COLUMBUS, Ohio: President Trump succeeded in getting a “Big Beautiful Bill” through Congress, by the barest of margins. He signed it on July 4.
Democrats did not give up easily. They call it ugly, and claim 11 million poor Americans will lose medical care, and 5 million will go hungry. They say billionaires and millionaires will reap most of the benefits.
I have asked this question before, and have never gotten a straight answer: what percent of total income taxes should be paid by the top 10% of income earners? The only answer you’ll hear is “They need to pay their fair share!” (Meaning, pay more than they do now.)
What do you think is the “fair share?” Should the top 10% pay 60% of the total collected? That would mean the other 90% pay 40% to support the federal services we all receive.
This may surprise you. The most recent data is from 2022, and the top 10% paid 72% of the total. Should they pay more?
How about this number? The top 1% (1.5 million tax returns) paid 40% of the total.
When the dust settles on the new tax bill, these numbers won’t change much. With the continuation of the 2017 tax reductions, plus changes in taxes on tips, overtime, and child credits, many families in the $50,000 to $100,000 range will see tax benefits of $2000 to $5000. Most people on Social Security will get a $6000 bonus.
What else can we do to cheer up Democrats? A poll taken before Independence Day showed that 90% of Republicans say they are patriotic. But only a third of Democrats feel the same way, a big drop from a year or two ago. Wages are increasing faster than inflation. Unemployment is only 4.1%. Stock market is high.
America is the land of opportunity regardless of which political party has the majority. The millions who will “lose” Medicaid and SNAP include able-bodied people without young children who get a job, and immigrants here illegally. All of us used to be against waste, fraud and abuse, but now it’s mostly Republicans.
Deporting illegal immigrant criminals fails to cheer up most Democrat leaders. They criticize the new ICE detention facility in Florida. Instead of the commonly used (funny) name, Alligator Alcatraz, one called it Alligator Auschwitz and claimed it’s a “concentration camp.” Apparently, a Democrat leader looked at aerial photos of Alligator Alcatraz and thought he spotted gas chambers beside the tents. Actually, they are huge air conditioning units.
Has our school system failed so completely that folks under 60 will accept ridiculous comparisons to the 1930s and ‘40s? Don’t they know that Hitler and the Nazis tortured, starved and killed 6 MILLION Jews, plus millions of others?
Will Rogers was a compassionate comforter for victims of fires, earthquakes, floods and other disasters. Today, Kerr County, Texas, needs our prayers and support. Almost a hundred residents and visitors died as intense rain in the hill country caused the Guadalupe River to rise 30 feet is less than an hour. The computer models that weather forecasters depend on indicated the rain would be less intense and concentrated at least 50 miles away. The storm hit overnight, about 3:00 a.m., while young girls at Camp Mystic and campers along the river were sleeping. The Salvation Army, Red Cross, and other legitimate charities are on-site providing aid and can use our generous donations.
Historic quote by Will Rogers:
“I don’t believe our people that have never been around a flood area realize the tremendous need of these sufferers down on the Mississippi. It’s by far the worst thing that has happened in this country in years… I am going to put on my little one-man [show] for this great cause next Sunday night… They will get every cent that comes in, even if there is nobody there but my wife—who will have to pay to get in.” DT #236, April 25, 1927