If It's Economic and Political Civil War We Need, Then Let Us Have Economic and Political Civil War. The rich have been waging an unresisted war against the middle class and poor for 24 years, ever since the Plutocratic Revolution of 1986 (formally known as the Tax Reform Act of 1986). They have achieved a massive redistribution of wealth from the poor and middle class to the rich, all the while loudly condemning redistribution! The Obama surrender on tax cuts is just one more step in the unending assault upon the fundament of our social, economic, and political democracy. It is long past time for the poor and middle class to fite back against the rich. So today I sent this message to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi via feedback form at her website.

Stand strong against the traitorous Obama sellout on tax cuts for the rich. Far better would it be to have taxes rise for everybody (a relatively trivial amount, as against what the rich would get), and reduce the deficit, than to contribute to the appalling redistribution of wealth UP from the poor and middle class TO the rich, that is DESTROYING socioeconomic democracy in this country. Go the OPPOSITE direction, and introduce a steep tax increase for the rich, to a minimum rate of 50%, and both boost the rate of the estate tax and lower the threshold to $1 million. Wage TOTAL WAR against the Republican plutocrats. Indeed, sue the U.S. Senate before the Supreme Court to abolish all of its undemocratic rules, such as the filibuster and holds, so the people's will can be done from now on, not frustrated by unconstitutional minority rule. And get rid of every undemocratic procedure in the House too. No supermajorities EVER!

Only the antidemocratic rules of both houses of Congress, which have given us minority rule, prevent us from doing justice in this country. If Congress cannot behave itself, then the Executive branch or the Supreme Court must step in to end undemocratic procedures in Congress.
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If the system is so ossified that minorities under the thumb of the rich can thwart the will of the people, we will be left only street demonstrations — Britain's rioting writ very, very large — or armed revolution. Why can't we just abide by the majority rule set up by the Framers of the Constitution?
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(The current U.S. military death toll in Iraq, according to the website "Iraq Coalition Casualties", is 4,430 — for Israel.)
- posted by L. Craig Schoonmaker @ 5:42 PM