Letter to the Editor: The difference between Republicans and Democrats
It’s important to understand the differences between Republicans and Democrats and the best way to show this is how the parties dealt with the Covid-19 pandemic.
The first two years of the previous administration, Republicans controlled the presidency and Congress. Here is what they did:
Passed the 2017 $1.9 trillion Tax Cuts and Jobs Act:
– 87% of tax cuts went to high-income earners
– 17% of tax cuts went to the rest of Americans
– All Democrats voted nay, all Republicans voted yea.
– Republicans and media silent on the $1.9 trillion increase to national debt
– Middleclass tax rates increase for the next 5 years!
Failed to repeal the Affordable Care Act:
– All but three Republicans voted to kill the ACA.
– All Democrats voted nay.
– Senator McConnell vows to continue to kill the ACA.
In the second two years, the Democrats took control of the House. Senator McConnell ignored most House legislation. There were no major bills passed in 2018 because Senator McConnell ignored all Democratic House bills.
In 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic hit the planet. Due to purposeful criminal negligent to address Covid-19 by President Trump, over 500,00 Americans were killed, tanked the economy, and many, many Americans lost their jobs.
Here are the major bills passed:
The March 2020 $2.2 trillion CARES Act highlights:
– $1,200 to most middleclass American
– Unemployment benefits
– Assistance to hospitals, state/local governments, other programs
– The above totaled ~$1 trillion
– ~$1.2 trillion went to corporate bailouts.
– Republicans and media silent on the $2.2 trillion increase to the national debt
The December 2020 $900 billion Covid-19 Relief Bill highlights:
– $600 to most Americans
– Unemployment benefits
– Rental and SNAP assistance
– $329 billion to corporations
– Bipartisan vote
– Very little Republican and media outrage on adding $900 billion to national debt.
After the corrupt and disastrous Trump/Republican administration, where he was impeached twice and did nothing to stop the Covid-19 virus, America voted for Democrat Joe Biden for president where he got the most votes in US history.
The first major bill by Democrats was to provide Covid-19 relief to Americans:
The 2021 American Recovery Plan (ARP):
– $1,400 to most middleclass Americans
– $300/week unemployment
– $3,000/child tax credit, $3,600/child under 6
– $350 billion to state/local governments
– $130 billion for schools
– $50 billion assistance to small businesses
– Every Democrat voting yea, every Republican voted nay
– Media/Republicans screaming outrage on adding to the national debt
See the big difference in the parties? Democrats help all Americans; Republicans only help corporations and the wealthy. Republicans are silent when they increase the national debt to help the rich, but scream when Democrats help all Americans.
And notice that Representative ‘He is one of…the insurrectionists’ LaMalfa voted nay on the ARP – looks like he could care less about Plumas County residents. Side note: did you know that LaMalfa receives farm assistance totaling ~$5 million over decades? LaMalfa said to ‘get over it’.
Mark Mihevc
Graeagle