Michael Cook, a friend of this blog and resident of Pittsburgh and Aiken, South Carolina, recently published a letter in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette which explains how President Trump has given Democrats a brilliant lesson on the art of the deal.
The first year of Donald Trump’s presidency has provided Democrats with plenty of reasons to grouse. Take, for example, our soaring economy. Increased employment levels and rising asset prices have left Mr. Trump’s detractors crestfallen. Fortunately, 2017 ended with one development that will surely lift the spirits of despondent Democrats.
Consider, for instance, the curious spectacle observed recently in high-tax jurisdictions around the country. Homeowners swarmed the offices of bemused tax collectors, pleading (and in some cases begging) for the opportunity to pre-pay next year’s property taxes. Before the taxes had been levied. Before the tax bills had even been printed.
Think about this for a moment. For decades Democrats have sought in vain for ways to make paying taxes as attractive a proposition as lining up around the block to attend the opening of the latest installment of the “Star Wars” franchise. Well, Mr. Trump, ever the consummate showman, has quietly provided the recipe.
Democrats will publicly decry the new tax legislation. But privately they are jubilant, especially with the new cap on deductions for state and local taxes. With this single provision, Mr. Trump’s tax bill manages to do what Democrats have long dreamed of doing: make the “rich” pay more in federal income taxes. Do you live in a big house with a big assessment? You’ll pay more. Do you make a big salary in a jurisdiction that imposes state and/or local income taxes? You’ll pay more.
And here’s the best part: It is the denizens of Democrat-dominated districts — such as Pittsburgh and New York and Chicago and San Francisco — who shall have the high honor of paying higher taxes.
Democrats may never get over the shock of Donald Trump’s election. But, upon reflection, they’ll have to concede that Mr. Trump has given them an invaluable lesson on the art of the deal.
MICHAEL COOK
