Tuesday May 27, 2003 at 10:27 PM
It's More Than a Tax Cut
Appearing in Politics & The Economy
In what is sure to be yet another large gathering of white male Republicans at the White House, President George W. Bush is set to sign the new tax bill into law tomorrow. While most of the media and public have debated the need, amount, and beneficiaries of the tax cut, only a select few have noted the meaning and philosophical underpinnings of the third largest tax cut in our history. (For those of you keeping score, George W. is also responsible for the second largest while credit for the coveted first place goes to the dearly beloved Mr. Reagan, patron saint of budget deficits and voodoo economics.)
Once again, the White House has deftly maneuvered the public debate of this issue, successfully obscuring the real purpose, goal and ultimate effect of this tax cut. While the Republicans gather at the alter of economic stimulus, there is little reason to believe these cuts will have the desired effect. Not that they necessarily care. No, the real purpose of these cuts is the systematic strangling of the federal government so that it is incapable of funding a whole host of current programs and obligations. The Republicans know that the political costs of an open debate on the merits and worth of various social programs would be enormous so instead, they limit government revenue ultimately forcing the reduction or elimination of such programs by pointing to a spiraling national debt and falling tax revenues. The issues associated with environmental management and corporate regulations bring similar risks but again, by gutting the budgets of the agencies responsible for investigating and enforcing such regulations, they avoid the political costs of an open policy debate.
You don’t have to read too far between the lines to realize that what is happening here is a fundamental restructuring of the federal government so that it is incapable of providing for the middle and lower classes or effectively policing itself against the abuse of industry. As devastating, it will exacerbate the already alarming divide between the rich and poor which today leaves us a divided nation of haves and have-nots. We are the richest nation on Earth, if not the richest nation in history and yet we have a health care system that fails over 20 million of our citizens, an education system that is partially funded by state-sponsored gambling, over 1.35 million of our children living on the street, one out of every 147 residents housed in prisons, a minimum wage so low that working full-time still lands you below the poverty line, and the largest, most destructive military ever assembled.
Somebody, somewhere please explain to me how this $350 billion tax cut has anything to do with improving the lives or welfare of the citizenry of this country.
