Trickle down

It is my belief, although I don't pretend to be an economics whizz, that our economy would be best served from helping the bottom up, rather then the top up. I believe that an economy is promoted by consumers having descretionary income and job security (within performance standards of course, not socialism). I have the simple (George Bush like decision making) gut feeling, that if making wealthy people wealthier is good for the national economy, then South American would have the wealthiest countries in the world (humour me). I belive that 10,000 Americans owning 10,000 small sailboats is better for the economy then 2 people owning multi million dollar yachts .. or at least..that both situations are allowed to exist is better. How the economy is supposed to upright itself, given NAFTA, unemployment, subemployment, overseas trade imbalances, mass illegal immigration ...employers like to have a surplus of workers fighting for a job..it makes for low pay and low compensation .. international competition issues aside..when the middle class is thumped and the poor poorer..who will buy the automobiles, electronics, homes, furniture in an inflated price world? If we don't dedicate ourselves to the education of our populace and thus stay on top of technology, controlling it somewhat, and if older technologies can be easily exported to cheaper labor markets..how is the American economy ..our job market, our preeminence in the world market place going to hold up?

>>10,000 Americans owning 10,000 small sailboats is better for the economy <<

If not for the ecology. (While not a tree-hugger, I tend to look askance at things like those Yellowstone workers having to wear face masks because of the exhaust from all the snowmobiles...)

>>employers like to have a surplus of workers fighting for a job..it makes for low pay and low compensation .. <<

Yes, and a high attrition rate for the older, highly experienced folks with impressive technical skills (if some of you recall that I'm in tech support, I'm sure you understand the value of being able to talk to someone who knows the product in & out). Skill and experience together are one killer combo, unfortunately someone who's hung in there for 25+ years gets a worrying amount of pay, and, you know, older people get sick and tend to develop ongoing medical conditions that require you to 'retool' your prescription program every 5 or 6 months...

...Sorry. If I keep going this will get entirely autobiographical. Next subject.

James,
www.ctj.org/
http://www.ctj.org/html/accel.htm
Tax cut #2 is a bit fairer to the working class (scared to read the fine print!) then tax cut #1, but only because of outcry and pressure politically, that Bush favored the rich (which he definitly does). We can thank political pressure for this, not Bush's compassionate conservatism. Even with this bill, there are substantial savings for the rich..Snow for example will save $200,000 estimated on tax on dividends. Thats not peanuts. My wife and I made 115,000 last year and paid 16,000 in federal..ok..but what do we get for our tax payments; I just don't agree with the priorites of this administration and how it is going about solving the nations problems; To heck with both major pol parties, neither one is worth a hoot, they're both sucking blood out of the same animal. The primary issue on this point, is whether Bush is truly concerned about the welfare of all the people in this country or is he concerned about his personal contacts, those who have special agendas, personal greed. His track record points to the latter. He mouths issues for political purposes, but his actions show what his real intentions are.