspx

    As of 2010, National Heritage Academies is a collection of 67 charter schools in the eight states: Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, New York, North Carolina, Colorado, Georgia, and Louisiana. The nationwide network of schools are classified as free open enrollment K-8 college preparatory public schools mostly in under-resourced communities throughout the United States. The High School company is a separate entity named Prep Net.

    That Heritage Group 3850 Broadmoor Ave SE, Suite 201​
    Grand Rapids, MI 49512​
    T: 877-223-6402​

    http://www.nhaschools.com/Pages/default.aspx

    I’ll let you tie it into the Netherlands….It is vast….Because AmWay/Devos and all of the attendant folks are of Dutch Heritage….You can see how far this deception weeps….It goes even into Norway….If you will look at a couple of the links, they will take you to why its possible the person did what he did over the weekend….

  5. AY,

    “I as you know worked for an affiliate of the NEA…”

    I didn’t know that. I assume by NEA you mean the National Education Association. I’ve read about how Betsy and Dick DeVos and some other wealthy Americans are trying to destroy public education.

    Here’s just one piece I found:
    REPORT: Meet The Billionaires Who Are Trying To Privatize Our Schools And Kill Public Education
    Think Progress, 5/21/2011
    http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2011/05/21/168363/billionaires-privatize-education/

    Excerpt:
    Dick DeVos: The DeVos family has been active on education issues since the 1990′s. The son of billionaire Amway co-founder Richard DeVos, Sr., DeVos unsuccessfully ran for governor of the state of Michigan, spending $40 million, the most ever spent in a gubernatorial race in the state. In 2002, Dick DeVos sketched out a plan to undermine public education before the Heritage Foundation, explaining that education advocates should stop using the term “public schools” and instead call them “government schools.” He has poured millions of dollars into right-wing causes, including providing hundreds of thousands of dollars into seed money for numerous “school choice” groups, including Utah’s Parents for Choice in Education, which used its PAC money to elect pro-voucher politicians.

    – Betsy DeVos: The wife of Dick DeVos, she also coincidentally happens to be the sister of Erik Prince, the leader of Xe, the mercenary outfit formerly known as Blackwater and is a former chair of the Republican Party of Michigan. Mrs. DeVos has been much more aggressive than her husband, pouring her millions into numerous voucher front groups across the country. She launched the pro-voucher group All Children Matter in 2003, which spent $7.6 million in its first year alone to impact state races related vouchers, winning 121 out of 181 races in which it intervened. All Children Matter was found breaking campaign finance laws in 2008, yet has still not paid its $5.2 million fine. She has founded and/or funded a vast network of voucher front groups, including Children First America, the Alliance for School Choice, Kids Hope USA, and the American Federation for Children.

  6. raff,

    Unfortunately…yes…VanAndel is another name to watch….If you did not know….Eric Prince…the Blackwater/Xe guy….well that is her brother….

  7. Elaine,
    Hah!! You are right about the Republican Party. I didn’t agree with them too often, but at least I respected them. Now, that respect has gone the way of the Tea party and the radicals who have taken it over. Even Boehner is afraid of them.
    AY,
    Is that the DeVos of Amway fame? Yikes.

  8. Kdnoid,

    I know where a lot of folks would like to place that tinfoil…..

  9. Elaine,

    Better be careful….Kdnoid….will soon start suffering the Messiah Complex…and then it will be all of our fault….

  10. Elaine,

    I grew up in a strong republican household….money donating …dinner holding…golf playing set…. So, what can I say…The first few years of my life I voted generally republican….Today….Neither D or P excites me too much…Its what they do with that label…

    I as you know worked for an affiliate of the NEA, with what I saw….I could never stomach what DeVos and Klan have in store to destroy Public Education….By then I was a confirmed Democrat.

    I have spent many a weekends, weekdays and months working on Democratic Campaigns…so…yeah..I feel for them…

  11. @Elaine, one month of posts does not yet a regular make. Who did you vote for, Elaine? Eisenhower?

    AY, Tinfoil hat, you know where to put it.

  12. AY,

    It’s sad to watch what’s been happening to the Republican party. It’s not the RP that I remember from the past. I even voted for Republicans in a few elections. That was a long time ago.

  13. Elaine,

    So I do not keep responding to Kdponzi’s scheme of things…And if you wish to take over…He is in denial of not knowing the secret hand shake…It is all syntax for them…because they share the handshake between them it is not a secret…

    I think he has been assigned to this blawg to disrupt it as much as possible…once his mission is complete or his drivel come back to haunt him…he will either be given a new name with other points to disrupt with or be assigned to another blawg….

    You must remember what he stated yesterday….Lefties cut and past (recite) and Liberals think….I think he is more of a lefty than a progressive teascum sucking wanna be republican….

    From what I understand….if you keep them uneducated they all wanna be republicans…that is the manifesto that Rove espoused…. if they get too much education….then they might be able to think on there own..and then they become democrats…so if you teach them standardized testing procedures….They can claim that they are Pro education while not teaching them to think for themselves…it is simple if you look at it that way….

    So right now…its easy to tell the lefty’s from the righty’s…soon it will be a distinction without a difference….

  15. kderosa,

    There is no secret handshake…no initiation…no special code. One need only comment on this blog regularly to be considered a regular. Not sure why you don’t feel like one of us regulars. Do you have a persecution complex?

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