Robin Hood in reverse

Amid the rapid-fire headlines about caged children, FLOTUS’ inappropriate parka and our nation’s withdrawal from the U.N.’s Human Rights Council, the House Budget Committee quietly unveiled a budget plan that would gut Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid by trillions of dollars, slash funding for welfare programs and repeal the Affordable Care Act.

What we’re talking about is an evisceration of the safety net for the nation’s most vulnerable citizens. Indeed, this plan is disastrous for the poor, disabled and elderly folks who rely on these programs.

The House Budget Committee’s proposal— ironically titled “A Brighter American Future”—may have little chance at gaining the support it needs in an election year, but it makes at least one thing clear: Left to its own devices, the GOP will continue to treat the little people as sacrificial lambs.

That’s what Republicans in both houses did back in November, when they passed President Trump’s tax “reform” bill that gave a trillion dollars in cuts largely to corporations and the 1 percent while simultaneously taking health care from millions and adding to the ballooning national deficit.

Speaking of which, according to the Congressional Budget Office, based on current laws, the nation’s debt is expected to eclipse the gross domestic product in about a dozen years. In 30, the burden will rise above the level seen during World War II. Meanwhile, despite POTUS’ bragging about the economy and reinvesting in domestic industry, his burgeoning trade war is driving out manufacturers such as Harley Davidson.

But back to the tax law. It has become increasingly unpopular among the nation’s poor and middle class, who’re catching wise to this Robin Hood-in-reverse strategy of taking from the plebs to further enrich the already super wealthy. It will not bode well for Republicans in the midterms, nor will the proposed 2019 budget.

That’s why Trump introduced his “no tolerance” enforcement at the border, a ramped-up effort that understandably has gripped the country. His renewed focus on immigration ahead of the elections is no coincidence. Nor was his wife’s (“I really don’t care. Do U?”) attire choice a simple fashion faux pas.

All are forms of distraction aimed at maintaining control of the White House and Congress for the intended end result: to enrich his multimillionaire friends, cabinet members and, most important, his own family. Let’s remember that.