Arkansas Online

We’ll put Arkansans first

TIPPI MCCULLOUGH Tippi McCullough is the Arkansas House Minority Leader.

Arkansans are struggling. Our Republican state government doesn’t get it. They keep talking about tax cuts for the wealthy. But we think it’s time to put regular Arkansans first.

Arkansans want the opportunity to pursue a rewarding career. We want a government that delivers on its core duties in areas like public safety, public health and public infrastructure.

We want excellent schools that will help our kids thrive.

Republicans have completely controlled state government for seven years, and they haven’t gotten the job done. The middle- and working-classes are getting a raw deal of low pay and high costs. Our schools aren’t adequately equipped, despite teachers’ heroic efforts. Our roads and bridges are literally falling apart, and in places in rural Arkansas, sewage is running through the streets. It stinks.

The Republican response is a plan from their corporate donors’ same old, tired playbook: cut taxes for the wealthy. They want $600 million in tax cuts that will mostly benefit top earners. They say maybe some of the tax breaks for the wealthy will trickle down to the rest of us. But trickle-down economics has never worked.

Instead of serving corporate donors, what if we used that same amount of money to serve Arkansans? What would that look like? Well, we’ve been listening to your ideas on that topic, and here’s what we’ve heard: We should be seeking relief for middle- and working-class taxpayers. We should restore the broken and ignored systems and services that are essential for everyday living. And we should look to the future, reimagining the promise of opportunity through a world-class education system that prepares Arkansans to thrive in a modern economy.

Here are some examples of ways we can relieve, restore, and reimagine Arkansas for the same collective price tag as a $600 million tax cut that mostly benefits the wealthy:

■ Relief to working-class taxpayers with a $80 million earned income tax credit, or EITC. This would leave more money in the pockets of people who need it. They’re the same people who drive the economy when they have more spending power, so the EITC provides a stronger economic boost than a tax cut for the wealthy.

■ Restore essential services in two key ways. First, eliminate the years-long waitlist for people with developmental disabilities to get health care. It is an abomination that we have failed these people so profoundly. This would cost $37 million. Second, create a rural fund to help fix broken sewage pipes, crumbling roads and more. Any amount would help our rural communities, but $200 million a year would be huge.

■ Reimagine opportunity by strengthening our schools from start to finish. The research shows that quality education at the beginning of a child’s life is crucial for everything else that follows. With $100 million, we could create 1,000 new pre-K classrooms and give thousands of children a good start. On the back end, we must connect Arkansans with the skills that employers are seeking. We could make two-year college free for $182 million. This investment would unlock good jobs for so many Arkansans, stabilize their families, attract employers who require a skilled workforce, and turbocharge the Arkansas economy.

To recap, for the same $600 million price tag as another tax cut mainly benefitting the wealthy, we could instead get real tax relief, fill a major health care gap, restore rural Arkansas, expand pre-K, and make two-year college free. And those are just examples.

For too long, our Republican state government has been ignoring Arkansans’ needs and aspirations. But it’s not too late to change course. Arkansans expect better. Arkansas Democrats are ready to deliver.

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2021-12-08T08:00:00.0000000Z

2021-12-08T08:00:00.0000000Z

https://edition.arkansasonline.com/article/282462827219011

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