The state of this country.
I find politics this month absolutely appalling, sickening, and downright ... I can't even come up with the word.
In case you've been living in a shoebox the last couple of weeks, the budget has been a giant vat of contention.
The Republicans have been trying to cut spending and fix the trillions of dollars in debt we are, since the President is blowing money out his ass left and right, which set off the teabaggers. It also set off normal taxpayers who are looking at all this spending and going, holy fucking shit.
Those normal taxpayers who lean left more than right are starting to sweat, too, because of the right's actions.
The Republicans want to cut a fuckton of things. I don't mean a little, I mean in entirety. Things we take for granted everyday, including:
* PBS- Sesame Street, and all the other very important educational and informative viewing for the public. Better TV than most shit that's on the air, and good for kids.
* Planned Parenthood. Yes, it's polarizing. Yes, they are not against abortion. And yes, since I'm pro-choice, I like them. But it's more than because I like that women can have the choice to have an abortion if they want. Planned Parenthood provides education to families so that they don't have to be in the situation to face that sort of a choice. They also provide birth control, which prevents unwanted pregnancy. If you don't like abortion, support the program that helps prevent people making mistakes leading to it in the first place.
* The umbrella organization that helps fund probably 50% of non-profits. The name escapes me, but most grants for non-profits, who help small town America survive, come from there. Without it, Americans lose jobs and lose opportunities.
* The Committee for National Service. You know, that group that covers the Volunteers for America, and a huge host of other vital programs that help boost rural and urban neighborhoods alike. Not so much directly with jobs, but with vital support to make this country better. Like the Americorps.
And there's a huge host more.
The other side doesn't look that good either. Obama has threatened veto on some of the above, but he's also planning some massive cuts, including one big one:
* Fuel Assistance. You're damn right it'd save a lot of money in the future. It's a vacuum for money to go flying out the window. But, it's how 80% of my clients survive in the winter. Many low-income rentals do not include heat, and the tenants won't have heat until FA starts. If you're a single mom & a child, living off the state while you look for work or try to get sober, you get $580 to live on in VT. Try to find a 2 bedroom apartment for $580, and then try to pay your heat, plus everything else. I dare you. And it's not just the stereotypical welfare mom, it's your parents, or someone you know's parents fighting to stay warm because they are on a fixed income while trying to keep their dignity. People will fucking freeze to death.
This all coupled with the raping of the pride of hardworking folks in Wisconsin, the kinds of people who helped us and who want to help the next generation reach the American Dream, makes me just sick. It's degrading, it's disgusting, and it's dehumanizing the people who help America run. I hope that Walker comes to his senses- he's playing with the dignity of a state's worth of proud people. And scaring the shit out of the country. Governor Shumlin in VT reassured the 300 people at the rally in Montpelier Tuesday that they don't have to worry about him fucking them in the ass labor-wise, which isn't a surprise, but was quite nice of him to remind us of that.
I dread seeing what the next days of this month will bring.
In case you've been living in a shoebox the last couple of weeks, the budget has been a giant vat of contention.
The Republicans have been trying to cut spending and fix the trillions of dollars in debt we are, since the President is blowing money out his ass left and right, which set off the teabaggers. It also set off normal taxpayers who are looking at all this spending and going, holy fucking shit.
Those normal taxpayers who lean left more than right are starting to sweat, too, because of the right's actions.
The Republicans want to cut a fuckton of things. I don't mean a little, I mean in entirety. Things we take for granted everyday, including:
* PBS- Sesame Street, and all the other very important educational and informative viewing for the public. Better TV than most shit that's on the air, and good for kids.
* Planned Parenthood. Yes, it's polarizing. Yes, they are not against abortion. And yes, since I'm pro-choice, I like them. But it's more than because I like that women can have the choice to have an abortion if they want. Planned Parenthood provides education to families so that they don't have to be in the situation to face that sort of a choice. They also provide birth control, which prevents unwanted pregnancy. If you don't like abortion, support the program that helps prevent people making mistakes leading to it in the first place.
* The umbrella organization that helps fund probably 50% of non-profits. The name escapes me, but most grants for non-profits, who help small town America survive, come from there. Without it, Americans lose jobs and lose opportunities.
* The Committee for National Service. You know, that group that covers the Volunteers for America, and a huge host of other vital programs that help boost rural and urban neighborhoods alike. Not so much directly with jobs, but with vital support to make this country better. Like the Americorps.
And there's a huge host more.
The other side doesn't look that good either. Obama has threatened veto on some of the above, but he's also planning some massive cuts, including one big one:
* Fuel Assistance. You're damn right it'd save a lot of money in the future. It's a vacuum for money to go flying out the window. But, it's how 80% of my clients survive in the winter. Many low-income rentals do not include heat, and the tenants won't have heat until FA starts. If you're a single mom & a child, living off the state while you look for work or try to get sober, you get $580 to live on in VT. Try to find a 2 bedroom apartment for $580, and then try to pay your heat, plus everything else. I dare you. And it's not just the stereotypical welfare mom, it's your parents, or someone you know's parents fighting to stay warm because they are on a fixed income while trying to keep their dignity. People will fucking freeze to death.
This all coupled with the raping of the pride of hardworking folks in Wisconsin, the kinds of people who helped us and who want to help the next generation reach the American Dream, makes me just sick. It's degrading, it's disgusting, and it's dehumanizing the people who help America run. I hope that Walker comes to his senses- he's playing with the dignity of a state's worth of proud people. And scaring the shit out of the country. Governor Shumlin in VT reassured the 300 people at the rally in Montpelier Tuesday that they don't have to worry about him fucking them in the ass labor-wise, which isn't a surprise, but was quite nice of him to remind us of that.
I dread seeing what the next days of this month will bring.