Conservative or moderate Democrats now join Republicans and the media to discredit Democratic reform candidates.
This unholy coalition seeks to prohibit any consideration of how our nation finances its fundamental needs, including health care, education, public facilities, the environment and national security.
These conservative Democrats now accept Republican propaganda that we cannot afford these fundamental needs, except possibly national security.
They regard government as already too big, taxes too high and regulations too burdensome.
None of this is true.
Yet the media never questions it.
In fact the U.S. government size and tax revenues as a percent of GDP are 30th lowest among the 35 most industrialized nations of the world.
Regulation is woefully inadequate as demonstrated by recent financial, pharmaceutical, commercial aircraft, gun control and other regulatory debacles.
Further, this is a clear indication that U.S. wealth and tax policies are depriving the nation of the revenues required to meet its essential responsibilities.
The media issues grossly one-sided reports on Democratic reform candidates’ proposals to help meet the nation’s financial needs.
Its reports are almost exclusively about alleged exorbitant costs and adverse effects on billionaires.
The media rarely references this conservative coalition’s explicit policy of cutting taxes to reduce revenues, to increase deficits, and to force domestic spending cuts.
It is this looting of public finances that has driven the pressure to slash public spending regardless of need since Reagan.
If the impeachment farce does not get Trump re-elected in 2020, Democratic evasion of the critical issues will.
Malcolm D. McPhee,
Sequim