Republicans have repeated the same failed economic policy for 36 years. Their mantra has been “smaller government, lowering taxes for the one-percent, and reducing government spending;” with the exception of the Pentagon. It has not worked, but because they are owned by the wealthy, the NRA, and the Christian religious right, they refuse to change to a policy which just might work.
On his show, ‘Real Time with Bill Maher’ Friday evening, the comedian focused on examples of Republican failures and the success of Democrats. He offered as an example the Republican-led states of Louisiana and Kansas which are in economic chaos. “If Republicans are going to continue calling states ‘laboratories of democracy,’ they’re going to have to start looking at the results from the lab.”
While “trickle-down” economics has proven to be a huge failure for the majority of the American people, Maher pointed to a flourishing economy in the Democratic-led state of California. The Golden State boasts the fifth largest economy in the world, soon to be fourth thanks to Brexit.
“Democrats, from governor on down, control every office and voting body in this state. So we can really study what happens when liberal policies are tried unimpeded. And the only thing I have to say to Republicans about that is: scoreboard, bitches!”
Maher noted that Republican forecasts of California’s demise were a farce. They claimed that issuing drivers licenses and offering college tuition to undocumented workers, while establishing the lowest energy prices in the nation would collapse California’s economy.
“The sky didn’t fall, unemployment did. And growth shot up to four percent. And a $26 billion deficit became and $11 billion surplus… And that is mostly because we, horror of horrors, raised taxes on the rich,” Maher said.
If you are old enough, you watched as Reagan’s other name for “trickle-down” economics; “supply-side economics;” failed badly in his second term. He left his successor, George H. W. Bush with an eight-trillion-dollar deficit, and an unemployment rate of 10 percent. Bush was unable to ‘right the ship,’ and only served one term.
Democrat Bill Clinton left George W. Bush’s administration with a surplus after two terms. He repaired the damage to our economy in two terms.
Bush left office after eight years with our nation once again experiencing a deficit in the trillions, a high unemployment rate, and the destruction of the housing market. Many working class Americans also lost their retirement benefits; once more the effect of “trickle-down economics,” and deregulation of the banking industry.
President Obama, a Democrat, was forced to address the second worst fiscal situation in our nation’s history, and as he is about to leave office, our nation is on the road to recovery.
Statistics from the last 100 years prove that the majority of Americans; the working class, the middle class and upper middle class; fare far better under a Democratic administration. Republicans have become the party of the rich, and because of their desperation to win elections, they will not change. In addition, they have allowed one religion to influence the decisions made in Washington against the very ideals of the first amendment.
So, the next time you hear a Republican, or Donald Trump, whatever he is, talk about the economy, listen closely. Are they offering any positive solutions for you and your family? Do they recognize the fact that our nation has 536 billionaires, more than 11 million, millionaires, and the poverty rate is growing? Do they offer proposals to reduce income inequality? Are they willing to raise the federal minimum wage?
Your choice; your future; your vote. Make it count.
Op-Ed
By James Turnage
The Truth With No Restrictions 