The ‘big, beautiful’ budget bill steals from the poor to give to the rich | Opinion
Thinking of Harris
Hating President Donald Trump is your right as an American.
But please, for the sake of reason, imagine our blessed country with Kamala Harris in the Oval Office. Please give it 10 minutes.
Wayne Burns, Lexington.
Trump’s speech
President Donald Trump’s speech to a military audience at Fort Bragg, North Carolina was truly chilling. The military is supposed to be apolitical, yet the audience booed Biden, Newsom, and the press. Where are the leaders of the military? None of them has spoken up against this disgusting display.
Each day that goes by, we are getting closer to becoming a fascist country.
Rene Payne, Stanford
Good-bye Democracy
The very backbone of our country breaks a little more each day that President Donald Trump is in power. He has systematically erased anyone who does not buy into his scheme to have total control. Everyday there is a new stream of rants and demands from a man who has no business being in charge of a country. He wouldn’t even qualify to be a dog catcher. His cabinet bow to his every whim. He is using ICE agents like the gestapo, rooting out persons that he finds undesirable, and spews a steady barrage of threats against anyone who defies him. What’s next? Internment camps for the those who dare to rail against the insanity coming out of Washington?
When a U.S. senator is allowed to be tackled merely because he wanted to pose a question to U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, we as Americans need to take good look at where our country is headed and resist at every opportunity. The promise was to make America great. Well, how’s that going?
We have never been weaker, more divided and more open to outside forces. America was great until Trump and I for one miss it!
Sara Wellnitz, Lexington
ASK about guns
Last month, a group of kids in Eastland Parkway were playing with a firearm they found in a home when it accidentally discharged, sending a teen to the hospital with life-threatening injuries.
In America, eight children and teens are unintentionally shot daily due to an unlocked or unsupervised gun. While many fear the threat of school shootings, as our kids spend more time at home this summer, a gun in the home becomes the greatest threat. According to an analysis by Brady, formerly the National Council to Control Handguns, half of the weeks in the year with the most unintentional shootings by children occurred during summer. June 21st is “Asking Saves Kids Day (ASK Day)”. In commemorating ASK Day, we urge all parents and caretakers to ask if there are unlocked guns where their kids play and hang out.
Parents ask all sorts of questions before their children visit other homes, including about pets and allergies. ASK Day encourages parents to add one more question: “Is there an unlocked gun in your home?” If safe storage practices are deployed in just 20 percent more households with children, we could reduce firearm suicide and unintentional firearm fatalities among youth by up to 32 percent.
ASK in June, so your child makes it to school in August.
Jasir Rahman, Lexington
Nuclear intelligence
Marc Champion of Bloomberg wrote an interesting essay about Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, “Nuclear war’s too serious for a Tulsi Gabbard video,” but made a statement that I totally disagree with. Champion stated, “(T)he world is closer to annihilation than at any time in its history, which is wrong on the facts.” Actually, I agree with Gabbard on this point, but she sure wouldn’t like my reasoning. I believe that the current White House occupant is quite capable of starting a nuclear war. He has proven himself to be quite short-sighted and/or stupid on a number of occasions, so it wouldn’t be a stretch to consider that he would stupidly, or maybe accidentally, start a nuclear war.
When will his advisors and Congress see the dangers that he could cause, and stand up to him?
Esther Murphy, Lexington
Short-sighted Barr
There are many reasons why I disagree with U.S. Rep. Andy Barr’s, R-Ky., approval of the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” but I find one in particular to be especially short-sighted - the termination of any tax credits related to clean energy and the construction of more energy efficient homes.
This denial of climate change will hurt us in the future. Our children and grandchildren will suffer. Already insurance rates for areas affected by tornadoes, floods, wildfires and hurricanes have risen to levels that many homeowners cannot afford. Has Barr toured any of the Kentucky neighborhoods devastated by flooding and tornados? The only ones profiting are oil, gas and coal companies. This policy is not sustainable.
Krisia Rosa, Lexington
Giving to billionaires
We will soon find out whether U.S. Sens. Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul, both R-Ky., are really representative of Kentucky or sycophants to Trump. They will soon be voting on what Trump calls “one big, beautiful bill” which steals from the poor to gives to the rich. If Medicaid and SNAP programs are cut, millions of Kentuckians will lose healthcare and access to food for them and their families! Rural hospitals and clinics will have to close, and folks will have to travel long distances to receive medical care. Without SNAP, many rural grocery stores will be forced to shut their doors due to a lack of customers. Farmers will also lose revenue. Seniors will have to leave nursing homes without Medicaid to assist them with the high cost of care, and the disabled will suffer from lack of services.
The winners will be the billionaires and large corporations who will receive lower taxes which will help them buy yet another house or car or yacht!
How will Kentucky’s Senators vote? Will they vote to support millions of their constituents, or will they bow down to a billionaire? Please call them, write them or email them and tell them that the people are watching!
Barbara Rave Plymale, Lexington
Budget bill
I take exception to U.S. Rep. Andy Barr’s, R-Ky., rosy assessment of the One Big Beautiful Bill (more like big ugly). His defense of this cruel bill is filled with lies and exaggerations. Every independent assessment of this bill has determined that it takes from the poor and middle class in favor of the rich.
And no, Rep. Barr, undocumented workers are not eligible for Medicaid except for emergencies. You know that but you continue to perpetuate lies and magical thinking (news flash: trickledown has never worked).
This bill will hurt so many of your constituents, yet you would rather drink the Kool-Aid than open your eyes to the reality of your voters’ lives.
Shame on you.
Emily Clark, Lexington
Big Beautiful Bill
I read with interest U.S. Rep. Andy Barr’s, R-Ky., opinion piece on President Donald Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill,” along with the Congressional Budget Office’s (CBO) analysis cited in Sunday’s paper. The CBO—a nonpartisan agency—concluded the bill would decrease income for the lowest earners while increasing it for higher-income households. Specifically, the lowest 10 percent would lose about $1,600, middle-income earners would gain a modest $500–$1,000, and the top 10 percent would see a $12,000 benefit.
According to ChatGPT, 38 percent of Kentucky households fall in the lower-income bracket (under $41,600), 47 percent in the middle ($41,600–$124,800), and only 19 percent in the upper-income group (above $124,800). Despite Barr’s district being among the wealthiest in the state, the math still doesn’t support this bill as a net benefit.
Kentucky is especially vulnerable to Medicaid cuts, with nearly one-third of residents relying on it. Up to 20 percent could lose coverage under the bill’s provisions.
Given these facts, it’s unclear whom Barr truly represents. It’s certainly not the majority of Kentuckians. Then again, perhaps his focus is the 19 percent earning over $124,800 annually?
Sam Brown, Lexington
No Kings protests
The news coverage of the ICE raids has raised the ire of the public due to the terroristic methods used. The gold standard reference for the law is the Black Law Dictionary. It defines terrorism as: “the threat of violence, to intimidate or cause panic as a means of political conduct.” The White House under the leadership of a convicted felon, with a Carte Blanche pass from the Supreme Court, has acted illegally and unconstitutionally. As the “No Kings” Day demonstrations across the country revealed, the American people want their country and democracy back!
Cheryl Keenan, Lexington
Public protests
Whether or not street protests effect public opinion and public policy, I don’t know. Some say these protests have long-term effects more than a short-term effects. Maybe so. It’s said the Occupy Wall Street protests were not very effective, but the Black Lives Matter protests have turned out to be more effective.
There are also accusations that some participants are paid. Personally, I don’t believe that loose talk. I believe it would be fair to say, on the other hand, that many participants enjoy public protests. They look like they are having a good time anyway.
Browse the Internet and you’ll find a few academic studies on the psychology of public protest participants. So, it seems a good guess that a some of them travel from place to place to take part in more protests.
One thing we know more confidently is that there is much more to do. Write letters, talk with friends and neighbors, listen carefully, read more, help those in need, pray and reflect, donate, vote, and attend public meetings.
It appears public protests, when they are effective, are only one of many steps.
Tom Louderback, Louisville
Chaos and cruelty
My son is one of the USAID Foreign Service Officers being involuntarily separated from employment effective July 1st. Here is what the US Government is losing:
A highly trained diplomat
A Middle East expert
A fluent Arabic speaker
USAID Foreign Service Officers take the same loyalty oath as the president, members of congress, and military officers. Instead of being respected for their service, they were called criminals. Instead of an orderly reduction in force, they were subjected to months of chaos.
Layoffs are part of life. (I’ve been there. It’s devastating.) What happened at USAID was more than a layoff. Laws were broken. Loyal civil servants were slandered. Careers were ended. Even worse, America’s global reputation suffered.
DOGE cuts were made without an understanding of laws and accounting systems. Alleged savings were far less than publicized. The costs of those cuts, I believe, are extremely high: Humanitarian programs were eroded if not erased; protection from disease is crippled; America’s partnerships all over the world were weakened. As a result, our country is less secure and less prosperous.
I’m a lifelong Republican. I voted for President Donald Trump. I voted for change. I did not vote for chaos and cruelty.
Vicki Scheibel, Lexington
Greased pigs
As a Lexington resident and lifelong animal lover, I’m writing out of concern for the greased pig contests still taking place at local fairs across Kentucky. These events are often passed off as harmless tradition—but for the pigs involved, they are anything but.
When we were kids, we had an amazing pet pig who was smart, gentle, and deeply sensitive. She was already a prey animal—easily startled by loud noises or sudden movements. The idea of chasing and grabbing pigs for sport, often to laughter and cheers, is heartbreaking when you know what it feels like to love one.
These young animals are stressed, frightened, and often handled roughly—all in the name of entertainment. If we wouldn’t treat a dog or cat this way, why should pigs be any different?
Kentucky can honor its agricultural roots while also showing compassion. Let’s move away from outdated practices and toward events that reflect empathy and respect.
Thank you for helping bring attention to this issue.
Laine Comley, Lexington
Edited by Liz Carey