"Compassionate Carnage" Tom Denton Letter to the Editor

Compassionate Carnage

The policy positions of Donald Trump, whose thoughts were recently described by columnist David Brooks as “six fireflies beeping randomly in a jar,” can usually be tied directly to one of his advisors. The “carnage” inaugural speech and travel ban were straight out of the Steve Bannon master plan. Paid parental leave is pushed by the gentler hand of Ivanka. Now the Trump budget comes steamrolling into Congress, and the name of Budget Director Mick Mulvaney is written all over it. Upon its release the former Freedom Caucus congressman Mulvany said, “Compassion has to be on both sides of the equation. Yes, you have to have compassion for the people receiving federal funds, but you also have to have compassion for the folks who are paying it.” With these words the famous phrase from Senator Pat Moynihan gets arevision: “Defining deviancy up.” Given the enormous tax breaks that will accrue primarily to the enormously wealthy under Trump’s budget and tax reform plans, we are now to understand that the superrich have for too long been oppressed and exploited by welfare cheats, disability fakers, emergency room abusers, seniors with their thermostats set way too high while they accept heating assistance and free home-delivered meals, whew! children with special needs, the list goes on. The question remains, What more do the billionaires want that they don’t already have? What can we give them? A liver, if they need it? Our best genes that can be harvested? Our first child, if they want it?
Kind of makes you want to body slam the guy. And hey, it’s the new cool thing to do.


PublishingHIstory

NP Times 6/8