President Donald Trump laments the tragic fate of “innocent babies” in war-torn Syria, but what about innocent kids on our shores?
Our president seems to be suffering from a case of selective shock and outrage.
Consider the budgetary punishment he proposes to inflict on our youngsters.
Secret Service protection for Trump’s large extended family, multiple residences, and prolific personal travel have already cost Americans extra millions of dollars with no end in sight.
Compare that with the estimated $23 million tab alone for Trump’s seven visits to his South Florida Mar-a-Lago estate in his first 10 weeks in office.
Most of these weekend trips involved golf outings and in any event far exceeded previous presidents’ travel budgets at a similar stage in their term.
And that doesn’t count the estimated $500,000 daily charge for Secret Service protection of Trump’s Fifth Avenue residence in New York City.
He proposes to terminate a $165 million water runoff control program and a $67 million Chesapeake Bay Restoration project.
A couple of months of the Trump family’s travel expenses would roughly vie with the cost of the would-be deleted federal supplemental nutrition program primarily for children.
Indeed, while Trump cannot be expected to change his habits, how in good conscience could he lavish all that public money on his peregrinations without finding some way to keep public health solvent in the process?