The messaging really ought to be the truth, which is:

*We can't afford to not take care of sick people anymore.
*We can't afford to not house the houseless anymore.
*We can't afford a population crushed by debt.
*We can't afford our carceral state.
*America can't afford cruelty.

Our obsession with ignorant cruelty is not only morally empty, it's *expensive.*

The cost of student debt and medical debt, of houselessness, of incarceration as a growth industry, the loss of life, is expensive.

It's VERY expensive.

America can't afford cruelty anymore.

We are quite aware that there are people who would rather die themselves than see sick people they deem undeserving receive care, but that sort of cruel selfishness is the sort of luxury item only afforded to late-stage Roman emperors, and we can't afford that nonsense anymore.

It is SO MUCH MORE expensive to punish people into unlivable lives than it is to simply ... make their lives livable.

We are well aware that there are people who only feel safe and secure when others are suffering, but we cannot afford that level of cruelty anymore.

Refusing to ban fracking is wasteful government spending.

Refusing to cancel student debt is wasteful government spending.

Propping up the corporate prison industry with punitive laws & enforcement is wasteful government spending.

We can't afford cruelty anymore.

Having billionaires is a cruel and wasteful luxury item that we've tolerated for too long. We can't afford them anymore.

We're going to need to tax them and use that money on the things that any sustainable country needs.

It's called "personal accountability."

Conservatism is wasteful, selfish, cruel, and expensive; the national equivalent of buying a sports car with grocery money.

We can't afford it anymore. It's time for a bit of prudence and accountability.

No more wasteful government spending from conservatives.

You want to maintain student debt? Well how are you going to PAY for that?

You don't want transformative climate change policy? How are you going to PAY for that?

You want no universal national health care? How are you going to PAY for that?

We can't afford ignorant cruelty.

You want to maintain police forces in every city? How are you going to PAY?

You want millions of citizens imprisoned? How are you going to PAY?

You want to let our infrastructure crumble? How are you going to PAY?

Nobody talks about how they're going to pay for their cruelty.

Injustice is unjust and unsustainable, and for many of us that's enough. We'd actually pay more to have a sustainable justice, if that's what it took.

But the reality is, sustainability costs *less* than unsustainability—which is sort of obvious if you think about it.

It's time for those of us who actually care about justice and sustainability to reject the arguments of those who want unsustainable injustice on their own terms:

We're very sorry, but your ignorant unsustainable cruelty is irresponsibly expensive.

We can't afford it anymore.