Laura Gutschke

#Texas #txwx #funny #weather

“Why aren’t you cheering Trump & DOGE? I thought you wanted spending and deficit cuts!" Because I’ve been doing this for 25 years and can’t be tricked by gimmicky nonsense. Trump’s first term added $8 trillion in enacted spending hikes and tax cuts to the deficit - half of which was unrelated to the pandemic. This time around, Trump has proposed roughly $8 trillion more in tax cuts and spending hikes over the decade. And right now, a GOP Congress is preparing to abandon most reconciliation cuts and instead add $325 billion this year in new spending. We’re headed towards $4 trillion deficits within a decade. So, no, I don’t get excited when DOGE cancels $1 billion in govt contracts. Or saves $3 billion in federal workforce reductions out of a $7,000 billion budget. Not when Trump and Congress are also preparing to add $800 billion more annually in proposed new tax cuts and spending. And no, the huge savings are not coming. Even (unrealistically) eliminating 20% of the federal workforce would save $60 billion, and overhauling federal systems to sharply reduce payment errors may save perhaps $80 billion (and is probably unlikely too). For all of DOGE’s bluster, administrative and executive reforms would at best save 1-2% of federal spending and offset only a small fraction of Trump’s red ink agenda. That leaves trying to unilaterally impound spending such as USAID—which is wildly illegal—or actually going to Congress to pare back spending the constitutional way. But Trump has already taken Social Security, Medicare, defense, veterans, border (and interest) off the table, which is 2/3 of all spending and is driving deficits. And the GOP Congress seems ready to give up on cutting the remaining one-third of spending. Want to cut spending and the deficit? How about they stop passing budget-busting bills. Don’t brag about your coupon-clipping frugality at the same time you are buying a $250,000 Ferrari. I’m not going to cheer Trump and DOGE for adding “only” $750 billion to deficits instead of $800 billion. We’re still going backwards. I’ve spent decades studying the federal budget. I know that $7 trillion(!) behemoth inside and out – where the money really goes, and where the savings opportunities lie. So I can also detect bullshitters who talk tough about trillion-dollar spending cuts without doing their homework. It’s the ones who claim most spending goes to undefined “waste,” federal salaries, immigrants, foreigners, Ukraine, or non-working welfare recipients. It’s the ones who claim we can easily balance the budget or cut $1 trillion without specifying exactly what line-items to cut. Or that we can return to 2019 spending levels for each program, which means a 20% inflationary cut, defaulting on the federal debt, and kicking off every senior who has since retired into Social Security and Medicare. It’s all hot air and empty bluster. Tough talk without following through on anything substantive. Just wait until you see the final deficit numbers in October. And this is why GOP movements to cut spending always fail. They make absurdly ambitious promises without doing their homework, understanding where the money goes, and specifying real plans to fix it. You can’t significantly cut the deficit just by cutting waste, firing bureaucrats, and defunding immigrants and foreigners. There are no easy short cuts. You have to stop cutting taxes and then address Social Security, Medicare, defense, and a lot of other popular programs. Wake me when the GOP goes there. So, no, I will not get excited about a couple billion in DOGE savings on one hand while Trump pushes Congress to add $8 trillion over the decade in tax cuts and spending with the other hand. I’m not that gullible.

Still wondering.. 😅

@TMetthe Agree! That's more unappealing than the Thanksgiving-flavored sodas. Ugh!

What?? Why??? This is literally everything wrong with the world right now!! 🤢🤢🤮🤮

@RonsBigCountry @KEEN How long you have them?

Had to finally replace my Keens. @KEEN

During World War II, Texas was home to 79 prisoner of war camps, including one near Hereford that housed more than 5,000 Italian POWs who had been captured in North Africa. Sadly, five Italian POWs lost their lives and were interred on the premises before the war's end. In response, a group of POWs collaborated to build this small chapel to honor the graves of the deceased. This is one of my own photos, taken in 2009. The chapel stands in a cornfield as one of the few surviving vestiges of the camp, thanks to the restoration efforts undertaken by the Castro County Historical Commission in the mid-1980s. A significant moment occurred on April 30th, 1988, when a contingent of former Italian prisoners who had been held at the camp returned for a ceremony to mark the site's restoration. This camp, situated in Hereford, was the second largest of its kind in the United States and was constructed by the US Army Corps of Engineers at a total cost of two million dollars. The POWs, while confined, played a vital role in the local agricultural industry, providing their labor in exchange for accommodation and meals provided at the camp. Also, if you look at the horizon on the left, you can see a water tower that was built as part of the camp. I believe the tower and the chapel are the only two parts of the camp's infrastructure that are still visible. I actually drove from Austin all the way to Hereford, about 475 miles, just to see this, and was glad I did. I returned at sundown simply to feel the wind and listen to the old ghosts.

Start your day right, Dame Judi and some poetry.

Former Woolworth building collapses partially onto North 2nd Street during demo ⁦@ReporterNews⁩

BEAUTIFUL: "We were hesitant and a little nervous, because we’ve had our fair share of organizations tell us that our daughter couldn’t participate in their activities. But when we asked the track owner she enthusiastically responded!" (🎥:everydaywithjoy)

Tune in during the 8 o’clock hour in every time zone.

@KellyYandell @Twitter Understand your frustration. I stay for BBQ and other foodways info plus weather and legit breaking news. I just scroll past the nonsense otherwise.

@byStephenGarcia Good luck!

After almost three years, tomorrow will be my last day at the Reporter-News. Next week I start as a sports reporter for the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. There's more in my column Sunday, but I wanted to thank the great people I've met here in the Big Country.

Two unwritten rules for life: 1. 2.

Comanche leaders Quanah Parker and Guache in a photo by noted Vernon, Texas photographer Daniel Sink circa 1890.

One of my very favorite historical photos of Houston. This was taken by John Vachon in 1942. You'd think it has been colorized but it was actually taken with color film, probably Kodachrome of Ektachrome. Incredible details!

An Atlas missile on Walnut Street in Abilene, 1961. Your guess as to why an intercontinental ballistic missile was on Walnut Street in Abilene in 1961 is as good as mine. :)

Y’all, please watch this. I’m hollering omg 😂😂😂😂😂😂

Sometimes I still do this when grilling in the backyard

@KellyYandell Mine involved a lot of stomping the imaginary brake on the front passenger side of the vehicle.

@TMetthe He gave knew meaning to #WreckEm during those years.

This is the same thing that happened to Tuberville’s coaching career when he went to Texas Tech