A sick, uneducated nation can't prosper

I am disappointed in Congressman Randy Hultgren for voting in favor of the House Republican budget plan that provides tax cuts for the wealthy at the expense of America's working class.

History demonstrates that the American economy thrives when corporations and the rich are taxed their fair share, and suffers when their rates go down.

Providing tax breaks for those who need it the least costs the community millions of jobs, cuts important social programs and hinders working families who can no longer afford to make purchases that are vital to stimulating the American economy.

The Republican's budget plan would cost Americans $42 billion this year alone, which exceeds the projected savings from the budget cuts that Congress has approved. Additionally, tax cuts for the wealthy will cost the government $120 billion over the course of the next two years. As a result, vulnerable senior citizens on Medicare are likely to see their medical costs doubled, and millions of students will lose the opportunity to go to college due to Pell Grant funding being slashed by 60 percent. A sick, uneducated nation cannot be a prosperous one.

While pay at top financial firms has multiplied in recent years, wages for most Americans have remained stagnant. It is not true that only the wealthy work hard for success. Many fortunes have been built on the backs of the working class, and these workers often cannot afford basic needs or send their children to college.

By voting in favor of this budget plan, Congressman Hultgren has proved a lack of commitment to the middle class families he represents who rely on these social programs to survive and succeed.

Danielle Vinci

DeKalb