A recent AP story<\/a> about how people are starting to see a bit more money in their paychecks reveals the scam at the heart of the GOP tax overhaul. One woman notes that she is now earning an extra $1.50 per pay period. I assumed that must be a typo, until the article explained that this amounted to $78 more per year.\u00a0 A man whose paycheck boost covers two-thirds of his increased healthcare cost enthuses,\u00a0\u201cI have heard time and again that the middle class is getting crumbs, but I\u2019ll take it!\u201d<\/p>\n Actually, the middle class is getting screwed.<\/p>\n Unstated in the article, or in the massive GOP snow job touting<\/a> this “reform,” is that the wealthiest individuals and corporations will pocket the lion\u2019s share\u2014not just in dollars, but in percentages. According to NPR and the Tax Policy Center<\/a>, households making $1 million or more per year will get an average tax cut of $69, 660, or a 3.3 percent increase in income. Those making under $100,000 will average a tax cut of just under $1,000, a paltry 0.1-1.8 percent increase. The trivial amounts with which the Republicans are attempting to buy off ordinary Americans end in a few years, whereas slashed corporate tax rates on wealthy companies are permanent. There\u2019s also no mention that tax cuts for the super-rich are funded by targeting blue states, healthcare, and many other programs Americans depend on. These include Social Security and Medicare, which House Speaker Paul Ryan has already vowed<\/a> to go after next. His rationale? To curb the deficit, which he and his cronies have just enthusiastically exploded by massively cutting taxes for millionaires and billionaires.<\/p>\n Speaking of Paul Ryan, he evidently saw the same AP story I did. He didn\u2019t think $1.50 was a typo, though, or cause for horror. Instead, he saw it as something to celebrate, tweeting about it as a success story. Ryan deleted the tweet<\/a> after being roundly attacked for it.<\/p>\n He may try to cover his tracks, but Republicans can\u2019t erase the truth. Their motto is, \u201cLet them eat crumbs.\u201d<\/p>\n We shouldn\u2019t swallow it.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A recent AP story about how people are starting to see a bit more money in their paychecks reveals the scam at the heart of the GOP tax overhaul. One woman notes that she is now earning an extra $1.50 … Continue reading