GOP cuts focus only on short term

Caustic broadcaster Sean Hannity rejected the idea that Republican spending has anything to do with our current debt and deficit in a recently televised spat with Rep. Anthony Weiner. Sorry, Mr. Hannity, but debt accumulates when revenue is reduced and spending is increased, as it was under the Bush administration. In fact, budgets from 2002-2008 had deficits that totaled $2.1 trillion. The FY2009 budget had a half-trillion dollar shortfall before President Obama was even sworn in.

The wars, tax cuts and unfunded Medicare drug plan remain as legacy budget liabilities. The recession has taken millions out of the taxpayer ranks while the weakly justified tax rate reductions extended in last December’s GOP blackmail of the president will result in another $900 billion in debt.

Now Republican reactionaries in the House are running with their scissors to cut the suddenly critical deficit problem. Where are they looking? At $18 billion in cuts to security spending, including reductions in border protection, $1.3 billion from EPA programs including clean water initiatives, $1.3 billion from community health centers depriving more than 3 million low-income people their health care. Nutrition programs for pregnant women, new moms and children (WIC) will be cut. Head Start cuts kick 200,000 children out of preschool. The budget will force states to fire 65,000 teachers and aides. College aid, veterans’ housing vouchers, high school graduation initiatives and Medicare contracting reform are all on the list. They plan major cuts in research for wind, solar, biofuels and energy efficiency technologies.

Do you notice that none of these actions seriously addresses the long term reductions that are needed? Do any of these cuts nurture job growth? Didn’t their mothers tell them that running with scissors is dangerous?

David Troland

Arlington Heights