Unsurprisingly, the numbers are out, and the national deficit is ballooning. Of course, most of us knew that would happen because literally anyone who knew anything about economics predicted it would. Even the Congressional Budget Office flat out said that this was on the table. We knew it would happen because of the ludicrously obscene Republican Tax Bill/blatant corporate and wealthy handout. Republicans in support of the bill really tried to sell it as the opposite. That the bill would pay for itself. But the fact was that it was never really going to happen that way. Even conservative economists really red flagged this bill as a potential disaster for our overall economic health. So of course when the inevitable happen, Republicans are doing what politicians always do when they screw up: pass the buck. But the really despicable thing is where they’re passing it. The discussion people like Mitch McConnell want to have is how many poor and elderly people do they have to screw to balance out the problem. Important, necessary programs like Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid are now one the block for gutting, sacrifices at the alter of the 1%. But listen carefully. Because it’s not hard to hear the hypocrisy and cruelty in the self righteous handwringing of rich old men looking to screw over the little guy. It just takes a little effort.