A tax bill is being hammered out between House and Senate conferees in Washington. Bit by bit, despite differences and objections, the bill seems destined for presidential signature.
Yet in the midst of all the discussions I see little or nothing about the fact that once the bill is enshrined in law, once the crowing and boo-hooing has ended, the whole kabuki will snap back on entitlement programs like Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security and how much they might be trimmed in order to pay for the tax cuts envisioned.
I see the tax bill as a Trojan Horse which, worse than expected, those in need will be forced to pay for. Millions of people will be adversely affected and it's not the ones who make the millions.
Yet in the midst of all the discussions I see little or nothing about the fact that once the bill is enshrined in law, once the crowing and boo-hooing has ended, the whole kabuki will snap back on entitlement programs like Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security and how much they might be trimmed in order to pay for the tax cuts envisioned.
I see the tax bill as a Trojan Horse which, worse than expected, those in need will be forced to pay for. Millions of people will be adversely affected and it's not the ones who make the millions.
I've seen suggestions of a trillion dollars added to the national debt. Republicans are fiscal about the spending side of the equation only. Ultimately, I think they'd like to eliminate the police so the army's of their own little financial duchies will be free to tax like bandits.
ReplyDeleteIt’s not just about the big “entitlement” programs.
ReplyDeleteThe proposed tax cut for the rich will force the federal government to eliminate all manner of programs.
Found this on Politico.com:
“The Work Opportunity Tax Credit is one of dozens of small programs on the chopping block in the GOP tax plan—and whose upset beneficiaries are making tax reform a political minefield. The plan would also cut tax breaks for teachers who buy supplies for their classrooms, for investments in impoverished areas and for workers who move for a new job. As more analysts read through the 429 pages of the bill, released last week, it has become clearer that “tax reform” entails an en-masse rollback of such small-scale benefits—programs that go unnoticed by the vast majority of Americans, but are crucially important to their beneficiaries.
“The large number of impacted groups are already causing significant friction for the reform, and it’s likely just beginning. Disability-rights groups, like the Autism Alliance for Michigan, and veterans’ groups, including Veterans for Foreign Wars and the American Legion, are speaking out against the removal of the WOTC, which “definitely incentivizes employers to hire veterans,” said Ariel DeJesus, an assistant director at the American Legion. Housing groups and state and local governments are fighting to keep a tax break that supports the development of low-income housing. Pro-life groups already convinced House Republicans to restore a $3.8 billion tax break for adoptive parents, which was repealed in the original bill.”
The Politcal article touches on just a few programs, there are many more.
Worse in some ways is that the proposal will mean tax increases on the working & middle class in just a few years.
If the Republicans force this so-called Tax Reform through will put our form of government to even more of a test than the Trump presidential win via the undemocratic Electoral College. If the polls I’ve been seeing on TV and reading about are correct, a significant majority of Americans are not buying into the tax cuts for the corporation and the ultra wealthy,and they aren’t buying Trump’s Lies about the beneficiaries of the tax cut.
So, if the Republicans put into action their decades old wish, they will likely pay a price at the polls as their rich patrons accumulate more wealth.