by Jeff Smith,
Grand Rapids Institute for Information Democracy
On Friday, young immigrants, who have been the beneficiaries of the DACA (“Dreamers”) program, held a rally/action in downtown Grand Rapids. Before the action began, some local TV news people interviewed one of the organizers and asked him, if the government shuts down, how will you respond to claims that the Dream Act could take funding away from other vulnerable groups. Here is the response from Danny Caracheo, as reported by WZZM 13.
I spoke with Danny Caracheo on Thursday, while he was in Washington DC to pressure Michigan members of Congress to pass a clean Dream Act. Caracheo told me that when speaking with Senator Debbie Stabenow, he was asked by her how he would feel of passing a clean Dream Act would result in federal funding cuts for other social service programs.
Such questions, by the news media or by members of Congress creates a false narrative and ends up pitting one group of vulnerable people against another. It is a false narrative because it makes people think that Congressional funding for social services in limited and can’t adequately support all the programs asking for money. This is simply not true. In fact, there is more than enough money to provide both DACA recipients and homeless veterans with what they need. Ultimately, it comes to to priorities.
I can think of three easy ways to make it so that all social programs could be funded, by changing the priorities of the federal budget.
- The current Tax plan aside, the US has not adequately taxed the wealthiest individuals for decades. if the wealthiest individuals and families were taxed now like they were in the middle of the 20th century, there would be enough money to fund all social programs for the most vulnerable populations in the US.
- Corporate Welfare. In a 2014 article in Forbes magazine, they estimated that corporate welfare for the top 500 companies cost the public $63 Billion. $63 billion ought to cover the costs of most of the major social service programs that Congress claims would be cut if the Dream Act was passed.
- Of course, the largest amount of money that could be used for social programs could come from the current Department of Defense budget, which is roughly $640 Billion for 2018. You can see by the pie chart below, that the US military budget uses more than 50% of all federal spending.
One can look at the ongoing spending for the US War in Afghanistan, or Iraq or US military spending since 2001, by checking out the counters from the National Priorities Project. Watch the millions of dollars being spent every minutes is staggering.
The reality is that the US could fund the DACA program, services for homeless veterans, refugees, people with disabilities, provide free education and free health care for the entire nation, if Congress did not chose to spend most of public tax dollars on militarism and war.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said during his Beyond Vietnam speech in 1967:
“A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual doom.”
Mr. Smith,
Please go to gao.gov the official site of the United States Government. The percent on defense spending is 17%. The figure you cite is fake, false, cooked up, a half truth. Defense is 17% of the budget and was during the time President Obama’s was in office!
This is a example of liars figuring. The GAO is the official budget agency for the data accepted by the Congress, Democrat and Republican, liberal and conservative; the site you use is an example of the total fiction we can find on the internet.
The editor of this publication knows this is false as we had an argument over it months ago; he was man enough to admit his error, but published this fiction anyway. A believer in free press it is understandable, but we should not believe this false, fake, cooked-up data.
Shame on you Mr. Smith, you are at best ignorant of the facts and that is being kind!
Mr. Traxler,
Perhaps you have forgotten that we came to the conclusion the chart referred to discretionary spending rather than the total general budget.
Mr. Traxler,
Fake news is alive and well! Mr. Smith knows this chart was untrue, but it supported his opinion, so he added it anyhow. This is how minds full of mush operate. And those on the far, far Left are devoid of any humor, good feelings with the country turning around, economy doing well, just hate for President Trump.
The American people are sick of the daily barrage of attacks on the President. Time to get working for the American people – Democrats – you do remember the American people, or are you so wrapped up in protecting illegal immigrants and sanctuary cities and states and forget who you serve?
Regardless of Mr. Young’s point about discretionary military spending, let’s look at Mr. Smith’s first two numbered points: 1. tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans, while the rest of us pay, and 2. corporate welfare. Are our priorities where they should be?
Regardless that the whole work is based on a false number.
Regardless of the fact he is 100% wrong in his basic point.
TDS has blinded some to the lies and falsehoods of the far left. Rearguards of the truth? who cares about the truth as long as lies hurt President Trump they are fine with lies.
Oh, yeah. Don’s a real truth teller, right?
Mr. Basura,
Regardless of how you feel about President Trump, please show some respect for the office.
I had to suffer through all the lying (you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor, you like your plan, you can keep your plan, and the average American will save $2500 per year in insurance costs, etc., etc.) of President Obama, so your president was no paragon of virtue.
Now it looks like President Obama and his administration may be deeply involved in the dossier and coverup of the FBI, IRS, Justice Dept. activities to stop President Trump from winning then obstructing through false charges of Russia, Russia, Russia. TDS is rampant.
Or maybe you’re just jealous of all the progress by President Trump?