Day: December 19, 2022

Nothing For Child Poverty

I go and on about the amount of taxpayer dollars being thrown at Ukraine when that cash is needed here and now.

The Congress has authorized almost a trillion dollars (that is a “T”) for the Pentagon but when a bill to help fight child poverty….and it failed.

Congressional Republicans happily teamed up with Democrats this month to authorize $858 billion in military spending for the next fiscal year, but the GOP is refusing to even consider proposals to revive the Child Tax Credit expansion that lifted millions of kids out of poverty last year—even though bringing the program back would cost a fraction of the Pentagon outlay.

A spokesperson for Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) told HuffPost earlier this week that Republicans have thus far been unwilling to negotiate over the Child Tax Credit (CTC) boost, which they unanimously opposed when it was enacted as part of the American Rescue Plan last year.

“Republicans have refused to engage at all on the Child Tax Credit,” said Ashley Schapitl. “In fact they made clear they would not negotiate on any deal that includes the child tax credit.”

Leading Republicans readily confirmed their refusal to consider the CTC boost as part of an end-of-year tax package. With the 60-vote Senate filibuster intact, Democrats need the support of at least 10 Republicans to revive the expanded CTC in some form.

“As of right now there’s no support for that on the Republican side,” Sen. Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), the top Republican on the Senate Finance Committee, told HuffPost.

Rep. Kevin Brady (R-Texas), one of the 176 House Republicans who voted in favor of the $858 billion National Defense Authorization Act last week, declared that “the country frankly doesn’t have the time or the money for the partisan, expensive provisions such as [the] Child Tax Credit.”

https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/12/17/congress-just-passed-858-billion-military-budget-gop-blocking-12-billion-fight-child

Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), one of just 11 senators to vote against the NDAA, lamented that the bill provides the military with “many billions more than Congress has invested in addressing many of the biggest security concerns facing the American people—such as climate change, the opioid epidemic, poverty, hunger, and disease.”

“Instead, it doubles down on the failed approach of pouring money into a bloated, inefficient, and sometimes counterproductive national security machine underwritten by an army of lobbyists and gold-plated contractors that fails to deliver on the needs of the American people,” Markey added. “I simply cannot support it.”

I just wish that the American people cared more about their neighbors than some made up BS that needs our money thrown at it…..while that cheer for military victories they allow children to go hungry…..very disturbing at the lack of empathy.

This is so sad.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

When The Going Gets Tough The Tough Go Shopping

No secret that I feel that the US is pissing money away by sending billions to Ukraine….and the US is not alone.

It seems the EU has gathered up donations for Ukraine to help them through the winter and Mrs. Zelensky goes to Paris to gratefully accept the donations for her country and a quick shopping spree as well.

This report is from some Conservative website….

Ukraine is in a horrible war with Russia at the moment. It’s costing lives and destroying the county. This county was in the middle of the war between Germany and Russia during World War II, then was under Soviet control until the early 1990’s when the ‘Iron Curtain’ fell.

Yesterday in Paris, it was reported that Ukraine had obtained another $1.1 billion in emergency aid to help the country over the winter months.

Ukraine’s Western allies pledged an additional one billion euros ($1.1 billion) in emergency winter aid on Tuesday, responding to pleas from President Volodymyr Zelensky to help the country withstand Russia’s onslaught against its energy grid.

Around 70 countries and international organizations gathered in Paris for a meeting aimed at enabling Ukrainians “to get through this winter”, said French President Emmanuel Macron.

In a video message, Zelensky said Ukraine needed assistance worth around 800 million euros in the short term for its battered energy sector.

“Of course it is a very high amount, but the cost is less than the cost of a potential blackout,” Zelensky told the conference via video link.

It’s now being reported that she took some time off yesterday to go on a quick shopping spree for herself while in the city.  The Conservative Treehouse reports:

Olena Zelenska, wife of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, traveled to Paris France for a three-day visit December 12-14.  As reported by Le Monde, “Members of the Ukrainian government will also come, including Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, and several ministers in charge of reconstruction, including Yulia Svyrydenko (economy), Oleksandr Kubrakov (infrastructure) and German Galushchenko (energy).”

However, social media has erupted today after a “reliable store clerk” working on the ritzy Avenue Montaigne, has reported that Olena Zelenska went on a Christmas shopping spree spending €40,000 euros in an hour. (citation) Previously President Zelenskyy’s wife was received by French first lady Bridget Macron.

If the reporting is accurate, the spending spree comes at a bad time optically, as Mrs. Zelenska’s husband Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is simultaneously asking the European Union to provide more financial support for the embattled country.

(gatewaypundit.com)

Interesting, eh?

If this is an accurate report then ask…..

Where did this cash come from?

Is it US taxpayer dollars that funded this shopping spree?

Maybe it was from the EU funds.

Someone needs to find some sort of accountability….I do not want my tax dollars used for Paris shopping sprees….how about you?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”