Taking From the Poor to Give to the Rich Is Still Wrong—No Matter Who Tries It

I didn’t need a Congressional Budget Office (CBO) report to tell me what my gut and my lived experience already knew: policies that look good on paper often leave the most vulnerable among us struggling even more—and the rich walking away with more in their pockets.

This past Monday, the CBO dropped another report shining a light on Trump’s proposed bill and economic agenda, and, unsurprisingly, it reinforced something we already feared: wealth would be redirected from the bottom up. In plain speak, the plan would gut crucial safety nets and push tax breaks and benefits up the ladder. It’s the same old game played on a new board. But the rules haven’t changed. The working folks lose, and the elite win again.

We’ve Seen This Before

I’m a veteran, and I’ve lived through a lot of promises. Promises to take care of our communities. Promises to fix broken systems. Promises to protect the most vulnerable. But too often, those words have no follow-through. And let’s be honest—redistributing wealth *from* the poor *to* the rich has always been a quiet engine behind economic policies dressed up as “growth” strategies.

What Trump’s proposal is doing—slashing Medicaid, reducing subsidies for low-income families, while handing big tax cuts to corporations and the wealthiest citizens—is a return to what history shows us never works. It exacerbates income inequality, erodes the middle class, and pushes millions closer to the edge.

It’s a Moral Issue, Not Just an Economic One

This isn’t just numbers and policy paperwork. This is about moral choices. Are we okay with a country where a child’s access to healthcare depends on their zip code? Where a veteran can’t get decent mental health care, but billionaires get more tax cuts? Where seniors on fixed incomes can’t afford their prescriptions, while CEOs collect million-dollar bonuses?

I’m not okay with that. And I never will be.

Taking from the poor to give to the rich is wrong. It was wrong when Reaganomics trickled down and nothing trickled. It was wrong when job cuts came while executive pay rose in the early 2000s. And it’s wrong now—no matter how you dress it up.

Who’s Left Holding the Bag?

Let me put a face on this. In my community, I see folks every day trying to stay afloat. Parents working two or three jobs and still needing public assistance. Seniors debating between paying for food or medication. Veterans waiting months for appointments at the VA. And guess what? These aren’t lazy people. These are good, hardworking folks trying their best. So when a plan slashes support systems, it’s not theoretical—it’s real pain, real lives.

We Deserve Policy Built on Dignity

Good governance should lift communities, not squeeze them dry. True leadership listens to the people on the ground. It walks the streets, visits the crowded clinics, hears the stories of single mothers and disabled veterans. And it acts with compassion.

But there’s a disturbing trend in politics—where “efficiency” now means cutting programs that literally keep people alive, while greed is rewarded and called “business savvy.” When the rich get richer off the backs of the poor, there is no pride to be found in that.

We Can—and Must—Do Better

We can’t shrug this off like just another political cycle or say “that’s just how it is.” That kind of apathy is what allows injustice to fester. If policies don’t reflect justice, fairness, and care for our most vulnerable citizens, then what are we even doing?

We need to raise our voices, push back, and demand legislation that prioritizes people over profits, need over greed, and justice over convenience. Call your representatives. Speak at community meetings. Vote like your life—or someone else’s—depends on it. Because it just might.

This Isn’t About Party—It’s About People

Some may want to make this a partisan debate, but for me, this is human. I’ve served this country. I’ve struggled within it. I’ve watched neighbors get evicted, families lose loved ones due to lack of healthcare, and the working poor get demonized while the wealthy get celebrated. It doesn’t matter who’s in office—taking from those with the least to enrich those with the most is always wrong.

Final Thoughts

Policy should be a reflection of who we are as a people. Who we choose to protect says everything about our values. I believe in community. I believe in shared responsibility. I believe that if we fight for fairness—loudly, consistently, and together—we can build a country that lifts all of us, not just a select few