To anyone who hasn't voted yet and is deciding who to vote for, there are some things to consider.
Remember the Republican tax cuts that were going to pay for themselves? Well, they haven't (surprise, surprise). The deficit is enormous and getting bigger (heading toward $1 trillion); even Republicans have noticed this. Will Republicans admit the tax cuts were a bad idea? Of course not. That'd upset their very wealthy donors. Will they cut a little from the military budget ($590 billion in 2017)? Of course not. That'd make all the military contractors upset.
So what would be left to fill the deficit hole? You guessed it: They'll come for our Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, using the phrase "entitlement reform." Sen. Mitch McConnell and Rep. Paul Ryan already have used this phase in describing what seems to be their next priority.
For most of us who get paychecks or are retired, "reform" would play out like this: We'll work longer for less so the richest 1 percent of Americans can keep more money. There'll be less money to help Grandma stay in the assisted-living or nursing home she needs. There'll be less assistance for that disabled child down the street or that person who needs rehab but can't afford it. If you lose your job and employer health insurance, don't assume there'll be much help for you to get the health care you need, especially if you have a pre-existing condition.
Don't be fooled by political ads with smiling families of candidates, ads that distract with culture-war issues or reassurances that, of course, the neediest will get the help they need. The Republican Party created a deficit disaster-in-the-making and expects America's 99 percent to pay for that.
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Jocelyn Heid
Duluth
