Secret Service asks for $60 million to protect Trump

WaPo reports that the Secret Service requested $60 million to protect Trump and family. Um, this taxpayer says no. I want my tax dollars to go somewhere else. Oh, wait, that is not how this works. We should be appalled by this! Deficits, healthcare, cutting lunches for kids - all so he can have trips to Florida and his sons can conduct business???

What the Trump Budget misses

Brookings analyzes how Trump's budget misses key support for cities and states that are the real drivers of prosperity . Trump is cutting funding in ways local budgets can't make up and making it harder for localities to attract business. He needs to learn from Hoover's experience of not helping cities and states and from Nixon's example of turning over local control. Except that would mean reading and studying and not tweeting. Am I the only one who think the White House and Congress need to put up their cell phones?

Solution to Medicaid?

WaPo ran an opinion piece by Robert Samuelson states that Medicaid is out of control, but there is a way to respond.  This is a compelling argument to streamlining costs and putting the right government agencies in charge of the right spending. Disabled and elderly long term care would got to Medicare and the federal government while impoverished aid and medical coverage would go to states to respond to their poverty needs. It would control some of the oversight issues and make the system more responsive. Government doesn't need to be cut, but rather changed.

Still more budget information.....

Several links here: Brookings has two articles, one that looks at the negative effects of Trump's budget and the other on the damage to the Rust Belt area. And WaPo reports that his budget will do NOTHING for the deficit.  This budget is bad news. I know that the House will work on it as well but this is a terrible place to start. Let me channel Chicken Little: the sky is falling.