When George W. Bush announced his intention to be president, the U.S. had a budget surplus, thanks to Bill Clinton. Mr. Bush said if he was elected, he’d cut taxes, to give that money back to citizens. Mr. Bush was elected and did cut taxes. He didn’t cut spending and soon the surplus was gone and we had a deficit. Mr. Bush cut taxes some more, saying that tax cuts stimulate the economy and would eliminate the deficit.
Congress recently raised the deficit ceiling to almost nine trillion dollars. (If you want to see how that looks with all the zeroes lined up, it’s $9,000,000,000,000.) Mr. Bush wants to make his tax cuts permanent, because, he says, Americans deserve permanent tax relief.
While all this tax cutting and deficit building has gone on, you might have noticed that Mr. Bush and the Republican Congress were giving certain industries – like the pharmaceutical industry and the insurance industry – a free hand with the rates they charge poor slobs like you and me. Aren’t you glad you got those tax breaks? You’ll need the money to pay your health care costs.
The oil industry, you may have noticed, has also been making a healthy profit while George has been in office. The business-page headlines this week have been announcing that the price of oil is “dropping” to $62 a barrel. Meanwhile, the price at the pump is up. Since our economy floats on a sea of oil, a rise in the price of gas means a rise in the price of everything from cucumbers to shoes to little plastic ducks that bob in the baby’s bath.
The Republican Party is all about privatization. They don’t cut taxes – they privatize them. Republicans in both the executive and legislative branches “get government off our backs” by letting their cronies (and future employers) gouge consumers.
Remember, the first law of political physics holds that “shit rolls downhill.” The federal Republicans, for all their deficit spending, have reduced the services they provide citizens in exchange for their taxes, placing a heavier burden on the states, which also have to bear rising costs of health care and oil. So the states have to raise taxes or cut services or dump in turn on the municipal governments – or, usually, all three.
Last week, New York Times columnist Bob Herbert reported that in Lamar County, Mississippi, caseworkers for the state’s Division of Family and Children Services have an average caseload of 130 children. Mississippi’s governor, Haley Barbour, former chairman of the National Republican Committee, responded by cutting the budget for children’s services.
Here in Vermont, there are bad feelings in several communities because teachers have gone on strike, because their wages and benefits are so meager. Teachers’ salaries and benefits are raised through taxes and times are hard enough for regular folks as it is. Thanks to Mr. Bush and company, we fight amongst ourselves instead of directing our anger toward the proper targets.
The Republican’s war is fully funded. It’s cost about three hundred billion dollars (that’s $300,000,000,000) so far. It’s all deficit spending, we’re running the while war off our credit cards. Mr. Bush said this week he expects troops will be in Iraq for at least another three years. Much of the money spent so far has gone to contractors, like Halliburton, Dick Cheney’s outfit. Mr. Cheney says he will not run for president when Mr. Bush’s term of office is finished. Why would he? He’s going back to Halliburton, where he can get his payoff for eight years of subverting the Constitution to benefit his pals.
The Republican Party is playing American taxpayers for chumps. Those chumps had better wake up and realize who is really stealing from them or things will get even worse.
Privatization, Inc.
When George W. Bush announced his intention to be president, the U.S. had a budget surplus, thanks to Bill Clinton. Mr. Bush said if he was elected, he’d cut taxes, to give that money back to citizens. Mr. Bush was elected and did cut taxes. He didn’t cut spending and soon the surplus was gone and we had a deficit. Mr. Bush cut taxes some more, saying that tax cuts stimulate the economy and would eliminate the deficit.
Congress recently raised the deficit ceiling to almost nine trillion dollars. (If you want to see how that looks with all the zeroes lined up, it’s $9,000,000,000,000.) Mr. Bush wants to make his tax cuts permanent, because, he says, Americans deserve permanent tax relief.
While all this tax cutting and deficit building has gone on, you might have noticed that Mr. Bush and the Republican Congress were giving certain industries – like the pharmaceutical industry and the insurance industry – a free hand with the rates they charge poor slobs like you and me. Aren’t you glad you got those tax breaks? You’ll need the money to pay your health care costs.
The oil industry, you may have noticed, has also been making a healthy profit while George has been in office. The business-page headlines this week have been announcing that the price of oil is “dropping” to $62 a barrel. Meanwhile, the price at the pump is up. Since our economy floats on a sea of oil, a rise in the price of gas means a rise in the price of everything from cucumbers to shoes to little plastic ducks that bob in the baby’s bath.
The Republican Party is all about privatization. They don’t cut taxes – they privatize them. Republicans in both the executive and legislative branches “get government off our backs” by letting their cronies (and future employers) gouge consumers.
Remember, the first law of political physics holds that “shit rolls downhill.” The federal Republicans, for all their deficit spending, have reduced the services they provide citizens in exchange for their taxes, placing a heavier burden on the states, which also have to bear rising costs of health care and oil. So the states have to raise taxes or cut services or dump in turn on the municipal governments – or, usually, all three.
Last week, New York Times columnist Bob Herbert reported that in Lamar County, Mississippi, caseworkers for the state’s Division of Family and Children Services have an average caseload of 130 children. Mississippi’s governor, Haley Barbour, former chairman of the National Republican Committee, responded by cutting the budget for children’s services.
Here in Vermont, there are bad feelings in several communities because teachers have gone on strike, because their wages and benefits are so meager. Teachers’ salaries and benefits are raised through taxes and times are hard enough for regular folks as it is. Thanks to Mr. Bush and company, we fight amongst ourselves instead of directing our anger toward the proper targets.
The Republican’s war is fully funded. It’s cost about three hundred billion dollars (that’s $300,000,000,000) so far. It’s all deficit spending, we’re running the while war off our credit cards. Mr. Bush said this week he expects troops will be in Iraq for at least another three years. Much of the money spent so far has gone to contractors, like Halliburton, Dick Cheney’s outfit. Mr. Cheney says he will not run for president when Mr. Bush’s term of office is finished. Why would he? He’s going back to Halliburton, where he can get his payoff for eight years of subverting the Constitution to benefit his pals.
The Republican Party is playing American taxpayers for chumps. Those chumps had better wake up and realize who is really stealing from them or things will get even worse.
© Mark Floegel, 2006