Letter to the Editor: Accountability

Add on increased defense spending, Hurricane Harvey Relief, an infrastructure plan and $3-6 trillion from Ryan/Trump tax plans and we’re starting to talk real money. Do we really want increased deficit spending before we even start to deal with the trillions in unfunded Medicare liabilities?

When the myth that “tax cuts pay for themselves” is once again proven to be a lie, where will the budget cuts come from? Medicare? Social Security? Veterans?

Why are we considering tax cuts that primarily benefit the wealthy but do so little to help struggling working families? Why are we considering eliminating the estate tax when wealth inequality has risen to levels not seen since the Gilded Age? Why do proposed budget savings always seem to come from programs benefiting the poor and working class or from cuts to Medicaid and Medicare?

President Trump talked a populist message of looking out for working families, but his Wall Street Cabinet picks and Paul Ryan’s policy agenda point in the opposite direction.

President Trump was elected based on promises to preserve the social safety net and improve the lives of struggling Americans.

As citizens, we need to hold the president and our elected officials, accountable for their choices.

Richard Davis

The Dalles