The only thing that is absolutely certain is that Republicans own this tax bill, lock, stock and barrel. Mr. President, this is your single legislative achievement this year. It is huge and now you own it. How it turns out, to quote you, “we will see.” Revel in your achievement today, the costs will be borne by others down the line.
I am more saddened than surprised by the passage of the tax heist perpetrated upon the American people today. It would not be a stretch to label those who supported this horrendous redistribution of wealth from the poor and middle class to the richest of the rich as criminals. In essence Republicans have snuck into your home and stolen your valuables, right down to the piggy bank in your children’s room. Now in most parts of this country the mere act of invading your home would result in what Republicans have referred to as a Second Amendment remedy. As a resolute progressive I would not have a second thought to protecting my family from such intrusion. Yet our elected leadership in Washington, DC, led by the President, has just inflicted upon those who do not enjoy elite status in the upper one-percent a financial burden that will affect generations for decades to come.
Purely and simply they have taken a loan using middle-class assets as collateral to reward their rich patrons and will pay it back by penalizing you and your children’s future. Unless there is a stark reversal in leadership in the Nation’s Capitol expect attacks upon entitlement programs such as Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security and the slow deterioration of an already inadequate health care system to be the next installment in this pathetic public policy play. You can also expect a lack of political will to invest in major infrastructure spending to prevent bridge collapses and road improvements, water and sewer pipe deterioration, and transportation deficiencies.
But by far the biggest disappointment will be the growing financial divide that accompanies unconscionable and growing income inequality. All of these things will exacerbate the anger, frustration, and cynicism that breathes life into distrust of our leaders and governmental institutions and threatens the very concept of representative democracy that has guided us for most of our history. Quite clearly under a unified Republican leadership America is becoming a nation to be feared not respected. It is shameful and dangerous and the American people must muster the energy and intellect to reverse this course.
As an institutionalist I am devastated by the widespread corruption that has infected our government and society. I spent my entire career trying to help construct public policies that would encourage the development of a fair and equitable society that would afford opportunities for all of our citizens. Differences over policy were expected and partisan fights were resolved through compromise. But today is different, the intractable divide that transcends politics and has paralyzed progress is mean, viscious, zero-sum, and fought with the ruthlessness of an epic heavyweight fight. Policy-making is no longer a chess match but a fight to the death. This is not conducive to democratic process.
We are witnessing what can only be described as a criminalization of democracy. When the President and Congressional leaders personally benefit from the policies they advance we are in criminal territory. And this is particularly problematic when you have the Chief Executive refusing to divulge basic financial documents that would clarify the extent to which he is benefitting. Believe me is simply just not sufficient. Imagine that defense in a court of law: “Your honor, members of the jury, disregard the evidence, you must believe me that I did not do it. I rest my case.”
The Republican leaders are sticking their thumbs in the public’s eyes, treating us like suckers, laughing all the way to the bank. I am angry, it is so blatant and so, so destructive. If you are not angry you are sleep walking through life. At the very least you ought to be protecting your children, because ultimately they will have to pay our bills. How unfair, how un-Christian, how disgusting!
I would like to eviscerate “Little Bobby” Corker for the unvarnished thievery he exacted upon his colleagues that will handsomely further enrich him, I would like to ask Susan Collins how she can justify ejecting 13 million people from the health care rolls, I would like to confront Senator Jeff Fake (sic) and ask him about the nice speech he made about the need for integrity and conviction while continuing to cast virtually every vote in the opposite direction. I would like to throttle those self-serving paragons of virtue that comprise the right wing when they proselytize about financial responsibility while endorsing Republican-created deficits and debt. There is so much hypocrisy that it makes one question just what happened to the concept of public service and how do these people live with themselves?
Under the most generous of scenarios you do not stimulate the economy when it is heating up. This is fairly well understood and accepted. It is disingenuous and easy to hide behind growth projections that are expected to occur as a rationale for supporting actions but if you manipulate the projections you are merely delaying the day of reckoning. Politicians have become unabashedly bold in merely kicking the can down the road, this is one more example of short-term political expedience at the expense of long-term sustainable benefit. In the end it is not they who pay the price but rather the most vulnerable in society.
So tomorrow will be another day and we will gear up and fight the good fight, but there will come a point in time when distrust and anger overwhelm rationality and patience. The only thing that is certain is that eventually the bill will come due.