Last week, Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives narrowly pushed through a bill that would slash billions of dollars from the federal food stamp program.

And so continues the Republican war against those at the fringes of society, all done for the sake of greater fiscal responsibility.

It’s unlikely that this House bill will go anywhere — it would first have to pass through the Democratic Senate and be signed by President Barack Obama, who has already threatened to veto the proposal.

The pressure for the proposed cuts comes mainly from Tea Party-backed conservatives who say the current cost of the food stamp program — about $80 billion per year — is too high.

But according to The New York Times, the total cost of the food stamp program will exceed $700 billion throughout the next decade, even if the proposed cuts go into effect.

If Republicans want to get serious about solving our nation’s debt problem, they should look to sources other than programs that benefit the poor and elderly.

There are other areas of the federal budget that could easily be cut and would actually make more sense to scale back.

How about the defense budget?

The United States spends an obscenely high amount on defense, despite the fact that we remain a world superpower and have many more allies than enemies.

The United States spent $718 billion on defense in 2011, according to The Washington Post. That’s more than what was spent on Medicare — or any other federal program, for that matter.

Surely we can find some things to cut from this part of the budget. The only problem is that it’s politically taboo to even suggest doing so. Detractors will say it’s “un-American” and call anyone who tries to make such cuts “soft” on defense.

But if Republicans are serious about solving the debt dilemma, they must not only look for more responsible spending cuts, but also be willing to implement a fairer tax code.

The Bush-era tax cuts of the early 2000s were detrimental, and have been significant contributors to our national debt and major cause of the federal budget deficit.

Part of the underlying problem behind the nation’s enormous debt is not just a spending problem as the right wing suggests. We’re also not bringing in enough revenue.

When a family falls on hard times, members not only look for ways to cut expenses — they seek out additional sources of income.

It should be no different with the United States.

But Republican ideology during the past few years has developed into one that calls for a machete to the federal budget. Republicans have shown no interest in compromise when it comes to raising taxes on the wealthy by even a dime.

Does the right wing really believe that gutting spending and asking the ultra-rich to pay a lower tax rate than its secretaries (as billionaire Warren Buffet does) is good for the country?

Or is it that they detest the downtrodden and want to restructure the government so it serves only those with more money than they know what to do with?

It might be a little of both. But the idea of a government of the rich, by the rich and for the rich shakes me to my very core.

Conservative extremists appear hell-bent on creating such a regime. Their desire to slash federal food stamp aid is but the latest in a long line of symptoms of their obsession with weakening government.

The ideal conservative America isn’t the America for which we should strive.

Our government should work for everyone, regardless of their means. Keeping the food stamp program well funded is a necessary step in preserving that ideal.

David Swenton is a senior political science and writing and rhetoric major. His column appears weekly. He can be reached at daswento@syr.edu or followed on Twitter at @DavidSwenton.

Published on September 25, 2013 at 1:34 am