As Congress and the president diddled their way into creating a “satan sandwich” deal to raise the debt ceiling, several other ceilings are being breached, including this one: the number of Americans on food assistance from the federal government. There are now 45.8 million Americans getting food stamp assistance. That’s about one in seven Americans who need public assistance in order to pay for their food.
In Tennessee, 1,276,000 people get food stamps. Unemployment is higher than 10 percent throughout the state. The economy is in the crapper, pure and simple.
And what do we hear from the right-wing? Proposals (which have passed into law in Florida and Missouri) to drug-test anyone receiving public assistance. Proposals to strip public unions of their bargaining power. Proposals to make voting more difficult for poor people via voter photo ID laws. Proposals to weaken public schools and fund private charter schools with taxpayer money. Proposals to weaken environmental and consumer protection agencies. Proposals to cut Medicare and Social Security, two of the vital safety nets for the average American.
The middle and working class in this country are under assault. Period. The corporations have the courts and legislative bodies under control. It IS a Satan sandwich. The deal is simple: if the legislators pass laws that favor unbridled profit, including the right to move operations overseas to cheaper labor markets, the corporations assure their reelection with campaign contributions. It sounds simplistic, because it is simple.
The Republicans no longer have a soul. The Democrats no longer have a spine. The president no longer has a clue.
We are screwed. Hold on tight. It’s going to be a bumpy ride for the next few years.
