Feeling Bloated?
Last Week on The Michele Tafoya Podcast...
Americans are bloated.
What do you do when you feel bloated? Eat less? Go for a run? Embark on a five-day cleanse? Or binge on potato chips?
What do you do when you feel strapped for cash? Spend less? Buy fewer Starbucks coffees for a week? Work overtime? Or go on a shopping spree?
Well, America, your government is both bloated and strapped for cash.
Just check out the national debt clock. Looking at it makes me sick. And scared. Maybe that’s why we are willing to ignore it.
But ignoring our financial situation is foolish and dangerous. We have long overspent, and we all seem to know that. But whenever spending cuts are proposed, opposing voices scream, “You’re throwing granny off a cliff!”
Remember when Paul Ryan — the former speaker of the house from Janesville, Wisconsin — told us we could see the train coming, and we still had time to get out of the way before it struck us?
He was mocked and compared to Eddie Munster.
And Congress kicked the can down the road.
But this week, the proverbial “can” landed in a gutter on Pennsylvania Ave — 1300 Pennsylvania Ave., NW to be specific — at the office door of USAID.
DOGE picked up the can, turned it over in its hand, and discovered a lot of gunk.
USAID purports to be “an independent agency of the United States government that is primarily responsible for administering civilian foreign aid and development assistance.” Seems nice, right?
Not so much. The list of expenditures this agency has made over the years includes some truly outrageous disbursements, including $70,000 for the production of a DEI musical in Ireland.
Few have argued about what’s on the list. But progressives have reacted to the discovery with unhinged outrage.
Members of Congress from AOC to Maxine Watters to Chuck Schumer are screaming bloody murder. They seem to think Elon Musk and DOGE have no business telling the American people how their money is being spent. And they argue the merits of investigating such a relatively small agency.
For one thing, they say The USAID’s $44 billion annual budget is too teeny-tiny to matter much.
So what? All the more reason to look at every other agency — even Medicare and defense. Imagine the fraud that exists in those larger entities.
The Left also screams, “People will die” without USAID! That’s the same breathless hyperbole they use whenever one of their pet projects is threatened.
The bottom line is this: the government runs on your money. Yours. Ours. Not theirs. Don’t you want to know how YOUR money is being spent?
And if they are spending like drunken sailors (no offense to sailors), don’t you want to know that?
And if there are outlays of money that are redundant — or plain ridiculous — don’t you want to know that, too?
We deserve to know how our money is being spent. And if we can get by with fewer government employees, shouldn’t we do that? No government job should come with a lifetime guarantee. That’s like giving a bad teacher tenure.
So calm down. Let Elon cook. Let’s spend less. Let’s not spend stupidly.
And SHOW US THE MONEY!
Meanwhile, on the podcast…
Brave, Bold, and Bad-Ass: Stacy Washington
You may know her as “Stacy on the Right.” She is an Air Force veteran, a mom, wife, conservative activist, and commentator. She dishes on new Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth; women in combat; and wokeness in the military. Prepare to be impressed.
Here’s a clip:
Full episodes here:
Also available at:
The Circus and The Tidal Wave: WILDCARD WEDNESDAY
From Trump to Elon to AOC to gender ideology, it’s next to impossible to keep up with the news of the day. We are trying! In this episode, we also throw in some clips from the way back machine that are still relevant. It’s always a wild ride on Wildcard Wednesday!
Here’s a clip:
Full episodes here:
Parents Want Their Rights Back
January Littlejohn didn’t know her 13-year-old daughter was being socially transitioned at school… the fact was hidden from her by teachers and school administrators. Her story led her to become an activist, and she is now a parent advocate at Do No Harm (https://donoharmmedicine.org/). She shares her story with Michele and reveals how gender ideology is targeting young people.
Here’s a clip:
Full episodes here: