| As the first holiday hang-over begins to clear it's nice to see evidence that some good old habits don't die hard. Today, Ben Cohen, co-founder of Ben & Jerry's, the state's biggest corporate success, joined that other icon of Vermont exceptionalism, Bernie Sanders in calling for an end to the Bush-era tax cuts to the wealthiest Americans. With development of a hugely successful corporation in his personal history, Ben Cohen has repeatedly demonstrated his ongoing commitment to social justice.
Senator Sanders had this to say:
...at a time when this country has a $13.7 trillion national debt it would be a huge mistake, over a ten year period, to add another $700 billion to that debt by providing more tax breaks for the wealthiest people in this country.
Citing the growing income inequity in this country and the desperate need of many on the lowest rungs of the economic ladder, Sanders insists that we simply cannot afford to continue this largesse to the rich:
For people earning more than $1 million a year, the continuation of the Bush-era tax cuts would amount to an average tax break of about $100,000 a year. With the top one percent already earning, in 2007, 23.5 percent of all income in this country - more than the bottom 50 percent makes, that would be morally unfair and economically unwise. Lastly, if we provide these tax breaks to people who don't need them and drive up the national debt, the demand to cut spending on programs of importance to the middle class and working families of our country would only accelerate. That means cuts in health care, education, nutrition, housing, LIHEAP, etc.
Senator Sanders is also proposing that in lieu of a cost of living adjustment (COLA), seniors and veterans be given, "at the very least," a one-time emergency check of $250.
The issue of extending the Bush-era tax cuts is likely to come up in the next week or so, says Sanders. One can only hope that, with the Blue Dogs largely a memory in the upcoming Congress and Republican obstructionism looming as an even harsher reality, the Democrats will take this one last chance to address the ugly reality that we are slipping into the economic habits and profile of a third world country. |
