Corporations and billionaires who control a network of right-wing, Republican Party think tanks and Tea Party organizations are demanding more tax breaks for themselves, blocking climate change legislation, and are pushing to destroy Social Security.
While Republicans would like to convince people they have no intention of privatizing or gutting Social Security, should they regain power in Congress, as People's World writer John Bachtell notes, this has been one of their main political goals for a long time:
CHICAGO - If Republicans gain control of Congress in November; the "Roadmap for America's Future" may well be their guiding policy blueprint. Authored by ultra right darling Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI), the Roadmap is more "back to the future," and would result in a massive transfer in wealth from the working class to the wealthiest.
According to the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, the Roadmap "would give the most affluent households a new round of very large, costly tax cuts; eliminating income taxes on capital gains, dividends, and interest; and abolishing the corporate income tax, the estate tax, and the alternative minimum tax. At the same time, the Ryan plan would raise taxes for most middle-income families, privatize a substantial portion of Social Security, eliminate the tax exclusion for employer-sponsored health insurance, end traditional Medicare and most of Medicaid, and terminate the Children's Health Insurance Program."
Publicly, many top Republican leaders are distancing themselves from Ryan's "Roadmap" because it is a repeat of the Bush policies of the big giveaways to the rich and draconian cuts to social programs. But privately they support it and will wait until after the elections to wheel it out.
Unfortunately, some who claim an affiliation with the left who believe the Republican/billionaire line, and look elsewhere for imaginary threats to Social Security when the reality is staring them in the face. They use this as an excuse to not pull their weight in fighting a Republican takeover of Congress.
