The Bishop and the Butterfly: Murder, Politics, and the End of the Jazz Age

    Rich Americans, Uncle Sam wants you--to hire a fellow American, or your tax cut is toast!

    By erica20 on Fri, 08/05/2011 - 2:07am |

    I e-mailed our President today to suggest that he use his 3-day "Listening" bus tour to do some talking instead--and that he tell the American People that now that the Republican spend-cutters have clearly put the Govt. out of the business of job creation, the onus falls on our private-sector Job-Creator pals.

    So, Rich People (or Job Creators as we now have to call them) better get the lead out of their you-know whats. They've had their George Bush tax cut since 2001, and the total amount of jobs they've added to our economy since then is WAY less than zero. Rich Republicans are supposed to be all about accountability, right? So I suggested the President tell them that they need to add 2 Million good-paying private jobs to our economy by Christmas, or that tax cut is toast.

    Fair enough, right? It seems to me this might be a good way for Rich People to do their part in our national sacrifice by bringing a couple of thousand factories back to the good old USA and hiring some Americans to work in them, pronto.

    Rich Americans, Uncle Sam wants you....to hire a fellow American today!

    I also suggested that The President keep it really simple and clear, so that by Christmas, (assuming that our "Job Creators" whiff on their task) even the most low-information voter would understand that their true interests are not served by the Tea Party or the Republican Elite, but by Democrats.

    I'm pretty sure nobody ever reads those e-mails, but at least the idea is on record. If the bus tour goes by without a hostage drama (does anybody remember the movie "The Ransom of Red Chief"?) we can keep throwing it out there.

    Thanks to all (esp. Stilli) who have supported this fun--but hopefully illuminating--idea, and to American Dreamer who provided the stats and the caveat that there should be no drop in the median wage as a result of this initiative...

    Thanks to all

    Comments

    I will continue to promote the idea, Erica. I am sick of them being called "job creators" when it is so painfully obvious they are not using those tax cuts to create jobs.

    It's time for them to put the money where their mouths are.

    Are you going to start a FB page?


    by stillidealistic on Fri, 08/05/2011 - 10:40am

    Been thinking about it--I do remember that one critique of the John Mellencamp effort was that you need to start a FB page with quite a few supporters for it to make much of a difference. So I've kind of been waiting for the idea to coalesce a bit first, so when it hits FB it can be very clear.

    I'm thinking something like

    Rich Americans believe they shouldn't have to pay more in taxes because they're our "Job Creators." But since George Bush gave Rich People their tax cuts in 2001 and 2003, guess how many jobs they've added to the US economy? Less than zero. X thousand jobs less than zero, in fact. So let's go, Rich People! Earn your tax cut or lose it! Add 2 Million good-paying jobs to the US economy by Christmas and we'll extend your tax cut for 2012; fail, and that tax cut is toast on Jan 1.

     


    by erica20 on Fri, 08/05/2011 - 1:36pm

    Why beg the rich to hire people?  Let's just take some of their money and then hire people ourselves.


    by Dan Kervick on Fri, 08/05/2011 - 7:20pm

    It's not begging, it's creating a movement asking/demanding very publicly that they prove that they are the the "job creators" they are being credited with being.

    The media is letting the right wing get away with/propagating this mis-nomer, and some of us would like to see pressure built to show that 1) they really ARE what they are being called and are doing it, or 2) prove it to be the lie it is. I can live with either one. If they create the damn jobs at long last, the economy will reap the benefit, and the government will not have to intervene. If they don't, they'll be exposed for the greedy liars they are, and maybe we'll FINALLY get the numbers we need to raise the taxes. Yes, it should have been done before, but I can't see the benefit of rehashing that over and over. It's time to move forward with stuff we can actually DO, and this seems like it could get some good coverage if the right people see it and get behind it.

    It isn't the complete solution, obviously, but I for one, need something concrete that I can get behind and work for, and this sounds like it has promise.


    by stillidealistic on Fri, 08/05/2011 - 7:41pm

    Stilli, I think that's it! And Dan, that's what we're getting to, but first we need to let the Rich get themselves into a position where they have to admit they can't make it work without government help. It needs to be incredibly obvious to everyone that the "Rich People are Job Creators" line is just silly.

    Now, IF the Rich actually do pull it together and create 2 million good-paying stateside jobs, I won't know what to think. But I don't think it's very likely, and we'll have found a fair way to show ordinary people that their interests do not lie with the Republicans.

     

     


    by erica20 on Sat, 08/06/2011 - 1:12am