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