Letter: Republicans repeating a bad scene

Not only is there serious doubt that such a tax would adequately fund the government, but it would also shift the nation’s tax burden further away from the wealthy. Like sales taxes everywhere, by taking a bigger portion of their income from those who have less, and a smaller portion from those who have more, it would also escalate the economic inequality that is already corroding the foundations of our democracy.

Then there’s the Republican threat to default on the nation’s debt, which oddly enough occurs only when a Democrat is in the White House. As usual, they propose to hold Social Security and Medicare hostage. (jec.senate.gov)

While how much national debt is too much is debatable, there’s little doubt Social Security and Medicare are not the culprits. Republicans know Social Security is self-financed and could be rendered hale and hearty for many future decades by collecting FICA taxes on incomes beyond the current $160,200 cap.

Republicans also know Medicare is the best healthcare deal around, in part due to its low administrative costs, which run at least 10% lower than those of private insurance. (politifact.com)

In the names of fairness and fiscal sanity, Republicans’ tax plans and their assault on Social Security and Medicare are not really about economics. They never have been.

They are about destroying successful nonprofit government services, regardless of how many millions they hurt in the process.

I recently learned “coulrophobia,” means fear of clowns. Seems I learned it just in time.

Ken Winkes

Conway