Don’t blame Obama for class warfare

Republicans complain about “class warfare” as President Obama attempts to compromise and encourages “shared sacrifice” while trying to fix the Wall Street recession, reduce Bush budget deficits and rebuild our infrastructure after a decade of squandering lives and resources in Iraq and Afghanistan.

After the Tea Party militants held Obama hostage on the debt ceiling debacle they refuse to negotiate as the deadline for the Super-Committee fast approaches.

In reality, it was Bush and the GOP who cut taxes for the rich in 2001 and again in 2003 while starting unfunded wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Capital gains taxes were lowered to 15 percent for the hedge fund managers who bet against the economy. We bailed-out Wall Street banks after they caused the Great Recession by repackaging and selling toxic mortgages.

We keep giving tax breaks to multinational corporations that move jobs overseas while refusing to bring profits back to the U.S. And, of course, the GOP wants to privatize Social Security, turn Medicare into a voucher system and repeal financial regulation and health care reform.

The truth is that Republicans support tax cuts for the rich and loopholes for big oil while the middle class faces unemployment, foreclosures and $4-a-gallon gas. The real “class warfare” is the top 1 percent growing wealthier while the 99 percent suffers.

Tom Minnerick

Elgin