Republican party today — ‘hypocritical and cynical’
Marianne Hefferman (The News-Times, Oct. 23) makes a good argument for keeping David X. Sullivan right where he is — a college and law school teacher, working for “justice for all” and standing for “police accountability.” Maybe, he can help his students better understand the Black Lives Matter movement.
As a Republican in the House, Sullivan would be a freshman member of the minority caucus unable to influence, even if he wanted to, his Trump-enabling leadership.
Like it or not, he would become a Trump-cult enabler himself.
In his debate with Congresswoman Hayes, Sullivan stuck with his “conviction” that Republican tax cuts and less government are the answer to all of the nation’s ills. While claiming to help small business, Republican tax cuts go to corporations and their execs (right after signing the tax cut Trump went into a room full of business execs and announced, “I just made you guys a whole lot richer”). Execs structure their large conglomerates so as to appear to be a number of smaller enterprises. Highly paid lawyers help them subvert the intent to aid small businesses and the latter lose out.
The tax cuts are supposed to put money into the hands of ordinary and needy consumers whose spending will stimulate the economy, but instead the cuts are directed at high income earners, while ordinary people lose their jobs, struggle to feed their families, and cannot pay their mortgages or rent.
Most ordinary people are not direct owners of stock so a rising market does not benefit them; corporate execs and hedge fund managers do benefit. But, what about their 401K plans? Many are forced or at least encouraged to draw on them for daily living so that little is left for retirement. At the same time Social Security is threatened.
Republican “conviction” denounces Obamacare as socialism, ignoring its provision of medical insurance to millions previously without it. Republicans promise, but never offer an alternative, while seeking to end Obamacare by repeal or court overturn.
When “convictions” become ideological in nature and irrelevant to life’s realities, they are not admirable. They are hypocritical and cynical. That is where the Republican Party is today.
Daniel C. Hudson Ridgefield