It's time to put us back to work! by "Dmitri" Beljan
I'm SO sick of hearing about the idiot politicians in Washington and the state capitols trying to cut spending on desperately needed social programs like Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and food stamps to "cut the deficit."
Obviously, none of these people have ever actually had to live on a budget. They've never learned that increasing income works a heck of a lot better to pay your bills than trying to eliminate food, rent, and healthcare from your budget. They've also never learned that when you have to reduce expenses, you start with the luxuries, not the necessities.
What about the billions of dollars we've been spending on "The Drug War," much of which has been wasted on persecuting doctors and reducing the availability of vitally needed treatments that actually work for pain patients? How about the further millions wasted by the DEA, interfering in state's rights and attacking the sitting ducks who grow and sell legal medical marijuana?
What about the billions of dollars spent in "national welfare" programs, sent to prosperous countries like Israel? It's one thing to provide money to countries where people are starving, but some of the countries we give money to are more economically secure than we are. Shouldn't we be keeping that money here, to improve our OWN economy?
What about the billions in military spending? There have to be ways to reduce waste without endangering our safety and security.
Instead of reducing waste or increasing revenue, Washington wants to cut programs in this country that feed our own starving children, provide poverty level living for the retired and disabled citizens who paid for their Social Security "benefits," and provide minimal healthcare for the most vulnerable among us; all in the name of "reducing the deficit."
If you want to reduce the deficit, try passing a jobs bill and putting people back to work! More people working and higher incomes for working people result in HIGHER TAX REVENUES! And while you're at it, fix the loopholes that allow corporations and the 1% to get away with not paying their fair share . . . That will add even more revenue, and you won't have to starve those of us who have been looking for decent paying jobs for years; instead of the low-pay, part-time work we've been forced into because of the greed of the banks and retail corporations.
You won't have to take food out of the mouths of our children; or force our elderly citizens, who have spent their lives working and paying into Social Security, to choose between food and medicine. You won't have to provide food stamps for families that work and STILL can't afford to pay the bills because corporations like Walmart refuse to pay a living wage; and you won't have to let people die because they can't afford to go to the doctor.
