{"id":6997,"date":"2017-12-03T11:30:13","date_gmt":"2017-12-03T19:30:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/?p=6997"},"modified":"2017-12-03T11:32:57","modified_gmt":"2017-12-03T19:32:57","slug":"want-money-back-rallying-cry-99-gop-tax-scam-bill-passes-senate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/2017\/12\/03\/want-money-back-rallying-cry-99-gop-tax-scam-bill-passes-senate\/","title":{"rendered":"&#8220;We Want Our Money Back!&#8221; The Rallying Cry of the 99% After GOP Tax Scam Bill Passes Senate"},"content":{"rendered":"<h3 class=\"aolmail_node__title aolmail_managed-node-title\">The political landscape has never been more primed for a landslide against the ruling class.<\/h3>\n<div id=\"aolmail_field-wrapper-authors\" class=\"aolmail_field-wrapper aolmail_content-container aolmail_clearfix aolmail_inline-fields\">\n<div class=\"aolmail_grouping-prefix\">by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/author\/steven-singer\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Steven Singer<\/a>\u00a0(CommonDreams.org)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"aolmail_shr_canvas2\" class=\"aolmail_shareaholic-canvas aolmail_shareaholic-ui aolmail_shareaholic-resolved-canvas aolmail_ng-scope\">\n<div class=\"aolmail_ng-scope\">\n<div class=\"aolmail_shareaholic-share-buttons-container aolmail_shareaholic-ui aolmail_no-print aolmail_ aolmail_flat aolmail_mini\">\n<div class=\"aolmail_shareaholic-share-buttons-wrapper aolmail_shareaholic-ui\">\n<div class=\"aolmail_shareaholic-share-buttons-animation-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"aolmail_shareaholic-share-button-container\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"aolmail_discourse-comments-link\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"aolmail_field aolmail_field--name-field-article-img aolmail_field--type-image aolmail_field--label-hidden\">\n<div class=\"aolmail_field__items\">\n<div class=\"aolmail_field__item aolmail_even\">\n<div><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aolmail_caption-processed\" src=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/cd_large\/public\/views-article\/gettyimages-881221892.jpg?itok=41Xx76jl\" alt=\"Protesters demonstrate near the full Senate budget committee markup of the tax reform legislation on Capital Hill November 28, 2017 in Washington, DC. Republicans in the Senate hope to pass their legislation this week and work with the House of Representatives to get a bill to President Donald Trump before Christmas. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis\/Getty Images)\" width=\"955\" height=\"500\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"aolmail_field aolmail_field--name-field-main-caption aolmail_field--type-text-long aolmail_field--label-hidden\">\n<div class=\"aolmail_field__items\">\n<div class=\"aolmail_field__item aolmail_even\">\n<p>WASHINGTON, DC &#8211; NOVEMBER 28: Protesters demonstrate near the full Senate budget committee markup of the tax reform legislation on Capital Hill November 28, 2017 in Washington, DC. Republicans in the Senate hope to pass their legislation this week and work with the House of Representatives to get a bill to President Donald Trump before Christmas. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"aolmail_field aolmail_field--name-body aolmail_field--type-text-with-summary aolmail_field--label-hidden\">\n<div class=\"aolmail_field__items\">\n<div class=\"aolmail_field__item aolmail_even\">\n<p>We want our money back!<\/p>\n<p>Every penny!<\/p>\n<p>With interest!<\/p>\n<p>Do you hear us, Republican Senators?<\/p>\n<p>Early this morning while most of us slept,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.com\/entry\/senate-passes-tax-bill_us_5a21da79e4b0a02abe91412e?ncid=inblnkushpmg00000009\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">you passed a $1.5 trillion tax giveaway to the wealthiest people in America!<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.com\/entry\/senate-passes-tax-bill_us_5a21da79e4b0a02abe91412e?ncid=inblnkushpmg00000009\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">And you did it 51-49 with only one Republican, Bob Corker of Tennessee, joining all Democrats against it.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>This was a 500 page piece of lobbyist written legislation hastily put together \u2013 in some cases scribbled in pen across type written pages \u2013 that no one had a chance to read before voting.<\/p>\n<p>I am no fan of the corporate Democrats who have taken over what used to be a progressive party. But we can\u2019t blame them for this one.<\/p>\n<p>This scandal belongs entirely on the shoulders of Republicans.<\/p>\n<p>The Dems even offered a resolution to delay the vote so that legislators had a chance to read it. All 52 Republicans voted against it!<\/p>\n<p>This is what happens when the people lose control of their government.<\/p>\n<p>This is what happens when the rich control lawmakers with their money.<\/p>\n<p>There is no longer any doubt that<a href=\"https:\/\/gadflyonthewallblog.wordpress.com\/2017\/11\/08\/do-we-still-have-a-functioning-democracy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u00a0we no longer live in a Republic. We no longer have any form of representative Democracy. We live in a pure plutocracy<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/gadflyonthewallblog.wordpress.com\/2016\/06\/09\/disenfranchised-berners-need-to-push-for-election-reform-now\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">The rich pay the representatives and the representatives do what the rich want<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The wealthy are their real constituents. We are merely patsies told polite falsehoods to keep us in line.<\/p>\n<p>You have no political power.<\/p>\n<p>None.<\/p>\n<p>Governments get their legitimacy from the consent of the governed.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/gadflyonthewallblog.wordpress.com\/2017\/05\/12\/tax-cuts-are-theft\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">You did not give your consent to give away more than a trillion dollars to rich douchebags who don\u2019t need it.\u00a0<\/a>But Republicans gave it to them anyway.<\/p>\n<p>Therefore, our government has no legitimacy.<\/p>\n<p>We are an occupied people.<\/p>\n<p>We are the victims of a palace coup.<\/p>\n<p>The question remains if there is even a semblance of democratic principles left to allow us to regain what has been stolen.<\/p>\n<p>The present plutocracy is weak. It has not had time enough to consolidate its power.<\/p>\n<p>The old plan of gradually stealing control under cover of neoliberal policies has been abandoned. This is a naked power grab.<\/p>\n<p>Perhaps it will be the jolt we need to snap us all awake.<\/p>\n<p>Perhaps it will be enough to move the 99% to grab what little remains of the system set up by Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Hamilton and the other founders.<\/p>\n<p>We must rise up and demand these crooks pay us back.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe want our money back!\u201d should be our rallying cry.<\/p>\n<p>If there are any lawmakers left in the halls of power that want to represent us, they should take a page from the GOP handbook.<\/p>\n<p>How many times did Republicans propose overturning Obamacare regardless of whether they had the votes or the power to do so?<\/p>\n<p>We must do the same with this tax scam bill.<\/p>\n<p>At every turn, we should propose repealing the bill and forcing the wealthy to pay back every red cent they stole! With interest!<\/p>\n<p>It doesn\u2019t matter if it won\u2019t pass. Do it.<\/p>\n<p>Clog the wheels of power with our cries. Don\u2019t let them do a single thing more to make the lives of the majority of the population worse.<\/p>\n<p>Democrats, now is your last chance to show us where you really stand.<\/p>\n<p>You and I both know that if the Republicans had offered even the slightest concessions, many Dems would have voted for almost the same tax scam bill. It would have been a terrible piece of legislation that stole banks full of money from you and me. But it wouldn\u2019t have been quite as terrible.<\/p>\n<p>Frankly, that\u2019s not enough, Democrats.<\/p>\n<p>You aren\u2019t to blame for what just happened, but you haven\u2019t proven yourselves to be part of the solution.<\/p>\n<p>If you want our continued support, you need to move to the left. HARD!<\/p>\n<p>The masses have been stoked and stirred by this scandal. The political landscape has never been more primed for a landslide against the ruling class.<\/p>\n<p>Democrats could take advantage of this and earn a blue wave next year.<\/p>\n<p>But this will only happen if you run candidates that are willing to fight on our side in the class war that has already begun.<\/p>\n<p>Bernie Sanders is great, but let\u2019s be honest. He\u2019s elderly, and he\u2019s a moderate.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s right. Crazy Bernie with his kooky socialist ideas is in the middle of any sane political spectrum. He only seems like a radical because of how far to the right the spectrum has shifted in this country.<\/p>\n<p>We need real progressives who aren\u2019t afraid to take on the establishment and fight inequality, police brutality, white supremacy, school privatization and a host of ills that \u2013 frankly \u2013 Democrats have historically championed almost as much as Republicans.<\/p>\n<p>The pieces are all lined up. The board is ready to play.<\/p>\n<p>We will support anyone who supports us.<\/p>\n<p>We are coming for Republicans.<\/p>\n<p>They will be repealed and replaced.<\/p>\n<p>We will get back every penny they just stole last night. And we will grab every Richy Rich plutocrat by the heels, turn them upside down and shake until we get back every penny they took \u2013 with interest.<\/p>\n<p>We will wring every last drop of Democracy we can from this government.<\/p>\n<p>And if we find that there is not enough left\u2026<\/p>\n<p>History has an answer for what comes next.<\/p>\n<p>Americans don\u2019t take kindly to taxation without representation.<\/p>\n<p>And that\u2019s exactly what Republicans gave us last night.<\/p>\n<div id=\"field-wrapper-copyright-cond\" class=\"field-wrapper content-container clearfix\">\n<div class=\"field field--name-field-copyright field--type-text field--label-hidden\">\n<div class=\"field__items\">\n<div class=\"field__item even\"><em>This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 License<\/em><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"field field--name-field-author-profile field--type-entityreference field--label-hidden\">\n<div class=\"field__items\">\n<div class=\"field__item even\">\n<div id=\"cdreams-profile-10336\" class=\"cdreams-profile teaser author\">\n<div class=\"content clearfix grid-size-16\">\n<div class=\"field field--name-field-profile-img field--type-image field--label-hidden\">\n<div class=\"field__items\">\n<div class=\"field__item even\">\n<div><em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/author\/steven-singer\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"caption-processed\" src=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/cd_bio_small\/public\/authors\/steven-singer.jpg?itok=J-Rl8BUF\" alt=\"Steven Singer\" width=\"65\" height=\"65\" \/><\/a><\/em><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"field field--name-field-desc field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden\">\n<div class=\"field__items\">\n<div class=\"field__item even\">\n<p><em><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/author\/steven-singer\">Steven Singer<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0is a husband, father, teacher, blogger and education advocate. He often writes at his own blog\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.gadflyonthewallblog.wordpress.com\/\">here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>(Courtesy of Bob of Occupy)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The political landscape has never been more primed for a landslide against the ruling class. by Steven Singer\u00a0(CommonDreams.org) WASHINGTON, DC &#8211; NOVEMBER 28: Protesters demonstrate near the full Senate budget committee markup of the tax reform legislation on Capital Hill November 28, 2017 in Washington, DC. Republicans in the Senate&#8230; <a class=\"continue-reading-link\" href=\"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/2017\/12\/03\/want-money-back-rallying-cry-99-gop-tax-scam-bill-passes-senate\/\"> Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr; <\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6997"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6997"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6997\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7000,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6997\/revisions\/7000"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6997"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6997"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6997"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}