Lynne Stevens
Does too much money equal too much power?
Does the combination of wealth and power lead to corruption?
It appears that we are going to find out, as the Trump team – so far – is overweight with ultra-rich people. Wealthy people love to grift the middle class with their tax breaks. Corporate lobbyists are slaves to the corporate rich.
Voters are angry about the living-standard gap increasing between working folk and CEOs who make millions and live large on the back of working-folks.
Did it occur that every tax break given to those who don’t need it will be made up by those who need a tax break on wages that barely outpace inflation?
On your wages, you are expected to pay for health insurance, transportation costs – including insurance and gas – plus the costs of food, shelter and the needs of children. Does anyone think a cabinet of very-rich people care – or can even relate to – the living costs most of us negotiate?
In the Time magazine Person of the Year interview, Trump admitted he may not be able to bring grocery prices down as fast as he thought he could. It’s too bad he didn’t share this before the election, since grocery prices were a major source of anger among voters. The very boastful president-elect has always lived a life of luxury, and his last administration took care of his friends and his own family with beneficial inheritance taxes and corporate tax loopholes big enough to drive a Mack truck through.
In his last presidency, Trump inherited an improving economy and the tax cuts gave a sugar high to Wall Street. He is about to inherit the strongest economy in the world (Wall Street Journal).
If he really cares about the working family as he claims, demand leveling the income playing field in favor of the middle class. More tax breaks for us less for those who don’t need it. Taxation is the great equalizer.
Enter billionaires Musk and Ramaswamy to cut government waste. Their proposed cut of $2 trillion from the budget is logistically impossible without pain. Big cuts require cruel cuts to federal employees and social safety nets, according to experts in the field of government economics.
The majority of Congress – and the cost cutters – will never need Medicaid, Medicare or Social Security. Their focus claims to be waste, fraud and abuse. No expert feels this is near enough without hurtful cuts.
“Knowledge is power” – once a reliable truism – may be replaced by”ignorance yields a malleable populace, incapable of separating fact from fiction.”
Mediators who are trained to help settle disputes would never get anywhere siding with just one side of an issue. They must be open to multiple points of view in order to help parties to agreement. Putting blinders on does not settle disputes, or unite a divided country.
Being unable to accept, analyze or respect experience and education in specialized government areas is a quest for foolish leaders.
Lynne Stevens writes a bi-weekly column for The Graham Star. She can be reached via email, geminga@mailfence.com.