Sunday, March 26, 2017

President Scrooge’s Big Business Budget

Tennessee Congressman Cohen recently wrote that the proposed Healthcare plan "should have been called the Ebenezer Scrooge Act’ because it enriches the wealthiest individuals and harms the less fortunate, both fiscally and physically!” Fortunately, we dodged the bullet that would have dismantled Medicaid and removed the possibility of affordable healthcare for millions. However, Scrooge is trying to strike again! While President Ebenezer Trump spends as much of the taxpayers money on personal trips (to Mar-a-Lago etc) in one month as Obama did in a year ($11 million), he’s evidently looking to eliminate every expense that doesn’t benefit big business. Our country’s biggest business these days is in the military support industries. So, on March 16th, when our new Commander and Chief released his proposed budget, it recommended deep cuts in diplomatic efforts to prevent violent conflict and genocide, while increasing the big business of military expenditures – in effect trading the possibility for peace for the certainty of war. Trump’s budget would also reduce the EPA’s allowance by 31%! They want to see the removal of the Energy Star program (which improves energy efficiency), end all funding for the Chesapeake Bay cleanup project, put an end to the grant program that helps cities and states deal with air pollution, AND eliminate the Environmental Justice Office – because environmental justice is NOT a priority. Business is evidently the only priority. This proposed budget would eliminate 50 EPA programs! Last year, lawmakers completely disregarded Obama’s budget, and now we have a proposed budget that increases spending on Military and Homeland security, but totally eliminates 19 agencies, and reduces spending on everything else! As Obama pointed out in his State of the Union address, January 12th, 2016, "We spend more on our military than the next eight nations combined!" Yet, for his billionaire successor, that’s not enough! And all we have to do to spend even more is cut spending on those non-productive social programs that don’t help any of the really important people on Scrooge’s list. This Ebenezer Budget 1.  Eliminates the $200 million McGovern-Dole International Food for Education program 2.  Eliminates the $500 million Water and Wastewater loan and grant program 3.  Cuts Women, Infants and Children nutrition assistance another $200 Million 4.  Cuts staff at USDA service center agencies around the country 5.  Cuts $95 million from the Rural Business and Cooperative Service Trump’s now famous comment to the African-American community shows just how little understanding and how much contempt his has for average citizens: “You live in your poverty, your schools are no good, you have no jobs ... What the hell do you have to lose?” Well actually, his proposed budget would assure that poor (and not just the poor blacks) in this country lose a lot. “Meals on Wheels,” heating and energy assistance, and nutrition aid to women and children (WIC) would be drastically cut or eliminated under Trump’s proposed budget! Pollution of our world will escalate, terrorism will increase, as the elitist contempt for diplomacy pumps all our social funds into the war machine; while the promised employment turns out to be mainly one option: The Military. This isn’t entirely Trump’s fault – although it is his budget. A large part of Congress has been enabling him, and that’s why we need a Brand New Congress whose priorities are the same as We The People! Find out how you can help