Sadly, the American middle-class has recently suffered some major setbacks in its attempt to regain economic stability.
Still struggling in today's economy, the American people deserve strong leadership from President Obama. Unfortunately, his recent actions have shown that he is more concerned about cynical political games than about providing a sensible agenda for the middle class.
His recently released budget, labeled as a "campaign-ready agenda" by The Los Angeles Times, increases tax revenue by $1.8 trillion and calls for raising the minimum wage to $10.10 an hour.
There is a better way to help generate economic mobility.
Per NRO's Patrick Brennan's account of YG Network's "On The Radar" conference call with Senator John Thune, conservatives have strong policy prescriptions to address wages and unemployment.
Americans also deserve an entirely new direction with healthcare.
In yet another politically motivated move, the Obama Administration enacted the 37th change to Obamacare since becoming law. (Seriously. 37 changes. Here's the list from the Galen Institute.) Hoping to not anger an electorate by kicking people off their healthcare plans this year, President Obama unilaterally offered a two-year extension for cancelled plans.
Such a calculated move does not hide the fact that middle-class Americans are hurting under the law, while President Obama's allies get special treatment. Louise Radnofsky of The Wall Street Journal recently reported that "some labor unions and businesses would get a break from the law's so-called belly button tax," which is $63 per person in 2014 and $44 per person in 2015. The tax is "applied to spouses and dependents as well as policyholders" because they don't have the same connections to Washington that unions do.
And that tax is just the beginning. The Tax Policy Center recently created an "ACA Tax Penalty Calculator," to show people their tax penalty if they don't meet Obamacare's insurance mandate. Originally forecasted at $95 per year, Obamacare's penalty for "a married couple with two kids making $50,000 a year on the adjusted basis ... could run about $300 a year."
That's money that could be used to help pay for rising energy bills or tuition fees.
It's not fair that President Obama and his allies continue to forge ahead with an agenda that does not look out for middle-class Americans. Because the Left has their own narrow-viewed agenda, it's time for conservatives to promote sound economic policies that help people excel in the middle class.