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Over the weekend, Sen. Jon Kyl (R–Ariz.) went on Fox News to tell the world that although spending increases should always be offset (gotta keep the budget balanced, natch), tax cuts shouldn’t. “You should never have to offset the cost of a deliberate decision to reduce tax rates on Americans,” Kyl said categorically. Liberals chortled at Kyl’s hypocrisy, but NRO’s Dan Foster objects:

First of all, I’m not sure where the “gotcha” moment is. The most natural — nay, the most blindingly obvious — way to interpret Kyl’s statement is that a tax cut paid for by a tax increase is no tax cut at all. It’s a tax redistribution. Second of all, I’m sure if you asked Senator Kyl, he’d tell you that tax cuts should be offset — by spending cuts. That also seems a fairly natural inference to draw here.

On Foster’s first point, sure. Revenue neutral tax fiddling is — well, revenue neutral. But on his second point, can I point out that, natural inference or not, Kyl did not, in fact, say that tax cuts should be offset by spending cuts. In his interview with Kyl, Chris Wallace repeatedly pointed out that the portion of the Bush tax cuts that apply to the upper brackets would cost $678 billion if they were extended. But even with all the opportunity in the world, Kyl failed to explain that he thinks there’s $678 billion in spending cuts that Congress should push through in order to make up for that.

So here’s the question: does anyone seriously believe that Kyl thinks this? Or that anyone in the Republican leadership thinks this? Or that $678 billion in specific spending cuts will get even a hundredth of the attention that they give to their PR campaign to extend the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy?

Foster is right that this is a philosophical point. But he’s got the philosophy wrong. Republicans are dedicated to tax cuts for the rich, not to leaner, meaner, smaller government. Real-world evidence to the contrary is welcome.

WHO DOESN’T LOVE A POSITIVE STORY—OR TWO?

“Great journalism really does make a difference in this world: it can even save kids.”

That’s what a civil rights lawyer wrote to Julia Lurie, the day after her major investigation into a psychiatric hospital chain that uses foster children as “cash cows” published, letting her know he was using her findings that same day in a hearing to keep a child out of one of the facilities we investigated.

That’s awesome. As is the fact that Julia, who spent a full year reporting this challenging story, promptly heard from a Senate committee that will use her work in their own investigation of Universal Health Services. There’s no doubt her revelations will continue to have a big impact in the months and years to come.

Like another story about Mother Jones’ real-world impact.

This one, a multiyear investigation, published in 2021, exposed conditions in sugar work camps in the Dominican Republic owned by Central Romana—the conglomerate behind brands like C&H and Domino, whose product ends up in our Hershey bars and other sweets. A year ago, the Biden administration banned sugar imports from Central Romana. And just recently, we learned of a previously undisclosed investigation from the Department of Homeland Security, looking into working conditions at Central Romana. How big of a deal is this?

“This could be the first time a corporation would be held criminally liable for forced labor in their own supply chains,” according to a retired special agent we talked to.

Wow.

And it is only because Mother Jones is funded primarily by donations from readers that we can mount ambitious, yearlong—or more—investigations like these two stories that are making waves.

About that: It’s unfathomably hard in the news business right now, and we came up about $28,000 short during our recent fall fundraising campaign. We simply have to make that up soon to avoid falling further behind than can be made up for, or needing to somehow trim $1 million from our budget, like happened last year.

If you can, please support the reporting you get from Mother Jones—that exists to make a difference, not a profit—with a donation of any amount today. We need more donations than normal to come in from this specific blurb to help close our funding gap before it gets any bigger.

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WHO DOESN’T LOVE A POSITIVE STORY—OR TWO?

“Great journalism really does make a difference in this world: it can even save kids.”

That’s what a civil rights lawyer wrote to Julia Lurie, the day after her major investigation into a psychiatric hospital chain that uses foster children as “cash cows” published, letting her know he was using her findings that same day in a hearing to keep a child out of one of the facilities we investigated.

That’s awesome. As is the fact that Julia, who spent a full year reporting this challenging story, promptly heard from a Senate committee that will use her work in their own investigation of Universal Health Services. There’s no doubt her revelations will continue to have a big impact in the months and years to come.

Like another story about Mother Jones’ real-world impact.

This one, a multiyear investigation, published in 2021, exposed conditions in sugar work camps in the Dominican Republic owned by Central Romana—the conglomerate behind brands like C&H and Domino, whose product ends up in our Hershey bars and other sweets. A year ago, the Biden administration banned sugar imports from Central Romana. And just recently, we learned of a previously undisclosed investigation from the Department of Homeland Security, looking into working conditions at Central Romana. How big of a deal is this?

“This could be the first time a corporation would be held criminally liable for forced labor in their own supply chains,” according to a retired special agent we talked to.

Wow.

And it is only because Mother Jones is funded primarily by donations from readers that we can mount ambitious, yearlong—or more—investigations like these two stories that are making waves.

About that: It’s unfathomably hard in the news business right now, and we came up about $28,000 short during our recent fall fundraising campaign. We simply have to make that up soon to avoid falling further behind than can be made up for, or needing to somehow trim $1 million from our budget, like happened last year.

If you can, please support the reporting you get from Mother Jones—that exists to make a difference, not a profit—with a donation of any amount today. We need more donations than normal to come in from this specific blurb to help close our funding gap before it gets any bigger.

payment methods

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