Robert Reich

An Independence Day Reminder of All the Ways the Pseudo-Patriotic Republicans Hate America

Posted by on July 4, 2023 at 12:41 pm. 18 Comments :

The 4th of July celebration of America’s independence is a day that the American people look forward to as time of unity and harmony of purpose. It’s a day to honor those who have sacrificed to shape and maintain the freedoms that we all cherish.

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Donald Trump Hugs Flag

Unfortunately, there are many charlatans who seek only to exploit the day and its significance. They wear patriotism like a mask in order advance their own personal agendas of power and greed. Those charlatans are known better as the Republican Party. Particularly as represented by their Dear Leader, Donald Trump.

RELATED STORY: Trump Drops an Utterly Unhinged Harangue to Celebrate Himself on the 4th of July 2022

This year the usual GOP suspects are out in force spreading their disingenuous Independence Day greetings. And in doing so, they conveniently forget all of the anti-American things they’ve done for the past year(s) that are contrary to the nation’s principles.

Fortunately, former Labor Secretary Robert Reich is on the lookout for the right-wing hypocrisies. And he posted an Independence Day video (see below) that calls out the pseudo-patriotic pretenders. He begins by saying that…

“Republicans claim they love America. But they sure don’t seem to like the American people. They consistently oppose reforms that a majority of American believe would make their lives better. Like raising the minimum wage, paid family leave, and student debt relief.”

Reich then enumerates the positions of the Republican Party that are starkly at odds with the rest of the country. And it’s a long list. He notes that…

  • Republicans have an aversion to American cities, “which is where 80% of Americans live.” But they also legislate against rural areas by opposing the expansion of Medicaid and food stamps.
  • Republicans reject climate change, and they subordinate the interests of citizens to those of corporations that pollute the environment and abuse the land and waters.
  • Republicans pretend to revere the military, even as they cut their benefits and healthcare.
  • Republicans attack core American values by suppressing freedom of speech, implementing book bans, and imposing religion in violation of the doctrine of separation of church and state.
  • Republicans assault democracy by passing laws that make it harder to vote, punishing legitimately elected officials, and making baseless allegations of election fraud in order to overturn results that they don’t like.

It’s hard to find anything that remotely resembles patriotism in the Republican mindset. And Reich does an excellent job of summarizing it. He closes by saying that…

“It’s time to stop letting Republicans claim the mantle of patriotism without actually being patriots. Patriotism means loving freedom. Freedom to make your own healthcare choices. Freedom to choose who and how you love. Freedom of speech. Freedom of assembly. Freedom to unionize. Freedom also means wanting Americans to be free from the fear of gun violence. And free from crushing student debt.

“Above all, patriotism involves strengthening our democracy. True patriots don’t put loyalty to their political party above their love of America. True patriots don’t support an attempted coup. Now is the time for the rest of us to reclaim patriotism and affirm its true meaning.”

In the meantime. Trump was up at 2:30 AM to post a profane, and typically Trumpian, Independence Day message…

Sadly, a new tradition seems to be emerging for the 4th of July – mass shootings. There have been two this year (so far). Let’s hope this new ritual doesn’t become routine. Last year there was one that was memorialized by the GOP’s Shadow House Speaker, Marjorie Taylor Greene…

SEE THIS: Marjorie Taylor Greene Says July 4th Mass Shooting Was a ‘False Flag’ to Advance Gun Control

Have a happy, safe, and sane 4th of July, everybody.

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Robert Reich: Why Trump’s Plan to Strip the IRS is Incredibly Dumb (Video)

Posted by on April 20, 2017 at 6:24 pm. 4 Comments :

Anyone looking for idiotic ideas from the Donald Trump administration wouldn’t have to dig very deep before hitting the mother lode. Some of the more obvious examples include a health care plan so reviled they didn’t even bring it up for a vote. Cutting taxes for the rich. Building a wall on the southern border. Banning all Muslims from entering the country. And denying the catastrophic effects of climate change. But wait, there’s more.

Robert Reich Trump IRS

Robert Reich addressed a new Republican folly in a short but poignant video (posted below). He details how the GOP, in a committed effort to advance the cause of stupidity, put forward a proposal to cut the budget of the IRS by 14 percent. Apparently, having nothing else to do, they’ve had plenty of time to come up with ever more asinine initiatives.

In this case they found one that is a win-win for Republicans who hate government in general and the IRS in particular. This proposal would make it harder for the IRS to carry out its responsibilities. Thus, it would open up the agency to criticism for inefficiency that was created by this very cut. It would also create inefficiencies in every other branch of government that is starved for revenue by the reduced tax receipts. Which in turn would make those branches subject to criticism as well. By leaving untold billions of legitimately owed taxes uncollected, the federal deficit would skyrocket. Then, of course, the GOP’s pseudo-deficit hawks would whine about that and use it as a phony justification to cut more programs for the poor and middle-class.

What’s more, efforts by a crippled IRS to audit greedy corporations and millionaires would be severely curtailed. Consequently, they would have free rein to continue robbing the American people. Billions of dollars necessary to run critical federal programs like Social Security, the military, public safety (food, water, consumer products, etc.), transportation and infrastructure, medical research, criminal prosecution and prevention, and so much more, would be lost to fraud. These proposed cuts would come on top of previous cuts that have already hamstrung the IRS. According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) in a detailed and enlightening analysis…

“[P]olicymakers should not ignore the damaging effects of the significant cuts that have occurred in IRS funding, which remains well below its 2010 level even before adjusting for inflation. The cuts have led the IRS to reduce its workforce, severely scale back employee training, and delay much-needed upgrades to information technology systems. These steps, in turn, have weakened the IRS’s ability to enforce the nation’s tax laws and serve taxpayers efficiently” […]

“[F]rom a fiscal perspective, starving the IRS makes no sense, as the return on the investment is high. Each additional $1 spent on IRS enforcement yields $6 of additional revenue from collecting taxes owed.”

Nowhere else in the federal government can spending generate that kind of return on investment. It’s just plain nuts to eliminate such a productive method of raising funds. Especially when it doesn’t rely on new taxes or gutting useful programs. These cuts would have the triple purpose of weakening vital services upon which every American relies, granting amnesty to tax cheats everywhere, and artificially creating excuses to lash out at Big Government.

In the end, it is law abiding Americans who will have to shoulder the burden for these deadbeats. And let’s not forget that Trump himself is among those who would benefit from a broken IRS. Although we may never know how much since he refuses to releases his taxes. So the question is: Are the GOP really that stupid, or are they shrewdly executing their mission to starve the government, crush the middle-class, and enrich their benefactors?

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