A darker transformation

McMorris Rodgers whines about Build Back Better negatively “transforming” our country and “saddling” our children with debt they can never repay — in this case about $160 billion over ten years. So she voted against its investments in child care, preschool, elder care, reduced child-rearing costs, child nutrition, clean energy, reduced prescription drug costs, affordable housing and affordable higher education.

Let’s be honest. Too many Americans can’t afford these basics. They need help.

She had no reservations about voting for massive tax cuts in 2017 — which added about $2 trillion to the debt our children can never pay back. Do the math: that’s 12.5 times the debt of Build Back Better. Look at its social benefit: rich people and corporations pocketed the money. It didn’t go to jobs. Largely it went to corporate stock buybacks, padding bonuses of corporate CEOs and enriching stock portfolios of the wealthy. By the way, tax cuts for the average taxpayer expire in 2025. Tax cuts for corporations are permanent.

The hypocrisy is glaring. But, since Ronald Reagan, hypocrisy has never seemed to bother Republicans when it comes to facilitating greed.

Sadly, though, hypocrisy is only a minor transgression these days. Now they lie about election outcomes, falsely undermine our faith in election integrity, condone violence against legislative colleagues, and tolerate efforts to hang the vice president. They have no political agenda beyond agitation of grievance — and contriving mechanisms to restrict voter participation, or to blatantly hijack elections. That’s the ugly “transformation” we should really worry about.

Steve McNutt

Spokane