Tax cuts are theft

I had been following Sara Robinson through the blog Orcinus, and through that site I commented on her views and research on the way America might be heading towards fascism. That blog hasn't had an update since April, and I was afraid that Robinson had dropped out because of health issues, which she had written about. It is good to see she is now a contributor to the blog Campaign for America's Future. This is a progressive voice debunking the noise from the conservative machine. In this entry from last August (which I just found) she is as insightful as before.

Consider the life of someone born into one of the rich, aristocratic houses, such as Rothschild, Mountbatten, Windsor, … or Bush. You have a deep well of resources, developed over centuries of careful tending. You will always have a house over your head, a place to spend your vacation, cars to get you wherever you need to go, family connections to open any door, retainers to advise you on money and law. Every need and desire could be met. This gave you astonishing advantages and opportunities, and you had no excuses to make good on your talent to expand your wealth.

Starting about the time our country was founded being born American was similar to being born into the richest, most powerful family on the planet. Each generation created more public infrastructure it bequeathed to the next. The family wealth was so vast that by the middle of the 20th century we began to believe that no member of our extended national family needed to do without. Housing? Basic living expenses? The family could cover it. Need doors opened, even overseas? We've got friends. Education? Best universities in the world. Vacation? Glorious national parks. Travel? Safe transportation networks. Need help or advice? Trusted public servants were on retainer. The American clan had a moral duty to be there for each other and maximize the opportunities of its members.

Yes, had is the right word. Our vast national public infrastructure is being stolen. Bridges aren't being carted off, but they are being allowed to crumble into uselessness. Universities are being defunded, as are national parks. Our international standing is falling, our opportunities are being foreclosed, we're committed to endless debt. The legacy for our children is growing smaller, not larger.

And it's being done by the people who understand the advantages of carefully tended, multi-generational wealth. They have benefited by being part of a dynasty. And they will make sure their own descendants share in that benefit.

And the rest of us? We're not really part of the Great American Family. We're bastards, so it is permissible to steal from us. There are too many of us who don't deserve to be part of the family. And we don't deserve to govern ourselves either.