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House Speaker John Boehner, Majority Leader Eric Cantor, and Budget Chairman Paul Ryan like to portray themselves as “The Three Budgeteers.”
Decrying deficits, the GOP’s sharp-eyed slashers of federal spending are galloping through Congress with swords flashing, severing billions – nay, trillions! – from the national budget. Medicare for seniors: behead it! Food stamps for the poor: whack them! Environmental protections: eviscerate them! Consumer agency: kill it!
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Practically all of the slash and burn rampage by The Three Budgeteers comes at the expense of America’s middle class and the poor. For corporate powers and wealthy elites, however, the dynamic trio offers more government gimmies, including a one-third cut in their tax rates.
The Budgeteers are also demanding that government workers take cutbacks. But, wait – aren’t Boehner, Cantor, and Ryan workers, too? Well, yes… but, very special workers. So when they recently took our government to the brink of a total shutdown, guess who they rushed to protect? Not emergency responders, toxic waste clean-up crews, air-traffic controllers, or millions of other federal employees we count on – but, themselves.
In the senate, Barbara Boxer had passed a bill to suspend the paychecks of all Congress critters if the government shuts down, but The Three Budgeteers blocked it in the House, thus protecting the $174,000 a year that each lawmaker sucks from us taxpayers. But then the GOP threesome cynically tried to trick the public about their perfidy. They made a show of approving a House version of the congressional pay suspension, but tucked it into a bill with zero chance of passing.
Boehner, Cantor, Ryan – remember these names. They think they’re clever, and they’re hoping that you are stupid.
“Ryan takes lead for GOP on deficit, but early reviews mixed,” Austin American Statesman, April 10, 2011.
“Why pay Congress?” The New York Times, April 9, 2011.