Here is AFL-CIO president Richard Trumka:
In his speech Thursday, Trumka declares that it’s “time to protect” those very programs while raising taxes for the “richest 2 percent.”
In any event, I don’t see what Social Security and Medicare have to do with union work issues? What does taxing the rich have to do with workplace safety, bargaining rights or any of the supposed things that unions are supposed to do for their workers? Anyone care to fill me in on this? Finally, would folks like Trumka permit ANY change to the structure of the programs? It is a total straw man argument to suggest that anyone is proposing to cut existing “benefits” for folks already on the dole.
Let’s ask the Trumka-ites if they’d take the following deal: would you accept an agreement that makes the current benefit levels of social security and medicare permanent, raises taxes on the top 10% by 5 to 10 percentage points, and in exchange we end all government employment. Forever. I’d take it. I’d happily have my tax rate increased in exchange for that. What say you Trumkaites?
I noticed another reference to the top 2% in the Journal today… Will see if I can find it.
I would take that deal, but a lot of deregulation would also have to occur, which ties into the people off payroll.
When Reagan deregulated oil and gas, the price dropped like a stone, which had a salutary effect everywhere.
Pretty soon we will be hearing Richard Trumka talking about the top 2 1/4 percent.
