The Truth We're Not Hearing About the Tax Cut

M. Hanes

The AFL/CIO along with groups like the Sierra Club, the National Urban League and even the National PTA are running a massive ad campaign to turn public opinion against President Bush's tax relief package and force Senate members to vote against it.

The ads say, in part, that the plan will give 43% of the wealth to the wealthiest 1% (they sound like trained parrots, don't they?) and that it "raids the Medicare trust fund to pay for it, leaving nothing for a real prescription drug benefit or for health care."

Absolute baloney. This is an out and out lie. The AFL/CIO doesn't say how much in union dues they're shelling out for the smear blitz. Let me give you a few facts:

On Tuesday, April 3, Vice President Dick Cheney cast the tie breaking vote - get that: tie breaking vote - in the Senate, that will increase - read: increase - Medicare spending by $300 million dollars, while attempting to protect the president's tax cut package. While the AFL/CIO wastes union dues for an ad spouting left-wing propaganda:

The US Labor Department's 4 week moving average of the newly unemployed jumped up by 18,000 in the last week of March. The list of US companies biting the dust continues to grow.

The Golden, Colorado-based Bolder Technologies Corp. announced that it will be officially de-listed from NASDAQ, adding that it expects to file for Chapter-11 bankruptcy protection. Another Colorado Company, Convergent Technology, is expecting a letter from NASDAQ any time, informing the company of it's impending de-listing.

In California, FileNet Corp announced plans to lay off 190 workers. Ingram Micro, Inc., the world's largest computer products distributor, plans to cut 470 jobs, and Epicore Software Corp. announced a restructuring involving "a reduction in work force and facilities." They didn't say how many jobs would be cut.

In Kentucky, Mattel Toys announced that it will be closing it's plant in Murray. 980 people will lose their jobs. I could add more, but I think you get the picture.

Yes, the wealthy, who pay most of the taxes will benefit. Big corporations, who pay the salaries of thousands of workers ( including AFL/CIO members ) will benefit. We little guys won't get a huge tax return back. What we will get is: our employers may be able to continue to stay in business. If our employers stay in business, they will be able to pay their employees. That's us.

The employees, benefiting from the continuing receipt of their pay checks, will be able to pay their mortgages, rent and utilities. We will be able to continue to buy food and clothing for our children and ourselves. The money we spend on products and services will keep local grocery stores and manufacturers in business. If the businesses stay in business, they will employ workers...who will get paid... who will buy and invest...which will drive the economy.

The extra money we little guys get in next year's tax return won't hurt, either.

This is the way our economic system is set up to work. It's worked very well, with only a few hiccups, for many years. And you thought unions protected their workers.