Reasonable Demands
Hugh Hewitt (try saying that three times fast) is a conservative radio host and a frequent guest on Fox News. Truly “fair and balanced”, the Washington Post published an opinion piece authored by Hugh yesterday.
Once again, Republicans hold the nation’s credit rating hostage by refusing to raise the debt limit unless they get what they want. The problem is that they still haven’t defined exactly what it is that they want other than some vague talk about “massive spending cuts”.
Hugh recommends that the GOP make “a few reasonable demands, specific and understandable, then repeat the demands on every television set and radio podcast”. The demands don’t even need to be reasonable. Remember how the GOP claimed that Obamacare would result in Death Panels sending Grandma to an early grave.
Hugh listed three “reasonable demands”:
1. “Kill the appropriation for 87,000 new IRS agents in Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act. The idea that the economy will grow through better, faster, bigger tax collections is absurd!”
Here’s what is absurd, Hugh. Donald Trump paid $750 to the IRS each of the last two years. Ed Dufton paid nearly $40 K. 87,000 or 187,000 new IRS agents won’t make a difference to me, but there is about $1 trillion due to the Treasury over the next decade from millionaires and billionaires juggling their tax returns. That will reduce the deficit.
2. “The debt limit will continue to rise until the flood of illegal immigrants across the southern border ebbs. “The debt limit won’t go up until The Wall goes up!” Is concise, catchy and compelling.”
It’s also completely misleading, Hugh. Those illegal immigrants are either working or starving. No one gets welfare or food stamps without a green card or citizenship. If working, they are paying the same wage taxes as everyone else and getting no income tax refund every year, no unemployment if laid off, and no Social Security because they are not citizens or legal residents. That’s a real boon for Social Security or the Unemployment Compensation Fund. It actually decreases governmental debt and makes debt limits irrelevant. By the way, Hugh, walls never work. The Great Wall of China, Hadrian’s Wall or the Berlin Wall all failed to keep the bad guys out.
3. “Defund NPR and PBS! The first cuts should be the least necessary thing that the Federal government pays for.”
The “least necessary thing”, Hugh? First of all, the Feds only cover about 10% of PBS or NPR’s budget. More important, PBS touches every child in America commercial-free. I shudder at the thought of how much sugary cereal or shoddy toys would be demanded by toddlers watching Nickelodeon instead of PBS. Also, NPR’s Steve Inskeep won my undying devotion when he asked Donald Trump such incisive questions that Donnie hung up on him. Even David Muir would not dare do that.
Hugh’s “reasonable demands” are not reasonable at all. Neither is holding the government hostage over the debt limit, by the way.
By Ed Dufton
