Trump and the GOP
Pulling a Copperfield on America
Donald Trump’s mantra of “Making America Great Again” is just that, a slogan. The Tax bill that passed at the end of last year is poised to do more damage to average American citizens while lining the pockets of the wealthy.
When Barack Obama became president in 2008, he inherited an economy on the brink of a full-on depression, the likes not seen since the Great Depression. Years of deregulation set the country up for too big to fail, and that’s what happened. When corporations collapsed under its weight, it set up a domino effect felt on Main Street to every average citizen who owned a home. We saw a record number of foreclosures; unemployment was on the rise, some people had to sell their homes short, while others walked away from their homes. Why? They couldn’t afford to keep up with the mortgage payments, property taxes, and insurance. I was in Detroit on a book tour and saw whole neighborhoods boarded up, both in Black and White middle-class neighborhoods.
The GOP and Trump took a victory lap over their precious bill that would help average Americans have more money in their paychecks. However, if you examine it closely, what you don’t pay, for now, you will pay for later. The bill limits deductions for mortgage interest payments, property tax deductions, caps deductions for educators who spend their money for school supplies in class. I could go on, but when you have the opportunity, read it for yourself. More importantly, whatever deductions are still in place are temporary for the next ten years (possibly 12), but that’s cold comfort. Unless we are living in a Utopia where children don’t grow, no one gets sick or loses a job, cars don’t break down, and homes are never in need of repairs or new appliances, the extra money in checks isn’t going toward vacations in Tahiti. People will take care of what’s necessary for their families first and foremost.
The New York Times reported as early as January of 2017 A nascent effort by the Obama administration to limit corporate consolidation, begun after officials concluded that a lack of competition was hurting the American economy.
Ostensibly, Trump touts rolling back the limits would create more jobs as companies invest in hiring more people and building more facilities. We’ve heard it all before, and it never quite works that way for working people and the middle class. When the cost of keeping executives happy with their salaries and bonuses combined with the demands of shareholders, something has got to give, and it’s usually us.
It’s important to keep this in mind, while the GOP and Trump are busy playing, look at the shiny thing over there. Or watch the screen, don’t pay attention to the man behind the curtain. There are many serious issues to be addressed to help our economy, keep our children healthy, maintain our healthcare and protect dreamers. We must uphold a woman’s right to make decisions about her body, Address unfairly drawn gerrymandered districts across the country. Examine the implications of dark money muddying the integrity of our democracy, and then, of course, there’s Russia. There are a lot of balls in the air now. While it may be hard to keep an eye on all of them, we must not let the cries of fake news derail us. Nor should we give into what is tantamount to propaganda television that espouses whatever crazy theory Trumpists and Republicans are in an uproar about on any given day. At the moment, I am mot disgusted with the attacks on the FBI, a branch of the intelligence community responsible for keeping us safe for more than one hundred years. A branch we relied on upon heavily after September 11th.
All I can say is remember there is always something up a magician’s sleeve and one can easily substitute politician for a magician. Let’s keep our eyes and ears open and hold government accountable to make America great for all citizens, not just the chosen few.