The recent announcement that residents of Marshalltown whose homes and business were damaged by the tornado will not be receiving FEMA individual assistance money comes at no surprise. The huge Trump tax breaks for the top 1 percent and wealthy, giant national and international corporations are starving government agencies.

Contrary to the much touted history of Republican party’s fiscal responsibility (and historic lie) the Trump tax breaks will cause a massive increase in the federal deficit. It must be understood when Republicans, right-wing syndicated columnists and talk show hosts talk about limited government, they really mean trickle down economics (starving, deregulating and privatizing government services like Medicaid, Medicare, Social Security, Public Schools, Public Libraries, EPA that protects our air, water and land, FEMA, FDA, Center for Disease Control and many others).

The recent Dec. 1 column “When Democrats win freedom loses” by right-wing syndicated columnist Star Parker is a clear example in sneaky word-smithism. Another great lie she pushed is that Republicans believe in economic freedom! How much economic freedom are Iowa patients who saw their Medicaid services privatized and those who used to provide Medicaid services experiencing right now? What economic freedom are those tornado victims experiencing? What sort of economic or social freedom do victims experience surrounded by big polluting agribusiness hog and chicken factories or chemical and oil refineries? What sort of economic freedom does one enjoy when wages and benefits are slashed? What sort of freedom does one have if you cannot afford health care or have to choose between health care and eating or having roof over your head?

No, folks, the ideology of freedom pushed by Republicans is clearly twisted logic and extremely mean spirited.

When Republicans preach that government’s role is to only provide for the common defense as outlined in the preamble of the U. S. Constitution and claim that government should only play a minor role on economic matters, they are engaging mental trickery. They ignore the words “promote the general welfare” in the preamble. Promote means action not inaction.

I have often thought if Jesus came back as an itinerant preacher and preached the gospels, right-wing Republican politicians and conservative Evangelicals would crucify him on their twisted alter of economic freedom.