It's become pretty clear that envy is the only political philosophy President Obama ever had and class warfare the only policy he ever pursued:
We can’t simply cut our way to prosperity. Cutting spending has to go hand-in-hand with further reforms to our tax code so that the wealthiest corporations and individuals can’t take advantage of loopholes and deductions that aren’t available to most Americans. And we can’t keep cutting things like basic research and new technology and still expect to succeed in a 21st century economy. So we’re going to have to continue to move forward in deficit reduction, but we have to do it in a balanced way, making sure that we are growing even as we get a handle on our spending . . .
Today’s agreement enshrines, I think, a principle into law that will remain in place as long as I am President: The deficit needs to be reduced in a way that’s balanced. Everyone pays their fair share. Everyone does their part. That’s how our economy works best. That’s how we grow.
And the current code word for envy is "fair" -- the minute you hear the word, run away fast. The speaker has nothing good in mind for you.
I don't know why we let the Big Government types get away with that "we can't simply cut our way to prosperity" spin, by the way. It implies that those who want to emphasize spending cuts are the unreasonable ones who are trying to destroy the noble intentions of those who want to raise taxes. A more realistic way of putting it is that we can't simply tax our way to prosperity. We're at the point where no amount of tax increases can even approach the spending we're committing ourselves to.
Yet spending is the last thing we'll ever get around to. The so-called deal that replaced the current fiscal cliff with a worse one a few weeks down the road will add about $3.9 trillion more to the deficit and has $1 in cuts for every $41 in tax increases. That may be what Obama calls "balanced," but it's just plain nuts.
The president has no business talking about how "we grow" and "how our economy works best." He has absolutely no clue. The taxes and ruinous rules and regulations he favors almost seemed designed to deliberately keep the economy stalled. Who would be crazy enough to start or expand a business in this environment?
