Republicans and Taxes

Republicans and taxes. These two words go together like peas and pods. I may rightly be accused of simplifying issues, but sense is simple. Proponents of nonsense complicate matters in order to confuse. Sometimes they follow the complications with their own false simplification and offer it as a relief from the very complications they fabricated.

The fundamental philosophy of the Republican party is very simple - what is good for the wealthy is good for America. Republicans believe taxes are bad for the wealthy and therefore bad for America. The first thing Republicans do when they gain power, as Bush did when he took office, is cut taxes. The last thing they do as they are about to be removed from power, as the Republican Congress is doing now, is to cut taxes.

If Republicans had their full way, there would be no taxes. Government would be eliminated in favor of private contractors - the wealthy - paid by user fees from the rest of us. Government is by its nature socialist, intended to spread both the societal benefits and the societal burdens. Determining how these are spread is the purpose of government. Democrats sincerely work to make those determinations as best possible. Republicans almost always work in one direction - cutting taxes.

Our government is in more debt than at any time in history. Gas prices are at an all time high. We are engaged in the most expensive war in 30 years. Thousands of our troops are being killed and wounded. In spite of controlling Congress and the White House, Republicans are now so unpopular with the American people that they cannot get anything done. Oh, except for their fundamental reason for being - cutting taxes. Never mind that if you were in the biggest debt you ever experienced, you would not give up your current job for one that paid less. That is not logic Republicans understand. So did they cut the gasoline tax to ease gas prices, and did they eliminate all taxes on our troops in harm’s way? No. What the Republicans did was extend tax cuts to the wealthy, with the wealthiest one tenth of one per cent of the population receiving 43% of the benefit, and now they are prepared to eliminate the estate tax, benefitting only net estates of $2,000,000 or larger.

Republicans used to mock the Democrats as "tax and spend liberals". Spending without taxing is the modern Republican miracle. How do they do it. Again it is simple. They mortgage the future of our children and grandchildren for the benefit of the wealthy.