GOP POLITICIAN IMPROPERLY USES AN ARTIST’S MATERIAL

John Lennon would never agree to a politician using his song as Ted Cruz has done.

As with most outrageous claims being made by the Republicans, they never seem to come up with a responsible replacement for those programs or positions that they want destroyed or repealed.  This last week, as Ted Cruz was making his announcement for becoming the next US president, he had the gall to use the concepts in the great song, “Imagine” by John Lennon.  He attempted to turn Lennon's ideas into a ridiculous list of items that he would rid America of, apparently on his first day in office as president.

Now, a few things he did want to support were in areas that the current president has been working on for the past 6 years.  That being. energy independence, a good education for all American children, securing our borders and support for every America’s right of free-speech under the Constitution’s First Amendment.

These are all great things to offer up in an “I’m running for President” speech.  But, then there were those areas that the Senator referenced under Lennon’s “Imagine” concept, that would probably have Lennon  turning over in his grave, if he knew the senator was using his song as a campaign tool.

Well, of course, Senator Cruz started by wanting us to “Imagine” “Repealing every word of the “Affordable Care Act known as Obamacare”.  But, don’t you think it’s ironic that within 48 hours of the Senator’s announcement speech at Liberty University, the Senator stated that he will be signing his family up, through the Senate’s government insurance exchange, for guess what?  Yep, he’s signing up for his family to receive “Obamacare”.  Cruz is hypocrisy at its finest!

Oh, he still wants to repeal every word of the act, but while he’s pursuing the nomination to run for president, he will take advantage of having himself and his family receive all the benefits of Obamacare.

Let’s also not forget that as with all the other Republicans, if repealed, Senator Cruz also has no alternative for the millions of Americans that now have affordable healthcare for the very first time in their lives.

But let’s not stop there.

In his “Imagine” speech, he also want the get rid of the I.R.S..  Now, everybody probably dislikes this organization.  But again as usual, there is no concept of his replacing this important tax revenue agency except that the Senator wants all Americans to pay a “Flat Tax”.  This he says would be done by every American filling out their annual tax form on a post card.  Now there’s an “Imagine” item for you to visualize.

“Imagine” how it would work for all the major US corporations to file their flat tax form for all their billions in revenue by using a post card?  No, there would be no itemized deductions, no exceptions, but yes, he really is wanting everyone, regardless of their income, to pay the same flat tax percentage.  Now that’s really bizarre and it’s been shown many times why a “flat-tax” is not a workable solution.

Cruz is also wanting us to “Imagine” him getting rid of a woman’s right to choose regarding issues with her own body.  Yep, these are not decisions to be made between the woman, her family and/or her doctor.  He wants the government to tell American women that it’s the government’s job to make the decisions about her personal choices.  Yes, just “Imagine” that!  Getting rid of all those government organizations, but the government would be allowed to get between the woman, her family and her doctor.

Then Cruz gets very confusing as he talks about allowing legal immigrants into the country, which he says he’s all for.  But this Texas senator is totally against dealing with the ones that are already here.  He has no desire to do anything that would allow current undocumented immigrants an avenue for becoming a legal, tax paying American.  But he also doesn’t say he wants to deport the 13 million undocumented immigrants.  He just doesn’t say anything….? 

Cruz also says he totally approves of Americans having all the guns they want, including assault rifles and as much ammo as they desire.  Apparently that also included you having your own bazooka, grenade or mortar launcher or even your own personal M1 tank.

He says he supports the current Prime Minister of Israel, and would never let Iran have a nuclear device.  But of course, he doesn’t state how he would prevent Iran from making that happen.  I guess we are just supposed to take his word for it.

He’s against LGBT’s rights and same sex marriage and is only for traditional marriage.  He has hinted that he would probably want to resurrect the Defense of Marriage Act and would entertain a constitutional amendment against same-sex marriage.

But let’s get back to his issues against the I.R.S., which based on his recent statements, the senator might make ending the I.R.S. the centerpiece of his presidential campaign..

Cruz rightfully states that we “have more words in the IRS code than there are in the Bible,” and the code is getting only more complicated.  He’s correct that there have been approximately 4,100 changes to the tax code since 2004, an average of more than one change per day.

But crazy Cruz hasn’t done his homework as he is blaming the wrong group.

 

It’s Cruz’ own Congress that writes the Internal Revenue Code, and for years they have cluttered it with loopholes, preferences, deductions and complicated categories for what counts as income and what doesn’t. The I.R.S. is only tasked with implementing, interpreting and enforcing these Congressional laws.  The I.R.S. for years has asked for simplifying the tax code for their own purely selfish reasons.  That being that having greater simplicity makes the I.R.S. agents’ job that much easier.

After the Liberty U. speech, one Washington Post opinion writer wrote, “…his [Cruz] I.R.S. proposal is a bit like a supermarket deciding that its sales couponing system is too complicated, so it should get rid of its cashiers. The cashiers don’t set pricing strategy; they just check to make sure people are paying the right amount.”  That’s what the I.R.S. does.

So, Ted Cruz continues to use the Lennon “Imagine” concept to describe his approach for running for the office of the Commander-in-Chief of the greatest nation on earth.  I guess, if it was anyone but, “that wack-o-bird from Texas”, as the Republican Senator from Arizona, John McCain referred to Ted Cruz, perhaps then, it would be an honor to John Lennon’s memory for his excellent song writing.

But in this case, it’s only sad that this real Texas “wack-o-bird” has taken a real artist’s work and is using it to sell his dishonesty in running for America’s top political office.

Cruz has just shown that politicians like Cruz, are not capable of having shame.

Copyright G.Ater  2015