Entitled

You’re goddamn right I’m entitled.

Know why?

Stuff doesn’t get built without me. Kids don’t get educated without me. Patients don’t get care without me.

This country doesn’t exist.

Without me.

That’s right. I said it.

Nothing gets done without me.

Me. 

I am the middle class.

I’m more important than the wealthy that this Congress is hell bent on protecting.

Because of the recession I’m more lower middle than middle middle but I’ve been poorer than this before and things will bounce back (I hope). I have the important things: health, family, a warm puppy.

What I’m having a hard time wrapping my head around is this ridiculous idea that by raising taxes on the wealthy we kill the economy. Ten years ago the Bush administration cut taxes on the wealthy; the so-called “job creators”.

What happened?

Did the economy expand and lift all boats? Did the middle class experience job security and prosperity?

Ah, no.

In fact, more jobs were lost by the middle class than in any other time in our history. Wealth has concentrated at the top and the middle class started to die. It's almost done.

So what have we learned?

Tax cuts for the wealthy do not create jobs or stimulate economic growth.

So why are we still having a debate about this? 

Following World War II we had a tremendous boom in this country. More people owning homes and automobiles. More kids being sent to college. More security and more prosperity.

Know what else we had?

A tax rate of 90% on the wealthy. NINETY PERCENT. And they stayed wealthy. They invested their profits back into their companies and everyone prospered. Everyone.

Know what the current tax rate is? 35%. Yup. 1/3 of what they paid historically.

And where does that leave the country?

In a huge recession. 

Wealth hoarded by 1% of the population. Public education in disarry from years of deepening cuts. An infrastructure that is, quite literally, falling down. A high infant mortality rate and some of the most severe poverty in the industrialized world.

And I’m called entitled. You’re goddamn right I’m entitled.

I’m entitled to a living wage.

I'm entitled to not being bankrupted by a sudden catastrophic illness. 

I'm entitled to expect that my children will receive a proper education in a public school that doesn't suck.

This fight isn’t about legislating the poor into prosperity; it’s about not killing the middle class. It’s about being fucking fair. It's time to reframe the argument. The bullshit arguments about welfare queens and crackheads are just that, bullshit. 

This isn't about middle versus the poor. It's about them versus everyone else.

It’s about the middle class.

It’s about me.

It's about fucking time.

They only call it class warfare when we fight back.