Homer Alaska - Letters

It's a couple months into the new Republican Congress, and the war against the middle class and the poor is on. The blackmailing of President Obama having succeeded, the top richest percent won their tax break extension in return for allowing the unemployment insurance extension, and a tax roll holiday on Social Security.

The Republican-led House got what they demanded; now we have to fight the deficit. This means the average American will have to say good-bye to a lot of "goodies," because we all (except the ultra-rich of course) have to sacrifice. We average people have simply been too greedy over the years, even if we pay more taxes than the top 2 percent who got a tax break. We should willingly give up: Social Security, unemployment insurance, minimum wage, health care, public education, public broadcasting, food stamps, Planned Parenthood, WIC, etc.

And, of course, we serfs also will have to forgo through Obama's austerity program to eliminate "discretionary" spending. When confronted by the fact that the austerity program would eliminate lots of jobs, Speaker Boehner's reply was "so be it."

Boehner doesn't care because his constituents are the ultra-rich. Boehner supported the deficit-skyrocketing tax break extension for them, and he has the audacity to claim Republicans want to lower the deficit.

This isn't really about fighting the deficit. It's about opening a huge hole so the minority on the top can continue sucking money and resources from the majority. I doubt they'll spend it on lowering the deficit. Genius! We serfs can sacrifice and sacrifice in the belief that we're tackling the deficit, when actually we're providing the top with a tax break extension and a method of gutting the majority of Americans.

If your family can't survive on the remaining scraps, so be it.

Katie Dawson