Trump team prepares dramatic cuts

[highplainsdem]

Source: The Hill

The departments of Commerce and Energy would see major reductions in funding, with programs under their jurisdiction either being eliminated or transferred to other agencies. The departments of Transportation, Justice and State would see significant cuts and program eliminations.

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting would be privatized, while the National Endowment for the Arts and National Endowment for the Humanities would be eliminated entirely.

Overall, the blueprint being used by Trump’s team would reduce federal spending by $10.5 trillion over 10 years.

The proposed cuts hew closely to a blueprint published last year by the conservative Heritage Foundation, a think tank that has helped staff the Trump transition.

-snip-

Read more: http://thehill.com/policy/finance/314991-trump-team-prepares-dramatic-cuts

[underpants]

1. They've hated NEA for decades

This is horrible

[mrmpa]

71. they're confused

They think the NEA is the National Education Association

[jmowreader]

91. They know exactly what it means

They also think the only things the NEA funds are "degenerate" work like Mapplethorpe's homoerotic photos and Serrano's "Piss Christ."

[IntraPolitico]

2. Not at all surprising

I mean, he's going to run the country like a business, so are we really that surprised? It may sound like such a cliche but OF COURSE the poor will have to suffer for it, as they always do.

[Ligyron]

3. Yep, the beginning of the end for the USA as we know it.

And the Democrats are almost powerless to stop it.

Sometimes I think progressives should join the GOP to try and change it from within. I may get alerted on for this but everyday I

realize more and more that the Party is screwed along with the population, half of whom are clueless and voted for their own demise.

[Alekzander]

48. Actually, I agree with you because afterall there are enough moderate republicans who I believe feel

as bad as Dems on this. At the same time, I am pissed at the DNC & Dems because the reason we are here is because of them. They have let people down.

That said; we are where we are but desperate times call for desperate times & if that means joining forces to stop this disaster train, so be it.

[mahina]

66. Have to disagree.

There's no way a converted Dem would have influence in the party.

They would still be voting against trump's agenda, presumably, right?

This is no time to cave in to fear, or to give up.

[Dustlawyer]

73. Maybe they should do the Trump in reverse?

New candidates promising Plutocrats, who are drooling right now by the way, to cut their taxes completely and raise them on everyone else. Call the other Republicans lightweights etc., then get into office and go full on liberal!!

If history is any indication, the skyrocketing gap, which is already bad, between the rich and the poor will cause a huge backlash. Riots and crack downs as the economic disaster grows! The greed of the plutocrats will be their undoing. After that it will be very chaotic for a long time!

[cstanleytech]

4. I predict these dramatic and sudden cuts will have a negative impact on the US

economy leading to a massive depression atleast as bad if not worse than the one in the 1920s and it will be all the fault of the Republicans.

[NewJeffCT]

7. I was typing my post as you were posting

but, they're not going to get $10.5 trillion in cuts without big cuts to social security, medicare and defense. Cutting those items will definitely tank the economy.

[charlyvi]

47. And you just know

that whatever should be cut from defense to get to the $10.5 trillion won't be, so all of it will be made up from destroying the social safety net.

[jmowreader]

92. Jeff, you seem to forget

Trump intends to spend even more on the military than we do now. There's actually a good case for that: after over a decade of service in the desert, every vehicle and aircraft DoD owns needs a teardown overhaul at the very least. (Delirium Tremens doesn't plan to do this; he wants things that haven't been invented yet.) But mention to the hard right that Trump can't make over the military like it was an Apprentice challenge AND rebuild all the roads and bridges AND build a wall Mexico won't pay for AND slash taxes AND balance the budget because there isn't enough non-defense discretionary spending to get rid of, and all you hear is how much the national debt went up under Obama.

[NewJeffCT]

93. True

I forgot that he meant to increase defense spending - I actually changed that in another post on Facebook where I mentioned similar.

I agree that much of the military does need an overhaul - Obama had actually gotten funding for an overhaul & upgrade of the submarine fleet as it was big news here in Connecticut that the sub base in Groton would be hiring 8,000 new people over the next several years, which will be a huge boon for that economically down part of Connecticut. (Of course, the region will see the benefits when Trump is president and he'll try to take credit for it...)

[PJMcK]

15. 1920's?

Do you mean the 1930's?

An irony in this tragedy is that before the election, Wall Street seemed deeply opposed to a Trump presidency. Since the election, however, the markets and big businesses appear to be welcoming Mr. Trump's elevation to president.

Ultimately, his policies will fail and most of our nation will be on the precipice of disaster. The only beneficiaries will be the rich.

By the way, it was Republican policies that greatly contributed to the Great Depression.

[cstanleytech]

20. No, 20s as it started in the late 1920s and continued on into the 30s.

Furthermore I predict that they are doing this not because they are trying to save the country and the tax payers money but I wager dollars to donuts that alot if not all of them have hedged a bet on this creating a crash with the intent of scooping up what they can as companies and people file bankruptcies and they will use private equity and offshore companies to hide it.
Or in other words they are engaged in a criminal conspiracy to swindle as many people in this country out of their homes and all their assets by passing or trying to pass draconian spending cuts with the intent of bringing it all down for their own enrichment.

[vlyons]

29. I fear the same

I'm retired with social security as my only income. When Republicans cut my social security, I shall be forced to either sell my home or take a reverse mortgage. So will millions of other retirees. They are criminals. The Republican party is a vast criminal enterprise.

[pangaia]

40. That's all rather obvious, wouldn't you say?

it is what they do and have been doing and trying to do for over 100 years.

[machoneman]

86. Whoa, it's already started!

For those who know the financial markets well, Trump's castigation already of various US companies, driving down their stock prices, is a match made in heaven for short sellers.

Without going through a long explanation of shorts, if I knew in advance which company Trump would blast tomorrow, I'd buy a ton of 'shorts' against that firm's stock. Then, when the stock price fell the next day, I could clean up on Wall Street. See, even when stocks go down money is to be made in shorts.

I have no doubt that his kids, other confidants and more have already engaged in this blatantly illegal activity (it's the insider stock tips, not the short-selling per se). They'd better be careful because many have gone to jail over this activity, although it's doubtful Trump himself would ever see bars. Too bad!

[erpowers]

31. They Realize They Are Still in Control

I think a few Wall Street people took Trump at his word. I think they thought he was really coming after them, especially since they had rejected him for so many years. Hillary Clinton was a known friend. They were going to be treated fairly well if she was elected. Before the election the only hope for Wall Street was to put people in place who would push Trump in their direction. Now that Trump has gone out and picked billionaires to be a part of his administration and put Goldman Sachs people in key positions, Wall Street knows that it is still in charge of the government. How likely do you think it is that Trump will now follow through on his campaign promise to get rid of carried interest? Wall Street may be thinking they got a better deal with Trump in office than they would have gotten with Clinton in office. Do you think Clinton would have attempted to appoint so many Goldman Sachs people to head government posts and economic positions? Goldman Sachs is on the verge of being firmly in control of our money and economic system. It is very possible that Wall Street is going to get what it wants and maybe even get more than it could have gotten under Hillary Clinton. So, Wall Street has a right to be happy, at least for now. However, as usual, if anything goes wrong the Wall Street set will have already made their money and most of that money will not be taken away from them.

[calguy]

60. Keep an eye on Wall Street

It's been dripping lower almost everyday since the new year began. It won't take much to send it into a full blown correction or even a bear market.
Watch you investments carefully

[erpowers]

85. People Are Already Warning

I think there are already financial people who are warning about a correction coming.

[Alekzander]

55. Trump actually is having a negative impact & he has not been sworn in yet.

[NewJeffCT]

5. they're not going to get $10.5 trillion, or more than $1 trillion/year

just from cutting parts of various government agencies unless they make cuts to defense, social security and medicare. Cutting those items will tank the economy as well.

[watoos]

14. Social Security

contributes nothing to the debt, it is self funded.

[rurallib]

30. exactly

[exboyfil]

34. Unless they effectively plan to default

on the Treasury Bonds held by the SS Trust Fund. We need to come up with about $150B/yr for the next 20 years starting around 2019. That has to come from general tax revenues, cuts to other general fund spending, or additional borrowing in the open market.

[Stonepounder]

39. You have to remember a couple of things.

1. They were supposed to keep their hands off Social Security, but they borrowed from the fund and replaced it with special bonds. Now they don't want to have to pay back the money they borrowed.
2. Don't you remember when they were talking about bonds as 'just pieces of paper'?
3. Wall St is salivating at the thought of getting all of the SS Trust Fund money to play with.

They will rape the country, we will end up as a 3rd world country, the rich will get much, much richer, and the bread and circuses for the rest of us will continue.

[jmowreader]

65. Social Security works by investing the premiums we pay into it

Those special bonds have been in place since day one. As long as the general fund pays them back, they're not a problem.

Worse, Social Security works EXACTLY like a private-sector bank does. When a bank gets a deposit, they loan it to someone and get it back with interest.

The strange thing here: The GOP always says they want government to run like a business...but there are parts of the government that DO run like a business - Social Security, Medicare, the Postal Service and Amtrak come to mind - and the GOP wants to shut all of them down. So...do they or do they not want the government to run like a business?

[pangaia]

41. Doesn't matter. They'll take it anyway.

[watoos]

6. We can look at what's in store for America

Trump is going to make America just like Kansas.

[pangaia]

42. I think you are overly optomistic..I wish it were only as bad as that

[fountainofyouth]

8. This is a punch in the gut

For many people and programs.

I worked at NEH for several years -- as recently as a couple years ago. A lot of dedicated people there who will have to take their passion for American history and education elsewhere.

[dalton99a]

9. Sheer sadistic vandalism.

[JudyM]

22. Yep. You can see the glee in McConnell's caricature of a face.

[maddiemom]

56. Yep. McConnell never stops smiling now.

I'm remembering Keith Olbermann's "Worst Person in the World" segment. McTurtle (just about the only person I've ever made fun of for his looks) has had this title tied up for eight years, since the Obama inauguration. He's utterly shameless.

[JudyM]

67. Yes, now that Scalia's dead the honor is squarely McConnell's. I dread to see how much worse

that whole crowd is going to get. Plus now a new just as depraved billionaire cabinet.

Has me wondering who picked all those cabinet nominees? Seems like more work than tRump would bother with.

[GliderGuider]

72. I've previously compared them to the historical Vandals and Visigoths

With Trump as their warlord.

So Washington DC is Rome...
Right before it was ransacked and the Empire fell...

[watoos]

10. His elimination of the

National Endowment for the Arts is retribution for no big stars performing at his inauguration. I truly believe this. The man has mental problems, cross him in any way and he will lash out at you.

Going to be a long 4 years.

[dalton99a]

12. Trump and art don't mix, nor Trump and culture.

[BeyondGeography]

11. Dull, depressing people

Too bad there's so many of them.

[Snarkoleptic]

13. Disdain for Intellectuals and the Arts - Check off #11 on the fascist to-do list.

1. Powerful and Continuing Nationalism - Fascist regimes tend to make constant use of patriotic mottos, slogans, symbols, songs, and other paraphernalia. Flags are seen everywhere, as are flag symbols on clothing and in public displays.
2. Disdain for the Recognition of Human Rights - Because of fear of enemies and the need for security, the people in fascist regimes are persuaded that human rights can be ignored in certain cases because of "need." The people tend to look the other way or even approve of torture, summary executions, assassinations, long incarcerations of prisoners, etc.
3. Identification of Enemies/Scapegoats as a Unifying Cause - The people are rallied into a unifying patriotic frenzy over the need to eliminate a perceived common threat or foe: racial , ethnic or religious minorities; liberals; communists; socialists, terrorists, etc.

4. Supremacy of the Military - Even when there are widespread domestic problems, the military is given a disproportionate amount of government funding, and the domestic agenda is neglected. Soldiers and military service are glamorized.
5. Rampant Sexism - The governments of fascist nations tend to be almost exclusively male-dominated. Under fascist regimes, traditional gender roles are made more rigid. Divorce, abortion and homosexuality are suppressed and the state is represented as the ultimate guardian of the family institution.
6. Controlled Mass Media - Sometimes to media is directly controlled by the government, but in other cases, the media is indirectly controlled by government regulation, or sympathetic media spokespeople and executives. Censorship, especially in war time, is very common.
7. Obsession with National Security - Fear is used as a motivational tool by the government over the masses.
8. Religion and Government are Intertwined - Governments in fascist nations tend to use the most common religion in the nation as a tool to manipulate public opinion. Religious rhetoric and terminology is common from government leaders, even when the major tenets of the religion are diametrically opposed
to the government's policies or actions.
9. Corporate Power is Protected - The industrial and business aristocracy of a fascist nation often are the ones who put the government leaders into power, creating a mutually beneficial business/government relationship and power elite.
10. Labor Power is Suppressed - Because the organizing power of labor is the only real threat to a fascist government, labor unions are either eliminated entirely, or are severely suppressed.
11. Disdain for Intellectuals and the Arts - Fascist nations tend to promote and tolerate open hostility to higher education, and academia. It is not uncommon for professors and other academics to be censored or even arrested. Free expression in the arts and letters is openly attacked.
12. Obsession with Crime and Punishment - Under fascist regimes, the police are given almost limitless power to enforce laws. The people are often willing to overlook police abuses and even forego civil liberties in the name of patriotism. There is often a national police force with virtually unlimited power in fascist nations.
13. Rampant Cronyism and Corruption - Fascist regimes almost always are governed by groups of friends and associates who appoint each other to government positions and use governmental power and authority to protect their friends from accountability. It is not uncommon in fascist regimes for national resources and even treasures to be appropriated or even outright stolen by government leaders.
14. Fraudulent Elections - Sometimes elections in fascist nations are a complete sham. Other times elections are manipulated by smear campaigns against or even assassination of opposition candidates, use of legislation to control voting numbers or political district boundaries, and manipulation of the media. Fascist nations also typically use their judiciaries to manipulate or control elections.

[dalton99a]

16. Yep.

[LakeVermilion]

18. The Republicans have already accomplished most of these!

[LastLiberal in PalmSprings]

23. Check off #4 as well: Glorification of the military

He says he's planning military parades--including aircraft--to inspire the people and show them where their money is going. How long before he has a uniform made for these special occasions?

Having been in the Air Force, I can tell you firsthand just how much we hated parades.

[Plucketeer]

70. "How long before he has a uniform made for these special occasions?"

Yeah - a dark blue uniform with a gold-encrusted hat that has "Make America Great Again" in latin. The uniform jacket festooned with gaily colored campaign ribbons and medals. Medals for expert pussy-grabbing, Lying above and beyond the call of the GOP, Twitter Mastery, The Russian campaign, STD evasion expert, and so on and so forth.

[LastLiberal in PalmSprings]

77. Like this?

The only thing he's missing is the "Perfect Attendance for the Debates" ribbon.

[mobeau69]

17. FTS

And FU too, Midtown Hillbilly.

[SHRED]

19. I read some of the comments section

tRump supporters are thrilled.
They think this is "draining the swamp".

[BRMCOne]

90. But of course...

Do yourself a favor and don't even look at that crap today, they're out there just gloating, it'll just p__s you off (Me too). They don't get we've become something of worldwide mockery.

These folks are too stupid to realize they've voted against themselves. And at this point, they've so vehemently defended their support of him, they CAN'T possibly accept the fact that they're wrong. (Personal example: A man who works part time in my office, cleaning it for a 2nd job as he has severely disabled adult daughter, is totally behind this clown...even after Drumpf mocked the disabled. Its surreal).

Yeah, draining the swamp...and filling it with billionaire alligators. Because his so-called Cabinet Picks are entirely sympathetic with what the average American is going thru. Sure.

I saw someone tag him as Mango Mussolini, Benedict Donald, which are both brilliant. I call him the 21st Century's PT Barnum. A sucker born every minute that thinks Agent Orange is a good idea for POTUS.

[IronLionZion]

21. Such a job creator

Taking money out of our economy and firing people, and then screwing anyone who works with those agencies for grants or benefits is a great way to dive us deep into recession.

No mention of military spending? Hiring more border patrol? Infrastructure building?

[erpowers]

24. Just Ridiculous

That budget is just ridiculous. The State Department does not need any further budget cuts since it already has a small budget. I think it has the smallest budget of all the departments. There is also no need to cut the Minority Business Development Agency. That is money well spent if it is going to help minorities create businesses. I hope this budget can be stopped.

[watoos]

25. C'mon now, it's just Trump's way

He is just punching back at those minorities who didn't vote for him. (sarcasm)
Hopefully this trait of his will be his undoing. It's pretty scary having someone with such thin skin as CIC.

[Action_Patrol]

36. Who's going to stop it?

We are so screwed.

[meadowlander]

83. Yes, after pimping Benghazi for how many years, they're going to gut the budget of the State

department again?

I would ask whether they had any shame at all, but it's been obvious since 1992 that they don't.

[not fooled]

26. Heritage equals Kochs

They have taken over this country without firing a shot. They have staged a coup and we are occupied by an alien army of radical ideologues who will loot and pillage the U.S.

The problem with their little fantasy of a weak Federal government and a return to the Gilded Age where there was little regulation of capital is that the U.S. is a lot more complicated now. Expect chaos in conjunction with the looting.

[watoos]

27. I totally agree

They want to make America like Kansas.

Trump saw how Putin became the richest man in the world by becoming president of Russia, Trump wants some of that. He needs the money to pay off those Russian mobsters, they don't take IOU's.

Federal land is going to be sold off, roads and bridges privatized, education privatized, more prisons privatized, and Trump, like Putin did, will get his kickbacks for selling off America for pennies on the dollar.

[Bengus81]

38. Yeah like these parts.............

At the Department of Justice, the blueprint calls for eliminating the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, Violence Against Women Grants and the Legal Services Corporation and for reducing funding for its Civil Rights and its Environment and Natural Resources divisions.

At the Department of Energy, it would roll back funding for nuclear physics and advanced scientific computing research to 2008 levels, eliminate the Office of Electricity, eliminate the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy and scrap the Office of Fossil Energy, which focuses on technologies to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

My gawd..............

[randr]

28. Cutting CPB out could affect hundreds of Community Radio Stations across the country

He will probably go after PBS and NPR first and try to make an example of his disdain for the media.
His attack on the Arts and Humanities community will certainly backfire but I fear for Public Broadcasting.

[MBS]

32. They are determined to destroy everything that matters to the future of this country.

Predictable, but no less appalling for that.

As an example, here's what they want to reduce or eliminate at the Dept. of Energy
-the several initiatives and departments devoted to renewable energy and sustainability
-funding for science in nuclear physics
-support for scientific computing research, aka "Big Data," in which DOE has been playing a KEY role in things like cancer research (including big-time cancer initiatives such as the "Cancer Moonshot", all the developments in personalized medicine and use of genomics in medical treatment) as well as groundbreaking science in biology, physics, and more.

At State, funding to support the Climate Change agreement.

At DOJ, several initiatives or departments that pertain to enforcement of environmental regulations and civil rights.

And, as mentioned in the OP, funding for humanities and the arts.

There's a famous quote by the physicist Robert Wilson, who testified to Congress on behalf of funding for the accelerator that became FermiLab. Here's the interchange, as cited in Scientific American (https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/cocktail-party-physics/protons-and-pistols-remembering-robert-wilson/)

. . Then-senator John Pastore bluntly asked, "Is there anything connected with the hopes of this accelerator that in any way involves the security of the country?"
Wilson, to his credit, answered just as bluntly: "No sir, I don't believe so."
"Nothing at all?" Pastore asked.
"Nothing at all."
Pastore pressed further: "It has no value in that respect?"
And then Wilson knocked it out of the park. "It has only to do with the respect with which we regard one another, the dignity of man, our love of culture. It has to do with: Are we good painters, good sculptors, great poets? I mean all the things we really venerate in our country and are patriotic about. It has nothing to do directly with defending our country except to make it worth defending."

I hate what these people are doing to both the present state and especially the future of my country. Among their many, many destructive acts, they seem hell-bent on destroying everything in our country that is worth defending.

They can wave their flags all they want, but they are not patriots.

[murielm99]

82. I am familiar with that quote.

My son works at Fermi Lab. He has worked there since he was an undergrad, now fifteen years. My late son-in-law worked there, too.
The lab is a huge employer in the area.

We are worried for the future of the lab. We are worried for the future of the world.

[MBS]

87. I share your worries.

[ehrnst]

33. NEA (0.012% of the budget) and the NEH (0.0000476% of the budget)

They aren't going to reduce the budget by eliminating the NEA (0.012% of the budget) and the NEH (0.0000476% of the budget). They care nothing about contributing to the good of civilization.

[DeminPennswoods]

35. Yesterday Obama said not to worry, everything will be ok

So don't get excited about all the bad things Trump and his team will do.

[DeminPennswoods]

37. Here's the other truism

Once you are the head of a big federal department, your start protecting your turf and trying to expand your empire. Do you think all these big ego CEOs who are used to getting their way all the time are going to let someone take something they have now away from them? If so, I have a bridge in Brooklyn to sell you. The knives are going to come out and the USS Trump will start leaking like a sieve as the infighting becomes public. I doubt Trump can control any of them as they are all probably richer than he is and more successful in their businesses. They won't see Trump is anything more than an equal, if that, even though as president he's nominally their boss.

[dalton99a]

76. These corporate CEOs despise government and government workers

They were chosen for a purpose.

[DeminPennswoods]

80. Sure they do, but now it's THEIR workers

I know from personal experience how empire building and maintenance works. I was prevented from moving into another position precisely because the division head did not want to lose an FTE (full time equivilent) spot in the division.

You might be surprised at how fast outsiders can "go native".

[dalton99a]

81. Workers are fungibles to corporate CEOs. They're a mere expense item.

[DeminPennswoods]

84. In business, but not government

That's true in business, but not government.

[Percy Cholmondeley]

43. So it's true

Trump actually is a bitch of the Koch Bros. and those like them. That small, "elite" ,group. All they want is everything. Glut makes them hungry. The public interest is the last thing today's republicans care about, except as talk. George Carlin was right.

[roomtomove]

44. Eerily reminiscent of the Chinese Cultural Revolution

eom

[BumRushDaShow]

45. Gingrich originally wanted to get rid of the Dept. of Commerce

until someone told the dumbass that the Census Bureau and NOAA were under it. Of course here 20+ years later, they want to butcher it to get at NOAA - National Weather Service be damned! Tornadoes and flood and blizzard warnings be damned!

[sdfernando]

46. As an amateur musician I would call on all artists of the world

to boycott every single function held by the Manchurian candidate and every single KGOP office holder!

Kennedy Center Awards/Honors should blacklist every one of these cretins and ban them from their annual awards ceremony!

No artist of any kind should perform at the White House....turn down every request!

Every Broadway show, every theater across the U.S. should ban them all as well.

I would hope that all artist in other countries would also decline to play for any of these a-holes as well!

[Ilsa]

50. I'd like to see all doctors and medical facilities refuse to treat them if

they fuck up healthcare for everyone. It'll be a nonviolent revolution until they start pulling guns on providers. Then they'll finally understand that healthcare is a right, not a privilege.

[C Moon]

49. The anti-tax, pro deficit party.

[milestogo]

51. Impeach the traitor now.

[Eliot Rosewater]

52. Fucking god damn maddening.

[cbdo2007]

53. Well there go his unemployment numbers

[AJT]

54. Hey, they're only getting rid

of all the pesky things that make us a civilized, first world country.

[Wuddles440]

57. In conjunction with eliminating whole Federal agencies....

the Federal employees that remain will be subjected to a vastly alerted workplace and dramatic reduction in their "benefits". Most recently the House has resurrected the Holman Rule which will result in the return to the partisan corruption that existed in the 19th Century and prior to the establishment of the Civil Service Commission. The republiCONS have done a masterful job of vilifying and scapegoating public servants over the last 40 years by blaming them for all the problems that they, as elected officials, created. Incompetent hacks are our future.

[tclambert]

58. The State Department will see budget cuts? Well, you know that's gonna hurt embassy security.

Didn't anybody pay attention to the real cause of the Benghazi tragedy? Republicans pushing for reducing funds for embassy security.

[Kashkakat v.2.0]

59. I read the shock doctrine in 2007 wondering how/if it would play out in US - now we know

[CBHagman]

61. Among other things, an attempt to purge Democratic administrations...

...from history. They've targeted LBJ's cultural programs, Clinton's COPS/VAWA (in which Biden also had a hand), and of course the ACA (Obama). It's not clear yet to me which programs represent Jimmy Carter, but I expect they targeted those too.

[Mc Mike]

62. And guaranteed that the debt and deficit will still skyrocket,

due to taxcuts for plutocrats and huge spending increases for 'defense' and 'security'.

[Downtown Hound]

63. None of those programs mentioned would come anywhere even close to the savings they're talking about

Look for gigantic Medicare and Social Security cuts to be announced soon.

[LiberalLovinLug]

64. This is from the Onion

right guys?.......right?

[IronLionZion]

68. the strong do what they can and the weak suffer what they must

"Right, as the world goes, is only in question between equals in power, while the strong do what they can and the weak suffer what they must." -Thucydides

[hollowdweller]

69. reminds me of a song

[modrepub]

74. I Smell A Recession

Removing this much money from the economy is not conductive to 5% growth. Couple this with state budget cuts and I don't see things going very well over the next couple of years. If deficits go up, which I expect since any savings will be swallowed up by more defense spending, then expect borrowing prices (interest rates) to increase as well. Nobody learned anything from Kansas I see.

Plan accordingly and hope to see you all on the other side of the next election cycle!

[adigal]

75. Do you remember the goal of "drowning the government in a bathtub"?

It is happening.

[Crash2Parties]

78. Explains why he hasn't submitted names for those 600+ positions

He's going to eliminate them.

[benld74]

79. Saw earlier and told eveyone I knew

Cutting smallest agencies budgets solves NADA.
It's only PR for DT
Pure crappola

[hells]

88. Look at the comments on that website

People saying how Obama's a fuck up and getting upvoted. Are republicans seriously this fucking stupid ???

[SummerSnow]

89. There will be thousands of libraries and museums shut down....

The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) is an independent agency of the United States federal government established in 1996. It is the main source of federal support for libraries and museums within the United States.


* hypocrite, he says he wants to create jobs and at the same time causes the unemployment of millions of workers in this field.

National issues and priorities

STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) – Libraries and museums are improving learning in science, technology, engineering and math, a national priority for US competitiveness.

Preservation, Conservation, and Care of Content and Collections – Libraries and museums care for collections that connect us to history, art, science and the natural world. The national initiative, Connecting to Collections, is an initiative to raise public awareness of the importance of caring for our treasures, and to underscore the fact that these collections are essential to the American story.

National Digital Platform – The national digital platform is a way of thinking about and approaching the digital capability and capacity of libraries and museums across the US. In this sense, it is the combination of software applications, social and technical infrastructure, and staff expertise that provide digital content, collections, and related services to users in the US.

Access to Content and Collections – Libraries and museums are using broadband to expand access to content and create communities where all people have the ability to access and use information technologies.

Community – Libraries and museums build the civic strength of their communities and providing opportunities for public engagement. Museums and libraries are community anchors that drive economic and community development.

Early Learning – Museums and libraries have special roles in meeting the needs of the youngest learners and their caregivers.

Management of Content and Collections – IMLS programs support the stewardship of museum and library collections through our grant programs, as well as through sharing best practices in the development of collection plans, policies, and documentation.

Makerspaces – Many museums and libraries have developed makerspaces, places where people can gather to create, invent, and learn, empowering them to become creators, not just consumers. They provide access to a diverse range of tools and technologies, along with knowledgeable staff and mentors. Museums and libraries are leveraging their content expertise and role as trusted community organizations to support the development of 21st century skills, such as creativity, critical thinking, and collaboration, which are essential for the development of a competitive workforce and engaged citizenry

Inclusive and Accessible Learning – Libraries and museums are unique in their capacity to engage learners of all ages and abilities. They help our communities support learning and development, support formal education from early elementary through the highest levels of research and scholarship, and create new interactive experiences using the latest research about learning.

21st Century Skill – The Institute's Museums, Libraries, and 21st Century Skills initiative underscores the critical role our nation’s museums and libraries play in helping citizens build such 21st century skills as information, communications and technology literacy, critical thinking, problem solving, creativity, civic literacy, and global awareness.

Grants

The Institute of Museum and Library Services offers numerous grants for museums, libraries, and other cultural heritage institutions.The grants support the IMLS's strategic goals of advancing "innovation, lifelong learning, and cultural and civic engagement." The grants include the following:

Conservation Assessment Program
Grants to State Library Administrative Agencies
Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program
Museum Assessment Program
Museum Grants for African American History and Culture
Museums for America
National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Awards
National Leadership Grants for Libraries
National Leadership Grants for Museums
National Medal for Museum and Library Service
Native American Library Services: Basic Grants
Native American Library Services: Enhancement Grants
Native American/Native Hawaiian Museum Services Program
Native Hawaiian Library Services
Sparks! Ignition Grants for Libraries
Sparks! Ignition Grants for Museums

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Institute_of_Museum_and_Library_Services

[workinclasszero]

94. Trump and his followers hate the arts and learning of course

[MountCleaners]

95. It's vindictive

Trump spent his campaign criticizing the other RW candidates, now the Heritage Foundation is calling the shots. This cynical alliance is disgusting.

Cutting the NEA and the CPB is politically vindictive, it's not just about money. It's about cutting off anyone who might disagree with the Heritage Foundation.

We're going to have to protest a lot more often than we have in the past. This administration is nasty and embarrassing. Any legitimate democracy supports the arts and education.

[MountCleaners]

96. Why support the arts

We're going to need to bone up on our history of government support for the arts. I feel like DJT is threatening to knife the heart of our country. He wants a nation that has nothing to say about itself than macho bullshit and violence.

http://www.nasaa-arts.org/Advocacy/Advocacy-Tools/Why-Government-Support/WhyGovSupport.pdf

http://www.americansforthearts.org/by-program/reports-and-data/legislation-policy/what-is-arts-policy/national-arts-policy-history-timeline

The Heritage Foundation makes it clear that they are politically motivated:

"Reason #2: The NEA Is Welfare for Cultural Elitists

Despite Endowment claims that federal funding permits underpriviledged individuals to gain access to the arts, NEA grants offer little more than a subsidy to the well-to-do. One-fifth of direct NEA grants go to multimillion-dollar arts organizations.11 Harvard University Political Scientist Edward C. Banfield has noted that the "art public is now, as it has always been, overwhelmingly middle and upper middle class and above average in income-relatively prosperous people who would probably enjoy art about as much in the absence of subsidies."12 The poor and the middle class, thus, benefit less from public art subsidies than does the museum- and orchestra-going upper-middle class. Sawers argues that "those who finance the subsidies through taxes are likely to be different from and poorer than those who benefit from the subsidies."13 In fact, the $99.5 million that funds the NEA also represents the entire annual tax burden for over 436,000 working-class American families."

Such nasty people. When is the right going to be exposed for the anti-Americans they are?