Americans have to say no to Republican candidates
When America votes in November, your children and grandchildren may be the ones paying the price.
Donald Trump, a con man with the vocabulary and temperament of a spoiled sixth-grader may win the presidential election. Described by other Republicans as a corrupt con man and pathological liar, Trump’s possible victory should concern any reasonably intelligent American.
Trump’s tea party radicalized running mate, Mike Pence, should also scare the bejeebers out of every middle-class family.
America should fear how ruthless these two could be with a Republican-controlled Congress and Senate. For six years, the Republican leadership has offered the Ryan Budget Plan, which would make drastic cuts to Social Security, eliminate Medicare, repeal the ACA, cut $9 billion from the VA, eliminate the WIC program, which would put millions of women with children at risk and eliminate SSI, which would put millions of seniors and disabled Americans in danger of losing the assistance they need to buy food or pay for shelter.
Ryan’s budget plan does not address the excesses of government pensions, only working class pensions or as Toomey and Shuster call working class pensions – entitlements.
U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., and U.S. Rep. Bill Shuster, R-Hollidaysburg, voted for and have supported this attack on the middle class, the working poor, our disabled, our veterans, coal miners and their widows and women in general. Middle-class Americans have paid into Social Security, Medicare, miner benefits, railroad retirement and military pension plans through their hard labor, productivity and patriotism.
Toomey and Shuster regard these life saving, paid-for programs as entitlements also known as welfare, and those receiving benefits are thieves looking for a handout. Americans needing assistance in the form of a miner pension, Social Security, Medicare, WIC or disability are viewed as frauds, drug addicts and criminals who deserve nothing but our hatred and scorn. We are told only a few actually need help. The rest are just lazy freeloaders.
As the greed of international corporations, with the help of a Republican-controlled Senate and Congress, suck the life blood from America, more and more Americans are driven into poverty. Unions are busted, wages are lowered, benefits are cut and job security becomes non-existent. The insurance industry and energy corporations raise rates; middle class America pays or gets thrown under the bus, run over and left in the dirt. Every day, more seniors and middle-class Americans face the ugly reality of poverty.
Thank God, and I do believe God is the reason, we have a Democrat in the White House, along with Democrats in the U.S. Congress and U.S. Senate, who are working to protect American workers from the all-right tea party corporate greed agenda. Corporate greed does not stop in Washington, D.C. It has bought and paid for state legislators across the country.
Look up PA SB76 and HB76 supported by state Sen. Pat Stefano, R-Bullskin Township, and state Rep. Ryan Warner, R-Perryopolis. These corporate vampire bills, SB76 and HB76, did not go away when last year’s budget was passed. They were placed on hold waiting the outcome of this year’s election.
These vampire bills eliminate school property tax and state sales tax on business, leaving the middle class and working poor in Pennsylvania to pay the state bills through a higher wage tax from 3.07 percent to 4.95 percent and a higher sales tax from 6 percent to 7 percent.
Go online, look it up for yourself. See what your local state representatives want to do to you. HB76 and SB76 are not just being pushed here in Pennsylvania; similar bills are being pushed in every state. They are vampire bills which are driving more Americans into a life of poverty.
Social Security, Medicare, the ACA, the WIC program, VA benefits, miner’s pensions, railroad retirement and labor unions are not a threat to America.
Poverty is the greatest threat to our democracy, devouring our middle class. Poverty breeds crime, hate, fear, intolerance, violence, homelessness, single-parent homes and a host of mental health issues. Americans need a living wage for their labor, not welfare. Contrary to what Republicans want us to think, no one has ever grown up wanting to live in poverty or have their children live in poverty.
It is time for big banks, corporations, resort owners, real estate developers, big box stores, slumlords and energy companies to pay their fair share. Toomey has stated that he does not believe corporations should pay any taxes, and Social Security should be privatized.
This year, if you vote for Trump, Toomey, Shuster, Art Halverson, Warner and Matt Dowling, you will be the one allowing the top 2 percent that owns 90 percent of the wealth to skip out on paying their fair share. It’s not like their share is being given to their workers in the form of a living wage. That has not happened since Jimmy Carter was president.
If you vote to allow the tea party corporate agenda to succeed, you will be the one throwing your children and grandchildren into poverty. You will be the one聽 who says corporate greed is better than a prosperous middle class. You will be the one denying that veteran a prosthetic limb, you will be the one denying that senior medical care and housing, and you will be the one telling that young mother that her children should go hungry.
We do not need politicians who work for the top 2 percent. We need politicians who work for Americans. Go out today and register to vote. Urge your family, friends and neighbors to vote. You must protect your loved ones. Vote for a strong middle class or vote for poverty. The choice is yours.
There is one Democrat running for Congress, Adam Sedlock, a well-educated, conservative Democrat will need your write-in vote. Write in Adam Sedlock for Congress and say no to the corporate agenda.
Susan Porterfield is a resident of Uniontown.