Reality does not support words of vice president

The Daily Herald's recent campaign to separate reality from "fake news" has been encouraging. But, it was disappointing to see the prominence given to the Op-Ed you published by Mike Pence on 7/13/18. While Pence prattled on about how Trump and Roskam have done the greatest job in the history of history, reality does not support what Pence said. Briefly:

1) Pence claimed that 6 million Americans have gotten pay raises because of the Trump/Roskam tax law. Reality: This month the respected nonpartisan Payscale survey reported that "So far, there hasn't been any bolstering of paychecks for the typical worker."

2) Pence stated that this is "just the beginning" of a long path of economic growth. Reality: Last week the San Francisco Federal Reserve warned that "The tax act arrives at a time when the U.S. economy is well into its eighth year of expansion … and "is in essence a large, mostly temporary tax cut hitting a hot economy" that will diminish the ability of the government to respond when the inevitable downturn occurs.

3) Pence said that the Trump/Roskam tax law "already is putting more money into the pockets of Illinois families". Reality: Recently, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics pegged consumer inflation this past year at a six-year high while MarketWatch reported that this "inflation wiped out" any small wage gains that workers may have seen over the past year. Also, even GOP Gov. Rauner has said that the Roskam/Trump tax law "punishes the people of Illinois" by limiting SALT tax deductions.

So, please, don't fall for the "useful hyperbole" (aka "lies") from former failed right-wing radio host, Mike Pence. It's clear that, to our face, Trump, Roskam, and Pence will give lip service to anything that we might want to hear. While, behind our back, they're taking anything that they and their billionaire buddies can grab.

Jerry Freda

Inverness