Everybody complains about paying taxes. But Republicans and Teabaggers have turned their complaints into an art form. Indeed, just last week, they were whining that the Obama administration allowed a number of Bush-era tax cuts to lapse. Yet these people are the first to complain when our government entities dont work as they expect. Somehow, they seem incapable of seeing the connection.
For the past 40-plus years, Republicans have been cutting taxes on the wealthiest U.S. citizens and U.S. corporations. Theyve even cut estate taxes (the so-called death tax).
All of this tax-cutting has had a profound effect on our infrastructure.
Except in our largest cities, our highways havent been substantially improved since the 50s and 60s. As evidenced by the bridge collapse in Minneapolis, many of our nations bridges are in woeful repair. Contrary to popular belief, it wasnt Hurricane Katrina that caused the disaster in New Orleans. It was the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers archaic levee system. And in California, another levee system responsible for much of Los Angeles water is eroding making it highly vulnerable to a catastrophic event.
Our electric grid needs to be replaced. Many of our largest cities sewer systems are collapsing. Security at our airports is incapable of stopping all terrorists, and the security for our ports is much worse. Our schools are falling behind those in many other nations. And, unlike most wealthy nations, we cant provide basic health care to all of our citizens (although that is, hopefully, about to change).
Whats the reaction of Republicans when faced with these facts? Not surprisingly, they merely call for more tax cuts.