No, They Won't

Republicans today voted to continue funding the Pentagon their annual $7 million to sponsor NASCAR teams. "The Army spends $7 million a year on its NASCAR team, and sees it as a useful recruiting tool. The Army picked up 46,000 recruiting leads in 2010 through its racing team."

(In case you are wondering, that is about $150 per "lead".)

On the same day, the same politicians voted to strip Planned Parenthood of all its federal funding.

So, government funding of NASCAR racing teams in these tight economic times? Still on. Government funding of family planning and OB/GYN services targeted for low-income women? Gone.

And just because it probably needs to be said: I don't mind cutting Planned Parenthood, but only inasmuch as Planned Parenthood can be cut and still provide its primary function under austere and minimized conditions... which, if that could be done with a 100% cut of federal aid — approximately one third its budget — is fine. (Although, color me doubtful, I strongly suspect Congressional Republicans did not bother to determine whether or not that was the case.) I'm more curious as to the mindset that those zealous budget-slashing-or-die-trying Republicans had to be in to conclude, "but spending $7 million taxpayer money to race in NASCAR is fine."