OPINION:
The president and some members of Congress say they want to “protect” the middle class to justify some of their actions. But are they really protecting the middle class?
They always want to tax the rich as a way to justify what they want to achieve politically - and that is to get more revenue to spend while getting the sympathy of the so-called middle class, the definition of which seems arbitrary. A household making $249,999.99 isn’t rich, but a household making $250,000, or one penny more, is?
The president placed a moratorium on oil drilling under the guise that such drilling hurts the environment. That was another vague justification made in order to gain the sympathy of the middle class while attempting to achieve favored political objectives.
But what do such actions really do for the middle class? The offshore-drilling moratorium has caused thousands of middle-class workers to lose their jobs, it has increased the cost of groceries and other consumer products because of higher gasoline prices - topping $3.36 per gallon - and it has increased energy costs for middle-class homeowners and others.
Taxing the rich means taxing businesses, and that causes businesses to pass on the increased cost to middle-class consumers. In addition, billions of dollars in so-called “stimulus” money was supposed to create jobs, but the unemployment rate has increased from 8 percent to more than 9 percent, resulting in more middle-class workers losing their jobs and other financial hardships.
Apparently Mr. Obama’s idea of protecting this class of people is reducing income and jacking up the cost of living. Politicians should stop talking about protecting the middle class. The can no longer afford their protection.
FRANK MEDICO
Mount Vernon, Va.
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