The Post continues to refuse to provide meaningful budget numbers to its readers. The front page today includes two examples of this refusal. The lead story is an article reporting on the State Childrens Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) which reports that the bill will require an additional $35 billion over the next five years. It would have been helpful to readers to point out that this sum ($7 billion a year, as noted in the article) is approximately equal to 0.2 percent of projected spending or $23 tax dollars per person per year.
Another front page article reported on the corn subsidy program, which is projected to give $1.6 billion to corn farmers this year, even though corn prices are at their highest level in more than a decade. This sum is equal to 0.05 percent of federal spending, or $5.30 tax dollars per person. The article provides a useful analysis of what has arguably become a very wasteful program, but it is wrong to lead readers to believe that this program is a major drain on the federal budget. It isn’t.
I’m writing to you today with a sense of urgency that I haven’t felt since I began my journalism career. As executive editor of The American Prospect, I’ve witnessed firsthand how independent journalism serves as a crucial bulwark against the erosion of our democratic institutions. Today, that role is more vital than ever. Can you step up today and show your support?
The winds of authoritarianism are blowing stronger. We’re seeing alarming signs of a coordinated effort to silence critical voices and undermine the very foundations that support progressive causes. As Bob Kuttner presciently wrote in our August 2024 issue, a weaponized IRS could attack the very foundations of the progressive movement. We need readers to step up and help us dig in for the long haul.
We’re falling behind in our spring fundraising campaign, and with so much at stake we can’t afford to come up short. If you value fearless, independent journalism that holds the powerful accountable and defends democracy, now is the time to step up. The American Prospect depends on reader support to stay in the fight. Pitch in today and help us close the gap. Please consider making a donation today.
–David Dayen, Executive Editor
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