“Two wrongs don’t make a right” is a well-known English proverb which means it’s never right to wrong another, even if they wronged you first. However, another application of this old adage means you can never fix one mistake by committing another in an effort to cover the first one.
Apparently, “two wrongs don’t make a right” is a concept lost on Donald Trump and the GOP—another example of two wrongs—as the Senate prepares to release its version of TRINO (Tax Reform In Name Only).
Led by one of the poster children for term limits, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch, the Senate bill contains many of the shell-game ideas contained in the House version, including higher income taxes on much of the middle class. But in true two-wrongs fashion, Trump and the GOP are adding another bad idea to tax reform—the repeal of the Obamacare mandate tax.
I am proud of the Rep. House & Senate for working so hard on cutting taxes {& reform.} We’re getting close! Now, how about ending the unfair & highly unpopular Indiv Mandate in OCare & reducing taxes even further? Cut top rate to 35% w/all of the rest going to middle income cuts?
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 13, 2017
Hatch: Zeroing out the individual mandate tax will raise $318 billion over 10 years, money we use in our mark to actually lower taxes for the middle class. #taxreform
— Senate Finance Committee (@SenFinance) November 15, 2017
.@SpeakerRyan: “The House passed our healthcare bill back in May, which repealed the individual mandate.” pic.twitter.com/BLerGlapSh
— Fox News (@FoxNews) November 14, 2017
Having failed earlier this year in their attempt to pass Obamacare Repeal-In-Name-Only, Republicans in the Senate looking for a way to protect their cushy jobs want to add the Obamacare Mandate tax repeal to the already disastrous tax reform bill.
But wait a minute! We wanted the GOP to repeal Obamacare, right?
Yes, but this addendum doesn’t repeal Obamacare; it only eliminates the requirement to buy it. This smoke-and-mirrors addition to tax reform allows Obamacare to continue burdening taxpayers with sky-rocketing premiums while adding millions of people to the ranks of the uninsured. In other words, it fails bigly.
So, why are Trump and the GOP pushing this highly unpopular tax reform bill? MONEY! According to the Congressional Budget Office, repealing the mandate will save the government over $300 billion—money they can and will spend on other things, even though folks like Rand Paul claim that it will lower taxes even further.
While this is clearly the latest evidence of the long list of broken promises by Trump and the GOP, these in-name-only accomplishments will unfortunately give the GOP two so-called victories to take back home in time for the 2018 elections if they become law.
There’s another adage you’re probably familiar with: “Hope for the best, but prepare for the worst.” Sounds like good advice as long as Trump, McConnell, and Ryan are running the show.
David Leach is the owner of The Strident Conservative, your source for opinion that’s politically-incorrect and always “right.” His articles can also be found on RedState.com.
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