Which party is winning the crucial war of words?
To all Republican lawmakers: I get it, I really do. Employers are no longer to be addressed as "employers."
They have been elevated to the status of "Job Providers" -- a designation, almost sacred and biblical, that denotes privilege, entitlement and power. According to Republican strategists and their minions, we are not to offend
Job Providers by even suggesting an end to the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy nor even mention the idea of asking them to pay the same percentage of their (gasp) taxes as do the Job Provider Providers of the working class.
They would be forced to seek shelter in the Chamber of Commerce or, worse yet, be tempted out of necessity to sell their homes, pull their children out of their private academies, and end years-long memberships in country clubs in order to flee to the business-friendly environs of Iowa, South Dakota and India, where they would be treated delicately and daintily.
I apologize if this sounds like engaging in class warfare, another of the Republicans' devious little designations for any strategies promoting tax fairness. But, you have to hand it to them: They're good. I wish the Democrats were so clever.
JIM TOMSKY, PRINCETON, MINN.
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The message from our leader -- "We will all need to make sacrifices" -- tells me all that I need to know about his comprehension of the budget situation and accountability regarding the deficit crisis.
