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Townhall...
The Real Battle:
Makers v. Takers
By Lurita Doan
Ideological budget battles between GOP and Dems in congress mask the
real battle erupting across America-- the battle between the makers and
the takers. Entrepreneurs and other working Americans, the makers, are
growing tired of government’s rapacious hand in their financial pocket
and they are becoming more aggressive and more outspoken in their
protests. Dems should expect this trend to continue.
The recent Bureau of Labor Statistics report citing systemic high
unemployment for the past two years shows that of the approximately 300
million Americans, only 47% of adults have full-time jobs. It’s a
mind-boggling statistic: 53%-- or a majority -- of American adults do
not work. The repercussions for our country are dire, despite the White
House proclaiming the recent Labor report as good news.
Meanwhile Dems in Congress are relying on an elaborate Ponzi-scheme of
increased taxes and hide-the-budget-pickle to justify spending
increases on a bevy of social re-engineering programs while the White
House continues to champion an expansion of the regulatory straight
jacket hobbling entrepreneurs.
Clearly, the White House operates in a cloud of incredible conceit.
Team Obama seems to believe that entrepreneurs can innovate and create
new jobs and grow the American pie regardless of his anti-growth,
pro-tax, increasingly regulatory policies that are crushing small
businesses. Even as President Obama and Dems in Congress maneuver and
scheme to help “takers” protect their claim to an ever larger slice of
the pie, the pie is likely to get smaller and is no longer growing as
before.
GOP mostly represents the “makers”--the entrepreneurs who create the
pies that the White House wants to tax and regulate to death.
Increasingly, the Dems represent the “takers”--the folks on the dole,
receiving entitlement support, government subsidies and those deriving
power from government protectionism. The battle lines between these two
groups, the Makers and the Takers, has never been more apparent.
Takers, dependent upon government and their union allies, argue that in
these rough economic times, they need to preserve or increase their
slice of the pie. Makers are worried whether, given the increase in
government regulatory handcuffs and increased tax knee-capping, they
can even make a pie.
Our country now runs the risk that the equivalent of donor fatigue is
setting in as the 47% of Americans who actually work are asked to bear
even greater burdens for public support. Dems should be worried about
how much longer their demands will be tolerated. Eventually, even a
dancing chicken will jump off the hot stove.
The March 2011 Bureau of Labor Statistics unemployment report showed
that private industry employers spent an average of $27.75 per hour
worked for total employee compensation and that the average cost for
legally required benefits was $2.28 per hour worked in private industry
(8.2 percent of total compensation).
Is it any wonder that businesses aren’t able to grow at a rate to keep
up with the growth in government spending?
Another disturbing statistics from the Consumer Price Index (CPI)
reported that the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U)
increased 1.6 percent over the last 12 months. This is more bad news
for taxpaying Americans because the price of goods went up for them,
which means their paychecks don’t stretch as far, but it also means
that the voracious requirements for increasing government wealth
transfer schemes grow, which increases Democrat demands that working
Americans pay even more.
Rush Limbaugh has said that “no nation in history ever taxed itself to
prosperity.” How true. But, George Bernard Shaw best explained the
dilemma faced by the GOP makers when he said: “A government which robs
Peter to pay Paul can always count on Paul’s support.” The takers,
currently outnumbering the makers, will always be willing to vote more
taxes on the Makers. The takers will continue to use guilt-tripping
rhetoric to try to make Makers feel guilty that they aren’t doing more
for them.
The Makers v. the Takers--now that’s the real battle for the ages.
Read it with links at Townhall
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