Riding tea party to regain power

Nothing is more hypocritical than Republican politicians these days. After eight years of record deficit spending, tax cuts for the rich and lax regulation on corporations and banks, they are now "born-again" fiscal conservatives? Get real. They say "no" to extended unemployment benefits, but support bailouts to their cronies in business. They have no problem with corporations handing out multi-million-dollar bonuses or severance packages to CEOs who ran this country to the brink of another Great Depression, but say "no" to the Joe Six Pack they championed. They say that more tax breaks will "trickle down" to create jobs. However, we had eight years of their tax cuts, and all we have to show for it was 600,000 jobs lost each month. Republicans act as if this economic meltdown was little more than a "market correction." Tell that to the millions still trying to find nonexistent jobs.

Many corporations already pay zero taxes because of tax loopholes and tax havens. Big Business always uses the plight of the small business owner to protect its own interests. That's why they spend millions on lobbyists and campaign contributions to these guys. And just what has business done with their largesse? Create jobs? No, they hoard the cash and give out big bonuses to themselves, all the while cutting the jobs of people who actually work. One of these Republican politicians even had the gall to apologize to BP for the government's treatment of them during the Oil Spill. Republican focus is to ride the misplaced anger of the tea party as a vehicle to regain power.

Jeffrey Crowell

Naperville