Dean Baker sets the record straight about the Republican’s alleged aversion to redistribution:
Matt O’Brien’s Wonkblog piece might have misled readers on Republicans views on the role of government. O’Brien argued that the reason that the Republicans have such a hard time designing a workable health care plan is:
“Republicans are philosophically opposed to redistribution, but health care is all about redistribution.”
This is completely untrue. Republicans push policies all the time that redistribute income upward. They are strong supporters of longer and stronger patent and copyright protection that make ordinary people pay more more for everything from prescription drugs and medical equipment to software and video games. They routinely support measures that limit competition in the financial industry (for example, trying to ban state run retirement plans) that will put more money in the pockets of the financial industry. And they support Federal Reserve Board policy that prevents people from getting jobs and pay increases, thereby redistributing income to employers and higher paid workers.
via Beat the Press
Dean often cites these examples of redistribution to the rich. He should think about adding the Republican support for privatization of public schools, which, in the end, is simply another scheme to funnel tax dollars into the hand of the rich. The fact that the end result will be a nation of poorly educated working class stiffs is a feature, and not a bug, from the Republican point of view.
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