Short and to the point: Guns or butter. Teachers or food.

[madfloridian]

This blogger spares no words in describing the inanity of setting up funds to spare teachers from being fired while cutting 12 billion in food stamps to do it. He says it better than I could.

Guns or butter. Teachers or food

It is hard to imagine a more cynical time in Washington than now. For example, take what is being called the EduJobs bill.

First it is alive. Then it is dead. Then back. Then not. First it was attached to the Afghanistan War appropriation. Nice. If you thought is was worth saving the couple of hundred thousand teacher jobs that were being cut around the country, but you also thought the war in Afghanistan was a moral and political disaster, you were in deep shit.

But the Republicans and Blue Dog Democrats solved that problem. They demanded guns over butter. They cut the school funding out of the bill.

And that is not all.

Apparently many in Washington are good a war spending but react in horror at spending for teachers. So, Harry Reid’s school funding bill has to be paid for. How? By cutting food stamps for the poor.

We now get to call our senators and ask them to support a bill that funds teaching jobs but reduces food stamp benefits for the first time ever.

Your call: 1-866-608-6355

As for me, I can’t do it. I’m for teaching jobs and food. Crazy!

David Obey told us about this a while ago, but many did not believe it.

Obey says White House Suggested Cutting Food Stamps to Pay for Education Program

People were quite critical of Obey for saying this, but the man was right. His words:

We were told we have to offset every damn dime of (new teacher spending). Well, it ain’t easy to find offsets, and with all due respect to the administration their first suggestion for offsets was to cut food stamps. Now they were careful not to make an official budget request, because they didn’t want to take the political heat for it, but that was the first trial balloon they sent down here. … Their line of argument was, well, the cost of food relative to what we thought it would be has come down, so people on food stamps are getting a pretty good deal in comparison to what we thought they were going to get. Well isn’t that nice. Some poor bastard is going to get a break for a change.

I don't think I can make that call either, not to save teachers at the expense of those on food stamps. Can't do it.

[villager]

1. Just think of it as "change"

n/t

[Name removed]

2. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[OneTenthofOnePercent]

3. IMO, attaching unrelated bills to legislation should not be allowed.

If a bill or concept has enough merit to be considered law and accepted by the people... then it should be able to pass on it's own accord.

Sneaking lobbyist pushed bills into "must-pass" legislation, earmarking millions for private interests... it's incredibly stupid. And much more harm comes of it than good.

[unhappycamper]

4. I've been saying 'guns or butter' for a long time now.

A trillion dollars each and every year is a lot of $$$.

[madfloridian]

7. I agree.

It is like living in another reality where priorities are all out of order.

[madfloridian]

5. Update

"UPDATE: The bill cleared the senate this morning 61-38. It included the $12 billion cuts to food stamps. It will go to the House when it reconvenes in the Fall." (that would mean yesterday I guess)

http://preaprez.wordpress.com/2010/08/04/guns-or-butter-teachers-or-food/

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

6. But..Obama says the wars are "necessary"...food and teachers...aren't.

[madfloridian]

8. Maybe 10 billion for teachers while cutting 12 billion in food stamps.

What a choice. Priorities out of order.

[laughingliberal]

9. K & R nt

[cornermouse]

10. Tried to "r" but it won't let me so I'm kicking it instead.

[Jakes Progress]

11. Not only is the administration filled with cynics

and corporate tools, they are also mean and nasty.

They know that congress critters will be conflicted when it comes to taking food from people.

This is as nasty as it gets. Cynical and nasty. Arrogant and wrong. Tell me again how different this is.

[Jakes Progress]

12. DU was ablaze with righteous indignation

when the Obey story first broke. The usual suspects were everywhere calling us crazy progressives and haters for commenting on something that the administration would never do.

Where are they now? They can't man up and come here to apologize or to say that they support cutting food stamps. They just man their unrec battalions.

[madfloridian]

13. I remember that. Well, they just did it. Cut 12 billion from food stamps.

And yes there is a brigade out to unrec my posts or any that criticize.

[suffragette]

14. Sorry I didn't see this in time to recommend

Here's a hearty kick.
:kick:

[Jakes Progress]

15. Kick to shame the crowd that crowed

that Obey was a liar, that the administration would never say of do something this nasty.

Now if they could only own up to their error or do a little self reflection. But hey. They have jobs. They have food.

[madfloridian]

19. I got blasted for posting it. Obey got blasted. He was right.

It's a ridiculous scenario.

[Jakes Progress]

22. And the ones who vowed it wasn't so

are hiding as far away from this thread as possible. Lots of republican traits coming out here. Denying the truth, then looking the other way to avoid having to admit your hero has nasty habits.

[TheKentuckian]

16. Sorry that I'm too late to rec but a kick is way overdue.

Where are the "pragmatists" on this?

More and more depending on this help with each passing day and it is cut to maintain some of our teachers while we consider keeping absurd tax cuts for rich folks and eternal but pointless wars.

I reckon it is "sensible" for us to have more hungry Americans than it is to ask for a few pennies on the dollar to the wealthiest 2%.

Better to maintain a "reduced footprint" in Iraq than to educate our children.

[bonnieS]

17. The cynicism here is extraordinary

Teachers become the villains for taking food out of the mouths of the poor. Everybody wins. Everybody meaning the politicians, including the Administration, which is being criticized for pandering to the teachers' unions, when in actuality they are double dealing..

[ibegurpard]

18. fucked up

[kenny blankenship]

20. But we don't have to choose. We can have BOTH:

Iraq AND Afghanistan! What were you saying?

[Jack_DeLeon]

21. Butter can be unhealthy, and I like guns...

:)