Answer the Question, Mr. Boehner



Posted: Sunday, August 14, 2011

by Walter Rhett
Charleston Perlo

July 23


John Boehner told Rolling Stone in a February interview there are jobs and he once handed out lobbyist checks to members on the floor of the House. Daily, he posts on twitter the opposite and dishonest view that "uncertainty" or "deficits" "prevent" "job creators" from creating jobs--while never mentioning weak, non-existent demand, that large corporations are showing year on end record profits, that capital has its own instruments of wealth and its growth is not tied to labor (why should it be when our savings are available for almost free!), or explaining why his party wants to lease the Ohio turnpike, sell Wisconsin's utilities, roll back workers rights, and in ME remove child labor restrictions.

Why did the GOP shut down Minnesota's government and cause the state to lose $16+ million in revenues and stop 70,000 FAA and contract workers from during their jobs, causing a $1.2 bilion lost in taxes when the government needs every dollar in hard cash?

Why does the GOP claim the only path to American renewal is fiscal austerity–when weeks before calling for a balanced budget amendment, House Republicans passed the Ryan budget plan that ran deficits until 2030, by its own numbers. Why did Paul Ryan oppose extending the payroll tax, while supporting even bigger tax cuts for the affluent one percent? How will Republicans help the eighty percent of Americans who pay no tax but make below $30,000 per household? How will you bring them online? And why did your jobs plan have so much clip art?

How will these actions prime the economy or close the largest gap of income and wealth ever witnessed in US history? How will aggregate demand grow when so much wealth is concentrated in the hands of a few? A lot of us are tired of hearing how tax cuts for the wealthy will create jobs. (Let 'em create jobs first, then give 'em a solid!) No one in the GOP offers charts or numbers to say. Their entire policy is built on blame and blind faith. Their agenda is to exploit democracy to consolidate power and privatize the public sector economy and its revenue and tax authority. The guaranteed low Fed rate makes trillions available virtually for free, flooding the markets and institutions with cash while increasing bank profits on loans and credits cards, without improving unemployment. The proposed tax holiday will only add to the huge amounts of idle capital, leaving idle workers out of the conversation and without a sensible policy for restoring work.

Since federal borrowing and deficits aren't crowding out private investment--as evidenced by the Fed 10 year Treasury rate of 2.2 percent and short-term rates near zero--will changing Medicare from a comprehensive direct service to a private voucher program increase jobs or simply cut services? Private accounts for social security will actually raise the government's administrative costs--and take away a guaranteed benefit.

With a second recession close, why do elected Republicans mislead the rank and file? Why do so many of their proposals represent an economy of extraction while touting they are about growth? Because their goal is an oligarchy that uses the revenue and tax authority of government to benefit the rich (tax cuts, revenue transfers, asset sales, favorable regulation, contracts) and restrict the rights of all others, including women (reproductive rights, health, wages, benefits), workers (wages and benefits, due process), children (health, work, education), the elderly (retirement income, health, investments), people of color (voting rights, equal opportunity, immigration), and those with intra-gender preference (marriage, military service, survivor benefits) or different religions.

Republicans extract because they believe representing 90 percent of the wealth is the same as representing 90 percent of the people.

And one last thing: why does the Republican Party make robo-calls? Can't we put real live, unemployed workers on those phones?

(Add your questions for Mr. Boehner in the comments. They'll be sent via twitter.)

Walter Rhett Walter Rhett attended Ohio State and writes from Charleston, SC. He writes about national and global affairs with an eye on Southern history and culture and enjoys listening to his readers.

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