We’re going to do a little thought experiment today. A concept that goes back to ancient Jewish heritage. (Aesop liked it enough to copy the concept.)

Let’s reconsider the prophet Natan admonishing King David. (Shmuel [Samuel] 2, Chapter 12) Natan tells King David the story of a rich and a poor man in a certain town, where the rich man had a full menagerie and the poor man managed to own just one little lamb, with which he shared his food and drink. And, the rich man stole that little lamb to feed a hungry traveler, rather than dip into his own stock. David, upon hearing the tale,  was livid- he condemned that rich person to die for his perfidy- at the very least pay fourfold to the poor man.

Oops. David was that rich man- he had wives, the land of Israel, among other riches- but he effected the death of Uria the Hittite to steal his wife, Batsheva (Batsheba).

Kind of like how the GOP loves to blame the poor folks for getting (what they call) “handouts” from the government and diverting those funds for other things their family needs or wants. For that, the GOP wants to strip their AFDC, Food Stamps, etc.

Oh, wait.

When the GOP and TheDonald held all the pursestrings of the USA- for two years (2016 to 2018)- not ONCE was a penny appropriated for this wall for which TheDonald promised Mexico would pay. (Where the heck was MoscowMitch then? You know- the sycophant who only proposes bills that have the prior approval of TheDonald. Like Congress is not a separate branch of the government. ) But, once the control was lost, TheDonald forced a US government shutdown for 35 days because the boorish one demanded his wall be funded- now.

And, where is the GOP now that TheDonald has eviscerated the Pentagon’s readiness? (The GOP heretofore declared that it was always the Democratic Party that left the Pentagon at risk. Like the size of their appropriation wasn’t already enough.)

Those 51 projects whose funds were stolen (illegally, since only Congress has control of the purse, according to the US Constitution- you know- the document that the GOP also declares they uphold fully and with which the Democratic Party members play fast and loose) will lead to “dire outcomes” according to the Pentagon (in its original budget request).

Among these 51 projects include the eradication of hazardous living conditions for troops and their families, fixing conditions at unsafe schools that impede learning, [tamping the] erosion of the military’s standards for fire safety or their management of explosives. (This is the verbiage of the Pentagon, not my choice words.) Near my home, at what used to be called Andrews Air Force Base (now Joint Base Andrews [JBA], MD), TheDonald has stolen funds appropriated for a much-needed child-care center, intended to replace the one replete with sewage backups, mold and pest issues, and failing HVAC (heat, ventilation, and air conditioning). Not to mention that JBA has spent $ 154 million to accommodate the much larger Air Force 1 that TheDonald demanded, on the site that was designated (and desperately needed) for the unloading of hazardous cargo and a disposal range to allow the training of personnel to defuse bombs.

Not surprisingly, the Pentagon now expects Congress to “backfill” this money. After all, it needed those programs- even if the Secretary of Defense moved those funds for the wall, as he licked TheDonald’s boots.

But, hold on there, partner! TheDonald will steal at least $ 4 billion- but as much as $ 10-15 billion- NEXT year from the DOD budget to build his wall. (Again, the one that the GOP refused to fund for two years- about which did not TheDonald complain once).

This wall for which TheDonald promised Mexico would pay, that is costing the US Treasury at least $ 36 million per mile. The stolen funds will be used to build up to 187 (perhaps not even this much) of the 509 miles for this fakokte wall. (Not the 700 miles TheDonald swore were absolutely necessary when he first proposed it; he gave up on that so no one would recognize the costs will exceed $ 25 billion!) At the same time, TheDonald will be stealing thousands of acres from American farms owned by US citizens, disrupting countless cemeteries, among other takings. And, that doesn’t include the 560 acres of Interior Department land that has already been taken to build part of a 70 mile stretch of this inane barrier.

Tell me again how the poor squander money…

I’m waiting!