Krugman points out that despite the obvious and ever-widening gap between the rich and the middle class in terms of wealth increases, Republicans tend to vote for reductions in wealth. taxes on the wealthy and for decreased funding for programs that benefit the middle and lower classes of society, such as Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. Reducing funds for these services puts the middle and lower classes at an even greater disadvantage than they already were. Meanwhile, the fact that the rich get more tax cuts means they get more money, which widens the economic wealth gap and increases the money they can spend to influence policy . Krugman suggests that the solution to the problem is to raise taxes on