If like many Aridni readers, you are saving every extra dollar for your next investment and are striving to make money work for you, there are lots of reasons to vote Democrat the next time you go to the polls. Sure, Republicans swear by lower taxes and fiscal responsibility, but who cares how well they can “eliminate wasteful spending” when our president can’t even balance the budget (which his Democratic predecessor left at a surplus) and average people like you and me are emptying our wallets so that the wealthiest 2% of the population can get tax relief while the middle class pays for it? Unless you are part of that 2%, you won’t save any money by voting Republican except maybe a little bit in income tax if you’re lucky.

Republicans love to say that they will “cut frivilous spending,” but what does that mean for you and me? It means they are going to cut back on essential social programs like Medicare and Medicaid to make their tax cuts possible and create “responsible alternatives” such as tax-free Health Savings Accounts to make those cuts appear fair and reasonable. In reality, only those who are already economically solvent can afford to put this money away and don’t need to save it to begin with. People who are living pay check to pay check cannot take advantage of these policies in a way that improves their standard of living.

Would you rather pay a little more in taxes or be able to afford health insurance As of this writing, approximately 45 million Americans do not have health insurance due to a Darwinistic culture in Washington that lobbies for the survival of the fittest or the wealthiest. The people who are getting these tax cuts don’t need health insurance anyway so why let them save their tax money while you’re struggling to get by?

Even for people who are part of the top 2% of the population, the tradeoff of lower taxes is a breakdown in city services including trash pick-up, snow plowing, and recycling; more crime on the streets due to fewer police officers; less money spent on mental health services for would-be-criminals which means your tax dollars are being used to keep these people alive in jail; bad roads which can result in expensive repairs on your car, and less environmental regulations which translates into an unhealthy, polluted planet for all of us. Irresponsible cuts are no better than irresponsible spending because budget cuts end up hurting all members of our society, especially the most vulnerable citizens. As MA Democratic gubenatorial candidate Deval Patrick describes the damage done by the tax cuts of the Republican Romney-Healey administration, “Our local communities have been left on their own, abandoned to carry most of the burden for the essential services our citizens need and deserve.” *Patrick also recognizes that lowering income taxes will simply result in a rise in property taxes, making it harder for many members of the middle and working classes to afford their homes.

So next time you go to the polls, remember to vote for the party that represents all of us, not just the top 2%. Don’t be penny-wise and pound-foolish by voting for short term gains at the expense of long term losses in your pocket book and quality of life.

*For more information, please visit: www.DevalPatrick.com