Mar 17 2017

Who Thinks Like This????

On Thursday the Trump administration dumped their budget on the table and then sent out Budget Director Mick Mulvaney to tell poor Americans why they are going to be hungrier and colder in Trump’s new America. It was jaw dropping to listen to some of the things Mick actually said in public, on the record without a shrug but this is who they are.

The budget cuts funding for school breakfast and lunch programs because WHAT??

Yes, you heard that right. Trump’s budget director says he sees no proof that if you feed a hungry child that child would do better in school.

And lest we forget are elders, the budget would cut funding for Meals on Wheels because “it does show results.” “Results”????? Maybe Mike meant like no dying of hunger??? I suppose no one told this crew of zombies that besides meals it offers an opportunity for homebound seniors to socialize with other people and can actually help them remain in their homes. How about these numbers for results:

“The average cost of a one-month nursing home stay is equivalent to providing home-delivered meals five days a week for approximately seven years.”

And while we’re at it let’s let them freeze to death in the winter

Trump’s budget eliminates the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, which helps a limited number of poor people pay their heating and cooling bills.

“Compared to other income support programs that serve similar populations, LIHEAP is a lower-impact program and is unable to demonstrate strong performance outcomes,” the Trump budget says. The budget would also eliminate the Community Services Block Grant, which partly funds Meals on Wheels programs, for combined savings of $4.2 billion.

Mark Wolfe, the director of the National Energy Assistance Directors Association, a group that advocates for the heating assistance program on behalf of its local administrators around the country, said the budget’s description was nonsense.

“What they really mean is that they need money to pay for the wall and other administration priorities and LIHEAP and CSBG gets you $4.2 billion of the way there,” Wolfe said in an email. The program helps pay utility bills for 6.1 million poor households annually, he said, adding that 70 percent of those homes include at least one child, senior citizen or disabled person.

“At the end of the day, what is the argument to support freezing grandma?” Wolfe said.

“Late Night” host Seth Meyers takes a Closer Look at Trump’s cruel budget

I’m with blogger John Cole at Balloon Juice, who thinks like this??

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