5 (Political) Thoughts for March 16, 2017

1. Budget Item, NASA: Donald's budget cuts $200M from NASA's $19.1B budget, which is just 1% cut but it stands in contrast to the lies Donald has been offering up for several years. Here's just one:
   

   It is very sad to see what @BarackObama has done with NASA. He has gutted the program and made us dependent on the Russians.

   — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 27, 2012

   And just last year he said, "Over the last 8 years, the Obama-Clinton administration has undermined our space program tremendously. That will change. So many good things come out of it, including great jobs. That will change very quickly under a Trump administration and it'll change before it’s too late." After inserting that into the Trump Sentence Descrambling Machine, Donald asserted that he was going to create great jobs, but his budget will end up effectively cutting employment at NASA. Did I mention that his budget proposes to eliminate NASA's education program?
   
2. Budget Item, Meals on Wheels: When the OMB Director tells the nation that, "We can't spend it on programs that did not show results" you know that Republicans just don't get it. Meals on Wheels isn't a program to push elderly people out of poverty, after all. In the least cynical reading of the Trump Administration's budget priorities, it's "Every man for himself, except the rich who earned the government's help."
3. Budget Item, NEA, NEH: Donald's budget also eliminates the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities. He seems to think that this hits liberals but it really doesn't; it hits the rural and the poor. Big cities -- typically dominated by liberals -- have the ability to make up funding through corporations, sponsors, local government, and of course nonprofits. Rural and small cities will have little choice but to close libraries and eliminate arts and music programs. Add into the fact that Ajit Pai -- a Republican -- is now head of the FCC and supports a state's right to block municipal fiber, rural communities will be decimated in an ever-growing divide between the haves and have-nots. Practically, Republicans are looking to entrench economic classes. Regardless, I point out the obvious: It'll never come to fruition as any funding bill is blocked without 60 votes in the Senate and House Republicans will be under fire from local government officials cognizant of the impact these cuts will create.
4. GOP Economics Made Real: You might think that Donald Trump is to blame for his ridiculously terrible budget proposal, and you would be wrong. In fact, it directly reflects the talking points of the GOP for decades. This time, however, the difference is that they have a lunatic in the White House who is willing to make concrete the very proposals the GOP have dangled as red meat to their constituents. Boost defense spending? Check. Eliminate / cut EPA, HUD, Arts, and Education? Check. Suddenly, Republicans are forced to govern responsibly but are instead finding out just how irresponsible their dogma is. Funny but also scary.
5. Muslim Ban: As predicted, The Emperor's Muslim Ban was blocked. This is literally what The Emperor is saying to the courts: I want a law that will violate the 1st Amendment, but crafted so that violating the 1st Amendment is legal. The question now is, does SCOTUS want to give POTUS the ability to "legally violate the US Constitution"? Remember, this is more than just about the "Muslim Ban" because allowing POTUS to work around the US Constitution means that he can also bring back segregation, gender and race discrimination, etc.