By Bill Maher

Republicans blow up the deficit, Democrats clean it up, Republicans blow up the deficit, Democrats…



In Trump’s first year in charge of the federal budget, he’s on course to borrow nearly $1 trillion dollars, almost double from the $519 billion we borrowed in 2017. Why? Because of the “fiscal outlook.” “But the economy is roaring!” you say. Yes, perhaps, but we’re going to bring in a lot less tax money because of Trump’s new tax law.



We’ve seen this movie before. Republicans are going to juice the economy, and then it’s going to crash. It’s economic opiate addiction. A quick injection, which provides a rush, followed by reality setting in, followed by a crash. This has been the pattern for the last 40 years. Mark my words, this isn’t going to be any different. Then we’ll elect a Democrat, who’ll tighten the belt, and go on a diet, and then a Republican will take over and snap the nation’s lap-band. Rinse, lather, repeat.



Paul Ryan tweeted (and quickly deleted) the great news that one lucky American was going to find an extra $1.50 in her pay envelope thanks to tax reform*. I know what you’re thinking: “A buck fifty! It’s like I’ve died and gone to Mar-a-Lago!”



Republicans talk as if this new tax law is an unmitigated success. Well, if that’s the case, why not cut taxes more? Let’s cut them by a third! Hell, let’s cut them in half! Hmm. Why is it that we don’t do that? What is the other point of taxes, other than using them to supercharge growth?



I know we don’t talk about the debt when our team has the ball, but someone’s going to have to pay it back someday. And servicing it really does affect how much money you have to spend on other good things like war. Someone has to pay to fly Melania to Florida now that she and the president are taking separate planes. If it’s not Microsoft, Chase and Shell – and Regular Joes are farting through silk with their extra $1.50 a week – I guess we’re putting it on the card.



In March, 2016, Trump told Bob Woodward “We’ve got to get rid of the $19 trillion in debt,” and said he could do it “over a period of eight years.” A word Trump didn’t use in his four-hour State of the Union? Debt.

* Offer not good in California and New York.

