The Occupy Wall Street Movement:
Peter DeFazio Gets It

October 7, 2011
Congressman DeFazio delivered a barn burner of a speech on the floor of the House of Representatives on one of his favorite subjects -- how Wall Street is destroying the American dream.

Speaking of the Occupy Wall Street movement, he says:

I think these young people, and the others that are joining them, get it. They may not be totally focused, but they know that this isn't a country that gives them a fair shot at the American Dream anymore.

The Reagan Rule

October 6, 2011
The Buffett Rule states that millionaires and billionaires should pay taxes at the same rate as average Americans. That left wing socialist Ronald Reagan thought millionaires should pay more taxes than average Americans.

Ronald Reagan, June 6, 1985:

Do you think the millionaire ought to pay more in taxes than the bus driver, or less?

September 20, 2011
Kitzhaber and Hanna on Chinese TV - Oregon Open for Chinese Investment and Business

As reported by Global Strategies, Governor Kitzhaber and Bruce Hanna, Republican Co-Speacker of the Oregon House of Representatives, discuss Oregon trade relationships and opportunities in an interview on Chinese television.

Co-Speaker Hanna sums up the message being delivered to China's business community:

Come see Oregon, meet out people, look at our tax structure, and experience what can be had in terms of prosperity here.

The Chinese interviewer led a wide ranging discussion of economic and political issues involving the U.S. and China, with a surprising emphasis on the environment. The tone of the interviews was a refreshing contrast with the typical U.S. news coverage which too often focuses on the political horse race rather than substantiative issues.

Notice how Co-Speaker Hanna, a Republican, brags about Oregon's tax structure to a Chinese audience, while for domestic consumption Oregon Republicans are constantly complaining about how Oregon taxes are bad for business.

September 19, 2011
President Obama Proposes Tax Increase for the Wealthy, Rejects Republican "Class Warfare" Rhetoric"Class Warfare" Rhetoric

Whenever anyone suggests that taxes should be increased for millionaires, billionaires, and corporations, the Republicans roll out their focus group tested line about class warfare. It's not class warfare to ask those who have benefited the most from American society to pay their far share to support it.

"I reject the idea that asking a hedge fund manager to pay the same tax rate as a plumber or a teacher is class warfare."

Read the transcript HERE.

August 20, 2011
Jon Stewart Takes On the Issue of Wealth and Income Inequality In America

By far the most visited page on the Curry Democrats web site is one titled "American Pie: Wealth and Income Inequality in America." People from all across the U.S. -- and the world -- find this page while searching for information about the shockingly high level of wealth and income inequality in America.

This issue is finally becoming part of the public consciousness thanks in large part to a recent New York Times Op-Ed article by Warren Buffett (multibillionaire investor and third richest person in the world) titled "Stop Coddling the Super-Rich.." There he points out that he pays a much lower percentage of his income in taxes than the other 20 people in his office and suggests that wealthy people like himself should pay more.

Now Jon Stewart takes on the issue in a segment that drives home how the current American economy disproportionally benefits the rich at the expense of the rest of us and exposes the hypocrisy and cynicism of the right in their ongoing campaign to justify extreme inequality and protect their wealthy benefactors.

Stewart:

The government could raise $700 billion by either taking half of everything earned by the bottom 50 percent or by raising the marginal tax rate on the top two percent.

And definitely don't miss the part where Fox News calls Warren Buffett a "socialist."

Part 1 ...

Part 2 ...