The Tax Tip of What Is Left of the Iceberg

Gang:I’ve been off editing my new novel so I have been on the outside reading about what happens in DC. Here is what I think should be considered by all –especially those of you with friends who are in districts or states with representatives or senators with a vote on the tax (handwritten) bill:
FactCheck.org reports: A statistical measure of the U.S. on crime, guns, jobs, health insurance and more under Barack Obama.Brooks Jackson-Posted on January 12, 2016:
Homicides have dropped 13 percent, but gun sales have surged.The economy has added more than 9 million jobs, and the jobless rate has dropped to below the historical median.The number of long-term unemployed Americans has dropped by 614,000 under Obama, but it is still 761,000 higher than at the start of the Great Recession. (reason: retirement, disability and poor education skills)Corporate profits are up 166 percent; real weekly wages are up 3.4 percent.There are 15 million fewer people who lack health insurance.Wind and solar power have nearly tripled, and now account for more than 5 percent of U.S. electricity.The federal debt has more than doubled — rising 116 percent — and big annual deficits have continued.* (Bob’s  addition: the new plan makes this look like chump change)
So… Why do the following: Remove the estate tax? Answer: The “Donors of the top 2% want to transfer all their money to their children so all that money stays in the family…not trickling down to the little people. Why cut off subsidies for the Affordable Care act? Answer: so people cannot afford it and thus lose insurance…meaning Obama care reverts to the 24 million uninsured paid for by insured higher premiums. Why drill in the Alaska Wildlife Preserve? Answer: That is where the big fossil fuel donors want. They believe global warming is unproven science, besides—the money keeps rolling in.
As for debt under President Obama: Again FactCheck.org claims:  “The U.S. government’s debt owed to the public has more than doubled. It is now more than $13.6 trillion, an increase of 116 percent since Obama first took office. And the debt also has grown dramatically even when measured as a percentage of the growing economy, from 52 percent of gross domestic product at the end of fiscal year 2009 to just under 74 percent at the end of fiscal 2015, according to the most recent estimate by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.”(Side note: even the growth we had never increased tax revenues or helped ‘trickle down’ the debt as republicans now claim.)
 Who is to blame? Well, Truman said “The buck stops here”—so I am sure Obama feels he owns this; however, his budget was his offer to Congress. It is Congress who authorizes the budget and sets the spending terms. Who ran congress for the last 6 years of Obama’s term—yep,fully controlled by the same Republicans who now want to reduce tax income and blow another 1 trillion dollar whole in a growing deficit. Hmm. Remember, they are the ‘party of fiscal conservatives’. One more thing, during President Bush’s term the economy was on the verge of total collapse until Obama took over.
Lastly: President Reagan, Clinton and Bush always had hearings and bi-partisan support for all their tax plans. So when things went right or wrong it was not a one party tax bill. (Even Obamacare went through months of hearings and concessions to the Republicans…that’s why so many poor/ middle class folks went nuts when the repeal was ongoing due to its coverage of them.)
What to do? Share this with folks on the other side of the aisle. These are reasonable points that show why a carefully considered tax plan needs to be adopted--not one that is rammed through so no one knows what is in it. Remember, the House does not have to work with the Senate because they can just pass the Senate’s version straight up.<---And I am touching on just the ‘tip of what is left of the iceberg.p.s. check my sources—CBO’s numbers—not ‘fake news’
Bob