A southeast Missourian isn’t able to take-out never ending loans, a member of our community who lives on modest means doesn’t have the ability to give away millions of dollars. Over the next decade the Tax Bill currently being considered by our elected officials will increase the national deficit by 1.5 trillion dollars. This is an astonishing amount. However, to Washington insiders and wealthy politicians, it is simply the cost of giving friends and donors tax breaks. The Cape Girardeau Democratic Party stands for the sensible use of taxpayer dollars, not giveaways to billionaire and GOP elites.

One of the most despicable changes to the tax code being considered is the elimination of the Teacher Spending tax deduction, which allows teachers, who buy school supplies with their own income, to deduct up to $250 per year from their taxes. In a world where a rural teacher making $32,000 per-year has a $4000 insurance deductible, how does this make sense? Republicans in Washington are out of touch with southeast Missouri and rural America.

Besides robbing educators, children happen to be collateral damage as well. As trickle-down economics fail, again, the price of college will continue to rise. The elimination of STEM graduate student tuition waivers will immediately double the cost of STEM education limiting graduate STEM education to the wealthiest Americans. The effects could stifle innovation, the driving force of economic growth inside and outside of Missouri.

Why do we stand-by while Congress and the President misuse the money we all pay in taxes? It’s because we have representatives who are rubber-stamping an agenda that has been created by billionaires. We need to elect leaders who will stand-up for the regular Missourians, not wealthy elites.