CONASON: "compassionate conservatism was a swindle"

[nostamj]

surprise! * and the repubs are going to SCREW the people even more. (if they get the chance)

<snip>

According to a report in Thursday's Washington Post, the White House budget office recently issued guidelines to federal agencies currently planning for the 2006 budget. Those guidelines require substantial spending cuts for almost all domestic programs aside from homeland security, although that supposed Republican priority will be cut as well. Spending on education, so often promoted by Bush as the hallmark of his domestic agenda, would nearly eliminate last year's $1.7 billion increase. The highly successful Women, Infants, and Children nutrition program would lose more than $100 million, leaving many poor families without assistance. Head Start, another successful program that provides early childhood education to deprived children, is slated to lose $177 million, or 2.5 percent of its total budget.

With the cool cynicism that is their trademark, however, Bush and members of his Cabinet pretend to support such "compassionate" programs on the campaign trail even as they continue to attempt to cut those same budget items. As the New York Times noted on May 19, "many administration officials are taking credit for spreading largess through programs that President Bush tried to eliminate or to cut sharply."

So the White House regularly trumpets generous grants to help insure the uninsured, to provide heart defibrillators, to improve rural health care and to train minority physicians and dentists -- without acknowledging that President Bush sought to slash or eliminate those same programs in his last budget, and that his upcoming budgets will neuter those programs and many more.

<snip>

Dismantling -- or decimating -- government is Bush's answer to the question that has been puzzling economists: How will the Republicans control their exploding deficits while legislating permanent tax cuts and continuing to fund war, defense and security increases, as well as nondiscretionary entitlements such as Social Security? The president's unshakeable commitment to enormous permanent tax cuts leaves "almost no room" for future domestic spending, according to analysts at the Economic Policy Institute.

http://www.salon.com/opinion/conason/2004/05/28/budget/index.html

[leftyandproud]

1. Are these REAL spending cuts...or...

cuts in the projected growth of the programs? Shrub has increased NON DEFENSE domestic spending 12.5% annually, so if he reduces this to only 6% growth, is this considered a "cut"?

[Q]

2. Wow...that's the same argument we've heard for years...

....'is it a cut or reduction in growth'. Is this a serious question or are you being sarcastic?

[trumad]

3. LOL..I'm with you on that Q...

Spending on education, so often promoted by Bush as the hallmark of his domestic agenda, would nearly eliminate last year's $1.7 billion increase. errr. that in't growth...

[Bandit]

9. It is a serious question because it makes us look like fools if it's true

How can we call an increase a cut. I don't know if this is the case or not in this instance but we have been guilty of this in the past and it gives ammunition to our enemies. It is dishonest to say an increase is a cut. I understand the logic. If an increase is cut back that seams like a cut but it still is an increase. Like if I suggest you may get a dollar an hour raise in June then along comes June and all I can afford is fifty cents an hour. You get a fifty cent an hour raise is that considered a pay cut. I suppose when inflation is considered in it may very well be but we have to be very careful in this area or we can lose a lot of credebility.

[ronatchig]

4. Saw this coming from 2000

However given that we can count on every word out their mouths to be a lie, I wonder if they aren't planning on losing the tax cuts and directing the money right into the war. I smell smoke from a shitfire myself. On toh they may be playing to the base for congressional races.

[boobooday]

5. Imagine their perfect world -- it makes you tremble

The poor and the sick are on their own, they fill the streets with their misery. The workers are sick and tired -- they toil long hours for meager pay and benefits, and get home too weary to do anything but watch television, where they get hour after hour of pro-neocon propaganda. The rich are armed and isolated. They party behind walls guarded by rent-a-cops, and only venture out in their hummers to go from one heavily guarded event to another.

This is Bush's vision of America.



http://www.wgoeshome.com

[nostamj]

6. LORDS and serfs...

they seek to eliminate the middle class

and make Wal-Mart the 'company store'

[dawg]

7. Why would anyone want that?

If I had a billion dollars (which, by the way, I do not) - I still wouldn't want to support these types of policies.

Who wants to live in a country like that?

[dawg]

8. I double posted.

I don't know how that happened. Maybe 'cause I hit the enter key so hard!

[onecitizen]

10. Bait n Switch........

yet another example of from them.