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On the nightly news, Republicans are often referred to as “conservatives” and I am trying to understand why.
In 2008 wasn’t it a Republican White House administration under President G.W. Bush that spent the nation nearly into bankruptcy and a major recession?
Then there was the first Trump administration that made history with its historic increase in federal spending partly to cover massive tax cuts for the rich?
Today the U.S. does not bring enough income to cover its expenses, which includes annual compounding interest on existing debt of nearly $1 trillion.
With more countries like India and China no longer trading in U.S. dollars, printing more dollars to cover debt or borrow more has been diminished.
Rather than pay down on its debt while the dollar still has some buying power, President Donald Trump and the Republican “conservatives” want to lift the federal cap on allowable spending by $2.5 trillion and to spend $4.5 million more in tax cuts for the rich.
To defray cost of the tax cuts, the Republicans are proposing cuts in Medicaid payments to nursing homes and hospitals, to social security, veterans’ services, and food programs such as Meal on Wheels for the elderly.
“Conservative” is not a term that comes to mind to describe the Republicans’ fiscal plan.
Perhaps I would better understand how all this massive new spending is “conservative” if Republicans would spend more time being “conservative” and less time devoted to “transgenderism.”
Patrick Eisenhart
Lewiston
