The big fix upon Trump set's his sites is a gamble that if he destroys the environment the potential for prophet will be so attractive to business that they will invest and the economy will out grow the issues of health care and poverty. There are two major problems.
(1) History indicates when the business get's biog breaks to invest they don't do labor intensive expansion but invest in safe foreign assets.
(2) People have to die and the environment has to be sacked to get there. This is a scientific fact, pollution kills:
* Lave and Buskin pollution story 1970s shows that 50% reduction pollution would result in 20% savings in all cardio vascular death,
* The Republican house bill on health care would remove coverage from 23 Million people, Many of them will die,
Facts on Trump cuts:
"Trumps Budget Big Gifts for the Rich Big cuts for the Poor"
CNN Money
He would give a lot more money to the defense industry and wealthy taxpayers, and he would pay for that with an unprecedented slashing of safety net programs for America's poor.
It's a "tanks and tax cuts" budget.
Mick Mulvaney, Trump's budget director, spelled it out clearly for reporters on Monday. The largest savings in the budget come from these items:
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1. Cuts to Medicaid (Over $600 billion in the next decade)
2. Cuts to food stamps, known as SNAP ($193 billion over 10 years)
3. Cuts to student loans ($143 billion over 10 years)
4. Cuts to federal worker retirement programs ($63 billion over 10 years)
2. Cuts to food stamps, known as SNAP ($193 billion over 10 years)
3. Cuts to student loans ($143 billion over 10 years)
4. Cuts to federal worker retirement programs ($63 billion over 10 years)
Mulvaney probably should have added a fifth bullet: Disability programs also get a massive haircut.
Advocates for the poor are stunned at the magnitude of the cuts.
It's a "reverse Robin Hood agenda," says the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a left-leaning think tank that is one of the top voices for low-income Americans in Washington.
Which taxpayers benefit?
The Trump administration is strongly defending this as a "taxpayer first" budget.
But it's a mystery whether a typical American family will be any better off under Trump. The White House has given out only a one-page outline of its tax plan. There's so little detail that even tax policy experts can't figure out if the middle class gains or loses. What is known so far is that the wealthy -- including Trump himself -- would likely pay a lot less in taxes. read more [2]
NYT, May 25th "Trump's Budget Cuts Deeply into medicaid and anit-poverty effort"
WASHINGTON — President Trump plans to unveil on Tuesday a $4.1 trillion budget for 2018 that would cut deeply into programs for the poor, from health care and food stamps to student loans and disability payments, laying out an austere vision for reordering the nation’s priorities.
The document, grandly titled “A New Foundation for American Greatness,” encapsulates much of the “America first” message that powered Mr. Trump’s campaign. It calls for an increase in military spending of 10 percent and spending more than $2.6 billion for border security — including $1.6 billion to begin work on a wall on the border with Mexico — as well as huge tax reductions and an improbable promise of 3 percent economic growth. [1]
read moreDeep cuts to 'environment
EDF ( Environmental Defense Fund)
More
President Trump's proposed budget demands the EPA's funds be drastically cut. But the EPA's budget is already about as low as it can get—it accounts for just 0.22% of the federal budget. The proposed cuts are so outrageous that members of the President's own party are speaking out."There's not that much in the EPA [budget] for crying out loud," said Mike Simpson (R-ID), the chairman of the House Energy and Water Appropriations Committee. "EPA has been cut by over 20 percent in the last few years. The discretionary budget has been lowered pretty dramatically compared to how it was in 2009, and it's under what Paul Ryan thought it would be in his budget," explained Rep. Tom Cole (R-OK).We need to keep stoking this opposition on both sides of the aisle—because too much is at risk. Tell your members of Congress to protect the EPA.[3]
EDF offers a model letter for writing congressman
I am writing today in strong opposition to President Trump's proposal to cut the EPA's budget. This crucial agency, tasked with ensuring all Americans have access to air that is safe to breathe and water that is clean to drink, is already operating with limited funds, as its budget has already been cut by over 20 percent in just the last few years.
Americans want a strong EPA. A Reuters/Ipsos opinion survey released in mid-January highlighted that more than 4 out of 5 Americans want EPA's authority preserved or strengthened under the Trump Administration. Yet current reports suggest the Administration would cut the agency's funds by a quarter, taking aim at their ability to support brownfields industrial site cleanup (slashing that budget by 42%), state grants addressing the lead epidemic (cut by 30%), and funding to help native tribes combat pollution (also cut by 30%).
We simply cannot allow this to happen. States are heavily reliant on the EPA's expert analysis and support. Without that help, they will be handcuffed to protect citizens.
Please fight to protect the health and safety of your constituents. Oppose these senseless attacks on the Environmental Protection Agency. Our communities are counting on your leadership.
Sources
[1]"Trump's Budget Cuts Deeply into medicaid and anit-poverty effort" New York Times (MAY 22, 2017)accessed may 25
[2] Heather Long, "Trumps Budget Big Gifts for the Rich Big cuts for the Poor" CNN Money
http://money.cnn.com/2017/05/22/news/economy/trump-budget-gift-to-rich/index.html?sr=fbCNN052317trump-budget-gift-to-rich0900AMStoryLink&linkId=37894633
accessed may 25
[3] Environmental Defense Fund "Tell Congress Reject Amy Budget that Attacks EPA
https://secure2.edf.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&id=2923&page=UserAction&utm_source=facebook&utm_campaign=edf_epa-budget_pd_acq&utm_medium=cpc&utm_id=1495558025&utm_content=national
I guess I'm not going to wake up from a 198-day dream and find out Trump didn't win, it still all seems so surreal.
ReplyDeleteThe unfortunate reality is that we are not going to change the minds of the people currently holding the reins of power. But I'll keep throwing thorns and burrs on the road in front of the horse in hopes that it will slow down enough to get under the control of a more competent driver before running off the cliff.
ReplyDeleteI agree, that's about all we can do until the mid terms,we need to be working in the mid terms,
ReplyDelete