Republicans Still Planning To Shut Down The Government

The Republicans are currently engaged in an effort to shut down the United States government again. This time they're going to do it over Planned Parenthood. They want to completely defund that organization because it helps some women get an abortion -- and they say they don't want any government money spent for that purpose.

That's a rather disingenuous argument, since they know full well that no government money is spent for that purpose. It can't be, and they have to know that because they are the ones that passed the law preventing it.

The truth is that only 3% of Planned Parenthood expenditures are spent on abortion services, and none of it is government money. The money they get from the government is spent on the other 97% of the services they provide to women (see chart below). The GOP's effort to defund the organization won't prevent any abortions. That will happen no matter what. What it will do is cut funding for women's health, and other services -- and that is nothing short of shameful.

The chart above, from The Washington Post, shows just how tiny a portion of the U.S. government budget we are talking about. The Republicans are going to shut down the government over 1/50th of 1% of each dollar the government spends -- an amount that would represent no real decrease in the budget.

It's a ridiculous argument (and a false issue), and it's just political theater -- being played out for the benefit of the teabagger base of the Republican Party. These Republicans (especially Ted Cruz who is trying to jump-start his presidential campaign) are playing politics to get votes from their base -- and they are willing to shut down the government to do that.

Remember this when it comes time to vote in the next election.

(Chart is from Liberapedia.)