L&T Publisher Earl Watt
It’s amazing how short our memories can be. Not too long ago inflation was rampant, egg prices were out of control, fuel was expensive, millions were flowing over an open border, the federal agencies were taking control without any input from the people, and America seemed to have lost its direction.
While the online trolls will criticize every move being made to correct the mistakes of the previous administration, they seem to have forgotten what Joe Biden and his supporters did when they had the keys to the kingdom.
They blew it.
Not only was Biden trailing Donald Trump before he was unceremoniously forced to step down as the nominee, but his undemocratically selected successor, Kamala Harris, never gained much traction because she wanted to remain on the same path.
The public didn’t want to maintain the status quo. They didn’t just want a new face, they wanted a disruptor — someone who would grab the government by the throat and restore the people at the top of the pecking order rather than being subjects to a bureaucratic empire.
And the establishment is kicking and screaming. Those who benefit from government handouts are kicking and screaming.
With nowhere else to turn, the socialist left is still calling the coalition that swept Trump back to the White House election deniers and a cult. And they want to convince you that somehow in the first five months of the Trump presidency that you don’t really support anything that he is proposing despite the fact that he told us about all of these proposals during the campaign.
Here are some of the fantasy positions being pushed by the socialist left:
“Trump’s bill only helps the ultra wealthy.”
If the Trump tax cuts were not made permanent, every American would have seen a 60 percent increase in taxes. The One Big Beautiful Bill will help lower income Americans with a $10,000 boost to families, expanded opportunity zones to produce jobs where needed, helping address the childcare crisis in America, increasing the child tax credit, and creating newborn savings accounts.
“Trump’s bill hurts small businesses.”
If the OBBB did not pass, small businesses would have seen a $4 trillion tax hike. By passing the bill, the small business tax cuts are now permanent along with the small business deduction.
“People will die because they will be kicked off Medicaid.”
The Medicaid plan does not experience any cuts to services to those who qualify. It does make it more difficult to cheat. For one, illegal immigrants are not eligible, those who can work will be required to do so, and no children will lose Medicaid benefits.
By reducing waste and fraud, the Medicaid funds can be used for those who truly need it including pregnant women, children, those with disabilities and low income seniors and families. That’s what Medicaid was meant to do.
“Rural hospitals will close.”
Rural hospitals only receive 7 percent of all Medicaid funding. The OBBB provides targeted support for rural hospitals.
“The work requirement will put the health of people in jeopardy.”
The work requirement only applies to able-bodied adults without young children. Even Bill Clinton’s administration required work to be eligible for certain benefits. While some states are trying to steal from workers to pay for those who choose not to have a job, the federal government is not going to support the concept that work should be voluntary or optional. We all have a responsibility to work if we are able.
These are just some of the many false claims about the OBBB, but the biggest is the answer to the question, “Is this what you voted for?”
The answer is yes.
The OBBB removed taxes on tips and deeply cut taxes on overtime. Seniors will see virtually no tax on Social Security benefits. Trump made these commitments as a candidate, and they are now the law of the land.
Illegal border crossings — not the legal crossings which continue at the brisk pace it has always seen for quite some time, but illegal crossings, are down. Since Trump has been elected, the illegal crossings have all but evaporated. Last month the reported number of illegal crossings at the southern border was zero.
That doesn’t make Trump or his followers racists. Ask almost any MAGA supporter, and they will tell you immigration is vital to America, and many immigrants become some of the most patriotic when they become citizens. We cheer alongside those who follow this path. But for those who choose to violate the law and illegally cross the border, we voted to end that dangerous practice that leads to putting lives and families at risk of being separated by deportation. It’s not ICE that put the family at risk. It was the person who chose to illegally enter the country that did. There is a better way, and I will be presenting an immigration reform plan at 7 p.m. Thursday in our studio at 16 S. Kansas.
We wanted inflation to stop climbing at high rates.
According to the USA Today, “Inflation eased more than expected to a five-month low in March as gasoline and used car prices tumbled and rent increases softened further…”
Economist E.J. Antoni, Ph.D., said, “Average annual inflation rate from ’09 until ’21 was 1.8 percent, then Biden drove it up to 8.6 percent for a year and a half, then it rose steadily at 3.1 percent for the rest of his term; but now Trump is averaging a mere 1.0 percent — remarkable!”
Eggs reached a high of $8.16 per dozen in early March according to Trading Economics, but today, a dozen eggs is down to $2.56.
Used car prices are down, gas prices have lowered, and all within five months of having a new president.
It’s easy to forget how bad things were just five months ago. That doesn’t even mention the permanent damage done to children by locking them out of schools during COVID.
Did the voters know Trump would be boisterous and critical of his detractors? Of course they did. But they came to the realization that it’s not Trump’s demeanor but his vision that was needed.
Cue the cult claims and the convicted felon jabs, but the American people spoke, and they rejected the status quo.
The Disruptor in Chief is rocking the establishment with patriotism, and socialists hate it.
