Republicans version of fiscal responsibility is to pick yourself up by your bootstraps. Manage your own money. Invest well. Be rich. Don’t be poor…. But because the game is stacked in favor of those with money already, their version is basically, baloney. In my opinion, Republicans represent a selfish (a.k.a. “keep my money”), often racist and homophobic bunch and are as vile as they think Democrats are. Perhaps fear of “the other” (brown-skinned folk) governs their hate. After all, many Republicans were okay with the “Dreamers” being booted out of the country because they’re not white. I think that’s foul. You may not realize this, but many Republicans think Democrats are scum. Many Republicans agree with Donald Trump (almost 85 percent) Some even, want journalists who are seeking the truth about the Russian investigation locked up. And many Republicans just love watching the Democratic Party suffer as they did in the 2016 elections. Any Republicans who aren’t selfish or racist had better take a good look at the party they align with and ask themselves, “is this really the group I want to belong to?” You may not agree with Democrats on all issues (government intervention, improving the economy or higher taxes) but if your good intentions are to apply to everyone, you’d better switch parties.
But what’s odd to me is the Democratic position—help everyone. The Democratic policy is that it is the collective responsibility of citizens to help alleviate the suffering of everyone—including the Republicans who despise them. I am here to change that notion.
I have a version of a fiscal responsibility plan for all I call the “Democratic Fiscal Responsibility Plan;” it’s a little different. It occurred to me after many social media and in-person arguments with Republicans. I heard their line which always went something like this: “I don’t need your help”. I often argue the altruistic side, but looking back, I ask myself, “why?” Why should I care about people that don’t want to be helped? And not only people who don’t want helped, but also don’t want other people to be helped, especially minorities. Therein lies the crux of the problem. In my Democratic Fiscal Responsibility Plan, I offer everyone who wants help, help, and everyone who doesn’t, no help. But if you should find yourself in need of a medical help, and you hadn’t signed up for help when offered, and you can’t pay, too bad.
I have a second hypothesis: The conservative line is that you don’t deserve help (food or health care or anything) if you didn’t work for it (the “bootstraps” argument). In other words, it’s better for poor people to suffer because at least someone else doesn’t have to pay to help them. So why, I wonder, do poor white counties vote Republican if Republicans are voting against needed help? Essentially why do they vote against their own welfare and economic interest? Why do poor people vote to decrease taxes on the rich? I wonder if it’s because they believe some day they will be rich, so tax cuts are a good thing. Or is it because they will always vote for white skin. A low-income white person is more likely to vote for a rich white person than a low-income black person even though he has more in common with his low-income “brother. Racism? You bet!
Back to my Democratic Fiscal Responsibility Plan…this plan may sound cruel to a group that’s comprised of conservatives that are already poor and just unrealistically optimistic that one day they will be rich, but keep in mind: 85 percent of Republicans agree with Trump, and if 85 percent of Republicans agree with Trump, well, let me remind you of some of the things they hate, just like Donald Trump: gays, transgender individuals, Muslims, blacks and Mexicans. They don’t like any of “them” who are stealing jobs; women who are raped and need abortions; women who want equal pay and Dreamers who weren’t born in America but who have lived here their whole lives. Remember when Trump called the Haitian island a “shithole,” we all thought that was an atrocious thing to say, but not his supporters—not the Republicans. They loved it. They love the way Trump keeps us on edge with his tweets. Whether it is racist, sexist, unethical or immoral. How about ending the Mueller investigation or locking up journalists? You see, all this time I believed it was in all our interests to help everybody, but I realize now, that not everybody deserves to be helped. Why? Because these are the same Republicans who believe it’s fun to watch black people being tazered by the police, because to them black people should’ve been content with the treatment they were getting in the 1950s when they weren’t allowed into restaurants, and they were forced to the back of the bus. These Trump supporters believe that now that they’re complaining about wanting equality in the work force, taze ‘em. Make America Great Again. Make America what it was. Make America racist again.
And how is it that Republicans can maintain this cultural racism? Tax cuts. “How is that?” you say. I’ll explain: Tax cuts help only the majority—not the minority. Who’s the minority? Blacks, Hispanics, gays, transgender, Mexicans …anyone who is different. Blue states, the states that generally vote democratic in the presidential election have higher taxes compared to the red states that vote Republican in the presidential elections and have significantly lower taxes. The liberal states, on the east and west coasts, have “Bank”, and when I say “Bank,” that’s just an expression for excess money. That is, we send much more money to Washington in federal taxes than we receive in return from federal spending. far more. It’s not even close. And where do these taxes go…to the red states, that need the money for their poor state governmental choices. It’s ironic that the states opposing big government are the ones who benefit from it the most. Just a general summary of taxes, the more you tax, the more money your state has, and the more money your state has, the more it can spend on health care, infrastructure and schools. So, what’s the problem? Well, the problem is that in the red states, Republicans control their state congresses, and as we all know, what do Republican congressman like to do? Cut taxes. And what does this lead to? You guessed it…Red states, being in the red, which basically translates to being bankrupt. A perfect example of this would be the experiment Kansas tried with Governor Sam Brownback, where he eliminated income taxes, which undeniably failed, forcing the federal government to use taxpayer money from the east and west coast blue states to bail them out (seeing a pattern?). You can also find this in places like Alabama, Kentucky, Tennessee and Mississippi, (states that Trump may one day call “shithole” states.) These states end up getting help from places like New York and California, because we have the money to help them. When a state decreases spending on healthcare, infrastructure and schools, who suffers the most? Minorities.
So here I am asking again, why are the big tax blue states helping people that don’t want to be helped in the red states? I propose that New York begin a federal tax protest, keep our federal tax dollars, refuse to send it to Washington and invest in our own infrastructure, schools and hospitals. They don’t want a handout anyway; they believe in bootstraps, right? Let’s make New York Great Again. Blue states: Please sign on the dotted line and follow New York.
My Democratic Fiscal Responsibility Plan offers all people the chance to take the help they need. Cradle to grave. And for those Republicans or Republican-led states who say they don’t need a “handout,” well, when they need it—when they’re in the emergency room and they need a kidney transplant—they’re not going to get it. Because, in my plan, they didn’t take the help when it was offered to them. It’s a shame really, but it thins out the herd. Thins out the racist, homophobic, transphobic, sexist, selfish pricks that associate themselves with what they call the Republican “tiki torch” party.
—Justin Harnick
