The Trump Sweet Shop and the Harris Candy Store
Both will rot our figurative teeth
Free candy! Free candy! (And after that, how about a generous helping of pie-in-the-sky?)
No taxes on tips. No taxes on Social Security benefits. No taxes on overtime. No cost for in vitro fertilization treatments. A $25,000 credit for first time home buyers. Tax deductions for interest on car loans. Added Medicare coverage for the costs of home caregiving. Expanding the business startup credit from $5,000 to $50,000.
Between them, Trump and Harris are offering all of this – and more.
Neither has much to say about cost. Neither has much to say about how all of these goodies would be paid for.
But hey! No issues! Throw open the doors! Free candy!
The Committee for a Responsible Budget is out with a study gauging the costs of the vague – and I do emphasize vague – policy proposals of candidates Harris and Trump.
“(N)either major candidate running in the 2024 presidential election has put forward a plan to address this rising debt burden. In fact, our comprehensive analysis of the candidates’ tax and spending plans finds that both Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump would likely further increase deficits and debt above levels projected under current law.” (1)
“Under our central estimate, Vice President Harris’s plan would increase the debt by $3.50 trillion through 2035, while President Trump’s plan would increase the debt by $7.50 trillion.” (1)
According to www.USDebtClock.org, our national debt now is approaching $36 trillion. Debt per citizen is over $105,000.00. Debt per taxpayer is over $271,000.00. (2)
Atrocious.
We absolutely must arrest the ballooning deficit. It is utterly irresponsible for politicians and policymakers to offer new programs without being specific about how to pay for them.
Oh! Wait!
I think that Trump and Harris may have left out two ways to cover free candy!
Free dentistry! And free treatment for diabetes!
Footnotes:
(1) https://www.crfb.org/papers/fiscal-impact-harris-and-trump-campaign-plans
(2) https://www.usdebtclock.org/