The GOP's Fiscal Fix: Everybody But The Fat Cats Pay

Well, here come the details. The House Republican Study Committee proposed $2.5 trillion of cuts to the budget in the next decade. What's in it? Well, deep cuts to the District of Columbia, for whom the Congress is largely responsible, including to their famed and beloved "Metro." The regular cuts to the National Endowment for the Arts. We're used to them hating art. They want to cut PBS- I didn't know it was a conservative position to hate Big Bird and Cookie Monster. Deep cuts to Public Housing made the list too- because those people don't need a roof over their heads, put them on the streets. Oh yeah, and why keep Amtrak up and running, after all, the rest of the world is realizing the potential of railways.

Now, the reality is that there will be spending cuts, even if "discretionary" spending isn't the reason for deficits. Chances are, the GOP controlled House will insist on cutting some money for the most disadvantaged in our society, be it in public housing, public health, or public education. That's a reality we have to live with. The insulting thing about this plan is though, these guys didn't even touch the "fat cats" and the tough issues. There's no discussion of the Defense Department Budget, even though everyone up to the Secretary of Defense thinks the budget is full of waste. There's no discussion of entitlements, even though they (and health care) drive the deficit. Nowhere are they attempting to cut subsidies to "Agro-business" and the Petroleum sector. Nothing. ALL of the sacrifice the GOP is calling for comes from programs that help working people and poor people. Shared sacrifice? Not from the GOP.