Democratic Talk Radio: Democratic Voices Column

October 13, 2003

Bush Class Government- By Greed

The Bush Class is best thought of in economic terms as the wealthiest 1% of the American public. The Bush Class is a convenient way of describing the politically active Republican Right Wing element that dominates this group. The Bush Class designs political programs, policies and procedures as ways of increasing the wealth and power of their group. In political terms, the group is self-servicing- and economically powerful! Money has given the Bush Class control of most major media outlets (radio, TV, newspapers, magazines), political organizations, think tanks, universities, publishing companies, our large corporations and, for the most part, our government.

Under George W. Bush, the Bush Class has been in a feeding frenzy at the expense of the public treasury. They have been gorging themselves on the taxpayers’ dollars. Bush Republicans have completely turned against the traditional conservative devotion to a balanced federal budget. They now seek massive private profit for themselves from the federal treasury. They gave themselves massive income, capital gains and inheritance tax cuts. Payroll income taxes (Social Security, Medicare, etc.), which are largely paid by the working poor and middle class Americans, were not cut. The Super Rich pay a lower percentage of their total income in payroll taxes than working Americans. The richer they are the lower the percentage they pay.

These tax cuts for the wealthy are largely made possible by borrowing from the Social Security Fund and by government borrowing back the same money (with interest) from the Super Rich.

The Bush Class has used the War on Terrorism and the conflict in Iraq to steer government funds into the hands of their Corporate financial backers. “No bid” contracts to Haliburton, large Republican campaign donors and firms involved in questionable voter purges call for Independent Federal Prosecutors and public Congressional hearings.

Efforts to break unions are rampant in this Republican Administration. Moves to privatize government services are designed to punish unions who oppose the Corporate political agenda and to reward Corporate backers with government money. Assaults on our national parks by timber, mining and oil interests are part of the Bush Class political agenda. The collapse of effective environmental and anti-monopoly regulation under the Bush Republicans will permanently hurt our environment and economy for the personal profit of a few.

Column written by Stephen Crockett and Al Lawrence (hosts of Democratic Talk Radio which is nationally syndicated on the ieAmerica Radio Network). You can hear them via the Internet several days a week from 2-4pm Central at http://www.ieAmericaRadio.com. You are invited to visit the Democratic Talk Radio site at DemocraticTalkRadio.com. They can be reached by mail at: 7A Planville Drive, Fayetteville, TN 37334. Reach DTR by phone at 931-438-1500 or 443-421-0287.

Sincerely,
Stephen Crockett
Al Lawrence
Co-hosts: “Current Affair” News Talk Program
WEKR 1240 am radio
(931) 433-3545