America Under Siege: _____ Wants To Abolish These Fiften Agencies

In order to pay for that wall and for his Muslim ban, among his other hate-filled agenda items, President _____ has to cut spending elsewhere. He says he plans to cut $10.5 trillion from the federal budget, but he’s set his sights on gutting 15 important agencies that don’t actually make a dent in the budget.

These programs cost about $7.134 billion per year—about $51.99 per taxpayer, or a little less than six days of military spending—so why is he doing it? Well, these groups are pet projects of liberals; these agencies help people, other than the wealthy, and what does President _____ care about anyone other than the wealthy and his racist base?

So, he plans to gut these 15 agencies and programs:

1. OFFICE OF ENERGY EFFICIENCY AND RENEWABLE ENERGY [OEERE]

The OEERE costs taxpayers $21.16 a year, and exists to “create and sustain American leadership in the transition to a global clean energy economy.” In fact, the OEERE helped a BMW plant here in South Carolina power forklifts with biomass energy generated from a local dump. At a time when fossil fuels like oil, gas, and coal are proving to be more harmful to the environment, agencies like the OEERE are trying to find new ways to generate electricity, but _____ doesn’t believe in climate change so ... off with their heads!

2. OFFICE OF FOSSIL ENERGY [OFE]

The OFE costs taxpayers just $6.40 annually, and works to make fossil fuels, such as coal, as clean as possible as we transition away from them. In Thompsons, Texas, the OFE’s Petra Nova Project is capable of preventing 1.6 million tons of carbon dioxide each year from going into the atmosphere.

But, again, climate change isn’t real so .... Buh-bye.

3. INTERNATIONAL TRADE ADMINISTRATION [ITA]

The ITA—cost: $3.80 per taxpayer—helps small business owners expand to global markets, making those businesses more profitable and enabling them to create more jobs here in America.

So, why is the “America First” president gutting this agency? Funny than that the “businessman” president doesn’t seem to want to help small businesses ...

4. LEGAL SERVICES CORPORATION [LSC]

The LSC—$3.67 annually per taxpayer—funds city and state-based organizations that serve low-income families in need of legal services. In Atlanta, for instance, the LSC provided a $3.8 million grant to the Atlanta Legal Aid Society in 2016, which provided legal help to 33,000 people, including 15,000 children, a majority of whom were African American.

Well, if it works for poor people, and poor African America people, then who really needs it, says the white billionaire.

5. OFFICE OF VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN [OVW]

After the passage of the Violence Against Women act in 1994, the OVW—costing a mere $3.50 each year—was launched to help municipalities fight domestic violence and dating violence. The agency offers 25 grant programs that are used to fund local police departments with additional domestic violence training.

But, again, women? The GOP doesn’t care about women, unless it’s regulating their healthcare options.

6. CORPORATION FOR PUBLIC BROADCASTING [CPB]

The CPB—annual cost is $3.24 per taxpayer—isn’t just the primary funder of National Public Radio [NPR] and the Public Broadcasting Service [PBS], it also funds important educational programming that celebrates America, its people, and its history, such as a documentary series commemorating the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King’s March on Washington, where he gave his legendary “I Have a Dream” speech.

But education, history, America; not things the president finds worthwhile.

7. OFFICE OF COMMUNITY ORIENTED POLICING SERVICES [COPS]

The Department of Justice’s COPS agency—costing a hair over two bucks per taxpayer—has invested over $14 billion to advance community policing including grants awarded to more than 13,000 state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies to fund the hiring and redeployment of approximately 129,000 officers since 1995. Last year, the COPS office provided funding for Dallas, Texas to hire 25 new community police officers following the death of five Dallas police officers killed by a lone gunman.

Funny, then, and not actually funny really, that _____ wants to cut the funding for COPS.

8. OFFICE OF ELECTRICITY DELIVERABILITY AND ENERGY RELIABILITY [OEDER]

The OEDER—$1.91 per taxpayer—was created by the Bush administration in the wake of a devastating 2003 blackout that affected 50 million people in the U.S. and Canada, and is tasked with helping to maintain and optimize America’s electricity grid to prevent a similar blackout from happening again.

Who needs electricity?

9. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ADMINISTRATION [EDA]

The EDA—annual cost just $1.56 per taxpayer—helps communities in need of new economic drivers with the infrastructure necessary to attract economic opportunity and provide distressed communities with new jobs.

Again, this one will get the axe because it’s a pet project of Democrats.

10. CIVIL RIGHTS DIVISION OF THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE [CRD]

This agency—funded by taxpayers to the tune of $1.13 per year—recently investigated the Chicago Police Department, and found that its officers routinely violated the civil rights of members of the community as a matter of course. The CRD put together a comprehensive report recommending new training procedures for the City of Chicago to use for its officers moving forward.

President _____ recently said he’d “send the feds” to Chicago if they couldn’t clean up their mess, but why would he defund this group that seems intent on attacking the problem as well?

11. NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS [NEA]

The NEA—it costs less than one bottle of water per taxpayer per year ... $1.09—has been around for over 50 years, providing grants to local creative endeavors that enrich communities, and celebrate the rich culture of America. Some of the more famous recipients of NEA grants include Jazz at Lincoln Center and the Actors Theatre of Louisville.

Who needs art ... it doesn’t make billionaires rich.

12. NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE HUMANITIES [NEH]

With funding from the NEH—funded also for $1.09 per year per taxpayer—many educational and historical projects have received grants used to help scholars advance their research and provide a wealth of knowledge to the public. Documentary filmmaker Ken Burns produced his Civil War series with the help of an NEH grant.

Art and education; gone.

13. MANUFACTURING EXTENSION PARTNERSHIP [MEP]

Small and mid-size manufacturers are able to expand their businesses and build more efficient operations thanks to MEP—funded by just $1.03 per taxpayer.

Again, the businessman doesn’t seem to care about businesses other than his own.

14. MINORITY BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT AGENCY [MBDA]

The MBDA—this one sets taxpayers back $0.26 each year—was created by Richard Nixon to help minority-owned businesses secure the capital and provide any assistance needed to grow jobs and meet community demand. In 2005, the MBDA helped an Arizona-based construction company secure funding to expand its building capabilities and by 2013, that company had over 120 employees and an annual revenue exceeding $23 million.

But again, the GOP, President ______ and minorities?

15.  UNITED NATIONS INTERGOVERNMENTAL PANEL ON CLIMATE CHANGE [IPCC]

For just $0.07 per year, climate scientists depend on the IPCC to distribute their findings to the public to warn us of the effects of climate change on populations and economies, and what we can do to slow its advance. A lack of funding from the U.S. will hinder the ability of climate scientists to have their research published for all those who need to see it and understand the impact of climate change.

Silence; President ____ seeks to stop the flow of information because he and his billionaire oil cronies don’t want you to know about climate change.

So, President _____ wants to cut trillions from the budget but has set his sights on these agencies whose budgets are just a wee drop in a very large barrel, so why ....

Well, these agencies are favored by the left, by those who believe in climate change, in art, in education, in women’s rights, in equality, in creating a more effective police force ....

These are not the ideals of people like _____, House Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who will likely greenlight all of these cuts.

So, contact your representatives in Congress and ask them why the GOP is targeting these agencies, and if they cannot tell you why, or if they seem to agree with Hair Furor, then remind them that they work for you and you’ll be more than happy to fire them if they don’t perform accordingly.

We The People have the power; never forget that.

Resist.

US Uncut

Tuesday Asshat Trifecta, Part 3: Nikki Haley

So, our governor down here in lil ole South Carolina went to the opening of the 10th Anniversary Artisphere in Greenville recently, and while standing on the stage at the arts event, reiterated her lack of support for government funding of the arts.

Seriously. I half expect this woman to speak at a library and reaffirm her lack of support for knowledge.

Now, Haley did acknowledge the positive impact that events like Artisphere have on both the local community, and local economy, and did recognize that art adds to the quality of life, but when she was asked about her support of state funding for the arts through the South Carolina Arts Commission she said No.

No.

Let me get this queer: art is good for the community, art is good for the economy, art is good for quality of life, but, no, don’t ever expect the government to fund art programs.

And to make it all the more laughable that she would attend this event and once again state her aversion to funding the arts is the fact that Artisphere receives almost $20,000 annually from the South Carolina Arts Commission [SCAC; this year the event received another $5,000 from SCAC to help fund the installation of a new public art piece commemorating the 10th anniversary of the festival.

All told, $24,000 taxpayer dollars went directly into the very event that The Transparent Nikki Haley thinks is solely supported by the names of the sponsors on the banners surrounding the event.

But then Nikki Haley has never been a supporter of the arts. Every year during her first three years in office, Haley has either eliminated the SCAC in her Executive Budget Proposal, cut their funding, tried to put them in another part of the budget, and/or vetoed their funding.  And every single year, advocates, both the South Carolina House and Senate, in a bipartisan effort, has overturned her vetoes.

One more reason, my South Carolina readers, to vote Haley out of office? Her opponent in the race, State Senator Vincent Sheheen has been a champion for the arts in SC; he has lead bipartisan efforts to save arts funding, co-chaired the Senate’s Arts Caucus, and voiced his support on many public occasions.

One sees what art can do for the state, one doesn’t see at all.

source

That's Our Nikki: Haley Gets A Bipartisan Smackdown

You know, down here in South Carolina—or up here, over here, back here, depending on where you live—politics is all about the party. It’s the ‘R’ and the ‘D’ and, used to be, never the twain shall meet. But then South Carolinians elected Nikki Haley, the Transparent Nikki Haley, to the governor’s office and now, at least for the moment, the ‘R’s and the ‘D’s are on the same side.

See, last month Nikki tried to zero out money for the arts in her state budget plan and both parties said ‘No.’

The South Carolina House and Senate, both controlled by the GOP, worked together to override Haley’s veto of $1.9 million in funding for the South Carolina Arts Commission. The House vote was 105-8; the Senate 32-6.

“We had strong, solid bi-partisan support,” said Democratic Congressman James Smith, Jr., who started the legislature’s arts caucus. “It’s a smart investment for our state. It means jobs and economic opportunity and a better quality of life.”

South Carolina is just one of many states that have tried to severely cut arts programs in the past year; thirty-one states ultimately cut their art funding, and in Kansas, GOP governor, Sam Brownback, actually eliminated all funding for the arts.

So, seeing that the mood nationwide seemed to be leaning toward eliminating funding for the arts, it appeared that Haley’s plan to do the same would be foolproof, and fighting it off might be next to impossible. Until the ‘R’s and the ‘D’s decided to work together.

Betty Plumb, executive director of the South Carolina Arts Alliance: “It was very emotional. The people spoke up and said the state should take a leadership role in funding the only agency that provides access to the arts for everyone.”

Robert Lynch, president and chief executive of Americans for the Arts, calls the arts “big business in South Carolina.” Well, not really big; the arts funding accounts for just .032 percent of South Carolina’s $6 billion budget, but keeping the funding for the arts commission helps the state to develop its creative industries, which return more than $9.2 billion to South Carolina and supports more than 78,000 jobs. That’s a pretty great return on investment, something Guv’nah Nikki don’t understand. And she also didn’t understand that nearly all South Carolinians—some 92%—favor public funding for the arts.

It’s not all good news, however; funding levels for the arts in South Carolina are 16% lower in this budget than in last year’s, and 55% lower than in 2008. So the arts do, and did, take a hit this year as in years past, but it wasn’t completely eliminated.

But, while I am a huge proponent of arts funding, and I see what a difference it can make, even in my own small town, the greatest thing of all was seeing the Republicans and the Democrats—in freaking South Carolina of all places, one of the reddest states out there—work together to keep the arts going.

And smacking down Nikki Haley in the process was just a bonus.

A brilliant bonus.

via NYT