Reaping the whirlwind

In his press conference yesterday, the Resident insisted that we would pay for "hurricane reconstruction" -- meaning handouts to major contributors to the Republican Party -- by cutting "mandatory spending." The corporate media, generally, didn't bother to explain to the public what that means.

Mandatory spending refers to funds not controlled by annual decisions of Congress, but automatically obligated by virtue of previously-enacted laws. They consist principally of Medicare, Medicaid, veterans benefits, and Social Security. Just so you know. I haven't heard anybody in the Congress objecting to this plan as of yet.