More SOTU
Couldn’t agree more with the Prez about the importance of teachers, but class sizes are rising and teachers being let go all over the country. The federal budget spends just 3% of discretionary funding on education (of course most education funding comes from local property taxes, not federal taxes) while over 50% of the discretionary budget goes to the military. Wrong priorities.
*****
Agree with Prez we need to invest more in the country’s infrastructure, which would also put folks back to work. Let’s cut military spending (all told it’s nearly a trillion dollars per year, $120 billion annually just in Afghanistan) and put the savings to work re-building the country, and also paying our debt to the people of Iraq and Afghanistan by funding reconstruction led by the people in those countries.
*****
Tax reform – sorely needed. Will he fight for it? Not likely, as he just signed off on continuing the Bush tax cuts for the rich.
*****
Olive branch to GOPpers on health care – good luck with that, Mr. President. Again, we could cover everyone in the country who lacks health insurance for the cost of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.
*****
Five year freeze in domestic discretionary spending in a recession, while people are hurting so badly? Bad idea, probably will not fly in Congress, but we’ll see, some in the GOP want to cut more. Reduce Medicare and Medicaid? Very, very dangerous.
“Before we take money away from our schools, or scholarships away from our students, we should ask millionaires to give up their tax break.” Agreed, now make it happen, Mr. President (he just caved to the R’s on this issue last month).
