Cost Of Tax Cuts For America's Rich Exceeds Value Of Budget Cuts

As part of a law passed late last year, the Bush-era tax cuts for the richest Americans were extended for two years. The estimated cost to the government of that portion of the tax deal, $42 billion this fiscal year, exceeds the stated $38 billion value of the savings from the federal budget cuts lawmakers 

So even with the 60 or so billion that was originally to be cut, really only 18 billion dollars would have been actually cut. That’s not to say this is a zero sum equation, but you get the idea.

On top of the spending on tax cuts (yes, tax cuts are spending), most corporations are barely paying taxes as it is, if at all, because of countless loopholes and preferential rates for capital gains.

In the meantime, the majority of what is to be cut to save our deficit and protect future generations, based on Ayn Rand worshiper Paul Ryan’s budget proposal, is made up of necessary services and means tested programs (often conveniently confused for entitlement programs) that are relied upon by the poor, unemployed, disabled and elderly, not to mention Federal Financial Aid for low income college students.

I’ve been told by yuppie libertarians before that “those things aren’t a legitimate function of government.” My answer: “who gets to decide that?”

Because, as I’ve explained countless times before, the survival and safety needs are the legitimate function of government. What’s not legitimate is out of control military spending on imperialistic, neo-colonial endeavors. 

What’s not a legitimate function of democratic government is taking power away from the people and giving it to the privileged.

What’s not a legitimate function of government is depriving people of the things they need to feed economic and social power.

Noticed this on one of my favorite Tumblogs:

High-res →

MFW I saw it:

Let me tell you why that’s bullshit, k?

Now, despite my seething hatred for Ayn Rand and other than the lengthy, moralistic, trying-too-hard monologues that, as Peter Griffin would say “insist upon” themselves, I don’t suppose Rand’s writing style is horrible.

Anon says “Basically it’s about a woman running a train company in a world with super strict laws.” What a misleading description. That’s basically not what it’s about, the whole point of the book is that the Train Company runners and other industrialists of the world are the Gods that we, as blood sucking collectivist leeches, should be worshipping instead of holding accountable. Hence the title: Atlas was the mythical character charged with holding the entire world on his shoulders. In the book, someone asks someone else what Atlas would do, and he said Atlas would “Shrug,” as if to throw all of the blood sucking leeches who owethe rich their lives into oblivion.

The book is Yuppie masturbatory material. It, and objectivism, are meant to assert that exploitation and and generally putting your own self-actualization needs above the needs of everyone else is morally right.

Anon makes it sound like some feminist tale: It’s not just a benevolent capitalist hero, it’s a female benevolent capitalist hero!

Except that the female capitalist hero gets raped by her boyfriend capitalist hero and it is perfectly okay because he is a superior capitalist hero. There’s no individual empowerment, only the right of the strong to fuck (literally) over the weak.

Defenders of Objectivism almost always call strawman. “That’s not what it’s about, bro, it’s about how the individual is more important than the collective.”
Yes. That is what it’s about and you just repeated what I said with candy-coated language.

It’s that, as a benevolent capitalist hero, your self actualization needs come before the needs of everyone else, and that is perfectly moral. Charity isn’t immoral, per se, but you should only do it if you feel like it, not because you are feel morally obligated (never mind the fact that your wealth is derived from these peoples’ poverty), and only if the people you would be helping are perfectly subservient and compliant. If they get uppity, forget it.

It’s really funny what things will launch me into a rant like that. MFW