Bush's cutbacks facing long odds

[DesEtoiles]

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/politics/3057799

WASHINGTON - It isn't hard to understand why few in Washington are taking President Bush's proposal to kill or cut 154 programs very seriously.


...


"It ought to be expanded, not eliminated," Arizona Sen. Jon Kyl says of aid to states with imprisoned criminal immigrants, a $300 million program Bush wants to eliminate.


"We'll fight it with everything that's in us," Pennsylvania Rep. John Peterson says of the president's plan to end vocational education subsidies running $1.2 billion annually.


"It does a lot of good, it reaches out to young people," Ohio Sen. Mike DeWine says of a $2 million program Bush wants to erase, this one supporting teaching about the underground railroad for escaped slaves.


Kyl, Peterson and DeWine are all loyal Republicans.

[CoffeeCat]

1. *'s agenda is so completely ridiculous.

I often wonder if his entire domestic agenda isn't a manufactured distraction--to guide America's eye away from the PNACer plan of world domination.

Taking on Social Security, cutting programs for the poor, eliminating the Perkins Loan program and his other radical cuts/eliminations--ruffle feathers and perpetuate debate.

How well that serves him, as the Iraq death-toll climbs and the country is reduced to rubble.

I seriously think this jerk could care less about any domestic issues--unless the issue affects the uber-rich or corporations. He's the ultimate bubble boy--born into money and insulated from all real responsibility. He lacks any concept of how America really works. So why would he care enough to want to change it? Most domestic issues are probably bothersome drivel to him. Therefore, I can't imagine that he even gives a rip one way or the other.

So, why would he propose such unpopular, ridiculous proposals on domestic ideas? I think it's all to distract us from their real agenda.

[Dulcinea]

17. A lot of this crap has no hope of passing.

Congresspeople & Senators in both parties won't be willing to sabotage their own political careers for Boy George & his dogturd agenda.

You're right--Boy George couldn't care less about social issues. It probably hasn't occurred to him that people who work for a living NEED these social programs. Like a bad CEO, he ONLY sees the bottom line.

[drduffy]

19. Yes, a distraction...

I have for several weeks thought that was precisely what the neocons were doing. I guess I have become extremely cynical and disgusted with bush et. al. A perfect way for the neocons to pursue whatever other agendas they wish. Keep our eyes attracted to the obvious and ignorant of the subtle. And don't for a moment doubt that they can be subtle.
rw

[Supersedeas]

22. Maybe not a complete distraction, but definitely not an AGENDA

* and his spokes people would be hard-pressed to make a presentation to the people, line item by 154 lines, to explain that none of these programs WORK.

They won't do it and if pressed they will simply back off and say, "Well, at least, we tried to address the budget deficit...not matter how disingenuous the attempt was."

And the MSM will print the attempt to address the budget deficit as gospel and the MSM will completely ignore how disingenous the lame attempt at justifying and genuinely promoting these 'proposed' cuts was.

The complicit MSM must make Rove smile.

[lanlady]

20. absolutely right-on

He doesn't give a damn about policy, public service, his countrymen or any of that. It's all about him, the family, their circle of cronies. He throws any old crap at Congress and does a double-dog-dare-ya just for show, fully intending to blame his fellow Repugs for the consequences of not going along.

[saltpoint]

2. It's not even March of 05 and the bail-out has begun.

Dubya is not going to have a real smooth four years in the U.S. Senate and House, the PR job on Social Security sucks doorknobs, the federal budget is astronomically high, his Attorney General is pro-torture, the ill-conceived Iraq occupation is a holy mess, Afghanistan a pile of rubble all but abandoned as a concern, and the Europeans think he's a craven unilateralist with a pea-sized brain and bad manners.

If one reaps what one sows, Dubya deserves a tsunami of his own bad karma.

[El Biggo Doggo]

3. now THIS is karma

and it's beeyoootiful. unless he gets Osama, 2006 could be very cool.

[Erika]

5. Yeah but the GOP stuck with him

and pushed for his election. We'll remember. Abandoning him after he shows he is only being interested in being king of the planet to world corporatists is a touch late.

[Sugarbleus]

4. Sorry Kyl, I'd rather see less prisons and more

money spent on education, healthcare, and ending poverty..

Got too many people in prison for non violent crimes already!

[Mizmoon]

11. I guess two million Americans in prison are not enough

for these guys.

:eyes:

[jmcon007]

6. Chickens home and roosting.....

Without bothering to check for sure, might I hazard a guess that these same Republicans who are now having their oxes gored "stood tall" with GW on his massive corporate cash giveaway the Republicans like to call a tax cut?
It was only a matter of time before Bush, Rove and Co. would overstep one too many times and I believe we are beginning to hear the first rumblings of a sleeping giant in the land.

[ktowntennesseedem]

7. It's all done for show!

He makes a big push for everyone to sacrifice and make difficult decisions. Then he calls for cuts in or elimination of many programs that most folks have never heard of. Then local Representatives get to fight to preserve those few programs that help the home-folks and end up as heros when they are saved from the budget ax. A few programs end up getting cut or cancelled because too few people stook up to fight for them, and * takes credit for some budget cuts and even more credit for trying. And when there is fallout from growing deficits and complaints that the budget wasn't cut enough, * can proclaim his grand efforts were thwarted, not by the Republicans who fought for their per-programs, but the obstructionist Democrats who are opposing the president on everything just to be mean.

[rpannier]

8. Loyal Republicans?????

My ass. If they were loyal, they'd be doing like the freak republic website and they'd be reputiating everything they ever believed in to be true to their new god -- scrubbie.

[Betty]

9. If he truly is a lame duck this early on

maybe there will be a sliver of hope that he can't complete the destruction of this country.

[inslee08]

10. Well, we have to do something

to deal with the deficit.

Now, if it were me, I wouldn't have gone into Iraq, and we'd have an extra $200+ billion on our hands, and this wouldn't be that big of a problem. And I'd get rid of Bush's giveaways.

But we all know that that'll never happen. So we can say bye-bye to childcare and other "unnecessary" programs like that.

[trogdor]

12. One question.

Is it the National Underground Railroad Museum? If not, why are we funding it with federal tax dollars in the first place? I really, really, really hate agreeing with President Bush, but I have to go along with him on this one. State museums should be funded with state money.

We have the same problem in Albany with state money getting funneled into local boondoggles. My fave is when the state legislature decides that we need to spend state money on private enterprises like Vernon Downs in the name of "promoting tourism". We could probably drop our state income taxes by a whole percentage point (or at least work on creating some real jobs upstate) if someone were to grow a pair <cough>Pataki</cough> and put a stop to it.

[StuckinBFE]

13. The masterplan

I think the masterplan is that he shows that he balanced the budget but since there is no way this budget will work the senate and congress have to raise the estimates. So it is no longer Bush's fault that the budget isn't balanced because he didn't want to add back in all these programs. His whole budget was crap anyways since he didn't include the war costs in it.

[GiovanniC]

14. Why Do The Republicans Hate Our Troops?

http://www.wave3.com/Global/story.asp?S=2995749&nav=0RZFWnB3

Fort Knox faces a shortfall of about $28 million -- that's about 30 percent of the garrison's base operating budget. Such a large cut could seriously handicap the post's ability to train by affecting its day to day services.

"The primary job of Fort Knox is to train armored cavalry soldiers for the war," Armstrong said. "Not being able to do that will have a serious effect on the Army."

If relief does not come soon, the garrison may have to close its dining services and ask soldiers to eat MREs (meals ready to eat). "That's a very emotional issue when you say you can't feed your soldiers," Armstrong said.

Shuttle service for soldiers may also be eliminated.

[Tighthead Prop]

21. Boy, thats great news....

One of mt best friends is training there. Nice to know this uber-patriotic administration is helping out our troops so much. They might as well try to scale back veterans benefits. Oh, wait....

[spooked911]

15. The big question: will Bush ever veto a bill that has too much spending???

Or is he just all talk?

I'd love for him to truly face some political consequences for anything he's done.

[Skidmore]

16. The * budget is not a serious plan beyond the utility it serves

to force a choice for funding a war and the associated debt that was foisted onto us for the express purpose of breaking the middle class and while banking on the American public's belief that taxation is nonessential to the preservation of society.

[KansDem]

18. My take on this...

Kyl, Peterson and DeWine are all loyal Republicans.

Bush, being a lame-duck president, endorses all these unpopular cuts. Then, "loyal Republicans" step in and put a stop to them. The result? In 2006 and 2008, the GOP is seen as the "good guys." After all, Bush is no longer a necessity for 2006/2008 but the Congress is. The GOP will run some candidate in 2008 and, if electronic voting isn't nixed, that person should win. But true power resides in the Congress and anything the GOP does to cement its dominance will take precedence...