Instead of taxing corporations and the rich more to pay for their proposed “bipartisan” infrastructure plan, they are instead choosing to increase the financial burden on working-class Americans by raising gas taxes implementing an electric vehicle mileage tax, and privatizing public assets. Not to mention that by leaving climate change out of the infrastructure plan, they are essentially wasting taxpayer money because the increasing natural disasters influenced by climate change will cause untold amounts of damage to our infrastructure, especially if it’s not made to be resilient to these types of disasters. 

On top of this action from our U.S. senators, our Republican state legislators’ new budget proposal also cuts taxes for corporations and only gives teachers a raise of 1.5 percent per year.

Why is the Republican Party so averse to taxing the people who can afford it the most? Is it because they’re getting kickbacks from them? Or are they just hoping that they’ll be able to pass these types of bills under peoples’ noses and when people start having to pay higher prices for things and state employees continue to receive measly pay increases, they’ll just blame Biden (which would help the Republicans)? I wouldn’t be surprised if either were true. 

Whatever the case, when we look at rising income inequality in this country and the constant rise in the cost of living for ordinary Americans, the real blame lies with our Republican legislators and the corporations and wealthy 1 percent they strive to serve.

Rachel Smith

Whittier