The past two weeks, the husband has brought home $100/week more in his paycheck than he had been before the tax cut took effect. It's too early to say whether this is due to some glitch in the newly-minted tax tables (for which we will pay dearly next year) or if this will be a permanent, no-corresponding-bite-in-the-ass result of the new tax law.
Should I be happy? Should I grudgingly allow that Trump's and the GOP's crowning glory of legislation... IS going to benefit me, a card-carrying member of the solid middle class, after all?
I'm going to say, "no" to that. More money in my pocket is not the be all and end all. It is not the only meaningful benefit on god's green earth. Because that extra $400/month in OUR pockets--money that we could afford and didn't really miss-- is $400/month NOT going to programs that might benefit those less fortunate, or protect our food, water and land, or beef up our crumbling infrastructure.
Being a member of a society requires collaborative efforts among all members to benefit and advance the society as a whole. Sure...I could take that extra income and go out and buy a boat or an RV or save up for a few months and go on a decent vacation. But I don't need those things as badly as a young woman in the inner city needs a roof over her head, or as much as an unstable Interstate overpass needs replacing, or as much as we all need to be able to depend on not suffering dire health consequences from the food we eat or the water we drink.
So...sure. We have a few more bucks in our pockets. But are we benefitting? I think not.
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