Commentary

The Real Class War

By Peter S. Kahrmann

OK, if we’re going to talk class warfare, let’s really talk class warfare, and let’s maintain a relationship with reality while we do.

Recent claims by Republicans that raising taxes on the rich and reducing loopholes for big business is class warfare compels me to throttle a blast of expletives. Let’s just say that the Republican claim is disingenuous and hateful. However, in the spirit of honesty, I suspect that if it became clear that the rich and big business were truly about to be taxed fairly, you’d hear some Democrats squawking too.

The fact is that class warfare has been going on for some time in this country and, for the most part, it pits big business and their elected-official protectors against everyone and anyone who even hints at reducing its wealth or slowing its growth.

The targets of its brutal assaults on the lives of others? The poor, minorities, people with disabilities and, with ever-increasing ruthlessness, the middle class.

There is little doubt this war escalated with the election of President Barack Obama, a black man. Not only is our president a black man, but he has displayed a penchant for economic fairness on some fronts that rubs big business the wrong way.

Some big business leaders such as Charles and David Koch -- owners of the incredibly secretive Koch Industries Inc. -- quickly realized that funding and manipulating racists would (they are no doubt hoping) increase their chances of getting Obama out of office. The Koch brothers and others have funneled money to the Tea Party, and all have remained silent about Tea Party events that include racist signs such as "Obama’s Plan: White Slavery."

It ought to chill the blood of every American to learn that the Southern Poverty Law Center’s Hatewatch says hate group leaders reported a marked increase in their membership since Obama was elected.

The fact is that the people (I am using the word people loosely here) and big businesses the Republicans are trying to protect have been like gamblers who’ve been allowed to cheat and so they always win, and now the president and others have decided to stop the cheating. It is also worth noting that nearly all the members of Congress are, well, rich and, not at all incidentally, white.

If you think there is any truth to the Republican claim that taxing the rich and removing loopholes for big business is class warfare, let me share some facts with you.

• California cut $577 million for the people with developmental disabilities this year on top of the $700 million in cuts for the same segment of the population two years ago. Target: the disabled.
• House Republicans this September proposed a bill that would cut heating subsidies for the poor by $1.3 billion, reduce grant eligibility for low-income college students and cut funds for job-training programs. Target: the poor and the middle class.
• Florida is calling for $55 million in cuts for aging persons with disabilities, which comes in the wake of $65 million in cuts to the same group earlier this year. Target: seniors and the disabled.
• Fresno, Calif., is calling for $91 million in cuts for the disabled. Target: the disabled.
• The Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law recently released a study of new voter registration laws in 14 states proposed primarily by Republicans that, the center estimates, “could make it significantly harder for more than 5 million eligible voters to cast ballots in 2012.” Target: the poor and minority voters.
• New York is planning to cut $27 million in funding for New York City's senior centers which, according to New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, would result in the closing of 105 of the city's 256 centers. Target: seniors.

Needless to say, the list goes on and on. The list represents the real class war, a war that has begun to elicit a response as evidenced by Occupy Wall Street and similar protests growing around the country. These are protests that many hope will grow in size and strength, and I suspect they will.

As for the Republicans who claim it is class warfare to tax the rich and big business ... well, it’s hard to take them seriously when they themselves have no class at all.

Peter Kahrmann is an advocate for people with disabilities and writes a blog on disability issues. He resides in New York state. The Kahrmann blog can be found on the Home page of www.ilusa.com