Former Minnesota Gov. Arne Carlson: Republicans have become radical

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“Those who seek absolute power … are simply demanding the right to enforce their own version of heaven on earth. And let me remind you, they are the very ones who always create the most hellish tyrannies.”

— U.S. Sen. Barry Goldwater, in his acceptance speech for the Republican presidential nomination in 1964

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Yes, there was a day when Republicans were committed to limited government, state’s rights and individual freedoms. And they fiercely opposed government deficits.

During my lifetime, there was no Democrat more vilified as a “reckless big spender” than President Lyndon Johnson, who was determined to fund an expanding war in Vietnam while launching his “Great Society” featuring Medicare, Medicaid and a host of antipoverty programs. Overall, his deficits averaged $12.4 billion, or 0.8% of our gross domestic product (GDP).

This grew to 2.2% of GDP when President Ronald Reagan assumed office in 1981 and nearly doubled during his term to 4%, largely as a result of massive tax cuts for the wealthy. Now, after further tax cuts for the wealthy by Presidents George W. Bush and Donald Trump (during his first term), that figure has risen to 6.7%. Overall, our national debt has increased from $908 billion when Reagan took office to more than $36 trillion today, an increase of 3,864%.

The result is that interest payments on our burgeoning debt have become the fastest growing part of our budget. Roughly 27% of all federal spending today is from borrowed money, and the more we cut taxes on the wealthy, the more debt we accumulate and the more vital spending that is in serious jeopardy. Already we spend more on interest payments than on our national defense. Further, the bipartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates that by 2034, interest payments will absorb 16% of the federal budget. And that is without the increases coming from Trump’s “beautiful” bill.

This Republican obsession with lowering the taxes on the rich not only balloons the deficit but substantially weakens our economy. Simply, we have gone from being the world’s largest international creditor to its largest debtor nation.

When Dwight Eisenhower, a Republican, was president, the budget was in balance while expanding Social Security, launching our national highway system, strengthening our alliances to contain Soviet expansion and growing the middle class. But he strongly supported a progressive tax system, with a rate of 91% on the wealthy.

Since that time (1961), the wealthy have seen their tax rates reduced by 145%, while the middle class absorbed an approximate 10% increase.

No, the Trump Republicans of today are not conservative. They are totally radical with their blind willingness to concentrate power in the president while generating massive deficits that will topple our economy. They have no plan for tomorrow and always blame their failings on others.

Now, we have compelling problems ahead that require intelligence, integrity and true service to the betterment of our nation. The Peterson Foundation, founded by a former Republican secretary of commerce, has warned us of our out-of-control deficits and strongly urges our national leaders to recognize that our population is aging and that we must prioritize reforming cost drivers such as our deficits and health care. Certainly, a truly progressive income tax system is a must. And we can and should bring our budgets into balance or to some semblance of sanity.

As to health care, the Peterson Foundation maintains that our current system is the “most expensive” at twice the cost when compared with other industrial nations and “generally no better than those of our peers.” We must search for alternatives that provide competent and efficient health care for all, including expanding Medicare.

Now our Minnesota Republicans in Congress want to add over $3.3 trillion to our debt load while inflicting unbelievable harm on everything in our state, from medical research and rural hospitals to education and our drinking water. But the prime attention will be on its assault on Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security. There is something in that bill to offend nearly everyone.

At a minimum, our Republican members of Congress must tell us why making the wealthy more wealthy is more important than health care, etc., for Minnesotans. Most important, tell us why more debt and the concentration of power in President Trump is so good for us.

Arne H. Carlson was governor of Minnesota from 1991 to 1999.