Nov. 04, 2004 - 19:27 MST

THE WONDERING JEW

Even-Steven

Some folks are now trying to say, "Well after all, we all want the best for our children." Yes we do, thats true, too.

But to my mind there is such great inequality. One side wants the best for their children at the expense of causing everyone else's children to do without.

Then there are some of us who want it to be fair to everyone, but, you know the other side thinks that they can't turn a profit if they don't cut pensions, health care and overtime pay among many other things.

Quoting from a Rocky Mountain News item by Marilyn Geewax of Cox News Service, in the Business Section today. In part:

A win for business

Industry leaders hail Bush victory, GOP control of Congress

"This will be our moment," said John Engler, president of the National Association of Manufacturers and a former Republican governor of Michigan."

"Engler said business groups will focus on expanding free trade, making temporary tax cuts permanent, limiting lawsuits, reducing health care costs, and nailing down an energy bill."

Engler, along with executives of the Business-Industry Political Action Comittee, said they believe business groups will be able to win far more legislative battles now that Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle of South Dakota has been defeated."

"Clearly, this is a positive, because Daschle had turned the Senate into a graveyard for many industry-backed bills," Engler said."

"During the campaign, Bush made several promises to business owners. For example, he wants to make permanent the temporary capital-gains and dividend-tax breaks he signed into law last year."

"Bush also has promised to permanently eliminate the estate tax, which he says would help farmers and small-business owners."

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My opinions: We know already much of that is what Bush is shooting for. So much for the things he has openly promised to do. I would certainly like to know of the behind the scenes promises he has made to his financial buddies. Where there is smoke -- the old saying -- and there is smoke aplenty.

Nail down an energy bill ? ? ? ? How much more will that cost us, good old John Q. Public ? Just how many folks do you or I know who would profit if the estate tax got canceled ? If I remember history a bit it seems that I once read that estate taxes were brought into being in order that the super rich could not form dynasties and pile estate wealth on top of personal riches on top of what was not earned by inheritors to gain an unbelievable amount of power and money.

There are rumbles that industry is pushing now, rather than paying overtime either using flex time and comp time instead of paying out real money. The possibilities of abuse are manifold. Flex-time at the top dogs direction could play absolute hell on a man and his family. Comp time ? A person sweats and strains far beyond what a human can efficiently do -- to be given what ? Comp time. Doesn't give him what is rightfully his, doesn't give him the money to spend making up to his family for the times he wasn't home with them, nor buying a bit of amusement for family and given the time to enjoy it all.

So maybe I am somewhat paranoid but it seems to me that fifty - fifty would be good for all of us but not fifty dollars to fifty cents. To be fair all around it should come out Even-Steven . . . . . . . . .

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