The Argus Press

Letter to The Argus Press, published May 28, 2005.

You voted for it ….

Supply-side. Top-Down. Reaganomics. Nuances aside, these terms describe current US economic policy. Care for the wealthy, they say, and the wealth will trickle-down. This is the principle that drives the Republican legislative agenda. There’s nothing wrong with it, except that it doesn’t work.

The wealthy have done well under this administration and the Republican controlled Congress: the wealthiest 20% of America?s households have increased their share of total US income to 50%. Nothing has trickled down to the bottom 20%; their share has fallen from 4.2% to 3.5%.

Where does Shiawassee fall in this economic spectrum? Owosso has a $400,000 deficit. Laingsburg and Perry schools, combined, face nearly $2 million in cuts. Corunna can’t even afford a part time police officer.

If you voted Republican, then this is what you voted for. Is this really what you wanted? Our children might graduate from high school never knowing that they have musical talent or love for the stage. Young people who normally gather at Holman Pool will be restless and bored on hot summer days. Maybe they’ll find their way to the empty buildings in Owosso, or to the under-patrolled streets of Corunna. Runoff water will be stagnant in our county drains, because that’s where ignorant people will dump their garbage when Shiawassee can no longer collect hazardous household waste. We had to fight to keep SATA. We had to fight to keep our libraries. Our civilization is falling apart, and it is not because a terrorist crashed a plane into a building. It is because we are waiting for something to trickle down.

Do we place so little value on ourselves that we will continue to wait for leftovers? Strong growth and job creation have only come during times of greater economic equality and fair taxes that provide adequate funding for public services. In other words, during times of progressive, bottom-up economics. Do the research and see for yourselves.

It is time to stop waiting for something that will never come. Shiawassee has great promise. Let’s not settle for scraps.

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