Burning Down the House

By David Glenn Cox

Once upon a time, long ago in a galaxy far, far away. The Republican Party was known as the Party of big business. That’s how they were forced to the anti-environment side of the road by protecting big business and polluting industries. Over the years, Republicans have complained that seat belts and air bags were just costly penalties imposed on the auto industry and nobody wanted them anyway.

Smoking causes cancer. There’s no proof of that the Republicans claimed with a straight face as they financed their campaigns with big tobacco money. Remember the EPA superfund? That’s all gone now. But once, it taxed polluters $2 dollars per ton of toxins created. But Republicans in Congress thought it would work better if YOU the taxpayer would finance the clean ups and let the polluters skate. That’s called getting big government off your back.

Those were the days, huh?

The Republican budget as proposed by the house would tank the economy and is aimed straight at the heart of big business. But this is the Republican plan. Either Joe Biden and the Democrats agree to make draconian budget cuts, or the Republicans will tank the economy through default. Or impose these insane budget cuts and assist the Republicans in tanking the economy.

Closing 125 Air Traffic control towers will hurt regional air carriers. In my native Montgomery, it was cheaper to drive to Atlanta to catch a flight. But that’s provided you had the time to plan, no tower no air carriers. No jobs at the airport. No jobs for the regional carriers. No tax revenue from landing fees or fuel sales. For mid-sized to smaller cities, it is a shot in the heart. No access to air travel. Just try attracting new business to a town without an airport.

“Well, were just thirty miles from the Interstate and there is an airport less than two hours away.” The cuts will hurt business and be more of an inconvenience for the consumer.

Republican plans to cut Section 8 housing instantly creating hundreds of thousands of new homeless. Imposing millions in new costs for state and local governments not to mention the Dickensian trauma imposed on the working poor.

But what of the poor Landlord? The landlords will be forced to either lower the rent without any of the protections now afforded by Section 8. Or let the property stand vacant. With the stroke of a pen, the Republicans want to put tens of thousands of landlords out of business.

Two- thirds of all wealth in the country is in Real Estate. “How about we destabilize the Real Estate Industry?” What’s that thing banks hold over most property owners? Mort, mort, Mortgage? What happens when tens of thousands of Landlords can’t make their payments anymore? Do you suppose that could hurt the banking industry? You know, big business.

Now, if these working poor lose access to a roof over their heads will they continue to work? Gee, mister employer, I guess you’ll just have to get someone else to make your hamburgers or raise wages.

A 22% cut at the VA. The largest budget cut in history. Republicans love our veterans and so would make their healthcare more difficult to obtain. Job cuts at the VA? Or facilities shut down?

But screw these people, screw everybody. Republicans want to be fiscally conservative, so fuck you! Never mind the $2 trillion dollars given away to the wealthy under the Trump tax cuts would more than cover these costs. A tax cut laid is a tax cut played. Besides, they were only going waste that money on cancer research anyway.

Not a day goes by when Republicans don’t blame Joe Biden for migrants crossing the border. They ask, “Why won’t he do something?” The Republican budget as proposed would slash funding for border protection. This isn’t a budget; it’s a suicide note.

Nothing more than a stunt to feed their minions bullshit. But since the legislation is riddled with cuts to popular programs Fox News focuses on Hunter Biden’s child support payments instead. Keep them in the dark and uninformed. Republicans are fighting for smaller government!

As long as Trump was President, the Congressional checkbook was open and Republican motto was spend, spend, spend! The Republican goals here are subtle but still obvious. The Republicans understand as things stand right now; Republicans should be prepared to take a serious drubbing at the polls in 2024. A good stout recession sure would come in handy, right about now!

Do you think I’m exaggerating? Remember these are the same Republicans who had no problem with overthrowing the lawful government. Do you think they care about you or your job or your future or their own? If the Republicans could get back into power by tanking the economy, would they do it? You bet your sweet ass they would.

They want to play Jenga and pull blocks out the economy and when it falls over blame Joe Biden. The Republicans had no problem with raising the debt limit three times until there was a Democrat in the White House. It’s all a continuation of their economic sedition.

During Covid -19 the Congress offered additional Snap benefits for states to cover the costs of extra meals for children quarantined at home. To get the money all the state needed to do was pick up the phone and ask for it.

In DeSantis land, the most miserable kingdom on earth. DeSantis never asked for it. Better those brats go hungry! DeSantis is a conservative who doesn’t  want any money from Joe Biden. But the real loser here were the grocers of Florida. That $50 million was headed straight for their cash register drawers, until Ron DeSantis decided “no.”

A criminally and hopelessly corrupt Supreme Court is protected and cuckholded by the Republican Party. “The time has come the walrus said, to talk of many things.” This is no longer a Political Party. It is a lynch mob! Without principles, scruples or reason. Their goal is taking power by any means necessary.

Trump grabs a reporter’s phone and shouts, “Get him outta here!” Because Trump didn’t like the reporters’ questions about Trump’s rape case. The Florida legislature moves to seal Ron DeSantis travel records. Never mind who paid for his recent trip to Europe. None of your damn business, that’s who!

An article recently ask what affect a guilty verdict would have on Trump’s campaign. None, absolutely none. This is a lynch mob and even if Trump had raped their own daughter, they still wouldn’t believe it. No amount of evidence will ever convince the lynch mob of anything. This is a post fact cult.

The Republican goal is obstruction, obfuscation and sedition. These Republicans aren’t interested in law or justice or the will of the people. These Republicans are by definition seditious criminals with the unmitigated goal of bringing down the economy to bring down the government. Their only hope of regaining power is by crashing the economy and ruining your life.

The first truth is that the liberty of a democracy is not safe if the people tolerate the growth of private power to a point where it becomes stronger than their democratic state itself. That, in its essence, is fascism — ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power…. Among us today a concentration of private power without equal in history is growing.” ― Franklin Delano Roosevelt