 Pigs & Priorities
While the Democratic-led Senate remains in session this week in Washington, it should surprise no one that the Republican-led House is effectively on vacation once again. In theory, House members are "working from their districts," though these days that often means hiding from angry constituents while dashing from one fundraiser to the next for their umpteenth re-election campaign. The entire time, of course, these members of Congress are collecting their annual salary of $174,000, along with all of their benefits.
When you contrast that kind of Congressional largess with the effects of the food stamp cuts now reverberating around the country, our members of Congress - especially those in the House of Representatives - look like selfish, overgrown pigs, metaphorically speaking. Frankly, far too many of them look that way in real life, too.
The truth is, when House members do finally get their overfed behinds back to Washington to eke out a bit of work, no one should be talking about cutting safety net programs, cutting federal retiree benefits, attacking workers, or permanently cutting the budget. The discussion should be about investment - both in American infrastructure and growth, as well as in American workers.
In short, it's time America's fat corporations and overfed rich started paying far more than they have during the last 30 years, thanks to Republican-led austerity charades. At least, that's how a growing number of relatively conservative billionaire businesspeople see it...
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