What Republicans Offer the American People?

By Terry AmRhein

Author of Democracy on the Edge

Available at www.amrheinsbooks.com

 

What is the Republican Party offering the American People?  What is the Republican plan for revising Campaign Financing that allows large businesses to contribute literally unlimited funds to advertisements for their favorite candidate?  With so much money and power concentrated in the hands of the few, the voice of people gets drowned out.

 

What is the Republican plan for rebalancing the tremendous wealth inequality that exists in this country?  A situation where the wealthiest 20% of the population own about 90% of the nation’s wealth.   Is their plan to reinforce “trickle-down economics” of Reagan’s era, a plan that exacerbated the wealth inequality in the first place?    Is their plan to provide the richest with more tax breaks and more favorable government legislation, such as the repeal of the Glass-Steagall Act (that then allowed investment banks to use people’s saving accounts for purchase of riskier corporate securities) or the weakening of the Security and Exchange Commission that overviews the securities market?   Is their plan to increase exemptions for estate taxes which is already almost $5.5 million?

 

What about Social Security and Obamacare?  Absolutely the Republicans will repeal Obamacare and remove health insurance for the 14 million people who got health care since start of the plan.  And what will these 14 million people be left with?  The Republicans have no plan. 

 

As for Social Security, the Republicans will privatize the plan.  Social Security has been in existence since Franklin D. Roosevelt’s time.  It has worked well and is financially solvent until the 2020s.  After 2021, cost will exceed income.  But with a few changes, increasing the retirement age for example, the plan could remain solvent for years.  Republicans want to privatize it saying that private business could do better.  Really!  The administrative costs for Social Security is 0.8% (less than 1%) and has been for decades.  Republicans know this, but their priority is making money for finance industry.  

 

It is understandable that people are tired of a dysfunctional congress, which has done very little since Obama’s first two years as president.  That is a shame!  But people are reacting emotionally, not logically.  Who has caused the gridlock?  Who caused the government shutdown in 2011 and 2013?  Who has caused the failure of any legislation on global warming or immigration, a bill that was ready for a vote in the House until Leader Banner pulled out?  Who now is refusing to vote on a Supreme Court replacement despite of the Constitutional requirements?  The answer is Republicans.  And those that vote for Republicans, are voting for exactly the same people who caused the dysfunction, they are voting against their own self.  No wonder the Republican debates are so childish.

 

Democracy on the Edge, A discussion of Political Issues in America

Available at www.AmrheinsBooks.com