Let’s preserve what’s good, change what isn’t
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Editor,
We face serious problems in this country, and lots of folks are pretty unhappy. Among those that governments led by both parties have failed to address adequately are rising inequality between those with and without college degrees, the increasing difficulty for Americans to make ends meet, health crises such as opioid addiction, and a general sense that the economy has left folks behind.
Now we have an administration that says it is saving us money by cutting federal programs and staff, with no regard for whether those programs and staff provide more benefit to the public than they cost. Gone are doctors and nurses to serve veterans, seasonal employees in National Parks and Forests, life-saving AIDs medicines in Africa, meteorologists alerting us to weather hazards, food and drug inspectors, research to improve our ability to predict and respond to pandemics, and more.
And to what end? Put simply, it’s so that the tax cuts enacted in 2017 can be extended for another decade. Nobody likes paying taxes, so let’s look at what these tax cuts would mean for you and I. If your annual household income is under about $63,000, the tax cuts prompting all this damage will net you, on average, a whopping $32.50 per month. And if your household income is $33,000/yr or less, you can look forward to a windfall of about $5.83 per month.
By contrast, higher incomes folks making about $166,000/year are expected to reap an average of $7,460 in lower federal taxes annually (even more for those yet wealthier). Taken together, these cuts in services and taxes are Robin Hood in reverse - take from the poor, give to the rich. (Estimates from the Tax Policy Center, other sources differ in detail but not in overall trend). Importantly, even if you find these tax savings irresistible, try explaining how getting them is going to help solve problems such as those summarized above.
It is tempting to cast blame for the defects in our society and the difficulties we face, be it “radical socialists”, “MAGA” adherents, “deep state bureaucrats”, or LGBT folks. Not clear to me how doing that helps solve problems, but surely it deepens distrust and fear. Let’s instead take a deep breath, look at what is good in our society and government and conserve it, and where changes would help us.
Rich Harris
Charlo
