No Labels

Written : Dec. 28, 2010

Let me introduce the No Labels movement to you. They say, “We are Democrats, Republicans, and Independents who are united in the belief that we do not have to give up our labels, merely put them aside to do what’s best for America.” Sounds nice, doesn’t it? And, as I suggest in my book, From the Left to the Right, we need to lower the level of vitriol in our political dialogue, while adding a large dose of civility at the same time. They apparently agree, and I like their slogan, “Not left, not right, forward.” Cumbaya so far!

I find this movement intriguing, yet somewhat disturbing. Let me say first that none of the following items - by themselves - is any big deal. First of all, No Labels was kicked off on Dec. 13, 2010, at Columbia University in New York City, both bastions of liberalism. Secondly, any party, or ideology, which gets bashed in a national election, seems to start a ‘movement’ after their defeat. The Democrats just got throttled, so I have to ask myself if this is their movement. Thirdly, this centrist movement seems to be an extension of the Coffee Party, which was formed to counteract the Tea Party. Anything that distracts from the Tea Party in my opinion, is a detriment to our country, and no one even mentioned the Tea Party in the initial meeting of No Labels. In addition, the founders of No Labels are mostly left leaning, former Democratic Party operatives. Lastly, most of those who spoke at their first meeting were liberals and/or Democrats.

The group has some good ideas, but as with anything new, we need to be a little skeptical. Remember the brutal resistance the Tea Party encountered when it was first formed? Is No Labels a genuine and dedicated group of Americans who will really put partisan politics aside and work for the benefit of our country? Or, is this a slick group of liberals who are angry they were trounced in the last election and have a left-wing agenda to carry out? Time will tell…

For more information about Mark A. Cohen, see The Castle Rock, CO Gathering Place, Writer of the Month for Nov. 2010

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Responsibility vs. Morality

Written : Dec. 21, 2010

David Gregory of Meet the Press quoted President Obama from his book, Audacity of Hope, on the Dec. 19, 2010 show. Mr. Obama found the Bush tax rates for the wealthy “morally troubling.” Vice President Joe Biden said, “They are.” Mr. Biden insisted that he and President Obama still believe lower rates for the rich are immoral.

Bill O’Reilly took a more sensible view on his own show a day later. Bill feels it’s immoral for the responsible to pay for the irresponsible. O’Reilly believes the responsible can support others if they so choose, but it should not be an imperative set in place by the government. I agree, it should be up to us as to what we share, and not up to someone else’s arbitrary view of morality. Should others tell you what to do?

As one TV commentator puts it, “How much is too much?” Rich people pay about 70% of all U.S. taxes, depending upon how you define ‘rich.’ Their individual tax rates can be as high as 60%, if you include state, local, and sales taxes to federal. If taxes are to be raised on upper-income people, what is the appropriate rate? Do we try 80%? Why is that fair, and how do we know they are not already investing the extra 20% in stocks or in some form of business? Therefore, how can we assume they are not already creating or maintaining jobs for some of us? Wouldn’t it be suicide for us to pull the rug out from under them?

The Vice President said he and The President broke their campaign promise on letting the Bush cuts expire, and supported the recently passed the tax compromise bill only to help the middle class. This bill extends the Bush-era tax cuts for every American for another two years. Does he not realize that the struggle is and should be an individual one, and not based upon one’s economic class? Vice President Biden wants to revisit raising taxes on entrepreneurs prior to the next presidential election. Does he not understand that this is a recipe for disaster for his party? I guess not!

For more information about Mark A. Cohen, see The Castle Rock, CO Gathering Place, Writer of the Month for Nov. 2010

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Grover Norquist, Part II

Written : Dec. 7, 2010

…continued from last week…

The spectacular appearance of Grover Norquist on Washington Journal on Dec. 5, 2010 is worth discussing some more. He said that President Obama’s so-called stimulus package cost $800 billion, which led to higher unemployment, lower growth, and made the economy worse. How can you disagree?

Host Pedro Echevarria said the New York Times recently listed how much extending the Bush Tax Cuts could cost - and what it might yield for the U.S. if not extended. Each household over $250K would get an extra $25K annually if continued, while if the cuts expire, the Government would receive about $60 billion in revenue. The NYT suggested the $60 billion could buy - for example - a tripling of federal funding for research, or universal pre-school for 3- and 4-year-olds, or a much bigger troop surge in Afghanistan, etc. Mr. Echevarria asked Grover Norquist to respond.

The founder of Americans for Tax Reform surprised me with a little more excitement. “I don’t care what greedy politicians [want to do with] your income!” He then said that the NYT and the federal government play God and they think we’re wasting our money on our families. Norquist argued that we could spend it better. “The whole idea of the Tea Party was: You know what, Washington, you can’t spend my money better than I can and second of all, it’s not your money!”

Mr. Norquist continued, “The King wants the peasant’s money and he thinks the peasants are wasting it… It’s not the King’s money, it’s the American peoples’ money. We don’t have peasants in this country: We are citizens. …The nerve of the New York Times to announce: ‘Let me walk through your house and take things out...’ It’s not their job!”

Grover Norquist concluded, “Where was the NYT when we spent $800 billion on the so-called stimulus package…?” He then used an analogy. Take a cup to a lake and fill it with water. Next, walk around to the other side of the lake and dump the water in the cup back into the lake. And the so-called stimulus did it 800 billion times. Norquist suggested that Keynesian economics says if you take $1 from someone and give it to someone else it stimulates the economy. Doesn’t it seem like a silly idea?

For more information about Mark A. Cohen, see The Castle Rock, CO Gathering Place, Writer of the Month for Nov. 2010

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Grover Norquist, Part I

Written : Dec. 7, 2010

Did you catch Grover Norquist on Washington Journal on Dec. 5, 2010? Fortunately, I did. Mr. Norquist is the head of Americans for Tax Reform, and he was stellar on CSPAN!

According to Mr. Norquist, the Dems would like to make you believe they urgently want to extend the current tax rates for some but not for all. “Think about that,” he said. Democrats have had a majority in Congress for years (since 2006) and they’ve never even written a bill to extend the rates for anyone! “Not for poor people, not for middle-income people, for no one.” So, Mr. Norquist argued: President Obama, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and Sen. Harry Reid have gotten up every morning and never lifted a finger to extend these tax cuts. The concept that they have a burning desire to extend the lower rates for anyone is nonsense. They were hoping they could let the Bush cuts expire, but they were beaten in the last election.

He explains my position beautifully. Grover Norquist painted a verbal picture of the President standing in front of businesses with a sledgehammer. Since Norquist’s appearance on this program, the Congress and the President have compromised on an extension of the cuts for two years. But he was prepared for the circumstance. Mr. Norquist said that President Obama would say to businesses, “We’re not going to smash you in the face now, we’re going to smash you in the face in two years.”

Norquist maintains, “Do you think investors and businesses [are going to say] that’s great, we’re going to build a new factory because we’re protected for two years? And then you hit us in the side of the head? No. Temporary tax cuts don’t have the incentives…that people face.” He says that the President’s plan is to make the change temporary, and then cause them to expire after he gets re-elected.

Grover Norquist concluded that since the cuts are not permanent now, we have to replace President Obama “in two years with a president who respects that when people earn money, it belongs to them [and] not to some greedy politician....” Well put, man!

...to be continued next week…

For more information about Mark A. Cohen, see The Castle Rock, CO Gathering Place, Writer of the Month for Nov. 2010

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