Like most prominent U.S conservatives, Secretary of State Marco Rubio is a big fan of double-think. Yet, his latest foray into the well-worn act of Republicans engaging in hypocrisy is a little on the nose, even for the Catch-22-like absurdity America is currently engaged in.
Appearing on Good Morning America, the acting national security advisor and famously interventionalist-minded politician was defending Trump’s flailing war against Iran and their schoolgirls when he brought up how much the under siege regime had invested in weaponary. The Iranians are currently undergoing bombardment by the Americans and the Israelis, and in retaliation have been attacking various targets in the Middle East, while also excercising control over the key oil shipping lane the Strait of Hormuz, making use of a stockpile of weapons they have had years to build.
“Imagine an Iran that…instead of spending their wealth, billions of dollars terrorists or weapons, had spent that money helping the people of Iran, you’d have a much different country,” Rubio said squeakily. Although a valid argument, Rubio forgot to mention that U.S 15% of the Federal budget goes on the Department of Defense, which in real terms accounts for just over $2 trillion. This is while 68,000 Americans a year die because of lack of access to health care. With the Republican party gutting of the Affordable Care Act and other social security measures, this number is only likely to get higher.
The U.S also ranks 31st in the world for education, 27th for social mobility, and a truly depressing 54th for lowest infant mortality rates, scoring worse in the latter than countries like Serbia, Bermuda, and Cuba. Rubio has continually voted against measures to widen healthcare access and improve education outcomes.
Sure, these metrics all look grim for the Americans being represented by Rubio. But at least they all have freedom of speech. Unless you are critical of Donald Trump, or say something negative about Charlie Kirk, in which case expect the police to knock on your door. A true land of liberty.
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