Pat Garofalo, of Think Progress writes that the GOP Funding Bill Cuts Assistance To Low-Income Women, While Ensuring Maintenance Of Azalea Collection The GOP has given their usual speeches about the need for belt-tightening, budget cuts, and the needs to prioritize our precious federal dollars. Hand have decided that the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) which currently funds 325,000 to 475,000 woman and children will be cut off of federal assistance.
House Republicans have been crowing that this bill cuts agriculture funding by nearly $3 billion from last year’s level, and is coming in $5 billion below President Obama’s 2012 budget request. Evidently, the House GOP finds nutrition assistance for low-income women and their children to be a “lower priority program,” as the bill cuts the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) to such an extent that 325,000 to 475,000 currently eligible women and children will be denied help.
Garofalo continues, notest that the GOP has also cut funding for the CFTC which has the responsibiity for enforcing the financial reforms mandated in the Dodd-Frank Bill which the GOP would be only too happy to gut.
The bill also cuts funding for the CFTC, despite that agency’s new responsibilities to police derivatives and oil speculation under the Dodd-Frank financial reform law.
However, among the GOP priorities in the bill are ensuring that the National Arboretum maintains its azalea collection... - MAINTAINING NATIONAL AZALEA COLLECTION: “The Committee directs the National Arboretum to maintain its National Boxwood Collection and the Glenn Dale Hillside portion of the Azalea Collection.” [Pg. 13]
Pat Garofalo notes dryly that House Republicans are suggesting this bill is a reflection of their priorities.
Ensuring that an azalea collection is maintained and giving more funding to wildlife damage management are fine goals, but the GOP is trumpeting this bill — which cuts off hundreds of thousands of women and children from nutrition assistance and prevents regulators from reining in oil speculation that is out of control — as a reflection of their priorities. If that is true, it’s a pretty stark statement as to what House Republicans find important.
I hope Democrats have the will and courage to insist the funds for Women, Infants, and Children, WIC be restored. What are these poor folks supposed to do. This is their last safety net folks. And, consider also the longer term conquences and cost of depriving fetuses and infants adequate nutrition while their brains and bodies are forming. What we save today, may well show up later as greater costs.
I really don't know how so many of these folks call themselves Christians. Isn't there some saying in the Bible like, "you shall be known by how you treat the weakest, poorest, and most vulnerable amongst you?" Although, I can't remember where I've heard this, I have alwasy found it to be poignant and thougt provoking.
Wed Jun 15, 2011 at 12:33 PM PT: JG from MD brings us this excellent quote from Winston Churchhill.
There is no finer investment for any community than putting milk into babies. —Winston Churchill
And, as moral support for those Kossack struggling with mental health challenges, my understanding is that Winston Churchill suffered from Bi-Polar Disorder, and managed to do pretty well, anyway.