The Conservative Fantasy History Of Civil Rights
Leslie Odom Jr.: We Are Not All Artists the Same
Of course, all of the Republican rhetoric about being financially frugal goes out the window when it's time for them to cut taxes for the wealthy. They are, after all, the party that best represents the interest of the rich. What's most intriguing to me, however, is the fact that Republicans are able to cloak their advocacy for the rich under an umbrella of populist sentiment. They get the rest of the nation riled up over things that don't matter, like the notion that we are under the regime of a Hitler-like radical Muslim black president who wants to steal American freedoms. Then the GOP slides its own agenda under the radar, using conscientious Americans as their political donkeys.
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Sen. Mitch McConnell has been especially "stealthy" in his support for the rich. McConnell has told the American people that giving tax cuts to the wealthy is a way to strengthen small businesses. The problem for McConnell is that less than 2 percent of the tax returns filed by small business owners come from those earning more than $250,000 per year. So, although it doesn't help the economy very much and only serves to balloon the federal deficit, Republicans are willing to do what they can to put more money into the pockets of the wealthy.
If only their constituents would get the memo, we'd be a lot better off.
Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition and a Scholarship in Action resident of the Institute for Black Public Policy. To have Dr. Boyce's commentary delivered to your e-mail, please click here. 
Comments: (33)
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By: joed on 11/08/2010 9:06AM
that's what have us in the mess right now. alone with the wars. all of this money must come from somewhere else: borrow or print more money. those are the other sources of revenue. tha'ts what get me about most of these whites, and i say them because they are the majority, the pretend like they are informed but their ignorance is unlimited. but, let them continue on, and this country will be done. we blacks should never again lift a hand to save these pfucks. not until we are repaired like they did the japanese and jews.
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By: brad on 11/08/2010 9:52AM
Jews??? what do the Jews have to do with this??? they are probably the biggest minority ( if they were a minority) in the world but yet the most successful culture despite thousands of years of persecution.AND probably the most sympathic to Blacks!!!Take a lesson from the jews!
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By: eeduj1001 on 11/13/2010 3:10AM
@brad
No take a lesson from the blacks. If black people had not been the one persecuted in this country, kept as slaves for 400 years while jews were not, jews would not be here. As long as some other race was kept in chains the others could come to America to prosper thus profiting from it. Thus, in understanding the model of racism in American culture, blacks would be the ones economically oppressed more than Jews: they came to America, realizing they had much to gain not being the ones to be shackled in slavery. The thousands of years of persecution is B88shyt.
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By: dAPHNE on 11/18/2010 12:57PM
The rich get tax cuts the poor don't get? Uh, that's because the poor don't pay taxes. 45% of Americans don't pay ANY taxes. "punish" the rich? For what? Getting educated, getting a job, getting up every day and going to work like responsible, productive members of society instead of staying home watching Oprah and doing drugs, drinking and producing households with lots of kids and no fathers that the public has to support? No thanks, I prefer to be productive and to stop blaming others for everything you don't have. Grow up and be responsible!
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By: brad on 11/08/2010 7:52AM
a few things to be considered, a government big enough to give you every thing you want is a government big enough to take it all away. You can not legislate the poor into prosperity. The government cannot give money to non productive members of our society without taking it from contributing members.do some research people!!! We are on a fast track to destruction and Obama and his people are turning up the steam!! although he will leave office a very rich man and we all will still be broke!!!
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By: topaz on 11/08/2010 9:45AM
well thanks to the 29 million voters who didn't vote because GOP will terminate public education, getting rid of social security, ending medicare as well medicad etc! we are officially screwed by jan 2011! also thanks to blacks who didn't vote either because the new elected governors will terminate more state & federal jobs as well redistricting house seats in certain states especially where bush won in like ohio, michigan, penn and florida! thanks alot for giving gop more power to destruct the economy as well ruining our future. older white voters voted against their economic interests too. so the lesson to be learned is, if you constantly vote against your economic interests, you will be screwed for life yet these politicans will be rich and wall street will get away with more crimes to hurt our pocketbooks. if they want to get rid of social security, hand over my social security with full interest not cheap interests! gop ain't playing this time so let them hurt the country because poor & working folks should have went to the polls to avoid more disaster!
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By: Patricia on 11/08/2010 9:53AM
Oh yes make the rich pay more taxes! Boyds' Fantasy: The poor employ so many workers in their large and small companies. The poor stimulate the economy by buying houses, buying major appliances, large tv's and all that couture designer clothing. The poor are so busy taking all those european vacations and jetting around the world. This writer fantasies about penalizing the rich while reality is that the (gimmie everything) poor that are driving the U.S. economy into the ground. You have to do your own reparations, get off the couch, get an education, get a job and work! You are your own salvation from living a life of being poor! You cannot scam a living by penalizing/overtaxing those that work hard for their money the so called rich.
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By: Bob on 11/08/2010 12:02PM
There is such a thing as the working poor. A vast majority of the "poor" have an education and work. Stop living in a fantasy world that stigmatizes the poor and wake up. Many people who are "poor" or are the working "poor", get up everyday to look for work or to work. Not every job pays a cushion salary. Most jobs pay enough to keep you one foot in the poor house and one foot out of it.
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By: soundoff on 11/09/2010 12:14AM
What? You are truley misinformed I see fresh college faces everyday and they can not find a job in their profession many of them whites so they settle for a job at five guys.You sound rediculous and out of touch maybe your the rich couch potatoe here feeding off the poor to make yourself rich there is no room in this ever changing world for people like you, yes like you. I work everyday and still I not rich but on a strict budget to pay bills,carfare,food and rent things are too damn high and you know it get off your high horse here and stop making dumb insults that are to tedious to even argue with someone like you go back under your shell lifeless!
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By: eeduj1001 on 11/13/2010 2:35AM
What planet are you on?
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