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Republicans in Congress, says House Progressive Caucus Co-Chair Keith Ellison, are treating the budget and potential government shutdowns as an "opportunity to inflict generationally-changing policies" in the guise of paying the bills. We're facing a government shutdown not, Ellison notes, because Democrats won't compromise, but because Republicans like Paul Ryan are interested in forcing a fight over ideological issues. Rep. Ellison spoke with Laura from Washington, D.C. to inaugurate a new segment with House Progressive Caucus members on GRITtv.

It should be the sound of the other shoe dropping, but you’ll have to listen hard to Governor Scott Walker’s budget address because most media will miss most of it. It’s a funny thing about covering budgets. Cutting spending garners a whole lot more attention than cutting taxes. How many Americans know, for example, that Governor Walker gave $140 million in tax breaks to corporations -- right before he announced this fiscal year's deficit of $137 million? Distributed by Tubemogul.

"We have to deal with the deficit in a progressive way," says Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders. Instead of cutting services in the name of some myth of austerity, Sanders suggests cutting tax loopholes and subsidies to oil companies in a new bill he just put forth in the Senate. ; The money we take in making oil companies pay their fair share could pay for extending unemployment benefits and health care. Meanwhile, Sanders also tells us about his home state's plan to push toward a single-payer health care system, lowering costs and providing true universal care for all. He thinks they can do it. It takes $1 million a year to keep one U.S. soldier in Afghanistan. Meanwhile, drone strikes and occupation are a way of life in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and longtime peace activist Kathy Kelly just returned from a trip there to see firsthand the consequences for the people on the ground. Kathy joins Laura in studio to discuss the consequences of a "robotized" U.S. military. She describes the devastation she has seen and the way people are forced to live, and questions the logic of continuing to spend all this money on war. Finally, "I feel your pain" -- how many times are we going to hear that between now and the midterm elections? Republicans and Democrats all know that the economy weighs first on people's minds, and they all pay lip service at least to the idea of doing something for Main Street. What's ahead -- months of millionaires making pledges?

For all the talk of Wall Street reform, and new consumer protections, and talk of alternative energy policy, the fact remains that for most people, America is a sinking ship. And minority communities are the first to be thrown over the side. Where are the lifeboats? The F Word is a regular commentary by Laura Flanders, the host of GRITtv which broadcasts weekdays on satellite TV (Dish Network Ch. 9415 Free Speech TV) on cable, and online at GRITtv.org and TheNation.com. Support us by signing up for our podcast, and follow GRITtv or GRITlaura on Twitter.com. Distributed by Tubemogul.