Obama's Onslaught on Community Action. Will he succeed where Reagan, Gingrich, & GWB failed?

http://www.counterpunch.org/warnke02082011.html

A Chilling Message to the Needy
Obama's Onslaught on Community Action
By BRETT WARNKE

Having left the Wall Street Journal to interview National Community Action Foundation’s Director David Bradley after President Obama’s State of the Union sneak attack on the country’s community action programs, the New York Times has gone a step further in its neglect of a serious social issue. On Sunday Feb. 6 the newspaper published an editorial by White House Budget Director Jacob Lew, which called for a 50 per cent cut in financing for the Community Services Block Grant. Here was an unprecedented slash to a successful liberal program—one which has received scant review either by the Times or the President himself The famously noisy editorial staff offered no comment.

In his State of the Union President Obama said he has “proposed cuts to things I care deeply about, like community action programs.” Since the President mentioned only this one program for proposed cuts, he could have at least forewarned Executive Director David Bradley who was seated in the gallery. He didn’t.

When I interviewed Director Bradley he said, “I think this is a sea change, not a fiscal year change. What we are seeing is numerous agencies—good ones—all competing for the same federal dollars. What this proposed cut has done to our network has sent us a chilling message. It says that our leaders have seen the goodwill expressed towards our work in communities and the successful work of our agencies—especially in the downturn—but are telling us, ‘No thanks.’ That is a hard bitter message to swallow.”

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While George W. Bush hoped for cuts in community action, Congressional Democrats kept the dollars flowing. Nixon kept his hands off the program while Reagan and Bush went after it, albeit unsuccessfully. In the mid ‘90s, the Gingrich gang plotted to deny the Community Services Block Grant—community action’s fiscal oxygen—but Director Bradley, a protégé of the late Sargent Shriver, in a feat of impressive political jujitsu, used the opportunity to parade the successes of community action before Congress.

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they can't knock America down fast enough, it seems.

looting the Treasury while taking the knife to a program that is a lifeline for the poor. What in the world have we come to?

ass, he's having lunch with pugs today to get them on his side. he's almost demonstrating severe stupidity trying to do that. Or maybe he wants to run with his people who believe like does and he can't get it that they will never be his people.
stupid, stupid, stupid.

Obama follows their lead.

I think that to become President of the U.S.A. requires something more than winning a popularity contest

nt

was one of the reasons I thought maybe, just maybe, he'd make a more or less decent president.

Oh well.

http://www.bostonherald.com/news/politics/view/20110207mass_democrats_fight_obama_community_grant_cuts/srvc=home&position=recent

Mass. Democrats fight Obama community grant cuts
By Associated Press
Monday, February 7, 2011 - Added 1 day ago

BOSTON - All 11 Democratic members of Massachusetts’ congressional delegation are fighting proposed funding cuts by Democratic President Barack Obama to the Community Services Block Grants program.

The eleven members said Monday that they have sent a letter to Obama detailing their opposition. They said the cuts will end up hindering the nation’s economic recovery.

Community action programs include private, non-profit human service and advocacy organizations established by Congress more than three decades ago to help fight poverty. Their services include GED education, job training, Head Start and homelessness programs,

The members of the delegation, led by U.S. Rep. Edward Markey, said that in Massachusetts community action programs serve over 250,000 families, 600,000 individuals, and employ over 4,000 workers.

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I so want a primary challenger for him, someone legitimate make it happen!

manifold purpose for the right wing.

They spent borrowed money for the millionaire tax cuts and the wars. They recklessly deregulated Wall Street so they could steal the entire treasury. These combined actions effectively 'starved the beast'.

Right Wing talking heads have talked of doing this for years as a means to end the provisions of the New Deal. Now, because the economy is depressed, revenue is way way down -they have the perfect excuse for cutting these programs they have wanted rid of for decades. This is a perfect storm (of their own creating).

cutting their lifeline of services that could help them back out of poverty, is pure deluxe evil. Particularly when you consider how little we pay community action agencies and the bang we get for so few bucks. I worked for a Head Start program that went through a CAA in the 90's and witnessed first hand how much they helped the poor in our community. Most people living in poverty don't choose to be in that situation. It always amazed me how far a little support could go when people are struggling to get out of poverty.

And people think Obama is centrist left? I say BULLSHIT.

"Hey GOP, if we agree to cut the things we want, will you give in on things like tax cuts, corporate welfare and military spending?"

GOP:
"Hell no!"

Obama:
"That's okay, we'll cut our programs anyway to show we are bi-partisan."