Tax Reform is Actually Tax Deform
by John Lawrence
Tax reform as used by the Trump administration is an oxymoron, a travesty of words. a complete no sequitur. It reminds me of the Cole Porter song, Anything Goes.
The world has gone mad today
And good's bad today,
And black's white today,
And day's night today,
When most guys today
That women prize today
Are just silly gigolos
When Trump today,
Can say one thing today
And the complete opposite next day
He's keeping you on your toes.
Words coming out of the President's mouth have no meaning, no significance. Well, back to tax "reform." There are those who, if they get a few cents reduction on their taxes, don't care if millionaires and billionaires get hundreds of thousands reductions on their taxes. This is the crowd Republicans play to. But Californians among others will actually pay more because they are going to do away with deductions for state and local taxes. What the Repubs give you with one hand they take away with the other.
True tax reform would be increasing taxes on the rich while reducing taxes on the poor. When you reduce taxes on everyone, then you have to ask yourself the question: what social programs are they going to do away with? Social security? Medicare? Medicaid? TANF? SNAP? Or are they simply going to add to the national deficit and consequently the national debt. They sure aren't going to cut the military-industrial complex budget, otherwise known as the defense budget.
Republicans are lusting after their tax cuts for the rich so much that they bite their tongues over Trump with a few exceptions like Flake and Corker who lashed out at the President. Even former Presidents have broken their silence. Corker even called the White House an "adult day care center." But Trump just laughs it off. Na na ne na na. Sour grapes. I'm President and you're not. I've got my finger on the nuclear trigger and you don't. America, under my administration, is great again.
Tax reform coming out of the mouths of Republicans is tax bullshit, tax legerdemain, tax chicanery, tax skullduggery. Now you see it. Now you don't. Beware the tax man cometh for you, but not for your rich neighbor. The economic divide wideneth.
