A plan for the needy and greedy

Dave Starr, Las Vegas

Sunday, Aug. 12, 2012 | 2 a.m.

The Republican Party has made it abundantly clear whom it supports. Only wealthy people will benefit from Republican policies. The “common person,” a name a wealthy Republican donor gave those in the middle class, will fall by the side of the road. Remember Romney saying he’ll cut capital gains taxes for the common people, forgetting they have no capital gains to tax?

Then there’s a group within the common people known as the poor, needy, disabled and elderly. We’ve all heard about the cuts to this group’s “entitlements.” Entitlement implies not deserved but given anyway. We’ve heard mention of Catholic Charities helping this group. We’ve heard of the Medicare voucher program. We’ve heard about cuts to the food stamp program and Meals on Wheels for home-bound seniors. Are they cuts or eliminations?

It is not a stretch to believe all these cuts and eliminations are a package of money that will be distributed to the wealthy in the form of tax cut extensions and new tax cuts. If we are to believe we can’t afford the entitlements for the poor, how can we afford those entitlements for the wealthy?

What I’ve described is the Republican Party’s plan for the needy and the greedy. The needy don’t have a voice in Congress, and, therefore, they are easy to ignore. The wealthy have a large voice in Congress, and it’s a familiar one: money, which the poor unfortunately lack. Is America for sale to the highest bidder?