Departure of the Blamer

John Edwards gave up his bid for the Democrat nomination yesterday. Goodbye and good riddance to bad (even compared to Hillary) candidates. I look at this as confirmation that the purely negative campaign, as well as the politics of class warfare, are distasteful even to many Democrats. But this got me to thinking about the effects of class warfare, and how politicians can use it to justify anything.

Here's a quote that should sicken anyone who believes in the potential of the individual:

Our tax code has shifted most of the burden on to the backs of working Americans. There is simply no end to the special tax breaks available to big corporations and wealthy individuals who can afford lawyers and lobbyists.

It is this fundamental misunderstanding of who pays corporate taxes (the consumer) and the exploitation of this by ambulance chasers like Edwards that allows the government to disproportionally take more taxes from the poor and middle class under the banner of taking away the advantages that 'big business' has because of their 'greed.'

One hallmark of universal health care is that 'big insurance' and 'big pharmaceuticals' are screwing the little guy, when the opposite is true. The problems there can be traced to the health care industries being forced to do things that hurt their ability to make a profit, which is why any business exists. It's the same situation that has made the housing crisis a housing crisis.

Even tax cuts are too often used in class warfare. These are quotes from a few liberal senators regarding the Bush tax cuts of 2001:

“Now, they tax relief.” are proposing more of the same, more tax breaks benefiting only the wealthiest among us." - Senator Ted Kennedy

“I voted against the Republican tax cut plan, which is an irresponsible tax cut that will further undermine the nation’s struggling economy at the expense of middle-class American families.” - Representative Maxine Waters

“I cannot in good conscience support a tax cut in which so many of the benefits go to the most fortunate among us at the expense of middle-class Americans who need tax relief." - Senator John McCain

Here's the answer to the problem of class warfare:

We hear much of special interest groups. Well, our concern must be for a special interest group that has been too long neglected. It knows no sectional boundaries or ethnic and racial divisions, and it crosses political party lines. It is made up of men and women who raise our food, patrol our streets, man our mines and factories, teach our children, keep our homes, and heal us when we're sick -- professionals, industrialists, shopkeepers, clerks, cabbies, and truck drivers. They are, in short, “We the people,” this breed called Americans.

My final word on this: Never trust a politician who blames others for failure and uses classism, or any other -ism for that matter, to push an agenda.