The Republicans’ proposed tax legislation–whether the House or Senate version–is despicable. It will exacerbate the already devastating income and wealth inequality in this country, leave the federal government without adequate funds for real infrastructure and social safety net needs, and place in almost inviolable power the wealthiest oligarchs of the country (and even the good ones exert a power that no one should possess in a democracy).
My previous posts on this so-called “tax reform” “simplification” package (it is neither) have outlined a number of pernicious provisions in the bills. There are a few I haven’t mentioned, such as the likely inclusion of taxation of tuition benefits to undergraduate and graduate students. That will have an immediate impact on education and on basic scientific research. Not surprising, given Paul Ryan, Donald Trump, and Mitch McConnell’s aversion to fact-based science and intellectuals, but nonetheless devastatingly harmful to the country in loss of prestige for our universities, loss of the top minds to other countries, and loss of entrepreneurial and innovational thinking that will hamstring commerce and productivity. Another is the “new” talk in the House of lowering the tax rate on the weathiest bracket by as much as two and a half percentage points–adding to the largesse for the wealthy otherwise larding the legislation and making it even more obvious that the only Americans the Republican Party sees itself as serving are those with at least millions and probably billions of net worth. The Republican charade of right-wing “alternative facts” (shown most clearly by the Treasury Secretary’s inability to provide a supported rationale for the absurd corporate and oligarch-favoring tax cuts) would have a destructive impact on the entire U.S. economy. And it is not simplification–it is a huge complication that is ripe for tax abusers to abuse the complicated categories of differently taxed income.
But today there is a ray of hope that this tax scam might just not get passed –or might get turned around very quickly if it does get passed. Doug Jones’ defeat of constitutional scofflaw and likely multiple-sexual-predator Roy Moore should cause any thinking Republican in the House and Senate to take a step back and listen to the views of constituents across the country, where dislike of this tax legislation is the majority view. The #MeToo movement and its impact on powerful media and other industry harassers, together with the fact that Democrats and Independents got out the vote in Alabama and defeated Roy Moore — and another 20,000 likely lifelong Republicans decided to write-in another Republican name other than Roy Moore–should tell current GOP congresspeople that “the times they are a changin’ “. Reaganomics–trickle-down, supply-side tax policies–don’t work. Kansas proved that, if anybody actually had any doubt before. If the Republican majorities in the House and Senate pass this ” Class War” tax legislation–written and argued and honed to a tee to serve the wealthiest multinational corporations and individual campaign donors while stabbing the middle and low-income classes in the back–they will potentially pay a big price at the polls in 2018 and 2020. They will pay that price because their tax legislation will send the U.S. economy into another tailspin that will lead to cuts in the standard of living of ordinary people so people like the Trumps can have even more gaudy gold faucets in their many mansions.
I call on everyone who can to write and call Jeff Flake (Arizona)–ask him to stand on principle and vote against the end of the Obamacare mandate, the giveaway to the wealthy and big corporations, the ridiculous scammable complication of different rates for the same income depending on what job the taxpayer worked at or whether the taxpayer owned the business or was an employee. Ask him to vote down this despicable tax legislation for the good of the country and ALL the people. Do the same for Susan Collins (Maine), who already has expressed real concerns about the impact of the elimination of the health insurance mandate. Even her ‘bargained for’ (but not actually promised) two-year patch wouldn’t do much good: millions of people, the most vulnerable amongst us, will lose health insurance and therefore health care if this tax legislation passes. And let Bob Corker (Tennessee) know how much we all respect him for actually standing firm against this tax legislation travesty–and ask him to stand even taller by resisting the pleas to compromise principles ‘just to get a win for Trump’. Let’s push our Senators and Representatives to stand tall for a sustainable economy based on fiscal responsibility (don’t create a $1.5 trillion dollar deficit) and distributive justice (don’t push the middle class into dead-end living conditions) and end the giveaways to the wealthy oligarchs.
I predict that if this bill passes the expected accounting for the Republican Party will come even sooner and with even more strength against those who supported Trump’s daily vitriol of falsehoods and the Trump Administration’s filling the DC swamp with those who put pollution, despoiling the environment, destruction of the wilderness and national public lands foremost on their agenda.
My question to LInda Beale,
To your knowledge, Linda, since the 1960’s has there ever been a period when federal legislators have ever given anything more than lip service to the public at large? Has there every been a period when labor’s real economic benefits have sustainably improved?
I would love it if a few GOP senators could and would block the pending tax bill, but even if they did there would be another right behind it with only slight changes to buy off enough of these (count on one hand max) senators to pass it without substantial change.
And btw, the next assault is on entitlements… “to reduce the deficit”.
I hope your plea to the possible GOP senators who might block the bill succeeds — we have to try … it’s an imperative. But the basic issue is who participates in gains from the nation’s wealth…. and I’m pretty sure that’s a pure class war which isn’t new and continues unabated. .. and btw, since the 1960’s the capital owners have been winning that war hands down going away. That’s the reality. The question is how to sustainably change it.
I regrettably must agree with you–after the civil rights achievements in the mid-sixties, there has been a long and sustained assault on worker rights and favoritism to owners of capital. Each Democratic administration does somewhat better than each Republican administration, but it is like the fabled putting a finger in the dike….
I think the inequality resulting may invigorate the resistance and make it possible for a revived coalition between ethnic minorities and workers generally to push Congress to realize that votes can make a difference and that their votes for inequality will cost them. Whether we will do it or not in 2018 and whether we can make any lasting inroads against oligarchy is a very big and very important question.
Linda, thank you for your considered and objective response… sincerely much appreciated.
Sadly we keep focusing on moving the deck chairs around rather than addressing why the boat is sinking further into a plutocratic theocracy. Unfortunately this won’t end well… I just don’t know when that will be but it’s not more than a generation or two away by my judgment based on history…
LT:
We are very happy to have Linda in our pool of blogger/writers. I am glad you recognize the value of her words.