Fellow Patriot: The voluntary financial generosity of supporters like you keeps our hard-hitting analysis coming. Please support the 2024 Patriots' Day Campaign today. Thank you for your support! —Nate Jackson, Managing Editor

January 2, 2018

Democrats Distort Tax Bill for Political Purposes

The struggle among congressional Republicans to design a tax reform bill was an arduous process, with constant opposition and obstruction from Democrats, and more than a little internal discord, as Republicans objected to some features that were contained in the bill and displeased that other features were missing. Now that it has been completed and the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act has been signed into law, whether what Congress produced is good or bad depends upon whom you ask, as is always the case in political matters.

The struggle among congressional Republicans to design a tax reform bill was an arduous process, with constant opposition and obstruction from Democrats, and more than a little internal discord, as Republicans objected to some features that were contained in the bill and displeased that other features were missing. Now that it has been completed and the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act has been signed into law, whether what Congress produced is good or bad depends upon whom you ask, as is always the case in political matters.

It should surprise no one that liberals/Democrats would not support a bill that lowers tax rates on their hated enemies, the rich and the corporate world, even though it lowered taxes on everyone else or nearly everyone else, too.

These days a perfect bill is virtually impossible, since they most always are hundreds of pages long and contain numerous elements, some of which can be guaranteed to evoke opposition. Add to that the idea of transforming the maddeningly complex tax system and the possibility of a smooth and easy passage quickly disappears.

Predictably, congressional Democrats are busy using their own special talents to distort the bill to generate public opposition among their constituents. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) was shown on YouTube expelling copious amounts of carbon dioxide on the Senate floor: “This bill doesn’t provide middle-class tax relief, it ultimately raises taxes on more than 60 percent of working families in this country,” she said concerning what might happen years in the future.

She also imagines that Republicans “know that this bill won’t raise wages for working people.” Apparently, she hadn’t heard that several large businesses have just raised their lowest employee hourly rate to $15 and others have given $1,000 bonuses. Warren doesn’t let the facts get in the way of a good rant.

But she was actually right one thing: There was “no input from a single Democrat,” since her party refused to participate.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) even referred to the bill as the “end of the world” and “Armageddon.” No enemy of hyperbole, she also stated on the House floor that it was “an all-out looting of America” and “the worst bill to ever come to the floor of the House.”

She charged with a straight face that the bill “raises taxes on 86 million middle-class households” and “hands a breathtaking 83 percent of its benefits to the wealthiest 1 percent of Americans.”

Pelosi recently tweeted: “Shamefully, Republicans were cheering against the children as they rob from their future and ransack the middle class to reward the rich #GOPTaxScam.”

She has suddenly gotten religion about spending, but apparently doesn’t remember that while she was speaker of the House over $5 trillion was added to the national debt.

And Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) blathered, “Under this bill the working class, middle class and upper middle class get skewered while the rich and wealthy corporations make out like bandits. It is just the opposite of what America needs, and Republicans will rue the day they pass this.”

And this fantasy: “Today, the President gave himself an early Christmas present — an estimated $11 million tax cut. Who paid for it? My middle-class constituents in New York,” the vast majority of whom will see their taxes lowered.

What happens when their constituents find out that this trio is lying to them?

Offering his two cents’ worth, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) let loose with this bit of idiocy: “Nearly 13 million Americans are expected to lose their health insurance under the tax bill due to the loss of the individual mandate.”

The tax bill removes the mandate to buy health insurance; it does not take away anyone’s insurance. The only people who will lose coverage under the bill are those who decide not to buy it. That is called “freedom,” a concept Sanders and those on the far Left don’t understand.

Any bill of this size and complexity will contain something that nearly everybody can find fault with. In such circumstances the adage “don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good” is sound advice for all of us. And we need to remember that there is ample time to identify problem areas in the bill and address them.

With that in mind, here is part of a summary from The Heritage Foundation that explains important aspects of the bill: “The U.S. tax code is sorely in need of reform. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act is the most sweeping update to the U.S. tax code in more than 30 years. The bill lowers corporate and individual tax rates for the vast majority of Americans, doubles the standard deduction, expands the child tax credit, and repeals the individual health care mandate.”

That last sentence identifies measures that are good for the general economy and for most all Americans. Putting more money in the hands of the people will expand economic activity, thereby increasing demand for goods and services and creating jobs and improving lives.

Congressional Democrats don’t like the tax bill, because the worst thing for their election hopes is a good Republican economy.

Who We Are

The Patriot Post is a highly acclaimed weekday digest of news analysis, policy and opinion written from the heartland — as opposed to the MSM’s ubiquitous Beltway echo chambers — for grassroots leaders nationwide. More

What We Offer

On the Web

We provide solid conservative perspective on the most important issues, including analysis, opinion columns, headline summaries, memes, cartoons and much more.

Via Email

Choose our full-length Digest or our quick-reading Snapshot for a summary of important news. We also offer Cartoons & Memes on Monday and Alexander’s column on Wednesday.

Our Mission

The Patriot Post is steadfast in our mission to extend the endowment of Liberty to the next generation by advocating for individual rights and responsibilities, supporting the restoration of constitutional limits on government and the judiciary, and promoting free enterprise, national defense and traditional American values. We are a rock-solid conservative touchstone for the expanding ranks of grassroots Americans Patriots from all walks of life. Our mission and operation budgets are not financed by any political or special interest groups, and to protect our editorial integrity, we accept no advertising. We are sustained solely by you. Please support The Patriot Fund today!


The Patriot Post and Patriot Foundation Trust, in keeping with our Military Mission of Service to our uniformed service members and veterans, are proud to support and promote the National Medal of Honor Heritage Center, the Congressional Medal of Honor Society, both the Honoring the Sacrifice and Warrior Freedom Service Dogs aiding wounded veterans, the National Veterans Entrepreneurship Program, the Folds of Honor outreach, and Officer Christian Fellowship, the Air University Foundation, and Naval War College Foundation, and the Naval Aviation Museum Foundation. "Greater love has no one than this, to lay down one's life for his friends." (John 15:13)

★ PUBLIUS ★

“Our cause is noble; it is the cause of mankind!” —George Washington

Please join us in prayer for our nation — that righteous leaders would rise and prevail and we would be united as Americans. Pray also for the protection of our Military Patriots, Veterans, First Responders, and their families. Please lift up your Patriot team and our mission to support and defend our Republic's Founding Principle of Liberty, that the fires of freedom would be ignited in the hearts and minds of our countrymen.

The Patriot Post is protected speech, as enumerated in the First Amendment and enforced by the Second Amendment of the Constitution of the United States of America, in accordance with the endowed and unalienable Rights of All Mankind.

Copyright © 2024 The Patriot Post. All Rights Reserved.

The Patriot Post does not support Internet Explorer. We recommend installing the latest version of Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox, or Google Chrome.