One of the most powerful Republican senators in the nation, Rick Scott of Florida, is pushing what amounts to a sweeping government overhaul manifesto that, if passed, would raise taxes on working Americans by $1 trillion and potentially wipe out Social Security, Medicare and even veterans' benefits.
It could well be an indicator of what the GOP has in mind should they regain control of Congress and the Presidency.
Listen to the article with added commentary and Scott audio:
Scott is chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), which raises money and provides campaign support for GOP senatorial candidates and thus has great influence within the GOP, including strong support by twice impeached former president Donald Trump.
While Scott's plan was immediately denounced by Sen. Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Democrats in Congress and the White House, it should not be ignored as it can be expected to emerge in some form if Republicans return to power. His 11-point Plan to Rescue America is a roadmap for embedding Christianity and conservative ideology into official government policy for decades to come.
The plan includes the statement that "All Americans should pay some income tax to have skin in the game, even if a small amount. Currently over half of Americans pay no income tax."
On its surface, that sounds like a great idea, except that The Tax Policy Center (TPC) estimates that Scott’s plan could increase federal income taxes by more than $100 billion in 2022 alone. More than 80 percent of that would be paid by households making about $54,000 or less, and 97 percent would be paid by those making less than about $100,000.
The Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy estimates that Scott's plan would increase taxes by more than $1,000 on average for the poorest 40 percent of Americans. The share of households facing tax increases would vary across states, from a low of about 24 percent in Washington State to a high of about 50 percent in Mississippi. Generally, the states with the lowest per capita income would see the highest increases in taxes.
The TPC explained that a minimum income tax for all households would effectively eliminate the refundable portion of tax credits such as the Child Tax Credit and the Earned income Tax Credit. It would reduce the value of the standard deduction for millions of low- and middle-income households. Increasing that deduction was a key element of the GOP’s 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), which otherwise favored the rich.
TPC estimates that the lowest-income households—those making less than about $27,000 annually—would pay an average of nearly $1,000 more in taxes in 2022, reducing their after-tax incomes by nearly 6 percent. Low-income families with children would pay the most, with after-tax incomes slashed by more than $5,000, or more than 20 percent.
A Scott-like plan would raise taxes on middle-income households by an average of $450, TPC said. Under Scott's plan, IRS funding and the agency's workforce would be cut by 50 percent, an idea that seemingly would open the door to billions in revenue being lost because of the lack of enforcement.
Meanwhile, all federal legislation would sunset in five years, and to be continued would need to be reauthorized by Congress. That could jeopardize virtually every program from Social Security, to Medicare, Medicaid, military retirement, unemployment compensation, student loans, deposit insurance and more. It also would require U.S. businesses to shut down $600 billion a year in foreign trade and abandon billions in overseas investments.
Here are thumbnails in Scott's words with links to all 11 key points of his plan:
"We will inspire patriotism and stop teaching the revisionist history of the radical left; our kids will learn about the wisdom of the US Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the founding fathers. Public schools will focus on the 3 R’s, not indoctrinate children with critical race theory or any other political ideology."
"We are going to eliminate racial politics in America. No government policy will be based on race. People “will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” We are all made in the image of God; to judge a person on the color of their epidermis is immoral."
"We will enforce our laws, all of them, and increase penalties for theft and violent crime.
We will clean up our cities and stop pretending that crime is OK. We have zero-tolerance for “mostly peaceful protests” that attack police officers, loot businesses, and burn down our cities."
"Nations have borders. We should give that a try. President Trump’s plan to build a wall was right. We welcome those who want to join us in building the American dream, immigrants who want to be Americans, not change America. We are a stronger nation because we are a nation of immigrants; but immigration without assimilation makes us weaker. Politicians from both parties talk big about border security and do nothing. We are done with that."
"Socialism is un-American and always leads to poverty and oppression. We will stop it. We will shrink the federal government, reduce the government work force by 25% in 5 years, sell government buildings and assets, and get rid of the old, slow, closed, top-down, government-run-everything system we have today."
"Many government agencies should be either moved out of Washington or shuttered entirely. Yesterday’s old government is fundamentally incompatible with the digital era. The permanent ruling class in Washington is bankrupting us with inflation and debt, so they must be removed. For you to have more, Washington must have less."
"Today’s Democrat Party is trying to rig elections and pack the courts because they have given up on Democracy. They don’t believe they can win based on their ideas, so they want to game the system and legalize voter fraud to stay in power. In true Orwellian fashion, Democrats refer to their election rigging plans as “voting rights”. We won’t allow the radical left to destroy our democracy by institutionalizing dishonesty and fraud."
"The nuclear family is crucial to civilization, it is God’s design for humanity,
and it must be protected and celebrated. To say otherwise is to deny science. The fanatical left seeks to devalue and redefine the traditional family, as they undermine parents and attempt to replace them with government programs. We will not allow Socialism to place the needs of the state ahead of the family."
"Men and women are biologically different, “male and female He created them.” Modern technology has confirmed that abortion takes a human life. Facts are facts, the earth is round, the sun is hot, there are two genders, and abortion stops a beating heart. To say otherwise is to deny science."
"The Democrat Party and their Big Tech allies are not merely secular; they have virtually created a new religion of wokeness that is increasingly hostile toward people of faith, particularly Christians and Jews. They are determined to drive all mention of God out of public view. We will not be silenced, canceled, or told what words to use by the politically correct crowd."
"America will be dependent on NO other country. We will conduct no trade that takes away jobs or displaces American workers. Countries who oppose us at the UN will get zero financial help from us. We will be energy-independent and build supply chains that never rely on our adversaries. We will only help countries that are willing to defend themselves, like Israel."
So, although the current Senate Republican leader, McConnell, opposes Scott's draconian manifesto, there has been little outcry from other leading GOP big wigs. It should be assumed that Scott's plan would be a guidepost for what could be in store for America should the Republican Party gain control of Congress in 2023 and the Presidency in 2024.
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