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Opinion
The following is presented as part of The Columbian’s Opinion content, which offers a point of view in order to provoke thought and debate of civic issues. Opinions represent the viewpoint of the author. Unsigned editorials represent the consensus opinion of The Columbian’s editorial board, which operates independently of the news department.
News / Opinion / Letters to the Editor

Letter: Ronald Reagan’s swamp

By Bill Kelley, Yacolt
Published: January 7, 2025, 6:00am

Excellent Dec. 31 column by Jackie Calmes, “Swamp seeks out Trump.” The grift and graft is only just starting! Our top tier of society continually pushes its wealth up. The rest of us, about 92 percent, do not share in this push. Why? Ronald Reagan back in 1980 thought children should pay for their own education. That children have no money apparently didn’t enter into his equation. Nor did the fact public education was deemed beneficial to all.

Now education is the No. 1 debt for those same children and their parents. Health care is the No. 1 reason for U.S. bankruptcies. Republicans’ agenda even today is to eliminate government-supported health care, something all first-world nations have and we don’t. Reverse mortgages are advertised on television by such stars as Tom Selleck. Where would reverse mortgage money go? Up to a bank, saving and loan, private individual, billionaire! Reagan fired the air traffic controllers. This encouraged big companies like International Paper to fire strikers and hire scabs! Reagan cut school lunch, food stamps, Medicaid, etc.

Today we look forward to our, America’s, first trillionaire! He or she will greatly benefit. Americans will not! What else continues to go up? The national debt, $33 trillion. This is how Republicans financed their tax cuts.

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