No money to keep people from freezing, but plenty for our bloated military. ThinkProgress: Poverty in America is only getting worse, with data showing rising income inequality and the startling fact that half of all Americans are now either in poverty or considered low-income. Were it not for the government programs that comprise the social safety net, those numbers would be even worse. More than a quarter would live in poverty without the safety net, according to one study, and Social Security alone kept 14 million out of poverty last year. Despite that, Congress — and particularly Republicans in Congress — have made cuts to various programs meant to aid the poorest Americans. Congress reached a deal Thursday to avert a shutdown that would have begun at midnight tonight, and in doing so, Republicans found another low-income program to target, cutting funding for subsidies that help the poor stay warm during the winter by nearly 25 percent. At the same time, however, the Pentagon’s budget is getting a 1 percent boost… In 2010, US military spending account for nearly half of all military spending in the world. When you read the words “defense budget,” go ahead and translate that as “needless giveaways to corporations and contractors” — it’s the result of a corrupt system that combines corporate lobbyists and overt fearmongering. If you want a clear example of government waste, look no farther than the defense budget. When the government would rather let people freeze than touch military spending, you’re officially in a “guns, not butter” scenario. These are not good people.
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No money to keep people from freezing, but plenty for our bloated military.

ThinkProgress:

Poverty in America is only getting worse, with data showing rising income inequality and the startling fact that half of all Americans are now either in poverty or considered low-income. Were it not for the government programs that comprise the social safety net, those numbers would be even worse. More than a quarter would live in poverty without the safety net, according to one study, and Social Security alone kept 14 million out of poverty last year. Despite that, Congress — and particularly Republicans in Congress — have made cuts to various programs meant to aid the poorest Americans. Congress reached a deal Thursday to avert a shutdown that would have begun at midnight tonight, and in doing so, Republicans found another low-income program to target, cutting funding for subsidies that help the poor stay warm during the winter by nearly 25 percent. At the same time, however, the Pentagon’s budget is getting a 1 percent boost…

In 2010, US military spending account for nearly half of all military spending in the world. When you read the words “defense budget,” go ahead and translate that as “needless giveaways to corporations and contractors” — it’s the result of a corrupt system that combines corporate lobbyists and overt fearmongering. If you want a clear example of government waste, look no farther than the defense budget.

When the government would rather let people freeze than touch military spending, you’re officially in a “guns, not butter” scenario. These are not good people.

Source: thinkprogress.org

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