Budget Perspectives
I was just listening to C-SPAN and heard the Republican argument, "We must ask our government to do what American households must do... Live within their means."
Okay, that makes sense. But lets look at this in a little more depth.
If we were to apply to American households what Republicans are suggesting for the budget, we would be asking those households to:
1. Cut healthcare for their aging parents in order to save money.
2. Significantly reduce healthcare for the rest of the household, including children, in order to save money.
3. Pull the kids out of school in order to save money.
4. Allow their families to live in dirty homes and breath smoggy air in order to save money, (by cutting funds to the EPA).
5. Allow their families to eat potentially harmful food and drink potentially harmful water in order to save money, (by cutting funds to the EPA and FDA).
6. Take all the savings and give it to the Joneses (and other rich neighbors).
Of course, this approach doesn't impact the Republicans' biggest supporters, the rich, because they can afford expensive healthcare, private schools, organic food and filtered water... even more so if they get all the extra money (a.k.a. tax breaks) that Republicans want to keep funneling their way.
To me the choice is easy. We can demand a decent life for all Americans, or allow an obscenely extravagant life for a few at the expense of most Americans and our country's future.
We CAN balance the budget AND invest in our future, but not if we extend tax cuts for the rich to keep getting richer.
Okay, that makes sense. But lets look at this in a little more depth.
If we were to apply to American households what Republicans are suggesting for the budget, we would be asking those households to:
1. Cut healthcare for their aging parents in order to save money.
2. Significantly reduce healthcare for the rest of the household, including children, in order to save money.
3. Pull the kids out of school in order to save money.
4. Allow their families to live in dirty homes and breath smoggy air in order to save money, (by cutting funds to the EPA).
5. Allow their families to eat potentially harmful food and drink potentially harmful water in order to save money, (by cutting funds to the EPA and FDA).
6. Take all the savings and give it to the Joneses (and other rich neighbors).
Of course, this approach doesn't impact the Republicans' biggest supporters, the rich, because they can afford expensive healthcare, private schools, organic food and filtered water... even more so if they get all the extra money (a.k.a. tax breaks) that Republicans want to keep funneling their way.
To me the choice is easy. We can demand a decent life for all Americans, or allow an obscenely extravagant life for a few at the expense of most Americans and our country's future.
We CAN balance the budget AND invest in our future, but not if we extend tax cuts for the rich to keep getting richer.
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- tags:
- Politics, Democrats, Congress, Republicans, 3 more
