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Donald Trump accidentally revealed the true motive behind his tariffs in a recent social media post: “Anybody that loves and believes in the United States of America is in favor of Tariffs. They should have never ended, in favor of the Income Tax System, in 1913.”
Republicans have long been pushing for a national sales tax to replace the income tax. Since American importers pay the tariffs, and they won’t just eat that expense, it could bankrupt them, the tariffs will be tacked onto the price of the imported goods.
The world is a different place now than before World War I. There are many examples of why the U.S. government has changed so much since then. All of the changes are examples of how the government was changed to carry out the mission statement of the Constitution — to serve the needs of the people. The common good, domestic tranquility, and the common defense are the primary mission of our government.
The public health system was nonexistent, communicable diseases were rampant as was malnutrition, and food inspection was nonexistent. Many men had to be turned away from the military because they were not healthy enough due to childhood malnutrition and disease.
The public education system was designed for most children to end their education before high school because employers didn’t need people who were literate. When they increased the military force for World War I, they had to teach a large proportion how to read at a basic level.
The U.S. had a very small permanent military, preferring to simply scale up personnel and equipment as needed.
Make America Gilded Again! The age of the robber baron is back. Project 2025 is proceeding as planned. Tell us again how Trump doesn’t mean what he says, that he’s just using hyperbole to get attention.
Donna Twombly
Bangor
