[PEN-L:11224] Re: URGENT: Tax bill may slash graduate stipends!

["Max B. Sawicky" <maxsaw@xxxxxxxxx>]

> Reply-to:      pen-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> From:          "Anthony P D'Costa" <ecsadc@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Subject:       [PEN-L:11222] URGENT: Tax bill may slash graduate stipends! (fwd)

> As you may know, the "Tax Relief Act" of 1997, passed the U.S.
> House of Representatives (H.R. 2014) on Thursday, June 26; a
> different version of the bill passed the Senate (S. 949) on
> Friday, June 27.  The House bill, while providing $135 billion
> in tax relief to many Americans, contains a provision which
> drastically and detrimentally affects graduate students.  .  .  .

While I'm in sympathy with this post and I don't mean to
single out Mr. D'Costa, I find it pathetic that this is the first
mention on PEN-L this year of a little thing called the Federal
budget, which is being hashed out in Babylon-on-the-Potomac.

Anybody ever consider how academic discourse, including
the "marxian" variety (replete with fantasies of "extreme
class struggle") becomes a shield from politics?

Only one person here took me up on my query regarding advice
to the French social-democratic movement.  I don't expect
anyone to jump at my signal, but the deafening silence is
testimony to the same problem.  This is the best context for
understanding, for example, the knocks here on "micro-credit"
or labor-owned/managed firms.  The fact seems to be that NO scheme
under capitalism is deemed worthy of support, so the Johnny-one-note
criticism of any particular one is of reduced interest.  Potentially
useful, if not world-shaking, measures are dismissed for failing to
live up to world-historical standards.

Cheers,

MBS

(Politically Correct
 Proletarian Crusade for
 Parliamentary Cretinism,
 or PC-Cubed).

===================================================
Max B. Sawicky            Economic Policy Institute
maxsaw@xxxxxxxxx          1660 L Street, NW
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202-775-0819 (fax)        Washington, DC  20036
http://epn.org/sawicky

Opinions above do not necessarily reflect the views
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