“Hard work” in the words of Defense Secretary Austin is a euphemism for budgetary cuts for social programs

 

Lloyd Austin was quoted today as saying: “We’re pushing hard to maintain and intensify the momentum of donations” for Ukraine. “This will be an area of focus for the foreseeable future, as it should be, in terms of how long our allies and partners will remain committed ... There’s no question that this will always be hard work making sure that we maintain unity.”

Why doesn’t Austin call a spade a spade? What does he mean by “hard work?” And what does he mean by “aid?” If nearly all the “aid” is military aid, why doesn’t he call it that? Another example of Washington double-speak.

Obviously “hard work” means sacrifice and the sacrifice doesn’t mean cutting the Pentagon budget or increasing taxes on corporations and millionaires. It means letting the social security program go down the tubes so that within a decade there will be drastic cuts in social security pensions, as well as Medicare and Medicaid. It also means drastic reduction in Pell Grants and other student aid programs so that a college education becomes an exclusive privilege for the children of the rich. Etc., etc., etc.

 

It’s high time that Bernie Sanders-AOC followers in the Democratic Party face the issue of U.S. imperialism head on, rather than bow to the pressures of the corporate media, as they did when they ratified the $40 billion dollar package of mostly military aid for Ukraine. Progressives need to demand that Washington actively push for negotiations to end the absurd war in Ukraine, rather than attempting to “win” it, as Austin himself explicitly calls for.