Republican Senators bet the farm on protecting the wealthy
Ted Cruz recently said the Republican Party is not just the party of Country Clubs – it’s now the party of working class men and women. So with millions of American workers in poverty, dispossessed by the pandemic & economic dislocation, did Republican Senators vote for President Biden’s COVID relief bill or support raising the minimum wage for those frontline and backroom workers who proved their value to society by keeping America stocked with food, pharmaceuticals, household necessities, take-out food options, etc, during the pandemic?
No, Republican Senators Crapo, Thune, McConnell are crowing about their “leadership” on what they believe is the biggest economic issue/injustice in America – the inheritance tax on estates larger than $11.7 million for individuals and $23.4 million for couples.
Ben Franklin said nothing is certain, except death and taxes, but these Senators are working hard to eliminate death taxes. Unless bold action is taken, they believe, rich people won’t be able to perpetuate another leisure class of Donald Trumps through inherited wealth without them having to cheat on their taxes like he and his sister did.
So Republicans say screw the hard working people of America but think it’s imperative that the children of big Republican donors (like the remaining Koch Bro.) – must be able to grow up without any taxes levied on their inheritance.
True to form, Thune claims this is needed to keep farms and ranches in one family’s hands. The same farmers we routinely subsidize year after year, so they can make a go of it. And to whom Trump had to pay tens of billions of additional dollars due to the fallout from his disastrous trade war with China, all the while decrying “Democrat socialism.”
If there truly is a need with respect to farmers and ranchers, make a limited exception for them, but don’t wipe out the inheritance tax for all super wealthy Americans.
More tax breaks for the rich and super rich is not a good look for the Republican Party. I can’t wait for the fury of Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders to be unleashed!
