A brazen slush fund

Sue Gregson,

I tossed and turned all night trying to figure out a way to write this funny or as a satire, but I always struggle to be funny when I’m so angry I could hit.

Yesterday, acting Attorney General and former Donald Trump defense attorney Todd Blanche announced a $1.776 billion (Happy Birthday, America!) “anti-weaponization” fund to compensate President Trump’s allies who claim they were unfairly targeted by the Biden Administration’s Department of Justice. In return, Trump has agreed to drop his years-old $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS.

While part of the country is traumatized by the mere thought of socialism, this administration has elevated cronyism to a stratospheric level. A carte blanche fund for Trump’s friends and allies makes some members of the Supreme Court look like Boy Scouts.

Last I checked, in our democracy citizen’s vote for people to represent our interests in Congress and those representatives SHOULD have our interests in mind when conducting the nation’s business, but Congress has no oversight over this fund. Frankly, I’m certain the current Congress won’t do a damn thing about it, between the fawning Republicans and the whining, no-actual-action Democrats. Please, please prove me wrong. This is taxpayer dollars, and the admin is a runaway train with all of us tied to the tracks.

It goes without saying that there are countless ways this money could be used to improve more American’s lives and we should at least get to debate that. Universal Healthcare Pilot Program? Minimum Basic Income broader pilot program? Cornel West has already suggested using the funds for slave reparations. How about subsidies to the states to lower gas taxes so prices at the pumps drop?

I’ll argue for something less controversial: pay off student lunch debt in this country and start providing free meals in school. We’re talking hungry children, people, and the school lunch program is already efficient, providing lunches for an average of $3.09 a child.  If America can’t feed its hungry kids, we’re just a Third World Country dressed up in an emperor’s clothes.

Sue Gregson

Sue Gregson is a business writer and kids’ book author who used to work for the Delaware and Maryland state governments in the education, legislative, affordable housing, and community development arenas. She’s volunteered for federal, state, and local political campaigns for nearly 50 years. Sue is not growing old gracefully.

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