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Republicans have never cut taxes, they have only postponed them [1]
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Date: 2025-06-04
I’ve been a fiscal conservative my entire adult life. I voted for Ronald Reagan enthusiastically in his first presidential election since he campaigned on reducing deficit spending. I voted for President Reagan reluctantly in his second presidential election (and since I think our current political mess is Reagan’s legacy (tax cuts for the rich (trickle down economics) and the government can’t help you) I get much of the blame). The United States deficit went up dramatically during President Reagan’s terms in office.
Candidate George H. W. Bush said, “Read my lips, no new taxes.” Since we weren’t paying for what we were already spending, I voted for Dukakis. During President Bush’s term in office, taxes were raised, but not enough to pay off our debt. At the end of his term in office, he ran again on “Read my lips, no new taxes, but this time, I really mean it,” so I voted for Clinton.
At the end of President Clinton’s presidency, our country was on track to being able to pay off our federal deficient. George W. Bush ran on giving everyone a tax cut and lowering our deficit at the same time. He said our county could afford it. President George W. Bush cut taxes for everyone, but the wealthy got the lion’s share of the tax cuts. The deficit went sky high during his two terms in office and he gave President Obama a dismal economy that was on life support. The whole banking system was on the verge of collapse.
Deficit spending went up during President Obama’s term too, but much of the increase was trying to revive a sickly economy. During President Obama’s term, income taxes were raised on the wealthiest Americans. At the end of his second term, our deficit trajectory was on the right track.
Candidate Trump ran on cutting taxes and reducing the deficit. “I alone can fix it!” He won, cut taxes, again, the wealthy got the lion’s share, and the deficit soared during his term in office, and again, he gave President Biden a very sickly economy.
The deficit did go up during President’s Biden’s term in office, but he got the economy turned around and he gave President Trump a robust economy.
Now the Republicans are trying to do the exact same thing they have been doing for years. What they call their “Big Beautiful Bill” will lower taxes for the wealthiest Americans while increasing our deficit, so much so, that Moody’s just lowered our bond rating before the bill has even been passed by the Senate and signed by President Trump. The Republicans own this deficit.
Not a single Republican federal tax cut since Ronald Reagan has been paid for, so all they are doing is postponing taxes to Americans who are not yet old enough to vote. I think this is morally reprehensible.
Let’s not call what Republicans are currently trying to do in their “Big Beautiful Bill” a tax cut. Let’s call it what it really is, a tax postponement.
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