Ecstatic Dances for the Human Sacrifices
by digby
Poor Chris Hayes must have felt like he had inadvertently joined the cast of the Real Housewives of DC when he went on Morning Joe this morning. Rarely have we seen so many wealthy celebrities telling each other convenient lies and insisting that others should sacrifice so they can prosper.
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Gosh, if only more people were like that wonderful centrist Bob Corker. The good news is that the Democrats do seem to be very interested in meeting him halfway. You may have noticed that this has been a very cold winter and it’s fairly certain that we will have climate disruptions going forward. And you may have also noticed that there is a little problem with the economy and that a lot of people are in financial trouble. So this makes perfect sense to those who believe that middle class and poor Americans need their characters built with some more sacrifice. (The wealthy, remember, must be reassured that they will not have to spend even one more penny in taxes or they will feel “uncertain” which is completely unacceptable.) :
President Obama’s proposed 2012 budget will cut several billion dollars from the government’s energy assistance fund for poor people, officials briefed on the subject told National Journal.It’s the biggest domestic spending cut disclosed so far, and one that will likely generate the most heat from the president’s traditional political allies. That would satisfy the White House, which has a vested interest in convincing Americans that it is serious about budget discipline. The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, or LIHEAP, would see funding drop by about $3 billion from an authorized 2009 total of $5.1 billion. The proposed cut will not touch the program’s emergency reserve fund, about $590 million, which can be used during particularly harsh cold snaps or extended heat spells, three officials told National Journal.
Dan Pfeiffer on behalf of the White House tweeted this by way of explanation:
Tough choices = cutting things u like RT:@GlennThrush April Ryan asks good question: How does Obama feel about cutting HUD block grants?
Yes, it’s very tough on the politicians and the Villagers whose lies have reached such epic proportions that they are nearly speaking in tongues they are so feverish about cutting basic necessities for the poor. Sure, people will have to go without heat in winter, but think how hard it is on all those wealthy cosseted politicians who are selling out their constituents? It’s very, very “tough” for millionaires to explain why they need to cut basic necessities for average people while insisting that their rich patrons not be required to pay even modest increases in taxes. Imagine the discomfort at Townhall meetings if they find out that someone died? The embarrassment is too awful to contemplate.
The good news is that all the Villagers will be very, very impressed with their manly, manliness and their lavish, lobbyist fundraisers and meetings with bankers will be much more comfortable going forward. I’m a little bit worried about Andrea Mitchell though. She’s so excited about this bipartisan budget slashing (aka “sacrifice”) that I’m afraid she’s going to have a breakdown.
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