Few speak the truth as clearly and succinctly as House Speaker Mike Johnson.
Appearing on ABC’s “This Week” this past Sunday, co-host Jonathan Karl challenged the speaker’s calling the recent “No Kings” rallies “Hate America Rallies” and calling them “the modern Democratic Party.”
Johnson, R-La., responded that “there is a rise of Marxism in the Democratic Party … just look what is happening in New York.”
“They are about to elect an open socialist, Marxist as mayor of America’s largest city.”
Johnson did not also note that this “socialist Marxist” has been endorsed by New York Democrat Gov. Kathy Hochul.
The data bear out clearly what Johnson is saying.
Per Gallup polling of one month ago, 66% of Democrats said they have a positive view of socialism compared with 42% saying they have a positive view of capitalism.
Among Republicans, 74% expressed a positive view of capitalism and 14% a positive view of socialism.
The ideological chasm between the two parties has never been deeper or wider. And now this has important implications for national security.
Amid the current government shutdown, Republicans want to extract the Defense Department (now War Department) from the morass and are advancing a separate bill to fund the department for one year.
Senate Democrats are blocking the bill from a vote unless Republicans agree to what started the shutdown to begin with—Democrats’ insistence on restoring some $500 billion in funding for Obamacare premiums that were enacted as “temporary” during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Per the Peter G. Peterson Foundation, discretionary defense spending in 2025 will come out to 2.9% of gross domestic product. This matches its all-time low over the past 50 years. The average annual defense spending as percent of GDP from 1975 to 2004 was over 4%.
The Government Accountability Office just issued a scathing report of the state of readiness of Army and Marine Corps ground vehicles—tanks, self-propelled artillery, and armored personnel carriers.
According to the report, “Since FY 2015, mission-capable rates declined for 16 of 18 vehicles we reviewed.”
In a July report in Business Insider, the Navy’s acting chief of naval operations was quoted as rating the Navy’s average combat-surge readiness at “around 68%.”
Per the story, the Navy is “bogged down by shipbuilding struggles and maintenance woes.” China, per the report, “has the largest navy in the world, and it is building new warships at a faster pace than the U.S.”
As Ronald Reagan observed: “We know only too well that war comes not when the forces of freedom are strong, but when they are weak. It is then that tyrants are tempted.”
But the love of big government and political power of the socialist Democratic Party is now so great that it is more important to them than our national security.
Per the libertarian Cato Institute, the Obamacare “enhanced subsidies” that Democrats want to restore “are a costly reminder of how temporary government programs can become billion-dollar permanent entitlements.”
The analysis urges that these temporary subsidies not be restored. Per the analysis, extending the temporary subsidies would increase the deficit by $350 billion over 10 years, increase overall spending by more than $488 billion and increase interest costs by $60 billion. Because the temporary COVID-19 subsidies removed the 400% of poverty spending cap, some one-third goes to individuals with incomes above 400% of the poverty line. Further, per Cato, enrollment fraud is rampant, with “more than 6.4 million improper enrollees, costing taxpayers $27 billion in 2025.”
Long-term budget projections from the Congressional Budget Office show interest on the federal debt taking 3.2% of our GDP. That puts interest on our debt higher than our defense spending at 2.9%. The CBO projects that interest on the federal debt will reach 4.1% of GDP by 2035 and continue to grow along with ongoing bloating of our federal debt.
The big government socialists are squeezing out our national security. We can’t let it happen.
Star Parker, a columnist for The Daily Signal, is president of the Center for Urban Renewal and Education.
Reprinted with Permission from The Daily Signal – By Star Parker
The opinions expressed by columnists are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of AMAC or AMAC Action.
Democrats SAY they prioritize healthcare, welfare, SNAP etc. The truth is, they don’t care about jack squat unless it benefits THEM directly.
They cooled care less about anyone getting those benefits. This is just a way for them to buy votes.
The congressional aristocrats have got to go. Didn’t we fight a war in 1776 against the monarchy? TERM LIMITS, please God.
This article title is inaccurate because key components of “welfare”, ebt and snap and wic, would have run out if conservatives hadn’t found the money to continue the program.
Democrats promote political power over the welfare of the citizens of the USA.They are basically Communists
Many will not pay as they are tired of the scam, the liberal and the bull shit.
Yup. ‘Tis what they do.
The democrats put illegals ahead of AMERICAN citizens.They don’t even try to hide it.
The only welfare these treasonous tyrannical socialist/democrats deserve is a meal and bed in prison.
It is not welfare they prioritize, but their own place at the head end of the table, nothing else matters, as long as they are comfortably secure, being generous with someone else’s money , taking credit for the generosity , what else is new.
For those who know the Bible, there is a person in the future called “The Anti-Christ,” I see the way the Democratic Party has drifted to the left. Marxism is steeped in satanic ideology. Now, they way things are, who knows, the Anti-Christ may come from that party. Look at some of the Governor’s from certain states. The way they lead, they could be an Anti-Christ. People need to wake up and watch what is transpiring. We have mid terms next year, and who is voted in is going to matter.
The bottom line is we can no longer prop up Obama Care by extending the subsidies, we just cannot afford it especially when the subsidies are going to people that can afford it.
When you change the eligibility to middle class people to families making $400,000 a year. It was supposed to help people get through Covid. It was meant for the poor. Also, it’s going to cause a significant to the national debt.
If anyone was president except Donald Trump I doubt we would be having these problems. This is still the “anyone but Trump” democratic party that got beat because they went after Trump personally. They didn’t campaign on issues, they campaigned on anyone but Trump. And they lost. I’m not a big fan of Trump after Jan 6, but really, give me a candidate that’s better – either party. And you didn’t so Trump won. Who’s fault is that? If you can’t beat him, join him and Make America Great Again. And when the next election comes up – thank about that.
Has not anyone noticed that during peace time -what ever that is- our government rarely feels there is a need to have a ready military. Except for Trump. It takes time to make a soldier, seaman, airman or marine just putting on a unform doesn’t do it. Interesting that someone without any military background can figure that out and wants to do something about it.