STILL The Reason Why We CAN'T Have Nice Things In The USA

[kpete]

That's why the answer to the question [only ever asked of Democrats], "How ya gonna pay for it?" is always, always, always, "The same way we pay for our unlimited supply of military hardware."

If you’ve been following the reconciliation debate — in which people have been absolutely obsessed with the supposedly terrifying number of $3.5 trillion — you might have thought the defense bill would produce enormous breast-beating about out-of-control spending and debt. After all, that $3.5 trillion is over 10 years, or $350 billion a year, less than half of what we’re going to spend on the military.

But that’s not what happened. Apart from a brief to-do over whether the bill would include funding for Israel’s Iron Dome defense system, the defense bill moved through the process efficiently and with little controversy.

There were no painful negotiations, no ultimatums, no desperate threats. President Biden did not have to beg and plead to secure anyone’s vote. And you sure didn’t see centrist members of Congress expressing deep concern about its size, claiming it was irresponsible to add so much to the national debt — although we’ll easily be spending $8 or $9 trillion on the military over the same 10-year period.

MORE:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/09/24/meltdown-among-democrats-shows-our-budget-debates-are-insane/

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2021/9/25/2054308/-Abbreviated-Pundit-Roundup-The-fraudit-affirms-a-Biden-win-in-Arizona#comment_81911112

[Bettie]

1. This enrages me

there is always plenty of money for the military.

Plenty of money for giveaways to corporations.

And then, a tooth and nail fight for every penny for the people who make up the majority of this country.

[rurallib]

4. and wars are extra. But they can always find money for wars also

[KPN]

9. And do the majority of the real work! It angers me no end ... and to think, it's been overtly

the case for going on FIVE DECADES now!

It always amazes me that we still have Democrats who nevertheless favor the "settle for less" legislative tactic and defend it as being realistic. Somehow the almost 50 year slide in working class Americans' economic well-being simultaneous with income inequality that snowballed to aberrant and socio-politically unsustainable levelsand is stioll growing isn't reality? It boggles and infuriates me that this isn't enough to unite all Democrats.

I often hear some Democrats describe themselves as socially liberal and economically conservative. It's not the progressives who are the problem when it comes to being real. There is such a thing as too little too late.

[Bettie]

11. Yes there is

the middle class is mostly gone, the vast majority of people are the working poor.

There is a huge gulf between the rich and the poor, with a relatively few being on the upper end of the economic ladder.

And yet, our legislators largely believe we need to give whatever the super rich want to them, to keep them...what? "Creating jobs"?

WE create jobs through exchange of currency for goods and services, otherwise known as economic activity.

The rich folks will get the money eventually, I'd just like to see it change hands a few more times instead of most of it going directly to their dragon hordes.

That's what they are, human dragons sitting on their piles of treasure.

[jimfields33]

2. The difference is they put it up to vote immediately

No time for discussion by tv talking heads. It still received some no and present votes but none that made a difference in passage.

The 3.5 trillion dollar bill should have immediately been written after the inaugural and put up for a vote immediately forgoing months of negativity.

[AllaN01Bear]

3. the rs r more interested in high tech bang bangs than people.

[Irish_Dem]

5. The US does not believe in spending money on its citizens or infrastructure.

We are the richest country in the history of the world, but we lag in basic amenities compared to other industrialized nations.

Why?

1. Racism. White people don't want POC getting anything.

2. Puritan roots. Money is the root of evil, people shouldn't have any.

3. The wealthy power structure believes that the entire wealth of the country is theirs, and will not share.

[CentralMass]

6. We have an oligarchy that is calling the shots.

[KPN]

10. Yes, let's face it. It does seem like we are fooling ourselves about this. And the oligarchs have

successfully divided us little people to shield themselves and solidify their grasp.

[unblock]

7. Why not put infrastructure or taxes on the rich in the defense spending bill?

Then when republicans complain we call them anti-military

[jlerollblues]

8. Since Eisenhower

warned of the MIC, they have been busy making sure there is at least one defense budget funded factory/facility in every congressional district. And they have succeeded.