GOP Demand FREE SERVICES be Cut on DAY 1 EXPOSED…

Summary

Summary of "GOP Demand FREE SERVICES be Cut on DAY 1 EXPOSED…" – The MeidasTouch Podcast

Podcast Information:

• Title: The MeidasTouch Podcast
• Host/Author: MeidasTouch Network (Ben, Brett, and Jordy Meiselas)
• Episode: GOP Demand FREE SERVICES be Cut on DAY 1 EXPOSED…
• Release Date: December 12, 2024

---

I. Introduction to the Episode

In this episode of The MeidasTouch Podcast, the Meiselas brothers delve into the latest political maneuvers by MAGA Republicans targeting government services that benefit everyday Americans. The primary focus revolves around the GOP's efforts to eliminate the IRS’s Direct File, a free tax filing service designed to simplify the tax process for millions of Americans.

II. The GOP's Attack on IRS Direct File

A. The Letter to Donald Trump

Ryan Reynolds, one of the Meiselas brothers, opens the discussion by highlighting a significant development: MAGA Republicans' initiative to terminate the IRS’s Direct File program. At [01:11], Reynolds states:

"I want to share with you another item that MAGA Republicans are targeting for Donald Trump to cut and get rid of on day one. It is direct filing with the irs. Yep, the IRS is new free tax filing service otherwise known as Direct file."

Reynolds reads a letter authored by 27 House Republicans, including figures like Adrian Smith and Chuck Edwards, urging then-President Trump to eliminate Direct File through an executive order. The letter accuses the program of being an "unauthorized and wasteful direct file pilot program" that poses a threat to taxpayers by allegedly facilitating government overreach.

B. GOP's Motivation and Influence from Tax Consultants

The podcast emphasizes that MAGA Republicans' opposition to Direct File is influenced by tax consultants and corporations like TurboTax. Reynolds points out the conflict of interest where these entities, which benefit financially from paid tax services, lobby against free alternatives that could undermine their business models.

At [10:26], Reynolds critiques the IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel, suggesting that MAGA Republicans aim to replace him with Billy Long, a former Congress member promoting tax-saving services. This move is portrayed as an attempt to undermine the IRS’s efforts to make tax filing more accessible and fair for ordinary Americans.

III. Democratic Perspective and Support for Direct File

A. Statements from Don Boyer

Contrasting the GOP's stance, Democratic Congress member Don Boyer advocates for Direct File as a "clear success story of making government better." Boyer emphasizes that the IRS's initiative provides a free, easy-to-use platform that streamlines the tax filing process, garnering positive feedback from users.

B. IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel's Promotion of Direct File

The podcast features a segment where Danny Werfel, the IRS Commissioner appointed by President Biden, promotes the Direct File program. At [08:57], Werfel explains:

"For the first time ever, 19 million taxpayers across 12 states can file their taxes online for free, direct with the IRS through our new IRS Direct File program. Direct File is available in English. It's available in Spanish. It's free. It's also simple, accurate, and secure..."

Werfel highlights the program's accessibility, security, and support features, such as live text assistance, aiming to empower taxpayers by making tax filing more efficient and transparent.

IV. Conflict of Interest Highlighted: Billy Long

Ryan Reynolds exposes Billy Long’s conflict of interest at [12:39], illustrating how Long, a former Congress member and certified tax business advisor, stands against the IRS’s Direct File while simultaneously promoting his own health device, Lumen, and offering tax-saving advice. Reynolds mocks Long’s background and credentials, suggesting that his opposition to Direct File is motivated by personal financial interests rather than public good.

V. The National Debt and Trump's Tax Policies

A. Analysis of Debt Increase

The podcast transitions to a broader economic concern: the national debt accumulation under President Trump’s tax policies. Reynolds asserts that Trump’s tax cuts have added over $8 trillion to the national debt, exacerbating the country’s financial instability.

At [13:50], a clip of Joe Biden is played, where he humorously but critically lists the increasing national debt, mocking the administration's handling of fiscal policies.

B. Contrasting Views from Joe Biden and the Midas Touch Host

Reynolds juxtaposes Biden’s statements with the perspectives shared by the pod's host. At [17:02], the host discusses Biden’s vision for a fair tax code, emphasizing that:

"Nobody earning less than $400,000 a year would pay a single additional penny in taxes. And a lot of companies are willing to pay a little more in their corporate taxes and their personal taxes to see that happen."

This segment underscores the Democrats’ commitment to tax fairness and closing loopholes that allow the wealthy and corporations to evade taxes, contrasting sharply with the GOP’s initiatives.

VI. Conclusion: Directing Public Anger

In his concluding remarks at [18:06], Ryan Reynolds urges listeners to direct their frustration and anger towards the right entities responsible for fiscal mismanagement, rather than being distracted by culture wars or political scapegoating.

"Just be clear what's happening here. I want you to direct your anger at the right places, not the wrong places..."

Reynolds emphasizes the importance of holding policymakers accountable for decisions that adversely affect the average American, such as the proposed elimination of Direct File and unchecked national debt growth.

---

Notable Quotes with Timestamps:

• Ryan Reynolds [01:11]:

  "I want to share with you another item that MAGA Republicans are targeting for Donald Trump to cut and get rid of on day one. It is direct filing with the irs. Yep, the IRS is new free tax filing service otherwise known as Direct file."

• Danny Werfel [08:57]:

  "For the first time ever, 19 million taxpayers across 12 states can file their taxes online for free, direct with the IRS through our new IRS Direct File program. Direct File is available in English. It's available in Spanish. It's free. It's also simple, accurate, and secure."

• Ryan Reynolds [10:26]:

  "And that's what MAGA Republicans attack. By the way, IRS Commissioner Wurfel's term expires in about three years, 2027. But Donald Trump is going to try to fire him."

• Ryan Reynolds [12:39]:

  "This is a video when Billy Long went into Congress... One of the things that Billy Long did, in addition to you can DM him, apparently he believes he'll save you 40% on your taxes if you DM them."

• Joe Biden [13:50]:

  "We are one of the few people that can actually keep up with the national debt... Thankfully, Mr. Speaker, we also could say those numbers backwards so we get the spending under control here."

• Midas Touch Host [17:02]:

  "Nobody earning less than $400,000 a year would pay a single additional penny in taxes. And a lot of companies are willing to pay a little more in their corporate taxes and their personal taxes to see that happen."

• Ryan Reynolds [18:06]:

  "Just be clear what's happening here. I want you to direct your anger at the right places, not the wrong places..."

---

Key Takeaways:

1. GOP Opposition to Direct File: MAGA Republicans, influenced by tax consultants and vested interests, are pushing to eliminate the IRS’s free tax filing service, Direct File, undermining efforts to make tax filing more accessible for ordinary Americans.

2. Conflict of Interest: Figures like Billy Long represent conflicts of interest where opposition to public-benefiting programs coincides with personal financial incentives.

3. National Debt Concerns: The podcast highlights the significant increase in national debt attributed to President Trump’s tax policies, advocating for accountability in fiscal management.

4. Democratic Support for Fair Taxation: Contrasting the GOP stance, Democrats advocate for fair taxation, ensuring that the wealthy and large corporations contribute appropriately to national revenues.

5. Call to Action: Listeners are encouraged to focus their frustrations on policies and entities responsible for economic mismanagement, rather than being diverted by unrelated political or cultural issues.

---

This summary encapsulates the critical discussions and viewpoints presented in the episode, providing a comprehensive overview for those who have not listened to the podcast.

Transcript

[Ryan Reynolds]

Ryan Reynolds here for Mint Mobile. You know one of the perks about.

[Billy Long]

Having four kids that you know about.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Is actually getting a direct line to the big man up north. And this year he wants you to know the best gift that you can.

[Billy Long]

Give someone is the gift of Mint.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Mobile's unlimited wireless for $15 a month. Now you don't even need to wrap it.

[Danny Werfel]

Give it a [e-mail] switch $45 upfront.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Payment required equivalent to $15 per month new customers on first 3 month plan only taxes and fees. Extra special speed slower above 40 gigabytes on unlimited. See mintmobile.com for details.

[Danny Werfel]

Marketing is hard, but I'll tell you a little secret. It doesn't have to be. Let me point something out. You're listening to a podcast right now and it's great. You love the host. You seek it out and download it. You listen to it while driving, working out, cooking, even going to the bathroom. Podcasts are a pretty close companion. And this is a podcast ad. Did I get your attention? You can reach great listeners like yourself with podcast advertising from Libsyn Ads. Choose from hundreds of top podcasts offering host endorsements or run a pre produced ad like this one across thousands of shows. To reach your target audience in their favorite podcasts with Lib syn ads, go to libsyn ads.com that's L I B S Y-N ads.com today.

[Ryan Reynolds]

I want to share with you another item that MAGA Republicans are targeting for Donald Trump to cut and get rid of on day one. It is direct filing with the irs. Yep, the IRS is new free tax filing service otherwise known as Direct file. MAGA Republicans say should be eliminated right away. Why? Because it helps people. It's free. And the MAGA Republicans have been lobbied by industry tax consultants who say that this is hurting their business. I want to read for you a letter sent by 27 Republicans to Donald Trump. This something that Trump will likely do and his new IRS commissioner, MAGA Republican Billy Long will do. But I want to show you it's important that we discuss this in detail so you understand exactly what's going on here. So here's the news. MAGA Republicans Adrian Smith and Chuck Edwards wrote Trump a letter today urging him to terminate the IRS's new free tax filing service, otherwise known as Direct file on day one through an executive order, it's co signed by 27 House Republicans. Democratic Congress member Don Boyer says Direct File is a clear success story of making government better. The IRS made a free, easy to use way to File taxes directly. People who use it love it. But wealthy corporate donors are losing money, so Republicans are trying to kill the program and make filing taxes harder for the rest of us, not the billionaires who can have their fancy accountants. Elizabeth Warren previously wrote, shocker, the CEO of Intuit, the owner or the owner of TurboTax, doesn't want you to know that they're lobbying to make your life harder. So much so that they asked a podcast to delete part of his interview. Give me a break. Whether he likes it or not, the IRS is at that point was expanding free Direct file. And the news at that time in October was a corporate public relations firm for TurboTax berated a journalist for asking a tough but fair question about the company's lobbying against free online tax filing and then demanded that the outlet delete that part of the podcast. I just want to show you this letter from the MAGA Republicans because this highlights yet another example of where Democrats have worked to make government work for we the people. Whereas Democrats are focusing on what can be delivered for the rest of us. The MAGA Republicans are saying that's what needs to be targeted. I've done lots of other videos, of course, on MAGA Republicans attacking Social Security, attacking Medicare, attacking veterans benefits. Right? That's the first thing that MAGA Republicans do when they get into power. The first thing Trump wants to do when he gets in power is attack vulnerable people, attack their services that they've paid into and attack services that help them while giving tax cuts to billionaires who then inflate their net worth by hundreds of billions of dollars. Quite literally hundreds of billions of dollars. Let's take a look at this letter. This is from Adrian Smith and the MAGA Republicans to Donald Trump. Dear Trump, we write to urge you to take immediate action, including but not limited to a day one executive order to end the Internal Revenue Services unauthorized and wasteful direct file pilot program. The program's creation and ongoing expansion pose a threat to taxpayers. Freedom from government overreach and its rollout and structural flaws have already come at a steep price. Pause there. I wanted to read you this letter so you see the language that they use. Free filing for people is a threat and attack of government overreach. I just want you to see how these spoil entitled oligarchical proxies behave and the language they use to screw us. To screw you. Let's take a look at it. As you know, during the last tax year the IRS rolled out its direct file pilot program in 12 states through which taxpayer taxpayers File their taxes directly to the IRS instead of through trusted accountants or reputable third party preparation services under the guise of offering a convenient free to file alternative preparation service. The IRS itself as the taxes, asserts itself as the tax assessor, collector, preparer and enforcer all in one when the program is used. So they use this. Just rhetorical threats and fear mongering. Oh, the IRS now itself is acting as the preparer and the enforcer. It's just a free online system to make government work. Why are they doing this? The MAGA Republicans want to destroy the irs. They want to gut the resources because they don't want wealthy people to be audited. They want to reduce the taxes and let wealthy people get away with everything. That's what they're trying to do here. They want to destroy the irs, destroy people's confidence in the irs, get people pissed off at it. Because under President Biden, the priorities have been to focus on stopping billionaire and DECA millionaire tax cheats. It goes on to say this is deeply concerning and a clear conflict of interest. The IRS has little incentive to ensure hardworking Americans do not pay more than they owe in taxes and may instead benefit from families and small businesses paying greater amounts than they are required by law. Furthermore, it is highly inappropriate for the IRS to serve as a tax preparer for taxpayers while also being the final enforcer of tax violations. And then it goes on to say, under the Biden administration, the IRS has undertaken an aggressive expansion of its influence of the IRS fueled by the exorbitant $80 billion provided by the Inflation Reduction act, in which it has repeatedly overstepped its authority and targeted hardworking Americans with an increasing number of audits. You see what they're doing there? They're using hardworking Americans and using that as a proxy for what's really happening. No one's being targeted. It's trying to ensure that billionaires pay their fair share. So MAGA Republic, I can go on to read the letter, but you understand the MAGA Republicans are totally cool with a billionaires net worth going up 10, 15, a hundred times. Having people worth 10 billion now be worth 100 billion, then 300 billion and then so on. That's cool. But including enforcement mechanisms so that our government can be adequately funded. Oh, the MAGA Republicans use all of this language. Look at all these signatures here. You see how they are behaving? I just want to show you right here, this is Daniel Werfel. He's the IRS commissioner now appointed by President Biden. I want to show you the contrast here. Here's the video he made when he rolled out this free filing system. This guy, by the way, this guy went to my high school. Apparently, I didn't realize the background on Danny Werfel, but he's like, look, we're giving people, this is going to help people. You're not going to have to pay these expensive, exorbitant costs. We're giving you the tools for free. Here, play this clip.

[Elizabeth Warren]

Hi, I'm Danny Werfeld. I'm the IRS commissioner. Now, the entire IRS team is really excited because for the first time ever, 19 million taxpayers across 12 states can file their taxes online for free, direct with the IRS through our new IRS Direct File program. Direct File is available in English. It's available in Spanish. It's free. It's also simple, accurate, and secure. The Direct File program will walk you through filing your return step by step, making sure that you get the credits, the deductions, and the refunds that you're entitled to. Now, if you need to take a break, you can securely sign back on to Direct File and finish your taxes anytime before the April deadline. And there's more. We have customer service reps standing by to help on text. So we have a live text feature. So if you're on Direct File and you have any questions as you're walking through your taxes, just text a live assister right there and we'll have give you real time help with the new Direct File tool. So to learn more, to see if you're eligible, be a part of our pilot in the first year, go to irs.gov you'll see the link to Direct File. Or you can search Direct File on any search engine. And let me close by thanking all taxpayers for doing their civic duty and filing your taxes each year.

[Ryan Reynolds]

And that's what MAGA Republicans attack. By the way, IRS Commissioner Wurfel's term expires in about three years, 2027. But Donald Trump is going to try to fire him. Wurfle says I'm not leaving. Trump's going to try to fire him and bring in MAGA Republican Congress member Billy Long.

[Billy Long]

Lumen is the world's first handheld metabolic coach. It's a device that measures your metabolism through your breath. And on the app, it lets you know if you're burning fat or carbs and gives you tailored guidance to improve your nutrition, workout, sleep, and even stress management. That's why I love it. All you have to do is you breathe into your Lumen first thing in the morning and you'll Know what's going on in your metabolism, whether you're burning mostly fats or carbs. Then Lumen gives you a personalized nutrition plan for that day based on your measurements. You can also breathe into it before and after workouts and meals so you know exactly what's going on in your body in real time. And Lumen will give you tips to keep you on top of your health game. Your metabolism is your body's engine. It's how your body turns the food you eat into fuel that keeps you going. Because your metabolism is at the center of everything your body does, optimal metabolic health translates to a bunch of benefits, including easier weight management, improved energy levels, better fitness results, better sleep, et cetera. Lumen gives you recommendations to improve your metabolic health. It can also track your cycle as well as the onset of menopause. And adjust your recommendations to keep your metabolism healthy through hormonal shifts so you can keep up your energy and stave off cravings. Look, I love lumen, and I know you will too. So if you want to take the next step in improving your health, go to Lumen L u M E M E N M E Midas to get 15 off your Lumen. That is L U M E N.me Midas for 15% off your purchase. One more time, go to Lumen Me Midas L u M E N me Midas and get 15% off your purchase. Thank you, Lumen, for sponsoring this episode.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Let's take a look at Billy Long's Twitter or X a description of himself. It says he's a US Congress member from 2011 to 2023. He's a certified tax business advisor. DM me to save 40% on your taxes. Oh, wait a minute. Is Billy Long someone who runs a company that helps people prepare their taxes who is actually hurt by a free tax filing system? Maybe that's the conflict of interest right there. Maybe that's the conflict of interest. By the way, this is a video when Billy Long went into Congress. This is his whole shtick. One of the things that Billy Long did, in addition to you can DM him, apparently he believes he'll save you 40% on your taxes if you DM them. How embarrassing. That's the guy they put as the guy advertising services like that on Twitter or X. How you freaking humiliating. Here he is in 2011. His shtick is he was an auctioneer. He ran an auction house. And so we'd always be like $1, $2, $3, $4, 5. $5. This is him right here. Billy Long in 2011 doing that with the national debt. Play this clip.

[Joe Biden]

We are one of the few people that can actually keep up with the national debt. I'm going to trillion now 3. You buy them. 3 trillion, now 4. $4 trillion. 5. 5 trillion. $6,608 trillion. 11 trillionaire. 12 12. 2013, you're out of here. 13 trillion. 14. 14 trillion, now 15. I have sold at 14 trillion. Thankfully, Mr. Speaker, we also could say those numbers backwards so we get the spending under control here. I'll be back.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Okay, Billy Long and okay, all of you MAGA debt talks. It's just so fascinating that you talk about things like that when it benefits you. But when Donald Trump adds $8 trillion to our national debt, more than anybody before, a third of all of our debt right now in our country comes from Donald Trump tax cuts he couldn't pay for recklessly printing money. The PPP program where, by the way, they forgave the loans to their rich friends. Those loans were forgiven. Not student debt loans, but PPP loans to all of the members, Republican members of Congress who took out millions of dollars and all of Trump's friends and cronies who got millions in ppp. That debt, of course that could be forgiven. You're rich, you get your debt forgiven. When it comes to regular people, you don't get your debt forgiven. Just be clear what's happening here. I want you to direct your anger at the right places, not the wrong places, because they're going to distract you with their culture wars. Blame the trans people, blame the migrants, blame the communists and the Marxist deep state cabal Soros. Wow. No, be clear where this is coming from. Trump added over $8 trillion in debt. I don't hear him going $5 Trillion. I wouldn't be a great auctioneer. Let's be clear. But by the way, based on Trump's new policies, economists and the Congressional Budget Office estimated on the high end, Trump will add another $15 trillion in debt. And the medium Trump will do 7 trillion. On the low end, Trump will add $1.65 trillion to our national debt. Why do I think that he'll add more than the high predict, the high projection or prediction, I think Trump will probably add about. What's your guess? $20 trillion in debt. $25 trillion in debt. Do you think you'll hear a peep from magazines? You think they'll be sending letters about the threats and attacks and all of that? By the way, just take a chart. Take a look at this chart here where Trump Added more debt than anybody before. Let me just leave this here with you. This is President Biden speaking February 5, 2022 about what his vision of a fair tax code is. And to be clear, this is why all of the corporate media, which is owned by billionaires, attacked Biden. Because Biden was saying, look, I want a tax plan that taxes the rich fairly, that they get taxed fairly, and that everybody else is also taxed fairly. But billionaires can't escape their taxes. Listen to this. Play this clip.

[Midas Touch Host]

We're still going to work on gas prices. We're still going to work on the food prices. But in the meantime, we can deliver that piece of. We can deliver that peace of mind to the American people and give them a little breathing room. And by the way, the proposals that I have out there, nobody earning less than $400,000 a year would pay a single additional penny in taxes. Not a single penny. And a lot of companies I've spoken to are willing to pay a little more in their corporate taxes and their personal taxes to see that happen. You've heard me say it a hundred Times. You got 55 companies of the Fortune 500 companies that paid zero tax the last couple of years and they made over $400 billion. Look, we can do this without increasing the deficit. Actually, we reduced the deficit over 300 billion. And 17 Nobel laureates in economics came to me several months ago to say that this plan would not only not raise inflation, it would ease long term inflationary pressures.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Well, there you have it folks. Let me know what you think. I thought it was important there that I read you the letter, not just describe it because I want you to hear the language that these magas are using. Thanks for watching. Let's get to 4 million subscribers. Appreciate you. Love this video. Make sure you stay up to date on the latest breaking news and all things Midas by signing up to the Midas Touch newsletter@midas touch.com newsletter.

[Danny Werfel]

Marketing is hard, but I'll tell you a little secret. It doesn't have to be. Let me point something out. You're listening to a podcast right now and it's great. You love the host, you seek it out and download it. You listen to it while driving, working out, cooking, even going to the bathroom. Podcasts are a pretty close companion. And this is a podcast ad. Did I get your attention? You can reach great listeners like yourself with podcast advertising from Libsyn Ads. Choose from hundreds of top podcasts offering host endorsements or run a pre produced ad like this one across thousands of shows. To reach your target audience in their favorite podcasts with Libsyn ads, go to Libsyn ads.com that's L I B S Y-N-ADS.com today.