SPRINGFIELD >> Sunday was packed with exciting events: holiday festivities, the super moon and the Eagles seeking win number 11. None of that stopped about 50 social activists who gathered on Sproul Road outside the office of U.S. Rep. Pat Meehan, R-7, to protest the GOP-supported tax bill.
Once again a coalition, spearheaded by Delco PA Indivisible, assembled with number of Indivisible organizations including Upper Darby, H-CAN, Main Line South PA, and PA District 7—Citizens for Equality Action Network. The groups had reason to target Sunday.
“The GOP tax bill/scam is scheduled to come to the House floor for a vote on Monday, Dec. 4. Members of these resistance groups will join together to tell Congressman Meehan how badly this bill will impact his constituents. Participants will be singing carols with lyrics revised to get our message across, of course,” stated the press release forwarded by Peggy Wilson of the Delco PA Indivisible Coordinating Committee.
As there were no individual speeches, the lyrics were meant to make the statement. Crafted by creative members of the organization, the melodies ranged from “We Three Kings,” “Deck the Halls,” to “Little Drummer Boy.” While some of the lyrics were not quite suitable for small children, a sample included “Up on the Rooftop” morphed into “Up on the Housetop:” “Up at the Capitol, people pause; Out jumps GOP Tax Scam Flaws; Down goes the middle class and our toys; All for the 1 percent riches and joy.”
In the spirit of inclusiveness, the lyrics for the version of the Hanukah song “Dreidel, Dreidel” rang out: “Tax scam! Tax scam! Tax scam! If Republicans have their way; when the tax scam’s ready, the middle class will pay!”
Despite the edgy play on words and music, many of them expressed serious opposition.
“Some of my biggest concerns are taking money from small business owners, like my husband; and taking away the elimination of interest on student loans and taxing graduate school stipends, which will impact my son,” said Marie Turnbull of Springfield.
The lack of conciliation between the current House and Senate bills caught the attention of many, and what some savvy bill-watchers called a “lack of process.”
Cathy Spahr of Upper Chichester said she thought there was likely to be “wheeling and dealing” to align the two versions, but that believed “nobody knows what the bill says.”
Spahr said she was very concerned about the future for the next generation, including her 8-year-old twin boys. She has created www.wespeakforthetrees.org which uses Dr. Seuss book “The Lorax” to advocate for the environment.
Jeanne Mann of Drexel Hill said she and three other concerned citizens had met Meehan in his office about two weeks ago, having sought an appointment since September. Issues since then have expanded.
“We talked about the tax bill, estate and corporate taxes and the environment. It was before the first House vote. He listened; he always listens, and then voted for it. I think his idea of the middle class is very different from mine,” said Mann.
With all nine “carols” sung, the group disbanded, not without commitment to gather again.
Responding to a request for comment, Meehan’s office said statements on the matters issued recently would be appropriate.
“Middle class families deserve tax relief, and that’s what this bill delivers,” said Meehan. “We double the standard deduction. We lower rates for middle class families. And we preserve important deductions like mortgage interest, property taxes and charitable contributions. We add and expand tax credits that will help families make ends meet. For a middle class family in Pennsylvania, your tax bill will be lower and paying it will be simpler.”
“We’ve streamlined a maze of education tax credits, and included my bipartisan bill to make apprenticeship programs more affordable. We give small businesses a break. And we rewrite the tax code for job creators, taking away incentives to send jobs and dollars overseas so we can put more Americans to work here at home. This legislation means higher wages, bigger paychecks, more jobs and faster growth for Pennsylvania,” Meehan said in a Nov. 16 statement.
