The Biggest Lie of All

In this political season, as usual, we need shovels to dig through all the rhetoric. A great deal has been made about all the lies being told about Sarah Palin. But underlying this is an even greater lie that has been sustained for about 80 years.

The lie is this: The democratic party stands up for the little guy. Newsflash: That never was true. I understand where it comes from. In the 1920's the Republican party was so in the tank for big business that that nearly ran the country into the ground. In 1932 the new dealers came into power and passed all sorts of social programs that appeared to help average Americans. Never mind the fact that Roosevelt's economic policies were so disastrous that they extended the great depression several years beyond what it would have been if they had done nothing. Just think of how that extended our national nightmare.

In my life time, neither party has been consistently for the little guy. The dems have been class warfare demagogues and the Republicans have often been the tank for big business. But one area does stand out. The Republicans have consistently supported policies that promote wealth creation. One of the most basic ways this is seen in the desire by Republicans to lower tax rates. We must here distinguish between those who are already rich and those trying to become rich. Income tax is not really a tax on wealth. It is a tax on wealth creation. If you're already rich, you don't mind high tax rates. You don't pay them anyway. You shelter your money. You can afford to do that. And what the heck, if high tax rates keep others from becoming rich, you don't have to add on to the yacht club. But if you are tying to become rich, you don't have as much flexibility. If the rates are too high, wealth creation simply becomes impossible.

This is why the Republican party is the pary of the middle class while the dems are the party of the very rich and the very poor. The middle class desires wealth creation. The rich do not. They're already rich and therefore invested in the status quo. Then the rich convince the poor that only they really care for them. Neat trick. It's a lie, but somehow they've gotten away with it for eighty years.