Budget

There is a ton in the 2,232 page "omnibus spending bill" and today Smart Dissent will do its best to offer a summary.

In Smart Dissent's Budget Cuts Series, we are examining the White House proposed budget cuts to learn what's hidden beneath the surface and later update based on Congressional budget proposals and actions.  This is our third to focus on proposals related to 2019.  Since Congress never got their act together for 2018, most of Trump's proposals didn't go into effect fortunately and hopefully the same is true for 2019.

The slogan "Drain the Swamp" actually meant undoing many well-researched societal protections put in place over the years.  These protections, known to most as regulations, can take years and sometimes a decade to implement.  Republicans are thrilled to have control of Congress despite the lunatic in the White House so they can undo as many as possible at the behest of their corporate overlords.

Trump and the regulators he appointed....delaying key regulations and imposing fewer penalties against financial institutions and other corporations accused of wrongdoing....

If America seeks to enhance its greatness, perhaps our supposed leaders should take a look at what Mexico is doing.  Yes, Mexico.

Mexico City got a substantial warning before the shaking from a distant earthquake arrived [February 16th] — some 30 to 60 seconds broadcast over loudspeakers from an earthquake early warning system.

It was another success for Mexico City’s earthquake warning system — one which California, Oregon and Washington state still lack, and one that is an ongoing target for elimination by Trump.

In Smart Dissent's Budget Cuts Series, we are examining the White House proposed budget cuts to learn what's hidden beneath the surface and later update based on Congressional budget proposals and actions.  This is our third to focus on proposals related to 2019.  Since Congress never got their act together for 2018, most of Trump's proposals didn't go into effect fortunately and hopefully the same is true for 2019.

In Smart Dissent's Budget Cuts Series, we are examining the White House proposed budget cuts to learn what's hidden beneath the surface and later update based on Congressional budget proposals and actions.  This is our second to focus on proposals related to 2019.  Since Congress never got their act together for 2018, most of Trump's proposals didn't go into effect fortunately.  For 2019, who knows?

Diplomacy has existed since the beginning of the human race. The act of conducting negotiations between two persons or two nations is essential to the upkeep of international affairs.  Among the many functions of diplomacy include preventing war and violence, and fortifying relations between two nations.

In Smart Dissent's Budget Cuts Series, we are examining the White House proposed budget cuts to learn what's hidden beneath the surface and later update based on Congressional budget proposals and actions.  This is our first to focus on proposals related to 2019.  Since Congress never got their act together for 2018, most of Trump's proposals didn't go into effect fortunately.  For 2019, who knows?

Simple protections for animal welfare is something that extends to all political spectrums.  In my involvement with dog rescue groups, I've been struck by meeting key volunteers who devote their lives to animal welfare yet are staunch conservatives politically.  While it doesn't make much sense to me, I do not let that conversation get too far as we have a focus on the animals and can work together on that.  I've "joked" to current and aspiring politicians that they could win votes by taking action towards animal rights and rescue.  As simple as that, support for a candidate can take off. 

A new directive hidden between Christmas and New Years Eve has been uncovered.  It represents the yet another attempt by Trump's political appointees to change government spending by bringing politics into grant funding for important research.  While they claim they're seeking to curb potentially wasteful spending, they are in fact stopping research whose results they and their donors would dislike.