GOP leadership would continue Bush's reckless policies
A favorite theme of airwaves today is predicting (for the coming November elections) a repeat of the victory experienced by the Republicans in 1994. Such a prediction is hard for me to fathom.
I cannot believe that people would have forgotten the behavior of the Republicans ever since President Obama stepped into office. Their only agenda has been "obstruct and delay," use doublespeak and don't shy away from outright lies. In the embrace of lobbyists they watered down the bills for health care and the finance regulations. They voted not only against the pay-go rule that under former President Bill Clinton has been instrumental in creating a budget surplus, but they also tried to prevent eliminating the practice of refunding taxes that multinational companies pay to their resident countries.
In other words, Republicans not only wish to continue the reckless economic policies of the George W. Bush years, but they also like to provide incentive to U.S. industries to relocate overseas. Currently they are trying to block the passage of "lending for small business" (job creation) and ending tax cuts for the wealthy. This tax cut reduces revenues by $680 billion in 10 years. They claim that tax cuts stimulate the economy and increase jobs. The evidence proves otherwise. In the eight Bush years, when these tax cuts were in effect, there was a net loss of 630,000 jobs, and the economy ended at the brink of meltdown.
Congressional leaders of the GOP have finally decided to reveal programs that they plan to fight for. One is to "privatize Social Security." Are you ready to risk your old-age pension to Wall Street? Not I. Second, "dismantle Medicare," convert it to a voucher program. I like my Medicare. Don't fool with it. And their further plans include repealing both the health care and the finance regulation bills. Brace yourself for another economic meltdown.
While the Democrats blame the president for not sticking to his promised agenda, heaven help us if the GOP were to increase its power. We would slide back to the devastating Bush years and would for sure lose our leadership position in the global economy. Change of Senate rules from the required supermajority of 60 votes to a simple majority of 51 would be truly welcome.
The touted scenario of Republican windfall in November seems to me extremely unlikely. All that is asked of us ordinary folk is to show up at the polls.
Maire T. Zakrzewski
Watertown
