The last big bill passed by Congress, and signed by the president was the "big beautiful bill". That bill made permanent the tax cuts passed in the last Trump term, most of which went to the rich and ultra-rich. It also cuts millions from the SNAP (food stamp) program and will result in millions more losing their health insurance (from both Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act).
The rich didn't need those tax cuts. Thanks to the economy tilted in their favor, they are making more money than ever. But the poor needed those food benefits. And the poor, working class, and many in the middle class needed that health care. Because of the cuts, many will now struggle to feed themselves (and their children), and many will not receive the preventative care they need to save their lives.
How could such a thing happen in a democracy? How can a supposedly representative government give more to the rich while taking desperately needed help from millions?
This excerpt from a 2024 article in The Washington Post by Dustin Guastella can give you a clue:
The United States has long been governed by millionaires. In 2020, more than half of all members of Congress were millionaires, including nearly two-thirds of senators. It’s also true for more than 80 percent of those who have served as president, after adjusting for inflation.
If members of the working class were proportionally represented in Congress, they would make up 60 to 70 percent of lawmakers, instead of the 2 percent to 5 percent that have historically won seats.
Our government is in the hands of the rich. While this has been true historically, it has gotten much worse. Thanks to the Citizens United Supreme Court decision, the rich can flood campaigns with big dollars - supporting other rich people running for office, and making candidates not rich beholding to them.
The result is an oligarchy. We are being ruled by the rich. And those rich make sure the laws being passed benefit them, regardless of what those laws might do to everyone else.
This is not going to change until we restore our democracy by getting more working classes and middle class people in Congress.
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