Just trying to have a society here...

More scrutiny? you know, I'd settle for any
scrutiny whatsoever. Some oversight too.

Look, we all know that government can be inefficient...well, no, that's not true, we all know that comedians have, for decades, tapped the rich vein of comedy that is based on the apocryphal story of the government paying (insert exorbitant dollar amount here) for a wrench or whatever. It would be more accurate to say we all assume that there are areas of government spending that warrant more scrutiny. But I think most people have come around to the idea that we don't want to throw out the essential government services with the bathwater.

Pictured: the same guy swearing to
uphold the law...like a month ago.

That hasn't stopped a President most people didn't vote from tasking a multi-billionaire nobody voted for dismantling entire agencies, illegally withholding funds congress has already approved, and helping himself to private information. The aforementioned President recently said "He who saves his Country does not violate any Law [caps his]." Which is nonsense for two reasons: one he's not saving anything. We're pretty screwed right now. And two: he who violates the law should be in prison.

But whatever, I want to talk about Dolly Parton. Yes philanthropist, champion of children's literacy, and, so I'm told, a country music singer? I don't know, I don't follow country music. It doesn't matter, she's a national treasure. When someday, God forbid, she is no longer with us, her loss will be felt the world over. Unlike some other people whose names, faces, and preposterously heartless actions I won't even mention. Which brings us to the Indiana State Budget cutting funding for her Imagination Library. Because socialism or whatever. 

Above: Socialist monster Dolly Parton, seen here using her
power and influence to help others. Why, it's positively un-American.

"Funding opportunities like many those
lazy, free-loading kids should get jobs."

-Governor Mike Braun

Anyway, inspired by her impoverished childhood and her father's illiteracy, Parton created the program to provide children from zero to five with free books and is funded through partners and local funding including six million from the State of Indiana. Parton has pleaded with the Governor who--due solely to how bad the whole thing makes him, the GOP, and the State of Indiana look, has promised to "identify funding opportunities." Which to my ears sounds a lot like "good luck with that" and not "the State will live up to its obligations to kids." Sorry, are we great again, yet?

And I mean, what are we even doing here? We're just trying to have a society. Like, it's such low hanging fruit to demand that our taxes--if we have to pay them at all--only go to the most basic governmental services (and a massive military budget that's thrice that of the world's next largest, but is still somehow not enough to take care of our veterans). Kids should have books. How is that controversial? And yes, our taxes can and should be used to help kids, especially those furthest from opportunity. Again, not exactly a hot take. 

"Huh, it says here that we're supposed to have three co-equal branches
of government and a separation of church and State. How interesting."

-Why Republicans would rather

kids not have access to books