A New Deal Winter & Christmas: Mr. Potter's Republican Party - "They're not my children"

Above: Mr. Potter, the miserly and grumpy businessman from the Christmas classic, "It's a Wonderful Life." Image used here for educational, non-commercial purposes.

President Trump and Congressional Republicans recently passed long-term tax-cuts-for-the-rich, thereby fattening the wallets of their super-wealthy donors as well as their own. For the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), however, only short-term and inadequate funding could be agreed to. Millions of parents across the country have been worrying, for months, about whether their children would continue to receive good healthcare. Now they are granted a few months reprieve until their next bout of anxiety and stress. 

The Republican Party's attitude toward CHIP, as well as their attitude toward every other program that helps underprivileged children (for example, food stamps, drinking water infrastructure improvements, and debt-relief for their parents) is reminiscent of a scene from "It's a Wonderful Life," where a loan officer is pleading with the greedy & selfish Mr. Potter to allow debtors to have more time to pay their bills:

"Times are bad Mr. Potter. A lot of these people are out of work."

"Well then, foreclose."

"I can't do that. These families have children."

"They're not my children." 

To be fair, Republicans are a little kinder then Mr. Potter. Because Republicans not only love their own children, but they also love the children of their millionaire & billionaire donors. In fact, they just gave those children a large estate tax cut, thereby fortifying their privileged status in America's caste system.

Think about it: For rich children, who need no help, and often brag about their idle & luxurious lives, Republicans enacted a large and permanent estate tax cut. For poor children, who do need some help, Republicans reluctantly agreed to a small and temporary funding band-aid for their healthcare.

Mr. Potter would be impressed.