Conservative Fantasies, Colliding With Reality by Paul Krugman

[applegrove]

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/17/opinion/conservative-fantasies-colliding-with-reality.html?action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=opinion-c-col-right-region&region=opinion-c-col-right-region&WT.nav=opinion-c-col-right-region&_r=0

by Paul Krugman at the NY Times

SNIP...........


But the reality is that the proposed cuts would have ugly, highly visible effects. Zeroing out the Community Development Block Grant program may sound good if you have no idea what it does (which Mr. Trump surely doesn’t); eliminating Meals on Wheels, an immediate consequence, not so much. Nor would coal country, which voted overwhelmingly for Mr. Trump, like the consequences if he eliminates the Appalachian Regional Commission.

Wait, there’s more. Effectively disemboweling the Environmental Protection Agency may sound smart if you imagine that it’s just a bunch of meddling bureaucrats. But the public wants stronger, not weaker, environmental protection, and would not be pleased to see a sharp deterioration in air and water quality.

The point is that Mr. Trump’s attempt to change the subject away from his party’s health care quagmire isn’t going to work, and not just because this supposed budget literally isn’t worth the paper it’s written on. At a more fundamental level, it doesn’t even change the subject.

Republicans’ budget promises, like their health care promises, have been based on an essentially fraudulent picture of what’s really going on. And now the bill for these lies is coming due.

.........SNIP

[lindysalsagal]

1. Humans resist learning. Every teacher knows. Our foolish, ignorant electorate is ungovernable.

How else could that electorate not catch on that their check with "social security administration" on it is a government welfare program?

I mean, who else did they think issued the check?

[dgauss]

2. It's not just their policy fantasies colliding with reality,

It's a whole bunch of wild lies they tell their base that usually just bounce around in their alternate reality bubble, riling up the base, but remaining pretty much contained.

Now they have a president that actually seems to believe that stuff and drags it out into the open where it has to be examined. For real. Republican spinners and politicians just aren't used to that.

[Hekate]

3. Kick

[ailsagirl]

4. THIS

Effectively disemboweling the Environmental Protection Agency may sound smart if you imagine that it’s just a bunch of meddling bureaucrats. But the public wants stronger, not weaker, environmental protection, and would not be pleased to see a sharp deterioration in air and water quality.

[ffr]

5. I'm so glad I'm on his side. I'd constantly feel like an idiot if I wasn't.

I suppose that makes those on the right idiots. Oh well!

[hedda_foil]

7. Psst... ffr... I think you left out the word "not" as in I'm glad I'm NOT on his side.

[bucolic_frolic]

6. The Budget attempts to demoralize us

Don't let it happen

Make noise

RESIST. Every. Day. Do not quit until the job of ejecting these frauds
from office is done!!