Can you imagine a nation that thinks so little of its workers that it would slash billions of dollars in job training?
Can you imagine a nation that devalues our future to the point that it robs 9 million students the opportunity to pursue a higher education?
Can you even imagine a nation that thinks so little of its citizens that it refuses to fund efforts to protect them from hazardous coal ash, polluted air and contaminated water?
Imagine a nation where, under the cloak of deficit reduction, it wages a crusade against the National Endowment for the Arts and the Public Broadcasting System.
Now, can you imagine a nation with such contempt for women that it denies basic health services through community clinics?
And can you just imagine a nation that cares so little about protecting the lives of its people that it cuts billions of dollars worth of science and health funding, leaving people susceptible to disease -- and even death?
Stop. Wake up.
This isn't our imagination.
This morning, we woke up to a nightmare in the making.
These are the priorities the Republican Leadership proposed on the U.S. House floor this week and because of their super majority, they passed.
Their spending bill is irresponsible and dangerous. It threatens jobs, undercuts American innovation, and jeopardizes investments in rebuilding our nation.
To make matters worse, these draconian cuts by the Republican Leadership effectively finance $800 billion in Bush era tax cuts for the richest 2% of Americans. They also provide funding for oil and gas subsidies, not to mention fund the War in Afghanistan, now the longest war in our history which has lost support among a majority of Americans.
The work of lowering the deficit and cutting spending will be hard to be sure. The fact of the matter is that we have to cut spending. But we have to do it responsibly.
And so this morning we turn our dreary eyes to the Senate who will now take on the task of deciphering this nightmare in the hopes of producing a different alternative for our country -- a budget that supports what strengthens our economy, enhances our competitiveness and leads to robust job growth.