The Battle of the Budget or the Republican Plan to Gut the American People

In the last 30 years or so, when our country was handed over to very wealthy people and very wealthy corporations to run, we missed the opportunity to point out the effects of arrogance and indifference that often accompanies such leadership. At the expense of the the other 95% of Americans, this gargantuan machine is oiled (no pun intended) by the very people we elect to take charge of the government. And so, when it was suggested to the Speaker of the House, Mr. John Boehner, that the slashing of spending as desired by Republicans would most immediately impact federal employees, it should not have come as a shock that his reply was “So be it.”

So be it? A tad cavalier? But take a look at the budget cuts, seen as necessary by the Republicans. Almost without exception their proposals negatively impact middle class or poor people, people without immediate access in the first place. These cuts have nothing to do, really, with people of means and/or serious wealth. Except for tax cuts.

According to a New York Times report – not exactly a socialist rag – “Paul Ryan (R. WI), proposes not only to limit federal spending and reconfigure major federal health programs [like Medicare – bk], but also to rewrite the tax code cutting the top tax rate for both individuals and corporations to 25% from [an already low – bk] 35%…” Let’s say you just took the percentages off the top without the standard deductions or any other deductions. 25% of $1 million still leaves somebody with $750,000 for the year. Even at 15%, that would leave somebody who makes $25,000 with $21,250 for the year.

If it were true that Republicans only cared about cutting the deficit and that all their proposals were related to that end, then don’t you think it would be possible to find other places to cut in the budget? For example, it always seems like the defense budget is off limits. They talk about security. Ok. So, what does the sponsorship of a race car to participate in Nascar have to do with protecting the country? And why does it cost so much? $7.4 million is spent by the Army to sponsor the race car. Another $8 million is spent on Nascar programs that aid recruiting. And yet another $3.9 million is spent, also by the Army, “for a National Hot Rod Association sponsorship.” [The New York Times, Feb. 19, 2011]

So, $19.3 million dollars for racing car-related Army expenditures. The National Guard and the Air Force also sponsor Nascar cars for some undisclosed amount of money. The argument that these expenditures are necessary for recruiting really doesn’t hold up when, for one, less than half of the $19.3 million is specifically spent for that purpose. It’s hard to come up with a more pricey way to recruit.

But, wait, there’s more. The Marines spend $50 million on their bands. That’s right, musical bands. NPR (whose funding the Republicans would love to cut completely) reports that “hundreds of millions of dollars” are spent every year not only for marching bands, but also rock bands, country music bands, jazz groups and choruses. “There are more military band musicians in the Defense Department than the State Department has Foreign Service Officers,”  Washington Post reporter Walter Pincus said. The Marines spend around $50 million on their bands and the Army estimates it spends around $198 million.

Adding? That’s $267.3 million dollars Republicans find more important to spend than the almost equal amount they want to cut from Rural Health Programs, Occupational Safety and Health, the Administration on Aging (when the largest group of people in this country ever are hitting retirement), and Lead Hazard Reduction programs.

And that’s nothing! The cuts proposed by the right wing of this nation are downright unconscionable. Why? The simple act of taxing the wealthiest Americans and the wealthiest corporations at even a reasonable rate would bring in enough money to cover those things they want to cut that will actually hurt the majority of Americans. Look at the short list of places Republicans propose to cut: Community Health Centers, Pell Grants, Head Start, home heating assistance, the Environmental Protection Agency, WIC, AIDS TB STD and Viral Hepatitus Prevention programs and on and on.

Meanwhile, back at corporate headquarters, life goes on as usual and the money keeps filling the coffers of those politicians who always do what’s good for business. And so be it if you don’t have a job.