Republicans Tear the Baby In Two

 

Solomonic: marked by notable wisdom, reasonableness, or discretion especially under trying circumstances

There is nothing solomonic* in the Republican Party, yet I find myself looking to the story of King Solomon from the Bible. When asked to decide whether one woman or another receives a child, Solomon suggests cutting the child in half so each mother may have half. One woman offers the child up so their life may be saved and proves herself the child's mother.

Watching the government shutdown continue for weeks, I see some parallels but no wisdom from the Republican leadership. The Democrats have held up the budget approval process leaning heavily on the cuts to subsidies for the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) as cause for voting against the Big Budget-Busting Bill. The Republicans will not negotiate.

Due to the collapse of budget talks, on November 1st SNAP, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, will no longer be funded and 42 million Americans will not receive their benefits. People will go without food. 

We are witnessing a situation where the choices are undesirable.

(1) Allow up to 23 million people who receive subsidies for healthcare through the ACA to be forced out due to rising costs. Additionally, those 21 million covered through Medicaid expansion in the ACA will lose funding.

(2) 42 million Americans lose SNAP benefits because Dems won't back down in the budget process so that 44 million continue to have healthcare.

Republicans have decided to throw the baby out with the bathwater, removing health care, and refusing to feed the baby.

Democrats have decided that the choices being offered by the Republicans are barbaric. Save the baby. Feed the baby. Give the baby healthcare PLUS vaccinations.

There is no middle ground in this debate. You are either for saving lives or tossing out lives.

But beyond the ACA extension and SNAP benefits, other life altering and life savings programs are on the chopping block with this Big, Budget-Busting Bill.

Here are a few things in the Onerous Big Budget-Busting Bill:

The largest Medicaid cuts in history with new higher premiums and deductibles 

The largest SNAP cuts in history

Higher electricity costs

Repeal of clean vehicle and energy credits, alongside rollbacks in clean vehicle standards. PLUS an extra $250 annual fee on people who already own an EV and $100 for hybrid car owners.

Higher costs for financing college with no subsidized loans, higher repayment costs, and other changes which will reduce availability for grants.

Trump budget would slash Housing Assistance Vouchers by 40% — and let states fill the gap if they want or can

Cut jobs in the clean energy sector and manufacturing

Guts fuel efficiency standards for cars and trucks

More pollution as companies will be allowed to pay a fee to bypass the environmental review process

Cuts to public health programs

Eliminates 18 million school meals to children in poverty

On top of this, Republicans have already instituted cuts in the following areas this year:

Reduced assistance for utility costs for the poor

Reduced housing vouchers and section 8 housing programs

Reduced funding for Food Banks, Meals on Wheels, school lunch programs

Reduced access to contraceptives

Cuts to clean energy programs and projects

Cuts to clean car development

Cuts to education

Cuts to services for the disabled 

Cuts to the sciences

Cuts to the Veterans Administration

Cuts to Suicide hotlines

Cuts to Community Health Centers

Cuts to Head Start and child care programs

Cuts to WIC

Cuts to job training programs

Cuts to Food Inspection Programs

Cuts to OSHA

Cuts to the EPA

Cuts to the IRS 

Cuts to Firefighters

Cuts to Education

… and many more

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“Boy, these conservatives are really something, aren't they? They're all in favor of the unborn. They will do anything for the unborn. But once you're born, you're on your own. Pro-life conservatives are obsessed with the fetus from conception to nine months. After that, they don't want to know about you. They don't want to hear from you. No nothing. No neonatal care, no day care, no head start, no school lunch, no food stamps, no welfare, no nothing. If you're preborn, you're fine; if you're preschool, you're fucked.” ― George Carlin