Here's what Republican tax 'policy' has 'bought' you...
Dear America:
After 30 years of nearly Rightist economic policy, our systems are breaking down at an unprecedented rate. The neoliberal economic model has messed up a slew of things, including:
Additionally, the paranoid-delusion of a lack of 'security' has created a new bureaucracy and has hampered everyone's ability to travel. Go into any airport and you will see thousands of man-hours per hour wasted in lines and 'security' pageants.
This country is amazing at projecting an image but inherently ignoring its own rot. The Rightist philosophy espouses this. There is no brakes on additional spending for the paranoid delusion of a lack of security and a display of military force, dominance, and economic/militaristic dominance. There is no credit taken by Boner [sic] and McConnell for their policy-driven implements that baloon the budget (JETS, BOMBS, HUZZAH!). Instead, boulders are slung from glass-enclosed warehouses.
So, America, here's what you get with your tax cuts for the wealthy:
$78 billion in reductions to Pentagon spending over the next decade...[translation 78B$/year] Community development block grants would be trimmed by $300 million, the government's program to help low-income people pay their heating bills would be cut in half for a savings of $2.5 billion and a Great Lakes environmental restoration program would be cut by 25 percent to save $125 million.
The budget will propose $1 billion in cuts in grants for large airports, almost $1 billion in reduced support to states for water treatment plants and other infrastructure programs and savings from consolidating public health programs run by the Center for Disease Control and various U.S. Forest Service programs.
The administration will also propose saving $100 billion over a decade from Pell Grants and other higher education programs through belt-tightening, with the savings used to keep the maximum college financial aid award at $5,550, according to an administration official who spoke on condition of anonymity in advance of the budget's Monday release.
Note: Obama is cutting the Pentagon budget; the Right get little credit for that. Other than that: poor people will be cold and the Great Lakes are taking a cut. The cuts are in the pennies when compared to a trillion (also known as a million million dollars). I agree with cuts for grants for large airports, as those can be self-funded by the airlines (they can tax themselves to pitch in for improvements). But water treatment? Hoo-wee, that can get stinky! For the record, I also welcome a cutting of overt subsidies to megacorp agriculture and to multinational oil... maybe look into that?
Pell Grants, arguably, are one of the best investments in this nation (especially with respect to supposed gains in income, and therefore a tax base (except the rich pay no taxes, so this falls through in trickle-down mode)), allowing people to get further into debt to meet the status quo go to college, but at 100B$ of savings, I'm forced to support it due to its impact. I hope that colleges on an individual basis can find a way to lower tuition so that the increasing burden upon the students is decreased. But something's got to give. The problem is, whatever ends up 'giving' is those who have nothing to give. The rich are rarely giving up much of anything, even though they can afford to without any meaningful impact to their lifestyles (they can still drink clean water and have heat, whether there are public programmes that provide that or not, for example).
My argument all along is that military action is one of the most important, expensive, internationally destabilising, enemy-creating things we do. Drastically cutting our overseas military (not diplomatic) involvement will make America great. It will decrease animosity, it will increase collaboration in business and research and development, it will increase energy costs that will necessitate energy R&D in the private sector. The military budget is a disguised oil subsidy, pure and simple, and is also a subsidy on capitalism as a one-size-fits-all, hegemonic economic type. Is it really our business to dictate how another country wishes to govern itself or create an economy? No. Let them figure it out on their own; it is our job to then choose whether or not to ally with them.
The last thing I will add as a reminder is that neo-liberal economics imply open borders. Capital as well as labour need to flow in order for it to be successful. So, I call on neo-liberal economists to call for open immigration. You can't have it both ways; the system breaks down.
So, there you have it America. This is what your HOOWAH and your bombs and your tax cuts bought you.
Congrats. Now, I'll be shivering in shit-filled water with the majority of Americans with no way to get to work because the bridge I use to get here fell down. [/drama queen] Of course, if I had things my way, gas would be 9$ a gallon and public transportation would be free, all of us would have healthcare, and I would likely be paying an extra 400-1000$/month for these services (never mind that my healthcare is already over 500$/mo). Oh, and we'd have domestic energy, which would provide domestic jobs, too. [sarcasm] Leftist policies are so exclusive and redistributive of wealth! [/sarcasm]
-Concerned Citizen
After 30 years of nearly Rightist economic policy, our systems are breaking down at an unprecedented rate. The neoliberal economic model has messed up a slew of things, including:
- Healthcare
- Airlines (deregulation), both in profit and in service
- Our underfunded school system and the labour backlash that has created (entrenched unions are a problem at times)
- Social services, including fire/police/courts as well as mental health and public health issues
- Research and development
- Infrastructure
Additionally, the paranoid-delusion of a lack of 'security' has created a new bureaucracy and has hampered everyone's ability to travel. Go into any airport and you will see thousands of man-hours per hour wasted in lines and 'security' pageants.
This country is amazing at projecting an image but inherently ignoring its own rot. The Rightist philosophy espouses this. There is no brakes on additional spending for the paranoid delusion of a lack of security and a display of military force, dominance, and economic/militaristic dominance. There is no credit taken by Boner [sic] and McConnell for their policy-driven implements that baloon the budget (JETS, BOMBS, HUZZAH!). Instead, boulders are slung from glass-enclosed warehouses.
So, America, here's what you get with your tax cuts for the wealthy:
$78 billion in reductions to Pentagon spending over the next decade...[translation 78B$/year] Community development block grants would be trimmed by $300 million, the government's program to help low-income people pay their heating bills would be cut in half for a savings of $2.5 billion and a Great Lakes environmental restoration program would be cut by 25 percent to save $125 million.
The budget will propose $1 billion in cuts in grants for large airports, almost $1 billion in reduced support to states for water treatment plants and other infrastructure programs and savings from consolidating public health programs run by the Center for Disease Control and various U.S. Forest Service programs.
The administration will also propose saving $100 billion over a decade from Pell Grants and other higher education programs through belt-tightening, with the savings used to keep the maximum college financial aid award at $5,550, according to an administration official who spoke on condition of anonymity in advance of the budget's Monday release.
Note: Obama is cutting the Pentagon budget; the Right get little credit for that. Other than that: poor people will be cold and the Great Lakes are taking a cut. The cuts are in the pennies when compared to a trillion (also known as a million million dollars). I agree with cuts for grants for large airports, as those can be self-funded by the airlines (they can tax themselves to pitch in for improvements). But water treatment? Hoo-wee, that can get stinky! For the record, I also welcome a cutting of overt subsidies to megacorp agriculture and to multinational oil... maybe look into that?
Pell Grants, arguably, are one of the best investments in this nation (especially with respect to supposed gains in income, and therefore a tax base (except the rich pay no taxes, so this falls through in trickle-down mode)), allowing people to get further into debt to meet the status quo go to college, but at 100B$ of savings, I'm forced to support it due to its impact. I hope that colleges on an individual basis can find a way to lower tuition so that the increasing burden upon the students is decreased. But something's got to give. The problem is, whatever ends up 'giving' is those who have nothing to give. The rich are rarely giving up much of anything, even though they can afford to without any meaningful impact to their lifestyles (they can still drink clean water and have heat, whether there are public programmes that provide that or not, for example).
My argument all along is that military action is one of the most important, expensive, internationally destabilising, enemy-creating things we do. Drastically cutting our overseas military (not diplomatic) involvement will make America great. It will decrease animosity, it will increase collaboration in business and research and development, it will increase energy costs that will necessitate energy R&D in the private sector. The military budget is a disguised oil subsidy, pure and simple, and is also a subsidy on capitalism as a one-size-fits-all, hegemonic economic type. Is it really our business to dictate how another country wishes to govern itself or create an economy? No. Let them figure it out on their own; it is our job to then choose whether or not to ally with them.
The last thing I will add as a reminder is that neo-liberal economics imply open borders. Capital as well as labour need to flow in order for it to be successful. So, I call on neo-liberal economists to call for open immigration. You can't have it both ways; the system breaks down.
So, there you have it America. This is what your HOOWAH and your bombs and your tax cuts bought you.
Congrats. Now, I'll be shivering in shit-filled water with the majority of Americans with no way to get to work because the bridge I use to get here fell down. [/drama queen] Of course, if I had things my way, gas would be 9$ a gallon and public transportation would be free, all of us would have healthcare, and I would likely be paying an extra 400-1000$/month for these services (never mind that my healthcare is already over 500$/mo). Oh, and we'd have domestic energy, which would provide domestic jobs, too. [sarcasm] Leftist policies are so exclusive and redistributive of wealth! [/sarcasm]
-Concerned Citizen