Shame on Congress (again)

And, yes, not only the Republicans but the Democrats too.    So they finally felt the sequester cuts where they hurt:   the required furloughs for air traffic controllers, which led to hour-long delays in flights this week.   Which, of course, inconveniences the more affluent Americans, including Congress members.

Within days, Congress passed a bill to exempt air traffic controllers from the mandatory cuts.   The vote in the House was 361-41, and the Senate passed it "without objection."   Meaning they didn't even bother to take a vote count.

But they left in place the cuts that began weeks ago to social network programs that affect the less affluent Americans:  Head Start teachers lost jobs; there were cuts in funds for Meals on Wheels and subsidies for cancer patient treatments; and compensation for unemployed workers was reduced.  None of that moved them to act.

Priorities?    Perfectly clear.   And it's not a pretty picture.    As long as it only hurts needy children, seniors, and jobless Americans -- "well, we're sorry the economy is so bad."    But just let the upper crust have to sit on the runway for an hour, and Congress will make your head spin with its speedy action.   Just in time for their own weekend trips home.

That's the class warfare side of it.   The political?   Even though Democrats voted for it too, it looks like a win for Republicans.   The sequester was meant to be across the board, to be hard for both parties so they would fix the budget.   But the now message can only be, as Jonathan Chait puts it:   "Republicans can reverse the cuts they don’t like, but refuse to reverse the cuts Democrats don’t like."

Bah humbug.   A pox on both them both.

Ralph