An Editorial by Howard Dean: "How the Poor Live Now"

[slinkerwink]

How the Poor Live Now

Howard Dean's essay, "How the Poor Live Now," appears in the December issue of Vanity Fair magazine. Dean looks at the current crisis of poverty in America through the lens of a physician and a governor. The magazine is on newsstands now, but the essay, excerpted here, is not availible at Vanity Fair's website.

Dean describes his experiences as a medical student at Albert Einstein College of Medicine:

Every day in the Bronx, I saw low-income patients who had left serious illnesses untreated because they couldn’t afford to go to the doctor. It was a terrible cycle being played out in slow motion before my eyes: a small, treatable condition appears; it goes unattended, grows into a serious health risk that finally erupts with a vengeance; and the patient lands in the emergency room. The bill is astronomical, and the family is bankrupted.

Any sane person could conclude that this was not the most efficient was for our health-care system to be run, nor the most humane. I had no doubts that capitalism was the best possible economic model (I had been raised as a stockbroker, after all), but there were gaps, inconsistencies, and plain cruelties that the market alone would never address, and not only in health care. It seemed to me that local communities and national government had roles to play in easing the pain of economic inequalities.

What we have seen since the 1970s is a governmental effort that has ended up directing even more wealth into the hands of those at the top, while the safety net for those at the bottom slowly frays. This has resulted not in a rising tide lifting all boats but in an ever shrinking middle class and a breakdown of out American community. Most critically at risk are families like Robert’s , which have had the odds against them from the beginning, and which now have no recourse available to them other than that offered by a government whose anti-poverty program, they feel, is rapidly becoming little more than “Get a job.”

If only it were that simple. Some American families are on the verge of permanent hunger in spite of the fact that the parents may be working not one but two or three jobs. Their problems are usually not limited to putting food on the table: many such families cannot house themselves or afford to seek treatment for their medical problems. Poverty knows no prejudice: my first patient on my first E.R. rotation in the Bronx was a 13-year-old African-American girl who was dealing with complications from an unwanted pregnancy; my first patient on my first E.R. rotation in Vermont was a 13-year-old girl in exactly the same circumstances, but Caucasian. The face of poverty is rural, it is urban, it is black, white, Hispanic, male, female, young, and old. It is an American face. These families work as hard as any of us, and many work harder than most, and yet many spend their lives one paycheck, one accident, or one medical emergency away from total financial ruin.

More on Dean's essay in Vanity Fair can be found at http://blog.deanforamerica.com

[MrSoundAndVision]

1. He also saw a...

lot of poor people serving his meals and cleaning his room at Yale.

[slinkerwink]

2. dude.......

he helped the Yale workers on their strike when he was there at Yale for Parents' Weekend....

[gristy]

3. What are you saying?

Spell it out for me. I don't want to jump to any conclusions.

[slinkerwink]

4. I don't know what he's saying but the implication

seems to be that Dean is hypocritical for his work in the medical scene in New York City after going to Yale. It's just a dumb smear to have on that poster's part.

[gristy]

5. Well that's what I thought but I wasn't going to spell it out for him.

[slinkerwink]

10. yeah....

:shrug:

[regnaD kciN]

35. It's the old Repug line...

...generally aimed at the Kennedys. Apparently, if you're well-off, you have no right to be liberal. Of course, that's rarely a problem for Repugs, who make it a point of pride to never "betray their class." But it does make one wonder: if people shouldn't trust a rich person who's liberal, why on earth should they give more credence to one who's conservative?

[stickdog]

6. Yeah, he and his two black political activist roommates.

Your point being?

[slinkerwink]

7. *shrugs*.....

some people....:shrug: :eyes:

[Gulf Coast J]

8. I see poor people all the time too

They clean my cube, beg on the streets, work at restaurants I go to... I'm sure you see them too in your life. What's your point?

[slinkerwink]

9. interesting the original poster hasn't responded to you yet....

what gives? oh yeah, deanophobia....:eyes:

[SEAburb]

11. why should they respond, they made their point and

quite effectively.

[slinkerwink]

12. it wasn't a point...just a smear.

I don't know why you're backing the original poster.

[Padraig18]

14. Did they?

They may have an entirely different point than the one they intended, depending on one's perspective.

[gristy]

15. I have to say I'm still not sure what the point was.

The only effect I can see has been to generate low-level indignation from us and cause us to essentially speak to a wall.

[slinkerwink]

18. yeah....that's vey much a troll-like action on the poster's part

:shrug:

[RetroLounge]

44. MrSoundAndFury

signifying nothing...

[Name removed]

47. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[madfloridian]

49. Outrageous thing to say.

It will be hard to forget you said that. It was not very classy.

[Malva Zebrina]

13. I am confused really

I understand all of these personal encounters having spent thirty five years in the health care environment, but I do not understand what Dean wants to do about it. I mean what is he planning to do, if elected, about this all? I further am having difficulty understanding what any of the current runners for the Democratic nomination want to do about it. No one should be denied proper health care--not in a wealthy country, imo--a country such as this that prides itself upon being a democracy--no one should be dying because they did not have health care or the ability to pay for it--HEH

And further--why does it cost so much? Why does it cost so much to become a doctor? or a nurse? or a dentist or a professional in any of the health care specialties? Why does it cost so much to become qualified in these specialties? No one is asking about that as far as I can determine. It is because of that high cost, that graduates need to charge so much for their expertise--and in many cases , because of their "reputation" need to charge so much n order to make it all up in their lifetime.

Many cannot pay for it.

And I wonder about the latest prounoucement from the idiot, who knows not a thing about that which he is talking. He said recently that seniors need to pay for preventative medicine, "before they get sick" or something similar--I am attempting to paraphrase based on my memory. Who knows what the hell he meant. But I thought about it and tried to match it to something.

I read recently that the bar for the catagory of "pre-diabetic" has been lowered from a fasting blood sugar of 110, to one of 100. Why is this bar being lowered? The bar for determing or making a diagnosis of diabetes was lowered from a fasting blood sugar of 140, to one that is now 126. This of course, admits far greater of numbers of persons into the diagnosis of "diabetic"

Is there a program in the making from the whores to the pharma companies and to the insurance companies to screen those persons who have had a sort of negative blood test that determines that they are, indeed, "pre-diabetic" and if they , indeed, do turn into a diabetic further on along the line in their life, ignoring their "predisposition" that they will and can be denied, or charged more, for their allowing this condition to happen when they were warned about it in a previous blood test-as is the case with people who smoke cigarettes-and that test tested them at 110 fasting, according to something that few understand who or what changed it from a norm of 110 to a norm of 100 fasting.

The bar is lowered--and I wonder why. Why is Bush touting the prevention aspect, as clumsily as he did, now? Is there something in the future plans of those corporations that are intent upon making aprofit off our illnesses, that would penalize those who receive a "pre-diabetic" rating of a fasting blood sugar of 110, which until now has been normal, and then go on to become a bona fide diabetic at some point in their life and have done so because they paid no attention to the "pre-diabetic" number of 100, rather than the 110 that used to be the norm for determining the propensity to , at one point, develop diabetes.

[slinkerwink]

16. did you read the rest of the article on the Dean blog and checked out

Dean's health policy issues on the DeanforAmerica site?

[Rose Siding]

37. You have to get the mag to read the whole article

even at the link, there is just more of this exerpt.

[gristy]

17. Might have something to do with treatments being developed

to delay the onset of full-blown type I diabetes. If the bar is lowered, the drug companies' pool of patients is increased. Wouldn't put it past them. But we digress.

[JohnKleeb]

19. The cause of helping the poor is a good one, nice essay

:toast: One of the best speakers on poverty I think personally was Robert Francis Kennedy. This is a good cause, I am glad he wrote this, I really did like what he had to say.

[slinkerwink]

20. thank you!

:toast: :hug:

[JohnKleeb]

22. Of course

No problem really. I think we need to speak out on this. I know my candiate has, and I am glad yours has too. I dont care about his upbringing if he saw poverty and wanted to do something about it, all power to him, RFK who I mentioned above was born in to a wealthy family as was Franklin D Roosevelt. Social Justice is very important. Thats my point. This is what we need to do. :toast: :hug: You are very welcome, I am glad hes speaking out on this.

[Kanary]

28. Yes, John, good essay

and it certainly is good to keep raising the issue, as it's not something that the average person seems to want to hear anymore

However, I'm going to echo Marianne, above.... I want to know what his proposals are for doing something about it. That's what I haven't seen from Dean.

I've said here before that I went to a Dean meetup because I was interested in him. I got no answers about his stand on poverty at that meet, and haven't been able to find any information from his website, or anyplace else. I know that he made cutbacks while governor, so if he's "sympathetic" but goes ahead and makes cutbacks as a president, then his sympathy becomes moot.

This is why I became a Kucinich supporter.... Dennis makes very clear what he wants to accomplish in this area.

Kanary

[JohnKleeb]

29. Yes

I know what you mean. Yes theres many reasons why I support Dennis, and he too has a good sense of this.

[Kanary]

32. "I know what you mean"

I thought you might, John. ~~friendly wave~~ I'm pretty particular who I'm willing to volunteer time for.

Also, I want to mention that I have the sense from Kucinich supporters that if Dennis were to be elected President, and then did nothing about poverty issues (which I find unlikely, but...), I think his grassroots support would hold his feet to the fire and see that he follows through. That, also, is important to me.


If Dean becomes the candidate, then I will vote for him. Although I have to admit that for a moment or two, I felt like "to hell with it" when met by "well, then vote for Bush" from another poster when I brought this up before.

To repeat, lest someone decide to read this as something other than what it is.... I appreciate Dean writing that, and hope that he continues in this vein, and challenges the rest of the Dem lineup to speak about it, also. I just want to hear some concrete proposals along with it.

Kanary

[LittleDannySlowhorse]

48. I find it highly unlikely

that a President Kucinich would renege on his pledges to help the poor if he was elected.

He's not my first choice, but he's obviously a man of great integrity, conviction, and compassion.

[dajabr]

39. Marianne, JohnKleeb, Kanary...

In case you re-visit this thread - some various snippets that may be of interest...

I pulled these because they touch on helping "The Poor" in one way or another.

(Emphasis below mine)

The plan is built on four components:

Start by covering children The plan calls for extending current programs to every child and young adult under 25 up to three times the poverty level. It will also require employer health plans to extend coverage to dependents up to age 25.

Expand to Families For those at lower income levels, extend current programs for children to include parents up to 185 percent of the poverty level. For those above that level, allow them to buy into a health plan similar to the plan for government employees, while providing tax credits to keep insurance affordable.

Support Small Businesses Help small businesses afford coverage by letting them buy into the federal employee look-alike program at reasonable rates.

Send a Message to Large Companies Without any mandates, the government can still send a strong signal to larger businesses that could afford to but don’t provide coverage by limiting their tax deductions and their government contracts.

The Dean plan is ambitious, but realistic, targeted, and affordable. To extend affordable insurance to all Americans, it takes a consensus-based approach that builds on existing systems and that can pass Congress. It avoids mandates that would create firestorms of opposition and make it impossible to get a plan through Congress.

More: http://www.deanforamerica.com/site/PageServer?pagename=policy_policy_health_healthcareforamerica


Healthcare record:

Health Care — 96% of Vermont’s children have health care coverage thanks in part to Governor Dean’s Dr. Dynasaur program, and an additional 3% are eligible for coverage.

Access — Governor Dean expanded health care for children in low to middle income families. Children 18 or under, whose families are at or below 300% of the Federal Poverty Line, are eligible for insurance at virtually no cost.

MentalHealth — In 1997, Howard Dean signed the what was then and still is the most comprehensive behavioral health care parity legislation in the United States. Comprehensive parity simply means that health insurance companies must provide the same degrees and types of coverage for mental illness and substance-abuse treatment that they provide for physical conditions.

Women’s Health — During Governor Dean’s tenure, the breast and cervical cancer rate went from slightly above average to below the US average, thanks to Vermont’s comprehensive screening system. Vermont’s Medicaid program was also expanded to cover treatment for women diagnosed with breast and cervical cancer.

Teen Pregnancy — Under Governor Dean, teen pregnancy rates dropped 49%, to the lowest rate in the country.

“Healthy Families Visionary Leadership Award” — Presented by Prevent Child Abuse America.

More: http://www.deanforamerica.com/site/PageServer?pagename=policy_record_health


Please read this if you have a few minutes - "Reclaiming the American Dream" a comprehensive overview of what Dean will do for Economy:

http://www.deanforamerica.com/site/PageServer?pagename=policy_policy_economy_reclaimingtheamericandream

"Ending Racial Disparities in Healthcare"

As access to health insurance has declined for all but the wealthiest, it's tempting to define America's health care crisis only in economic terms. However, our healthcare system isn't plagued only by costly insurance premiums, but also by the lingering impact of institutional racism and other assorted biases.

In 2002, the Institute of Medicine confirmed what African Americans, Latinos and other racial minorities have always understood: that the quality of healthcare they receive is routinely inferior to the care offered to white Americans. The simple, ugly truth is that if you are not white you are less likely to receive preventive care and you face a greater risk of misdiagnosis, inadequate treatment and even premature death. This isn't true only for minority Americans living in poverty, but also for those whose health insurance and incomes are comparable to white Americans.

--snip--

It will take Presidential leadership to keep Washington focused on the goal of eliminating racial health disparities. Today the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has various offices concerned with minority health. That's not good enough. As President I will:

Press for the immediate passage of the Healthcare Equality and Accountability Act of 2003 sponsored by The Congressional Black Caucus, The Congressional Hispanic Caucus, The Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus and The Native American Caucus. This bill is a road map to making America a healthier nation and I will follow it.

Create the post of Assistant Secretary for Minority Health within the Department of Health and Human Services. The job of the Assistant Secretary for Minority Health would be to not only coordinate all of the federal government's initiatives to eliminate racial health disparities in health, but to remind all Americans that it's their fight, too.

Providing Affordable, Quality Health Care for All Americans

Today, 14 percent of white Americans lack health insurance, but the uninsurance rate among minority Americans has soared to 31 percent. We know that, absent health coverage, the uninsured are less likely to visit doctors and take advantage of the opportunities that insurance provides for preventive care and the diagnosis of illnesses when they're most easily treatable. For lack of health coverage, the uninsured often rely on expensive and ineffective hospital emergency rooms for routine care and are less likely to seek out specialized care when it is required.

The cost of caring for the uninsured, much of it uncompensated, has led many health care providers to abandon minority communities entirely and placed a crushing financial burden on the few which remain.

We have a moral responsibility to do better. And we can.

Mental Health Reform - Dean's record:

http://www.deanforamerica.com/site/PageServer?pagename=policy_record_health_mentalhealth

There's so much Dean wants to do for the "Disadvantaged" in this Country, and there's so much info on his site it can be daunting. I tried to mine through much of it and get to the crux of what he proposes, but much remains un-posted here. Let me know if your interested in any further info, and I'll gladly post it here.

Thanks for the kind words about Dean's essay. :-)

[JohnKleeb]

45. your welcome and thanks

It was a good issue to address. Thanks for the links and such. Thats great, thanks again for addressing the question at hand.

[Kanary]

50. Thanks for the links, dajabr

I have seen a lot of those, and will look up a couple of the others. I'm aware of Dean's views on healthcare, and, to be honest, that is why I was first interested in him.

However, as I said, he doesn't address other issues of poverty, such as housing and food and disability and other issues. As I said above, I know that he made cuts in those things while governor, so I don't bank on him *not* making cuts as president.

For example, if he were to make more cuts in Section 8 housing, there are many who would be homeless. Dean could provide terrific healthcare which would include very poor people, but if they were forced to live on the street, their health would still suffer. See what I mean?

The cuts during the Clinton years further put many people right on the very edge. Any more cuts, and there will be many who simply don't "make it" through it. I would hope that's important to Dems.

Thank you for responding in a courteous manner. After the rather rude dismissal from another Dean supporter, I even hesitate anymore to voice my concerns. As I said earlier, he may be the candidate next November, and that means that it's important to me to know his stand on this issues, and to know that his supporters would nudge him to "do the right thing". That seems reasonable to me.

Kanary

[CWebster]

21. Can't you see what is going on?

They hate and resent Dean because of his overwhelming appeal, and it is sad that when Dean demonstrates a decent, charitable character, either in assisting a man having a seizure or expressing concern for the poor, some people seek another opportunity to kick him.

Who needs Republicans?

[JohnKleeb]

23. This IMO showed great character

I dont understand people's problems but I do tell you this, I dont care if he was born wealthy, as long as he wants to something about the poverty, all power to him. Also I will give my imput on the seizure now. That was an great act, those common acts of heroism happen every day in American life. I hope the man who had the seizure makes a full recovery. Social Justice is very important to me.

[slinkerwink]

24. yeah, we savage our own very easily....

I wouldn't be surprised if some of our own poster's attacks on Dean find their way into a Bush-supported ad....

[mitchum]

41. Your attempts at pre-empting any criticism of Dean are craven...

and transparent

[RetroLounge]

46. Projecting again, aren't you?

eom

[mitchum]

51. Oh, give me a fucking break...

and it a rest

[tsipple]

25. Oh No! He Used the Word "Poor"! Communist!

How refreshing that we have a(nother) candidate in the Democratic Party who isn't spewing focus group-tested pablum that recommends ignoring the poor!

I'm very proud that Dean is helping to raise important issues and get us talking again about real problems we all face. And it's a strong point Dean makes. No matter whether you're altruistic (in which case you're already paying attention) or exclusively self-interested, the fact that there are poor Americans in such desperate circumstances is a huge problem for everybody.

Damn, this guy keeps impressing me, you know?

[quinnox]

26. What will happen to Dean's numerous

blogs if he loses the nomination? Will they all go away, like the good doctor?

[slinkerwink]

27. I don't know, but Dean has energized the Democratic base, and if the

party insiders try to put forth an anti-Dean movement, they are doing so at the peril of marginalizing their own party by ignoring their base.

[quinnox]

31. The reason I ask is I have heard

Dean say this campaign isn't about him, that it is about all the people. If this is true, then his blog would stay open even if Dean lost, and they would turn it into a general blog of the Democratic party. It makes perfect sense, because blog for America does not have Dean's name in it, so it could be used as a general purpose Democrat blog. I have to admit, the Dean blog is the best one I have seen of all the candidates that I have looked at. It is very well designed.

[pruner]

36. I think the founders of MoveableType (the blog software) are Deaniacs

and have been actively involved in the development of Dean's blog.

[tsipple]

30. I Don't Know

If you believe in the betting odds, the most likely outcome is we won't get the chance to run that hypothetical.

We'll just have to see how it goes.

[stickdog]

38. What will happen to you once the race is decided, regardless? (nt)

[AP]

33. There's a heavily-indebted middle class with few opportunities

to jump very far up the ladder which is also hurting.

Those are the people whose misery is really making the super-rich richer and more powerful.

[slinkerwink]

34. so you're discounting the lower middle class and those below the middle

class also? Interesting....

[regnaD kciN]

40. I don't think that's what the message is...

I thought AP's point is that the middle class isn't all that far above the poor at this time. Remember the old saying "two paychecks away from the street?" Because of the low rate of savings, and heavy dependence on credit-card and other debt, even those with the nice house in the suburbs, two cars in the garage, et cetera aren't that far away from the homeless shelters themselves. All it would take would be one lost job, a family illness, a car accident with an uninsured driver, or any number of other problems to have the whole mortgaged house of cards come crashing down with no recourse, and practically no warning.

I should know...I've been unemployed since early summer. Although I'm in a lot better position than most (my wife has a job, and I made a point of paying cash and not putting things on charge cards while I was drawing a paycheck), it's still been difficult...and 2004 looks even more dicey if I don't find work soon.

The point I draw from this is that the middle class is really in the same boat as those below, and ought to have the same concerns in common. Unfortunately, conservatives have over the past few decades spread the notion that the middle class is really closer to the elites, with a huge gap between them and the "underclass," and that average working people thus have common cause with the rich in backing the Republican agenda. (It should hardly have to be noted that they have been able to pull this off largely by picturing the "underclass" as, shall we say, somewhat darker than the rest of us? :-( I seriously wonder if the U.S. would be so Scrooge-like toward the poor if it wasn't for the perception that the lower class is largely made up of minorities, and thus not "really like us...")

[dajabr]

42. "Governor Dean has a plan for America"

Excerpts:

The typical American family is working longer hours, earning lower wages, carrying more debt and facing greater stress than at any time in recent history. The American dream is in jeopardy, and Americans know it. Whether it’s finding and keeping a good job, caring for young children or educating older ones, helping elderly parents or paying for health care, the typical family is stretched to the limit.

Governor Dean has been traveling across the US, talking with thousands of Americans. He’s heard their stories, and he knows that they want change. He also knows that an economic plan is not an abstraction. It ultimately affects the lives of millions — it has to be a plan that helps real people deal with real problems. That’s why the Governor’s program is not only focused on creating more and better jobs, but also on supporting American families and helping them make ends meet.

Repeal the Bush Tax Cuts and Reform the Tax Code

Financed by federal deficits and by shifting the burdens to states and localities, the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts benefited the wealthiest Americans while doing little or nothing for the middle class. In fact, the Bush tax policies furthered the administration’s goal of shifting the federal tax burden from income derived from invested wealth to the shoulders of working Americans. For many Americans, increases in state and local taxes, cuts in services, and falling incomes outweighed any modest decrease in their federal tax rate. The tax cuts are part of the long- term Republican agenda to starve the federal government of the resources it needs to meet our commitments to public education, Social Security and Medicare.

The first step in reversing this agenda, balancing the budget and putting the US fiscal house in order must be the repeal of the Bush tax cuts, and returning the tax code to rates that were in effect during the prosperous years of the Clinton-Gore administration.

The distribution of the income tax burden has changed dramatically. In 1973, corporations paid 40% of federal income tax revenues. Last year, the corporate contribution was down to 16.8%. Experts estimate that corporate tax avoidance schemes are costing the US taxpayers up to $100 billion a year. Senator John McCain claims that even a modest effort to eliminate unnecessary special interest tax preferences and loopholes would raise nearly $50 billion a year in increased federal revenues.

The current tax code is overloaded with special interest favoritism and stacked against working Americans. Unfair tax subsidies, shelters and loopholes abound. Corporations use foreign tax havens solely to avoid paying US income taxes. Tax cheats escape detection and prosecution. Abusive tax shelters are commonplace.

Governor Dean will make fundamental reform of the tax system one of his first priorities. He will crack down on tax shelter promoters and their clients He will pursue actions to impose hefty fines and bar further practice before government agencies by lawyers and accountants who certify abusive tax shelters. President Bush’s own tax commissioner testified that the IRS lacked sufficient resources to collect $30 billion in known unpaid taxes. The Governor will provide the Internal Revenue Service with the budget it needs to do its job.

The Dean economic program will strive for greater tax fairness for middle class working families. Closing corporate tax loopholes will help shift some of the burden off the shoulders of individuals. Ending unfair tax preferences will raise additional revenue to reduce the deficit and help set the federal budget on the road to balance.


More details here: http://www.deanforamerica.com/site/PageServer?pagename=policy_policy_economy_reclaimingtheamericandream

[AP]

52. That's what I'm saying. If you listen to Dean's rhetoric, he tries to get

the middle class to think that they're in the same boat as the super wealthy. One way he does that is that he doesn't really talk about how lots of middle class have 40K in credit card debt and negitive equity mortgages that are 1 point away from sending them into bankruptcy, but he'll talk about the very poor instead.

He needs to wise up to the fact that there's a huge struggling middle class whose class loyalties do not lie with the super wealthy and with Wall St.

[jeter]

54. AP Dean frequently talks about the middle class

He always talks about the middle class and the working class as well as the poor.

[Rose Siding]

43. There's an endless spectrum of topics for articles

This is an article about poverty.

I'm sure that the author had no intention to overlook the struggles of the indebted middle class.

[AP]

53. Actually, I think Dean does intentionally overlook the struggles of the...

...middle class.

This is an exchange at http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboa rd.php?az=show_mesg&forum=108&topic_id=818 83&mesg_id=82966

burr (1000+ posts)
Tue Nov-11-03 12:33 PM
Response to Reply #50
54. It is the wealthy who believe they are too good for such comman ground. My belief has always been that wealthy need the poor and middle-class, but the poor and middle-class also need the wealthy. No group needs one more than the other...we are all essential to making this country work.

The wealthy person would not have a business without the paid employees, because the workers are the business. And the middle class and poor would be screwed if it was not for a progressive tax system, and anti-trust regulations that make the private sector competitive and free..and are funded through taxes on corporations and wealthy estates.

So I do disagree...the dream of most Americans is to become wealthy, and there is no crime in this. The only crime comes in moving up the ladder at the expense of future generations, and of others also seeking this same dream.

kenzee13 (243 posts)
Sun Nov-16-03 06:46 PM
Response to Reply #54
126. They can dream all they want but 99% of them will not be in the top 1%; 94% will not be in the top 5%. Treating tax cuts to the working and middle class like tax cuts to those in the top 5% is unfair and unnecessary to the stated goals.

AP (1000+ posts)
Sun Nov-16-03 06:58 PM
Response to Reply #126
127. It also perpetuates the misimpression that the interests of the middle class lie with the super wealthy.

What Dean is saying that the middle class and rich are all in the same boat, so they're all going to be asked to pull their weight.

The last 30 years of America economic history has been the history of burdening the middle class and unburdening the wealthy.

And the Republicans have gotten away with it in no small part becuase they fuck up the heads of the middle class and make them confuse their class loyalties.

I was at a friends house recently. These people live a middle class lifestyle, and the spend money like there's no tomorrow,mostly thanks to refinancing their condo which is probably really worth about 220K but is mortgaged for over 320K. These people have huge credit card debt too.

The wife said something like, "I was a Democrat in college, but once I got some money I became a republican."

I nearly spit out my gormet pizza they were serving me. I thought, "Honey, being 360K in debt is NOT rich, and you have no business voting for Republicans whose corporate interests for whom you are now a wage slave."

I heard that Dean told a roomful of Philadelphia campaign donors when asked why he wasn't giving back the MIDDLE CLASS tax cuts, he replied that he couldn't give back the UPPER MIDDLE CLASS tax cuts because people would accuse him of
helping the rich.

HoHo was doing exactly what Republicans do. Noboday said anything about upper middle class tax cuts, but there was HoHo trying to conflate the upper middle class and middle class, confusing middle class people into believing their class loyalties should be with the super rich. Meanwhile, his education plan is just a loan program which has the taxpayer serving as the guarantor of the profitability of the banks who make the student loans. There is connection between these two events.

[w4rma]

55. You're quoting yourself?

:shrug: