The termination of the Northeast Local Food for Schools grant, a program that directly feeds and benefits Belmont’s children, is proof that no one will be unscathed by the likely illegal, hostile takeover of the federal government by Elon Musk and his reckless team of budget slashers.
Federal programs impact real people in positive ways that can’t be replicated by the private sector. Programs like Social Security, food assistance, science funding, disaster relief, park maintenance, education funding, regulations to ensure clean air and water, so-called “soft power” foreign aid, and transportation infrastructure are just a few of the ways in which our federal tax dollars help all of us.
Haphazardly cutting programs without thought or care as to their impacts is dangerous and cruel, and we may not know all of the fallout until years from now. The purpose of federal programs is to help us take care of each other in a way that we can’t as individuals, which then improves the quality of life for everyone and invests in our future – namely, our children.
Simply put, these cuts are a disaster, and we will all suffer from them.
Debora Hoffman, Goden Street