By a very narrow margin, arguably the most idiotic piece of legislation in American history has passed Congress. 218-214. Two turncoat Democrats contributed to this disaster.
This bill was a sort of long-term conservative wish list. Cutting taxes for the rich, increasing taxes for the lowest incomes. The states can’t regulate AI for 10 years. Allegedly, 17 million people will be forced off Medicaid. Billions of dollars for ICE, coming directly out of federal revenue. People will have to work for food stamps. Don’t even think about trade.
CNN has a list of effects which make pretty grim reading.
A lot of the details of changes to social programs are offloaded onto the states, many of which aren’t in great shape with their own revenue. The national effect can be summarized in one word: “Expensive”.
Someone will eventually write an encyclopaedia on what’s wrong with this bill. To put it as mildly as possible, it’s fantasy. In revenue terms, it could cripple the Federal budget. Doesn’t look like the Good Old Days are going to be replaced by Good New Days anytime soon.
It’s inevitable that this bill will be severely underfunded, regardless of raising debt levels. Corporate America is in lock step with Federal spending because that’s where the big money comes from. The revenue isn’t there. More borrowing will be required. Sound familiar?
At least until the midterms. The easy way to shut this mess down would be to block a budget. That’d force an election and stop the “fiscal diarrhea” effect.
That’s not the worst of it. The worst of it is, as usual, that nobody’s minding the store. Realities on the ground are never mentioned. Cost of living, housing, health, and two generations adrift in a sea of chaos aren’t even subjects for discussion. American healthcare is now considered the worst in the world.
Think about it – No steady jobs, too. Very iffy income streams, and everything is getting more expensive. Gen Z and Alpha are up the creek with no canoes.
Conservatives don’t have a reputation for great calls on any subject. Prohibition was a conservative crusade. So was the long-lost War on Drugs. “Tough on crime” is now a very old joke. Immigrant labor was critical to the US food system, and now the immigrants are criminals all of a sudden.
Just for the record, other countries use work visas, and it’s not a problem. Only in America would people who put food on the table be arrested.
On most American media, asterisks have replaced swear words. You can go broke, flounder around in constant financial shocks, die of social disasters, but you can’t swear. These are the priorities?
Someone’s living in a senile doll’s crack house. Superficiality is the name of the game. This bill was passed in the face of the biggest protests in US history. The hostility of the electorate is being ignored, and they’re getting away with ignoring it.
The damage can be undone, but it’ll take time and more money. Every single part of the bill will have to be disassembled.
This is the beginning of the end, but it’s going to be ugly.
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Disclaimer
The opinions expressed in this Op-Ed are those of the author. They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of the Digital Journal or its members.
