On budget cuts…

Now that the dust has settled from the 2010 election…sort of…local, state and federal government are waking up to the reality behind their campaign talking points.

Let the spending cuts and earmark freedom begin!

Lawd, have mercy.

Shall we?

As a political junkie, I cringe when I hear politicians talk about spending cuts.

Catch that knee!

I’m not a spend freak.

I just don’t believe in vague bullshit coated statements about government spending that lack specifics because the wanna-be elected spouting them doesn’t want to get called out for the painful reality within those specifics.

That brings us to the present – the GOP controlled Congress is crunching numbers and preparing to get their cut on.  That’s not exactly fun work, so they’re also launching a full on assault on reproductive health care for kicks.

***rolls eyes***

This is the time of year when campaign bullshit becomes legislative reality…and many Americans are fixin’ to find out about the specificity behind spending cuts and earmark bans.

Many local projects are on hold and in danger of permanent stallification because of the earmark ban. 

Some of those projects were bullshit. 

A lot of those projects were pretty damned good and would have created jobs.

Fuck it – earmarks are bad and must end!

Right?

Not just bad earmarks…not just some other motherfucker’s earmark…all earmarks, damnit.   

No one gives a fuck that earmark bans do not cut spending.

Right?

As for shit that does cut spending - nothing is off the table as the GOP sharpens that budget-cutting hatchet.

Well, nothing domestic.

I get a mental image of GOP Congresspeople poised over the heavily sedated body of our national budget, hatchet in hand. They glance anxiously at each other and ponder where to begin…trying to decide which limb they can remove without causing major damage to their ability to retain control of the House and take the Senate in 2012.

Wince.

The question isn’t if the GOP Congress is going to go after Medicare and Social Security…the question is how they are going to do it and not get the blame for that shit.

I’m left wondering how they expect Americans to settle down and feel confident enough to spend or invest when we’re about to see social programs that help Americans settle down and feel confident enough about the future to spend and invest hacked to death.

And what about those jobs?

***cue crickets***

Groan.