The Endless Hypocrisy of the "How Are We Going to Pay For That?" Talking Point.
In the richest country on the planet, its time for the right wing and centrist democrats to put an end to that rhetoric.
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Over the past few years in particular, there's no denying that the political apparatus here in the United States has shifted significantly on both the left and the right. While the right wing inches closer and closer to fascism, the left wing has become considerably divided in their approaches to dealing with the issues that face everyday Americans. While the leftist coalition of the Democratic Party has begun fighting for things like Medicare for All, free public college, and a Green New Deal, the centrists have predictably moved in the direction of what the Republican Party once was about twenty years ago.
The divide in the Democratic Party has certainly been most on display on the national debate stages during this primary season, with some candidates such as Joe Biden and Pete Buttigieg spouting a number right wing talking points in response to leftist goals and ideas. Of all the talking points hurled at leftist policies, the most infuriating is undoubtedly "how are we going to pay for that?"
How are we going to pay for that?
Just recently, the Democratic House of Representatives appropriated an additional $120 billion dollars to the military budget, bringing the defense budget to over $738 billion dollars. A total, it should be noted, that was more than President Trump even asked for. Not one centrist Democrat or Republican asked if we had the money for that. Meanwhile, the newly enlisted soldiers that our politicians claim to care about and revere don't even make twenty thousand dollars a year.
The issue is not about having the money. It is an irrefutable fact that this nation can afford programs like Universal Healthcare and free public college. If all of Europe and every other developed nation on earth can afford those things for their people, then the richest country on earth is absolutely able to. The issue is about where the money actually is, and where it's being spent already.
No one asks how we can afford for companies like Amazon, Netflix, and Delta to go without paying their taxes. No one asks how we can afford to slash the tax rate of the richest people in the nation while at the same time having the nerve to argue that we have no choice but to cut social security and Medicare, programs that every American pays in to their entire working life. No one asks how we're going to pay for a senseless, nearly twenty year long war in the Middle East that has cost not only trillions if dollars, but hundreds of thousands if not millions of lives. No one asks how we can afford to give our oil companies responsible for the destruction of our climate yet another tax payer funded government subsidy. No one ever asks how we can afford to subsidize the research for multi-million dollar pharmaceutical companies with tax payer dollars, only to have them turn around and price gouge the American people who paid for the development of their drugs in the first place.
The brazen hypocrisy of our government officials might actually be laughable if it wasn't costing lives.
At the end of the day, as with so many other issues in the political discourse when it comes to new ideas and legislation, everything comes down to framing. With the help of the media and other powers that be, there's no demying that up until recently, the right wing and centrist democrats have won in that regard. Far too many of our politicians use "how are we going to pay for that?" as a way of cautioning the American people against supporting policies and spending decisions that would actually be in our best interest, and that's not something we should be forced to accept. It's time to elect politicians with the courage to turn that narrative on its head, and rather than asking how we're going to pay for things like Medicare for All, they'll show the American people that we can't afford not to.
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