I’ve seen kids spill out their piggy banks and plan their allowance budget with more care than the Republicans in Congress are planning for the future of the U.S economy.
“Surprise!” is fun to hear when you walk unbeknownst into a party in your honor. “Surprise!” is not going to be a lot of fun to be a part of when this tax bill, if it passes, becomes law. I am truly dumbfounded at what is taking place. There has always been wheeling and dealing in Congress. There are always provisions put in to win votes. But the magnitude of these issues – we’re talking the U.S. Economy! and oh, yes, healthcare, and now even elements of environmental policy (drilling in the Wildlife Refuge in Alaska) – combined with the sheer opaqueness of the process, the fact that no one really knows what’s in the bill, or how it will play out over time just boggles the mind.
“This isn’t tax policy. It’s a shakedown by the monied interests.”
Dan Rather
I have seen a lot in my life, but I don’t recall ever seeing anything like this. It’s a rushed hack job just to give the President and the GOP big donors a “win” when tens of millions of Americans stand to lose in the form of higher taxes. And potentially hundreds of millions more stand to lose in the form of a fractured economy. If you want an example of this “oh yeah economic growth will more than make up for the tax cuts” mantra at work, just google Kansas and see how that economic experiment is turning out.
I have been touring the country of late and meeting so many of you who believe, as I do, that we are better than this. The polls suggest that most Americans are against this tax bill, and I suggest that if it becomes law and all the little surprises start popping out, it will become even less popular. This isn’t tax policy. It’s a shakedown by the monied interests. Remember when deficits mattered, when that was the reason we couldn’t say, fund such things as health care for children and student lunches? Well that all just seems to be another convenient stalking horse put out to pasture in this age of unreason.