Them that’s got shall get
Robert Reich, former Secretary of Labor:
The House just passed the disgraceful Trump-Republican tax bill, enacting large and permanent tax cuts for corporations (that is, the richest 1 percent who own 40 percent of all shares of stock), and temporary cuts for individuals (the lion’s share going to the richest 1 tenth of 1 percent). The Senate is expected to approve it tonight or tomorrow, and Trump will sign it into law before Christmas.
A decade from now, according the nonpartisan analysts, the top 1% will have received 83% of the gains from this tax cut, and the richest 0.1% will get 60% of the gains. But 13 million Americans will have lost health coverage, the national debt will be $1.5 trillion larger, and Republicans will use the debt as an excuse to target Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security.
Never before in American history has this much money been transferred from the poor and middle class to the rich. Shame on the Republicans and on Trump. We must, as the saying goes, throw these bums out.
Is the swamp drained yet?
I’m beginning to think that for Trump and most Republicans ‘draining the swamp’ actually means getting rid of the poor and middle class (and everything they use and need). One presumes that they imagine the only thing left of the swamp at that point will be golf courses.
Ah but who will maintain the golf courses? Who will serve the well-done steak and two scoops of ice cream in the restaurant? Who will make the red baseball caps? Who will weave and gild the hair? Who will manufacture the long red ties and the capacious blue suits? Who will dust the gilt in the penthouse in Trump Tower? Who will build the buildings that provide Trump with a cut because they are called Trump Whatever? Who will grow the wheat to make the buns for the Big Macs? Who will fly the plane? Who will shine the shoes? Who will wash the boxer shorts?
Indeed Ophelia. I have a sneaking thought that the 1% class are working toward a world where technology, or maybe a handful of serfs working night shift, manage all that and they can come up with a final solution for the rest of us. it would make a closed loop with a certain elegance I guess. 100% ownership, control and benefit from the means of production with no losses.
I’m from rural Arkansas, which was one of the most Trump-leaning states. For the non-wealthy rank-and-file Republicans, at least in that area, ‘draining the swamp’ just means ‘getting rid of the Democrats’. Why are Democrats ‘the swamp’? Well, because they’re Democrats. Everybody knows Democrats are corrupt and terrible and elitist, it’s just common knowledge. You don’t need reasons and evidence to back up something that’s just common knowledge.
musubk – same for rural Nebraska. You just described what I see every day. (And the same goes for my family in Oklahoma).
#3 Then there’ll be no one to exploit, feel superior to, or have excessively more than. Which I believe is really the point.
@2: What do you think the for-profit prison system is for?
Depressing. It feels like the wheels have just been removed from the car we’re in.
Fldteslalivia #6
I agree. I’m pretty sure they still want there to be poor people who have their backs pressed to tightly against the wall that they’ll do whatever employers want them to and accept whatever employers are willing to offer them in return. Individual workers are seen as consumables that exist to be used up and then thrown out like garbage. If mortality skyrockets, well the world is vastly overpopulated anyway, so nothing to worry about. There are always more pawns.
Kevin. There’s good news though. They guy that owns a different car for each day of the week (at his primary residence) and slums it with just a couple of cars at each of his sundry secondary residences around the US and the World, has just been able to afford an upgrade to a better SUV at the place he holidays at for a week every second year.
We should be happy for him and stop being so petty I guess. I mean a sense of perspective is important.