La Jewish Lawyer
Presidential election campaign 2016
With the Presidential election campaigns of some candidates underway, a quick review of what the Republican party stands for is appropriate. While most of the “heavy hitters” that the Republicans are expected to declare not yet in the ring (Jeb Bush and Chris Christie) some issues that the Republicans hold ear to their platform and ideals, need closer examination.
The Republicans voted to repeal the Estate Tax. The most benefit would go to benefit the top 5400 richest estates, each totaling at least $5.43 million. This repeal would cost $269 billion over the next 10 years, close to half the cost of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (food stamps) which benefits 46.5 million of the poorest Americans. Is this a good allocation of tax resources? One must indeed ponder what the Republican are thinking (assuming they are at all). Few, if any people, plan to want or need food stamps.
Conservatives seem to be fine with taxes on your labor, but not on theirs. Billionaire Warren Buffet complained he paid a lower tax rate than his secretary! The Republican response is to propose not taxing investment income at all. Can you spell Reagan Era “trickle down” economic theory at work again? It did not work then, and is it not likely to work now. The Republicans long for the “good old days”. If they are referring to the 1950’s, let them ask a simple series of questions: what is great to be a minority back then (pre-civil rights act), what is great to be deprived of the right to vote (pre-voting rights act), was it great to be a woman and be paid less for performing the same work as a man?
Will war in the Middle East fought by Americans benefit the economy? Most people have tired of this war and want our troops home. Air strikes alone will not be sufficient to defeat ISIS. Some Republicans think that a war in the region would be over in a few days. This is complete nonsense. The distances of these vast countries (Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan simple preclude this. The sheer volume of people in these regions also roundly decry this logic.
On the issue of immigration reform, the Governor of the State of Wisconsin has advocated not just an end to illegal immigration, but to all immigration.! Mitt Romney (last Republican candidate) advocated fro “self deportation” of immigrants. This is just ignorance of the issue and ignorance of the facts of the lives of people. One must indeed wonder why the Republicans (who need to gain votes in the immigrant community) are still ignoring the galvanizing issue of this community. If they really want to get the votes from this community, they must address the issue that is crucial them. The Republicans ignore the fact that we are a nation of immigrants (unless you are an American Indian) to arbitrarily bar anyone from coming into the country ignore the global economy and the need for an educated workforce. The American Dream which he Republicans allegedly foster would be blocked from those who want to come here legally. There is no reason why this should be embarked upon or tolerated.
The Republicans are against Obamacare. However, the overriding rationale of this bill was to get people insured. The insurance would lower healthcare costs. Healthcare costs are now $2.4 trillion dollars lower than expected because people have insurance and are going to doctors regularly, thus saving health care costs. Various Republican states (Florida, Teas and Georgia (Jeb Bush, we know you are there!) are lacking in getting people signed up for this program. The obvious answer is clear. They do not want people covered. They are hoping the poor will simply just go away. Once again, nor realistic and not designed to reach out to potential voters.
The Social Security Disability Fund is set to run out of money is 2016. The Republicans have jumped on this to show the program is uncertain in its solvency. However, if states do not allow people to be covered by Obamacare, the disability fund is a necessary backstop. If people are overworked, underpaid and uninsured, what happens to them? We have two options (pass immigration reform and let people legally pay into Social Security, or ask the rich to pay more in taxes.
Which of these two things do you think will come to pass, if either of them?
The post Republican Presidential Spring Traing Review appeared first on LA Jewish Lawyer.
