Infrastructure: Real Agreement Or Feel-Good Headlines?

(Photo of Pelosi and Schumer Talking to press about infrastructure "deal" is from MSNBC.)

The big headline news on the cable shows yesterday was about Trump meeting with Pelosi and Schumer and reaching an agreement to spend a little over $2 trillion on repairing and rebuilding this country's infrastructure.

The news was that Trump and the Democrats had reached an agreement -- an agreement that showed Trump could work with the Democrats he hated, and the Democrats could do good for the public while investigating Trump. It was a feel-good story that made everyone involved happy. It was also pure bullshit.

It was no achievement to agree that a couple of trillion dollars needs to be spend on this nation's infrastructure. Everybody in the country already knew that. That was the easy part.

Note that there is no infrastructure bill pending in Congress, or one awaiting Trump's signature. And there won't be one until the two sides agree on how to pay for that new $2 trillion in extra spending. We already have a record national debt that is growing larger by about a trillion dollars a year (thanks to the Trump/GOP tax cuts for the rich). neither side is going to be willing to tack another $2 trillion on that debt. So, how will it be paid for?

The Democrats will want to pay for much of it by taxing the rich more (either raising the taxes Trump lowered or inventing some new taxes for the rich. Trump is never going to agree to that. He's proud of the tax cuts he gave himself and his rich buddies -- and he's not about to agree to giving back even a penny.

Trump has already shown us how he will want to pay for it. He did that with the awful budget he proposed. He will want to cut Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and abolish Obamacare. Then make massive cuts to every social program that actually helps ordinary and needy Americans. The Democrats will never agree to that.

There is no real agreement, and I wouldn't advise holding your breath until there is one. There is nothing but feel-good talk. Don't expect any real plan before the next election.