Picture a classic street corner shell game: the dealer moves three shells around, hiding a ball underneath while you try to follow along. You think you’re tracking the ball, but the dealer’s sleight of hand ensures the house always wins. That’s exactly what’s happening with Republican tax policy—except instead of losing a few bucks on the sidewalk, American families are losing teachers, school programs, and educational opportunities for their children.
The Setup: “Tax Cuts Help Everyone”
Republicans love to promise that tax cuts benefit all Americans. They paint pictures of hardworking families keeping more of their paychecks and small businesses growing. It sounds great—who doesn’t want lower taxes? But here’s where the shell game begins: while you’re watching the promise of tax relief, they’re quietly moving massive benefits to the wealthiest Americans.
Under current Republican tax plans, households earning over $835,000 annually—the top 1%—receive average tax cuts of more than $61,000 in 2025. Meanwhile, the bottom 60% of families, those earning under $90,000, get less than $500. That’s not a tax cut for working families; it’s a wealth transfer disguised as broad-based relief.
The Reality: Follow the Money
The numbers get even more staggering when you look at Project 2025’s proposals. Families earning around $110,000—solidly middle class—would actually see their taxes increase by $3,000. But households earning $10 million or more? They’d pocket between $1.5 and $2.4 million in tax cuts.
This isn’t accidental policy—it’s a deliberate strategy. When you cut taxes primarily for people who already have more money than they can spend, you create a massive hole in government revenue. And guess what fills that hole? Cuts to the public services that working families actually depend on.
The Cost: Your Kids Pay the Price
Here’s where the shell game gets personal. Those tax cuts for millionaires don’t pay for themselves, and Republicans know it. The same lawmakers pushing these tax breaks are simultaneously proposing devastating cuts to education:
- $24.6 billion slashed from education funding—an 11% cut
- 224,000 teachers eliminated during a nationwide teacher shortage
- Title I funding for low-income schools cut by $4.7 billion—that’s 25% less support for kids who need it most
- 60% of public schools facing budget cuts under Project 2025
- 51,000 children losing Head Start access
- 20 million students potentially losing free school meals
Think about your child’s school. Imagine larger class sizes, fewer art and music programs, outdated textbooks, and overwhelmed teachers. That’s the real cost of giving millionaires tax breaks they don’t need.
The Pattern: Starve and Privatize
This isn’t just about balancing budgets—it’s about fundamentally changing American education. Republicans aren’t just cutting public school funding; they’re simultaneously promoting school voucher programs that divert public money to private institutions. It’s a double-barreled attack: starve public schools of resources, then point to their struggles as justification for privatization.
Meanwhile, children learning English lose federal support, Pell Grants get frozen for college students, and Work-Study programs face 50% cuts. The message is clear: if you’re not wealthy enough to pay for private education or college tuition outright, you’re on your own.
The Historical Con Game
This isn’t the first time we’ve seen this playbook. According to the Economic Policy Institute, revenue lost from successive Republican tax cuts for the richest households can “fully account for today’s fiscal gap.” In other words, if we hadn’t been giving massive tax breaks to people who least needed them, we wouldn’t be facing budget shortfalls that supposedly require cuts to education, healthcare, and infrastructure.
It’s the most cynical kind of politics: create a problem through tax policy, then use that manufactured crisis to justify dismantling the public systems that help working families get ahead.
The Choice: Invest in People, Not Privilege
The good news? This isn’t inevitable. Democratic leaders understand that strong public schools, affordable college, and robust public services are investments in America’s future, not budget burdens to be eliminated. When we ask the wealthiest Americans and most profitable corporations to pay their fair share, we can fund the teachers, schools, and programs that give every child a shot at success.
Every election, voters face a fundamental choice: Do we want leaders who prioritize millionaire tax breaks over classroom funding? Or do we want representatives who believe that quality education should be available to every child, regardless of their family’s wealth?
Don’t let them fool you with the shell game. When politicians tell you they’re cutting your taxes while simultaneously slashing education funding, ask yourself: Who really benefits? The answer will tell you everything you need to know about their priorities—and whether they deserve your vote.
Your children’s future shouldn’t be sacrificed so that millionaires can afford another yacht. It’s time to vote for leaders who invest in public good over private wealth.