Pondering why the shutdown is hung up on on ACA subsidies? It isn’t the budget. It’s because our friends in Washington now live for social media instead of doing what is right for the American people. Why do I say that? Well, with government spending at $7 trillion and the subsidies costing $35 billion, a .005 change in spending won’t break the bank and it pales in comparison to the $400 billion in annual tax cuts that Republicans handed to their top donors earlier this year.
It used to be “It’s about the economy, stupid”. Now, “it’s about my electability, stupid”. Cowtowing to the folks who fund your election to the House and Senate is de rigeur these days. Doing the right thing is no longer the litmus test for legislating. “Will this get me re-elected?” is the phrase that pays…..
A gnarly stump in a political desert…