Budgeting for Disaster

Sometimes, there's an article so good that I can't add much to it. Thanks to my friend Ed, who pointed me to this amazing piece via his Facebook page: How the GOP Is Budgeting for Disaster. If you had any doubt about what "compassionate conservatism" and "fiscal responsibility" mean for government in the age of tea party fantasy budgeting, this will give you a pretty good idea. If you don't have time to read the whole article, the last paragraph sums it up:

"I'm sure no one is surprised that the same Congress that steadfastly protects tax cuts for the wealthy while voting to maintain subsidies for the oil industry worth about $4 billion, after a quarter in which the world's six largest publicly traded oil companies announced $38 billion in profits, is eager to shaft poor women, gut regulation of the financial sector, and degrade our ability to monitor catastrophic weather events. If your goal is to drown government in the bathtub, there's going to be some collateral damage along the way. But the bad economics of it all are truly crazy-making. Scrimping now so we will inevitably pay more later - whether for healthcare, or to clean up after tornadoes, or for picking up the pieces after another economic meltdown - is profoundly irresponsible. Call it disaster economics: a fiscal strategy guaranteed to blow up."

I'm going to have that drink, now.

Have a good day. Keep an eye on those Congressional wingnuts.

More thoughts tomorrow.

Bilbo