Bill Moyers: Tax Cut Rewards

Bill Moyers Money Quote saying the wealthy benefit the most from tax policy as if trickle-up were the policy. Bill Moyers said:
 

 

“All the benefits – the tax cuts, policies and rewards flow in one direction: up” — Bill Moyers

In this quote, Bill Moyers seems to be criticizing the unequal distribution of economic benefits from certain policies. By stating that “all the benefits – the tax cuts, policies and rewards flow in one direction: up”, Moyers implies these measures disproportionately advantage wealthy individuals and corporations rather than average citizens.

The quote conveys Moyers’ perspective that such initiatives primarily channel gains upwards towards those at the top of the economic hierarchy rather than more broadly sharing prosperity throughout society.

Overall, he appears to be arguing the effects of these policies exacerbate inequalities by disproportionately benefiting elites rather than helping all socioeconomic classes participate fairly in the nation’s economic success.

Paul Krugman: Massacre Tax Cuts

Paul Krugman Money Quote saying Republican lawmakers have so wanted tax cuts that they allowed death and destruction to come along with them. Paul Krugman said:
 

 

“The Republican Party decided that a few massacres were an acceptable price to pay in return for tax cuts. I wish that were hyperbole, but the continuing refusal of G.O.P. Figures to criticize Trump even after El Paso shows that it’s the literal truth” — Paul Krugman

In this quote, Paul Krugman is criticizing the Republican Party’s unwillingness to condemn President Trump’s rhetoric even after the El Paso mass shooting in 2019 that targeted the Hispanic community. Krugman argues that the Republican Party has essentially decided that mass shootings and violence against minority groups are an “acceptable price to pay” in order to continue pursuing tax cuts and other policies favored by Trump and his supporters.

By refusing to criticize Trump after El Paso, Krugman believes the Republican Party is literally demonstrating that they prioritize their political and policy agenda over preventing violence against communities. Overall, Krugman is accusing the GOP of being complicit in violence by not standing up to Trump due to their desire to maintain power and pass certain legislation.

Barack Obama: Republican Trillion Taxcut

Barack Obama Money Quote saying even when Republicans control congress and the white house, they fiscal responsibility they propound and added 1 Trillion dolllars to the deficit with tax cuts for the wealthy. Barack Obama said:
 

 

“With Republicans in control of Congress and the White House, without any checks or balances whatsoever, they’ve provided another $ trillion in tax cuts to people like me who, I promise, don’t need it, and don’t even pretend to pay for them” — Barack Obama

In this quote, Barack Obama seems to be criticizing the Republican tax cuts passed in late 2017. Some key points:

• He notes that with unified Republican control of Congress and the presidency, they faced no constraints or oversight on their agenda.
• Obama specifically calls out the $1 trillion+ tax cuts, suggesting the magnitude was excessive and unnecessary.
• He implies the cuts primarily benefited wealthy individuals like himself who were already very well off financially and did not truly “need” more tax breaks.
• Obama also argues the tax cuts were not offset or paid for, meaning they significantly increased budget deficits rather than being fiscally responsible.

Overall, the quote conveys Obama’s view that the Republican tax legislation represented an irresponsible use of unconstrained power to bestow massive, unfunded tax breaks that mainly benefited the affluent rather than spurring real economic growth or aiding those who would benefit most. For Obama, it reflected partisan overreach at the expense of fiscal prudence and middle/working class priorities.

Jack Lew on Tax Cuts for Wealthy

U.S. Treasury Secretary Jack Lew Money Quotation saying that we tested tax cuts for wealthy and it hurt (or at least failed to help) the economy. Jack Lew said:

“We’re not doing things that we haven’t tested. We’ve had an experiment in this country. We had big tax cuts for very wealthy people and the economy did not do very well afterwards” — Jack Lew

In this quote, former Obama administration official Jack Lew is making a point about tax policy based on historical evidence. His view seems to be that large tax cuts heavily skewed towards very high income individuals, as enacted under previous administrations, failed to significantly boost broader economic growth when tested in practice.

Lew appears to be referring to tax changes in the early 2000s that disproportionately benefited the wealthy yet were followed by issues like rising inequality and the 2008 recession. His implication is that more balanced tax policies that do not overly favor the richest may have stronger, more sustainable impacts.

The quote conveys Lew’s perspective that past “experiments” provide lessons, and proposed changes should be informed by real-world results rather than theory alone in order to avoid replicating counterproductive approaches.

John Cole, The Scranton Times-Tribune