President Trump: The NEW one and only politics thread

So details are emerging about the doof-in-chief's budget. ... It's a fantasy, of course.

But the idea is that he is going to take an already bloated defense budget (we spend more than the next 8 countries combined), and we need to make America strong, so. ... $50+ billion more in defense spending. Because this is the thing that is most important right now.

To get it and keep the deficit from ballooning, there will be corresponding cuts to foreign aid, and nearly every government agency. At the same time, somehow (with no details, but he just made remarks), big, yuuuuuuuge infrastructure spending.

And tax cuts! Except no explanation about how that is going to be accomplished without blowing out the national debt, at least without a massive border adjustment tax (which will hit every low and middle income American HARD and put Wal-Mart out of business) like the one that Paul Ryan was talking about once upon a time. Except that won't fly when people find that buying a gallon of milk is costing half of their paycheck.

Not to mention no talk about how the 75 percent of the budget in entitlements that is really blowing up our national debt are ever going to be dealt with -- before they swallow us up. But social security, medicare, etc. are the third rail of politics, and he is not the rational, speak-the-truth leader we really need. So let's stick our head in the sand for another 3 of 6 or 7 or 9 years and pretend some more.

The biggest part of me says, none of this is possible. ... except an idiot and narcissist of these proportions being president wasn't possible.

Oh, and why the fuck are we taking an already ridiculous "defense" budget and blowing it up even further? We spend more than the next 8 countries combined. Who are we planning on waging war against next, a band of invading, well-capitalized unicorns?

 

In the grand scheme of things $50 billion inside a $4 trillion budget (which is really the problem), isn't the problem. But it is indicative of the fact that they have no clue.

1) They are playing around the edges, when 70 to 75 percent of our budget is non-discretionary and legislatively already built in. ... and we just can't afford it. Our debt is out of control. NOBODY is dealing with, well, actual reality.
2) Even if you want to play a game of make believe and put a window dressing budget out there that plays around the edges. ... defense spending is what we need to make a priority right now? Really?

The crazy thing is that the OMB new head, Nick Mulvaney GETS this. ... when he faced senate subcommittees in January, he said he was a truth to power to guy (because he was asked about the fact that he stood in contrast to a great deal of Trump's idiotic rhetoric) and was brutally honest about how we are getting swallowed up by social security and medicare and said that we need to drastically cut spending. He advocated raising the age for SS and means-testing medicare. How do you stick your name on the mess that is going to come out of his office and not feel shame?