Education opens the door of opportunity, even in inequitable times like these. It's unconscionable to think of cutting education funds at this point in history. It's equally unconscionable to think of cutting funds for home heating, infant nutrition, were similar programs which benefit the poor (of which there are now a record 46.5 million), the elderly, and other Americans need.
Deduct lots of points for any politician who wants to cut these programs. And deduct 102 points (out of a possible hundred!) from any politician who talks about these kinds of cuts while at the same time fighting to protect tax breaks for the wealthy and corporations. Since that includes virtually every Republican in Congress, they're not going to score very well, are they?
Stop giving tax breaks for sending American jobs overseas.
It should be a given that powerful corporations should pay their fair share of taxes. And yet corporate tax rates -- the real rates they pay, not the ones on the books -- are at or near a 60-year low. What makes that an even more bitter pill to swallow is that large corporations are getting tax breaks for sending jobs overseas. That has to stop -- immediately.
Ending that tax subsidy would generate hundreds of billions of dollars in revenue. That money could be used to create jobs, rebuild our crumbling infrastructure, and provide more educational opportunity for young Americans.
Go beyond the baseline.
These four points represent the baseline for reasonable budget talks. That doesn't mean our political leaders should stop at the baseline. These four points represent the core elements of a constructive plan to repair our economy.
And in repairing our economy, we will also be doing more to bring down long term deficits -- through reform of for-profit healthcare, increased revenue, and investment in a growing economy. A program like that will lead to greater fiscal health, for the government and for its citizens.
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