© UnknownThe food line
In December, the U.N. special rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights visited the U.S., including L.A., with its 55,000 homeless; the Deep and not-so-Deep South; and Puerto Rico. He found that although arguably the richest and most powerful country on earth, the U.S. has the highest infant mortality and is close to the bottom in healthcare, inequality, access to water and sanitation, and child and youth poverty among industrialized countries.
These realities put into context Pres. Trump's February 12 budget proposal, as just part of a long-term trend destroying the social safety net. This 1,988-page tome in four parts reflects ruling class priorities of further
chopping services for people and the environment, increasing funding for an already bloated military, and expanding a "fortress Americana" of anti-immigrant fences, prisons and technology.This proposal to Congress, which controls spending, is another episode in a convoluted drama that aims to confuse. The media skips from episode to episode, keeping everyone distracted and exasperated with every little dust up, while incremental cuts to human services, education and the environment proceed year after year.
Trump's cruel budget.This year's budget proposal is a warmed-over version of last year's, with similar reductions and increases.
The biggest winner is the Department of Defense with more than $700 billion in 2019 alone. The air, land and sea nuclear arsenals get a $24 billion increase. This part of the budget was passed by Congress on Feb. 9, several days
before the president's budget was officially released.
Comment: Listen in to today's Behind the Headlines for a discussion of Israel's latest assault on Palestinians.