Promised squeals were delivered by lawmakers

Did you hear the squeal? I did. Like little piggies at supper time, the corporations and rich were slopped. Republican senators and representatives fed them prime tax dollars, while working and middle class folks looked on.

There are winners and losers in a zero sum game. You don't need to be a mathematician or rocket scientist to understand that if the wealthiest individuals get a tax break, someone else is going to pay for it - if you are not rich, you are going to pay more.

The final Republican tax plan has been passed. Here are some low points:

1. It is more skewed toward the rich than were previous bills. (Almost half of the tax cuts in 2021 will go to the richest 2.5 percent of Iowans - those making over $250,000 a year.)

2. It is expensive and will force cuts in education, public safety and other services.

3. It is more likely to hurt the Iowa economy than help it.

And our own buttercup Bobby Kaufman is in there, slopping the hogs with the rest of them.

Joel E. Wells

Iowa City