Tax Policy for Grown-Ups

This article stands in stark opposition to the tax changes, positions, and ideas urged by the GOP and Trumpists as the current session of Congress proceeds from its budget framework to fill in the income and outgo for the nation. You see, they want to give Jeff Bezos a tax cut and make Trump’s grandchildren billionaires at birth.

It’s a long article so I will summarize it here:  Jeff Bezos made $6 Billion one-day last week, and he does not need a tax cut.

Tax policy is one method for doling out economic fairness and justice in America. Tax policy proceeds on the strength of the nation- an asset that belongs to all of us collectively and to none of us individually. 

 A fundamental truth binds tax policy to the sacred social contract between the Government and the Governed, namely, that the US currency and its economy are common assets, and tools for every individual’s “ pursuit of happiness”.

McConnell Gang and an Historically Big Swindle

Alaska from Russia was one sided deal, although Americans ridiculed it, called it Seward’s Folly. Putin may have a plan to get it back. In the meantime, the GOP tax plan hold a credible claim as the greatest theft of our time.  This one involves $1.5Trillion—just for starters.

o   A tax policy that abolishes the estate tax- when it needs to be increased by a large margin- deprives our government of valuable funds needed to provide health care and other support for vulnerable citizens including older Americans. ( No, the money is not just for minorities- need does not know the silly differences of the outer shell when the inner self lacks food, water, shelter or medical care).

o   A tax policy that unduly limits pre-tax savings for workers that need to save for their certain dependence on uncertain Social Security and Medicare, really stands out when Donald Trump’s family might gain $1 billion in additional monies.

o   The McConnell tax cuts will be financed by cutting off medical care for the poor, ignoring public infrastructure, and taking a meat-cleaver to all non-defense spending: Education, research, environmental programs. 

[George Soros was the top Hedge Fund earner with $4 Billion in 2013, we are not feeling sorry for George] 

Privatization plans exist for public education, Veterans medical care Medicare, and the remnants of Medicaid. State governments will lose needed funding and will adjust their priorities with higher taxes, and a greater dependence on user fees.

Should the deficit begin to crowd investment and profits, sales taxes shift the burden onto the poor and middle class and away from the top earners and fabulously wealthy American families.

[ Some top Hedge Fund managers only grossed $1.5 Billion per year in 2016, a bad year—but, they do not need a tax cut]

--Tax and Spending Priorities Define Us

We can now justify the exorbitant amounts of unneeded billions that we spend on defense. The current elected leadership intends to create as many enemies for the nation as possible; they are limited only by the shortness of human life.
 

Given the largest part of the budget is set aside for wasteful defense spending, the payment for the tax cuts must come from the entitlements, domestic spending programs, foreign aid, and research. (Wasteful because it has become obvious to everyone outside of Trumpism that cyber-attacks can neutralize a nuclear arsenal, and reports that Putin has already evaded US antimissile defenses by putting his launchers on untrackable railroad cars spread randomly over Eastern Europe.)

The current so-called tax reform will shape and limit future federal spending. The proposed changes would reduce or eliminate categories of spending that aid Americans directly and indirectly such as Medicaid, Children’s Health Insurance, and feeding programs for children.   

The tax changes do not support pressing American goals such as catching up with the rest of the world in education for our children, professionals, and re-trainable workers.  It does nothing to provide jobs for people that want and need them, and it does nothing to help meet the current deficiencies in person power needed for critical fields like Artificial Intelligence, alternative energy, and cybersecurity.

The proposed tax changes would limit the amounts workers can save without taxation for retirement and likely raise the retirement threshold for social security- unless it eventually eliminates social security by privatization.

The current tax reform misses the marks that are important to America and reaches out to those who need it not at all.  It could instead raise taxes for everyone, raise them significantly for businesses, multinational corporations, and upper income earners. It could provide economically beneficial things like the below-listed items.

·         a financial framework for creating 500,000 or more public service jobs to add to and reinforce infrastructure while providing training and experience in trades and crafts (we desperately need more flood protection and trained crafts persons).

·         Infrastructure and power grid improvements to meet the critical pressures from climate change and intensive storms, rains, floods, and communications infrastructure (redundancies to keep vital communications in emergencies)

·         Train and develop a cybersecurity cadre of practicing technology professionals, coders, developers, and teaching professionals. (We need to keep up with adversaries like Russia and North Korea that could now immobilize our defense and civilian electronic infrastructure leaving us as helpless as Puerto Rico after the Hurricane waiting for their President to Twitt-himself a conscience)

--Truth has Consequences

I don’t recognize the widespread popular sentiment favoring the billionaire at birth tax reform, and rule by Oligarchy. These are two of the ways in which the US has begun to take on the Putin- Russia model for economic fairness. In Putin’s Russia, everything the oligarchs want is fair, and the rest really don’t matter because they are trained voters with confined to propaganda and echo-chamber style communications. The enemies wind up in prison, or dead, the available press is bought and paid for—and fake; authentic journalism is rare, and journalists are often killed.

The Politics of Untruth

An election landslide in 2018 should begin with this tax “deform” effort, except that it likely already -began with the repeal-by-sabotage of the nation’s fledgling healthcare system. The public may have the odd sensation of being angry at the politicians that are hurting them rather than those the simply get the blame. 

 Finally, the population can see that Obamacare was not a curse from God, it was just principled but overpriced health insurance—overpriced by the private insurance companies---who are definitely getting some tax cuts. [HM1] 

The Polls have a Message

Trumps popularity rates amongst the lowest in history for a new president, many people see the assault on truth (prosecuting leaks of the truth, assault on the press as fake news) as legally objectionable conduct. To most Americans their idea of a real President is a person that faithfully executes the laws of the land—not just the ones that tickle a fancy, or please a dubious base.

Tax reform thus far is spectacularly unpopular and very few voters see it as relevant to helping their situation. Nearly everyone (more than 72% of respondents in an October 20 Reuters/IPSOS poll) sees the plan as benefits for corporations, businesses, and the wealthy.

If the past is a prologue, this upcoming Presidential cycle will require a lot of voter suppression and help from the Russian-bots; the Trumpists must convince their voters once again to accept the words of someone clearly not known for truth; the voters will have to disbelieve what they see—

GOP voters- believe us and don’t believe your lying eyes.

---

 [HM1]