What you’re saying: Betsy Crites, John Kramer, Bob Vasile
Budget buster
Your July 15 “Briefly” section skimmed over one of the most consequential Congressional acts in years: the authorization of $696 billion for the military in 2018.
This sum not only exceeds President Trump’s requested spending spike, but blows past limits set by the 2011 Budget Control Act. In North Carolina, U.S. Reps. G.K. Butterfield, David Price, and Alma Adams deserve praise for voting against this budget-buster.
For years, the U.S. has outspent the world's 10 most powerful militaries combined. Nevertheless, Congress continues to pump billions of taxpayer dollars into the already-bloated Pentagon. This should be front-page headline news along with the question, “Where’s the war?”
The answer might be found on the domestic side of the U.S. budget, where proposed cuts will decimate Medicaid, food stamps, federal student loans, children’s health insurance, federal disability programs, and more. It appears that the real war is here, against our own disadvantaged citizens.
Betsy Crites
Co-coordinator
End Hunger Durham
What’s wrong indeed
Leonard Pitts’ column “What’s wrong with Trump is what’s wrong with us” generated several comments at www.heraldsun.com, including
John Kramer: Boy, the press has not let up a bit in six months. Still bashing our president. What’s wrong with the press is what’s wrong with us.
Bob Vasile: Trump and his followers have shown us that hate, fear, ignorance,homophobia, sexism and just plain meanness are rampant in our country! I feel sorry for the folks that put these dysfunctional people into office and expect them to solve all their problems!
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This story was originally published July 21, 2017 at 9:30 AM with the headline "What you’re saying: Betsy Crites, John Kramer, Bob Vasile."