Analysis: Obama plan brings cries of class warfare

AP via SFGate ^ | 2/26/9 | TOM RAUM, Associated Press Writer

[SmithL]

WASHINGTON (AP) -- He's not being timid, that's for sure.

President Barack Obama's first federal budget lays out the most far-reaching agenda for American life since Lyndon Johnson's "Great Society." But paying for it by having upper-income earners shoulder much of the cost is already provoking cries of "class warfare" in Congress.

The Obama priorities reflected in the $3.6 trillion budget guarantees a fierce political battle ahead over taxes. And it assumes a fairly quick economic recovery from the worst recession in decades.

The budget outline includes ambitious initiatives on energy, health care, education and climate change. It would boost taxes on the wealthy and cut Medicare payments to insurance companies and hospitals to make way for a $634 billion down payment on universal health care.

Predictably, Republicans complained, much as they had done during last year's presidential campaign, that Obama was pitting the haves against the have-nots.

His budget would benefit lower-income Americans at the expense of the wealthy and businesses, critics claim.

[Liz]

Yeah--but he loves Lincoln (/s).

[Brad from Tennessee]

When Obama loses control of the class warfare he is stoking, the liberal affluent class could be the first victims. Places like Belaire and Brookline could be burned to the ground. When the mobs are ransacking mansions they won't care how the owners voted.

[houeto]

I encourage everyone to cut donations to charity.

Oh yea? Check out my tagline.

[Josa]

My son works as a server so I have mixed feelings about reduced tipping. But I do know this: the blacks do NOT tip! Period. Even the black servers get mad when they have black customers.

So.....I don’t tip black servers. Need to make up what my son is being denied somewhere. Seems like a good place to start.