Let them eat pound cake

Joe Conason over at Salon has some interesting thoughts on what we should be “thankful” for this Thanksgiving.

He suggests that we godless liberals “politely explain what Bush and his administration plan to do to the gullible middle-class voters who re-elected him.” That we should, “Remind them how the President promised to make taxes "fairer" and "simpler," to make health care more widely available and to cut the deficit in half.”

So who pays? You and I do. He says, “Assuming that your Republican relatives despise Hollywood liberals, misbehaving athletes, foul-mouthed hip-hop artists, and George Soros, it's worth pointing out that the Bush tax scheme will greatly benefit such pampered "elitists.” And thanks to Bush's repeal of the estate tax, the children of those elitists may never have to pay any income taxes, let alone do any work, for the rest of their lives!” … “ To offset those generous new breaks for Soros, Barbra Streisand and Eminem, the White House wants to eliminate the deductibility of state and local tax payments. For most middle-class taxpayers that will constitute a far larger burden than any benefit from the Bush plan. (Urge everybody to check last year's tax return if they don't believe you. Have them compare the piddling interest from their savings to the amount they deducted in state and local taxes.)”

Joe goes on: “Although he neglected to discuss any such proposal during the presidential campaign, when he emphasized his commitment to expand health coverage, Bush reportedly plans to eliminate corporate deductions for health insurance coverage. With company health plans already under tremendous pressure from increasing costs, the elimination of deductibility will make insurance unaffordable for most companies (and will certainly give all employers an excuse for eliminating those benefits). That will leave wage and salary earners to fend for themselves against the big private insurers. Take a generous sip of chardonnay and say, "What a deal!"

Hey, Bill O’Reilly and George Bush - they’re looking out for you!