I don’t know how many of you caught this, but amidst all the hoo-hah about 60% of Americans thinking Iraq was a mistake, the shocking disgrace of Bob Woodward and the unthinkable notion that a Supreme Court justice was completely honest about his views on Roe, oh wait, no, he was just shoveling shit in order to get a job, there was other stuff going on in Congress this week:
Nov. 18 (Bloomberg) -- Republicans in the U.S. Congress advanced plans to trim federal spending and extend tax cuts early today as the House passed $50 billion in budget savings and the Senate agreed to $60 billion worth of tax cuts.The House plan targets Medicaid, food stamps, student aid and other benefit programs and follows Senate passage earlier this month of $35 billion in budget cuts.
Note that originally there’d been even deeper budget cuts, including trying to knock 40,000 children off free school lunches.
That’s right. While they’re cutting food stamps—so the kids can’t eat at home—they wanted to eliminate free lunches at school too. Meaning, I guess, that the kids can eat…on the street? How well do you suppose even the brightest child does in school if she’s hungry? Not so great, I’m thinking. No child left behind? No child fed is more like it.
And note that, even now, they’re proposing Fifty Billions Dollars in budget cuts…and another Sixty Billion Dollars of tax cuts. Meaning that they’re actually trying—trying—to enlarge the deficit by another Ten Billion Dollars. $10,000,000,000. Because that’s going to help our nation somehow.
It’s a hard choice, really, innit? Give Paris Hilton yet another tax cut or feed a hungry child. Damn, Sam, that’s a toughie. I mean, that is just a bitch and a half. What to do, what to do.
I know! For guidance, I’ll turn to the guy my president said is his favorite philosopher. Surely that’ll help illuminate The Proper Path to Take:
Jesus said to the disciples:
"When the Son of Man comes in his glory,
and all the angels with him,
then he will sit on the throne of his glory.
All the nations will be gathered before him,
and he will separate people one from another
as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats,
and he will put the sheep at his right hand
and the goats at the left.
Then the king will say to those at his right hand,
‘Come, you that are blessed by my Father,
inherit the kingdom prepared for you
from the foundation of the world;
for I was hungry and you gave me food,
I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink,
I was a stranger and you welcomed me,
I was naked and you gave me clothing,
I was sick and you took care of me,
I was in prison and you visited me.’
Then the righteous will answer him,
‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry
and gave you food,
or thirsty and gave you something to drink?
And when was it that we saw you a stranger
and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing?
And when was it that we saw you sick
or in prison and visited you?’
And the king will answer them,
‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it
to one of the least of these
who are members of my family,
you did it to me.’
Then he will say to those at his left hand,
‘You that are accursed,
depart from me into the eternal fire
prepared for the devil and his angels;
for I was hungry and you gave me no food,
I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink,
I was a stranger and you did not welcome me,
naked and you did not give me clothing,
sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’
Then they also will answer,
‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty
or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison,
and did not take care of you?’
Then he will answer them,
‘Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it
to one of the least of these,
you did not do it to me.’
And these will go away into eternal punishment,
but the righteous into eternal life."
Matthew 25:31-46
Huh. Well, that didn’t exactly help after all. Because that seems pretty fucking unambiguous as to what the right thing to do is. Paris has plenty to eat. Them hungry children? Not so much.
So what to do, what to do? Here’s a hint: feed the hungry children. Because them righteous folk what have read them words up above before and still voted to screw the hungry children in favor of Paris Hilton? Sounds to me like you're coming right out and admitting you don't really believe the stuff you proclaim you do. 'Cuz if you really and truly believe the stuff you say, you just done bought yourselves an eternity in a lake of fire.
Bullseye.
I'm as angry as you are, though sadly not surprised.
Posted by: Karen | Monday, November 21, 2005 at 04:10 AM
I'm as angry as you are, though sadly not surprised.
And isn’t that just a horrible, horrible fact?
Posted by: Scott | Tuesday, November 22, 2005 at 11:56 AM
Posted by: Scott | Wednesday, November 23, 2005 at 06:37 AM
"And isn’t that just a horrible, horrible fact?"
Yes, and that's what this administration has been. A horrible fact. I can't even feel glad that true colors are showing, because it's at the expense of too many innocent people ....
Posted by: Karen | Wednesday, November 23, 2005 at 05:24 PM
Just found this. Amazing. And not in a good way. But, hey, it’s just The National Council of Churches—no politician should feel any need to take the slightest heed of what they have to say. Unless, you know, he or she claims to be religious in the slightest. But we don’t have many of them kinds o’ hypocrites in Congress, now, do we?
Posted by: Scott | Wednesday, November 30, 2005 at 07:42 AM