Inspiring, patriotic and unifying were the words to describe the July 4th Independence Parades in Marquette and Ishpeming. The theme of the Marquette parade was “United We Stand” which dramatized the need to promote unity and respect out of the division and hate we see in America today. One float offered by Indivisible and Yoopers Unite really captured the theme with a huge sign and banner that said, “United We Stand.”

But back in the nation’s capital on July 4th, all of this was bittersweet, as the president signed into law the so-called big budget reconciliation bill that promotes the opposite of what the parade stands for. Instead of a message of unity, the president demonized Congressional Democrats for voting against his big bill because in his words, “the Democrats hate Trump. But I hate them, too. I cannot stand them, because I really believe they hate our country.” The president’s words … have no place in celebrating our nation’s birth. Isn’t a president supposed to represent all the people?

The 1,000-page budget bill was rammed through Congress with little debate. The measure makes the 2017 Trump tax cuts for the wealthy and corporations, permanent–thereby creating more income inequality for many years to come. The rich have gotten richer and the poor poorer. The Congressional Budget Office reports that the top 10% have seen their earning skyrocket over the past 20 years, but middle and lower-income households have experienced sluggish or stagnant wage growth. These tax cuts were made possible by running up the federal deficit and cutting billions from the safety net of Medicaid, the Affordable Care Act, SNAP benefits for food security and veterans’ benefits–programs that many folks in the Upper Peninsula rely on for survival. Reliable sources project that the tax cuts result in a shocking loss of tax revenue of between $5 trillion to $4.1 trillion over the next 10 years (PBS).

Like I said, the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. Let’s hope that “The Lord hears the cry of the poor.” Psalms 34:6.