With resounding victories for progressives throughout the country yesterday it is time to turn our attention back to the ongoing struggles in this country today. In the midst of the Libby indictments and crumbling façade of the most corrupt administration ever, we are seeing more devastating policies set to take effect as the administration and the Republican Party simply no longer care what you may think about what they do.
Under the guise of reducing the deficit the GOP has created, Congress is considering a budget bill that would cut 54 billion from federal programs over five years. These cuts would come out of services provided to the neediest Americans as Bush continues to try and balance his budget on the backs of the working poor. The cuts would impose new
costs on Medicaid beneficiaries, cut assistance for child support enforcement, trim student loan spending; cut back agriculture supports, and curb eligibility for food stamps. This is on top of 35 billion in cuts already approved to such areas.
The Medicaid cuts would see 12 billion dollars in Medicaid access and benefits to the poor evaporate. It would allow state governments to impose co-payments for emergency room visits and prescription drug purchases not on a pre-approved list. The damage to food stamps would be $45 a month for 225,000 people and 40,000 children would lose their eligibility for free meals at school. Ever compassionate, GOP senator Roy Blount stated these cuts would have a "very small overall impact."
Class warfare. That is what conservatives will cry when they read articles such as this. Unfortunately this is not about class; it is about a lack of class. It is about the gall of a party that does not care how many of the poor they trample to achieve their goals. It is about a soulless party that does not care what you or I may think anymore. So drunk with power they think nothing of adding a provision in this budget bill to allow for drilling for oil in Alaska. Why? Because they know this bill is not subject to a filibuster and the provision for drilling in Alaska would never stand alone on its merits. Do you understand that America? Your elected representatives know the Alaska drilling provision cannot pass, so they put it into a filibuster proof bill to thwart and subvert the constitution. It is an administration that threatens to kill a bill that contains language that says this country will not torture people. They threaten this even though it was approved by Congress 90-9. Now, despite the nine fools who are now on record as supporting torture, what kind of disdain for the American people does it take to threaten a veto when 90% of Senators and most of America simply believe that torture should not be our policy? Amidst the recent revelations that we are housing detainees at secret installations and outsourcing torture, what are the GOP representatives concerned about? Not that we might be torturing people as policy. Not that we might be using secret facilities. They are concerned about who blew the whistle on them and they are demanding an investigation into that, not the revelations. Once again, it would be comical if it were not so evil. On the same day that President Bush is swearing we "do not torture", his Vice President is lobbying Congress to exempt the CIA from torture.
Class warfare? You bet. The poor are tired of being the ones to shoulder the burden of this administration. It demands their young to fight and die in wars based on lies and then cuts their needed benefits to hand back billions to the top 1% in this country. Yesterday was a good start but it is 2006 when we will truly begin to take this country back. In the meantime, let them whine all they want about this. I have no problem waging class warfare against an administration that has no class.
