Just recently, in the second week of March 2022, Congress passed a Continuing Resolution to fund the Federal government for the rest of the fiscal year. Once again our Democratic representatives have failed us. The Republicans demanded new increased spending for their wealthy and corporate overlords and they got it. But don’t worry the Democrats agreed to help decrease the cost of the bill by allowing the money initially designated for fighting the Covid pandemic to be trimmed back.
Yes, you read that right. So that the Republicans could fill the pockets of their Fat Cat special interests, who then in return fill their campaign coffers to overflowing levels, the Democrats agreed to cut funding for fighting the pandemic. So, you ask, how much did they cut? Are you ready for this, hold onto your hats, they cut it to ZERO. Nothing, nada, zilch. By May we will run out of some of the medicines that have been used to fight the pandemic and keep people alive. There will no longer be money for vaccines, tests, or anything else, until of course the next deadly variant hits and we go into crisis mode. Again.
The Republicans argue that the pandemic costs are no longer necessary and are TOO expensive. This may sound familiar to some of you. Those who have good memories will remember when the Republicans refused to require that cockpit doors on commercial air liners be reinforced and secured. This was a couple of years before 9/11. And their reason. They claimed it was unnecessary and TOO expensive. How did that turn out for everyone?
So, here we go again.
Congress passed a bill to fund the country (or at least the parts that the Republicans like) thru the end of this fiscal year. It is good that at least now we have some sort of funding bill for the year, but once again the Republicans lined up at the public trough and the Democrats got nothing for the people, the average American, the common folk, the working class, the Middle Class, or the distressed folks. So, the Economic Royalists get richer, the Republicans get their campaign war chests filled, and the average American is asked to tighten their belt one more notch to pay for it.
The bill provides an INCREASE of $32.5 Billion to feed a glutinous military-industrial complex. But not to worry, the increase for domestic departments and needs is the largest increase in four years. What is this large increase you ask, 45, 50, maybe even a $100 Billion increase. No. The fabulous increase for ALL domestic programs is….drum roll please….. $6.7 Billion, period. Just to put those two numbers in perspective, the Ukrainian military budget of 2020 was $5.9 Billion. Yikes. Just the increased over our previous military budget is more that six times the entire Ukrainian military budget. They seem to be giving the whole Russian army more than just a little bit of a problem. Just saying.
This is what happens when we keep sending the same people back to the US Congress to do the same thing as they have in the past. They have no new ideas, they keep going back to the same stagnant well and bringing us back a brackish swill, that is barely palatable, and saying look at the nice refreshing drink I brought you. I really can’t stomach it any more.
Time for a change, work to send me to the US Senate and retire the ineffectual Bennet.