The Bush Budget 2007 Bottom Line: More “Entitlement” Cuts

[kerrygoddess]

The Bush Budget 2007 Bottom Line: More “Entitlement” Cuts
February 6th, 2006 @ 1:08 pm

Bush sent Congress his 2007 budget proposal today. It’s not a pretty picture… As a matter of fact, it’s absolutely appalling.



The $2.8 trillion budget for fiscal 2007 would cut billions of dollars from domestic programs that help the poor, including “Medicare and food stamps to local law enforcement and disease control.” The plan also calls for “extending most of his tax cuts beyond their 2010 expiration date.”

Bush said in his budget message, “We have set clear priorities that meet the most pressing needs of the American people while addressing the long-term challenges that lie ahead. The 2007 Budget will ensure that future generations of Americans have the opportunity to live in a Nation that is more prosperous and more secure.” Who the heck is does he think he is kidding?

To accommodate increased spending in the president’s favored non-security programs such as diplomacy and foreign aid, veterans health care and energy, other programs would face significant cuts. Agriculture spending would fall 6.5 percent, education spending $3.8 percent. The Department of Transportation would lose 9.4 percent of its discretionary budget. The Army Corps of Engineers — a congressional favorite that was highly criticized in the wake of Hurricane Katrina — would be cut 11.2 percent.

MORE & LINKS - http://blog.thedemocraticdaily.com/?p=1864

[tatertop]

1. When will America wake up?

[gizmo1979]

4. It's too late already.

We've been screwed so many times I forgot what a government For the People and by The people,was all about.

[catmother]

2. does this surprise anyone?

:shrug:

what really pisses me off is referring to social security and medicare as an entitlement. i believe an entitlement is something that someone does not pay for, i.e., welfare, medicaid.

an example: my husband's latest social security statement as of 8/05. my husband has paid $92,239 and his employer has paid $92,310 for a total of $184,549. he was 57 at the time. now when he is eligible to start collecting at age 62 (reduced amount) much more will have been paid in by him and by his employer. now is that something for nothing? okay lets go to medicare. as of that date he has paid $31,148, his employer $31,158 for a total of $62,306. is that something for nothing? and mind you there is no cap on the medicare. the FICA part stops at a certain point. i believe last year was $90,000, but the medicare part has no cap. you just keep paying no matter how much you've put in.

[boobooday]

3. "Entitlement" cuts

But only CERTAIN entitlements. The entitlements that go to the poor, the veterans, the elderly, the sick, and our children.

Entitlements that go to the wealthy and corporations will no doubt increase. Cause you know, you gotta pour the money into their pockets with a bucket, and wait for it to trickle down on the rest of us.

[catmother]

7. look at my post. social security is not an entitlement, but yes

you're right -- they always cut programs for the poor people.

what's going to happen to the guy in the middle, i.e., my husband -- we're not rich. are they going to cut the social security -- the fund that he's been paying into all his working life. and there are many like him -- baby boomers who are paying into a system that will not be there when they're ready to collect it. i don't know if these people are going to take it without a fight.

[boobooday]

9. They paint it like an entitlement, though

That's part of their strategy.

Nobody in my working class family would have made it through retirement without Social Security and/or veterans benefits. And they all worked their butts off, in factories, their entire lives.

Including my Dad.

[catmother]

11. my mom is 83 and getting social security, but it's not enough to

live on. she didn't have a job with a pension. fortunately her grandson (my nephew) -- who has done very well pays her rent.

[boobooday]

12. My grandmother too

After she died, the government confiscated all her pathetic material possessions in order to pay the medical bills she incurred (she was on Medicare).

They auctioned all her little scarves and old lady dresses, and her 30-year old furniture, and 35-year old car, and her house.

I had a very wealthy friend (multi-millionaire) once try to persuade me that the most pressing problem in this country was the death tax. I laughed right in his face, and told him I would be lucky if I didn't inherit my parents' mortgage.

Bush is this clueless, only worse. At least my friend would TRY to understand when I explained what it was like to be from the working class (although I don't think he really could).

[catmother]

14. my mother in law had a substantial amount of money. she had

inherited from her parents, had my father-in-laws pension and social security after he died. she became ill and had to go to a nursing home. when she passed away last year there was $1500 left in her savings account. my husband and his sister had to share the expense of her funeral which came to over $10,000 -- nothing too fancy -- just what she would have wanted.

[boobooday]

15. This is our future

So sad.

But I have to say, us working-class folk (and I include myself with pride, even though my whole life has been about trying to educate myself out of the working class -- I'll let you know if it ever works) have got something that none of the trust fund babies I've met could come close to. I've met a few of the old money people and most of them are sad. They don't know the freedom of "nothing left to lose" or the joy of "I survived that on my own."

And I've watched them play games with their children, holding the "inheritance" out there like a carrot, and I have to say it is the most appalling thing -- the first time I saw it, I was devastated. Nobody in my family ever had anything to pass on to their kids, so nobody was waiting for anybody to die, or playing head games about who was going to get what. I was filled with pity for these people. They just flat out don't know what the hell.

But the boot heel has to come up. We are talking about the people who damn well get it done every day, and there is no way that anybody in this country who works their entire life should die hungry, in destitution. It's just shameful. Same for young people who work full-time. That has to get you a living wage, or we're just crap.

I think the time for class warfare is way overdue.

[catmother]

16. my mother-in-law was one of those people who carried on about

"the will". i can't speak for my sister-in-law, but my husband and i were never interested in her money. no one has ever given us anything. everything that we have we have worked for. we just have my husband's daughter -- and all she wants is money. after my mother-in-law died she kept sending my husband notes and e-mails saying things like "i know it's hard -- hang in there" once he told her that "nana" died penniless the notes stopped.

we have our will set up that everything goes to animal charities. my sister is our executrix and will make sure that our wishes are carried out. of course, if an illness happens our estate would go the way of my mother-in-laws. my husband is covered for long term care, but they won't cover me because i have chronic fatigue syndrome and take certain drugs for it. so if i get sick, we could lose everything, house, savings. we're long overdue for universal health care.

and i agree with the class warfare. you can't just keep people down. i see people all the time busting their asses for $8.00 an hour and no future to look forward to. the american dream is all but over.

we are truly blessed that my husband has been rewarded for his 36 years with the same company -- but we're scared -- his job could be outsourced tomorrow. he is eligible for a pension, but he's only 58 so we'd have to wait for him to hit 62 for social security.

[Mabus]

5. How soon before the budget becomes a national security issue

and we're barred from discussing it? After all, if the terrorists know what's in the budget they'll know how much we're spending on defense. :sarcasm:

[Rambis]

6. What about cutting all congressional pensions!

Most of them are stinking rich anyway. Al gore Sr, said it was absurd that when he left congress he was making 70,000 and his last check was 200+ they don't need it.

[catmother]

8. i don't think they pay into social security but i know that they do

have a great pension plan.

my feeling is if someone has paid into social security they are entitled to receive it when the time comes, whether their rich or not. i've heard some of the rich people i.e., hugh downs, cronkite, etc. who take their social security and donate it to charity.

and let's face it -- the charities need it. look at the big part the red cross and others played in the katrina disaster, and the food banks that give meals to the indigent.

[Rambis]

10. Why are we only taxing the first 99,000?

tax the crap out of them! None of it is trickeling down to us bottom feeders anyway.
I have a few conservative friend who say they would gladly go back to Clintonian tax structure if they could dedicate the money to national debt relief. They are outraged the * is calling himself a conservative.

[catmother]

13. i beg to differ, but my husband makes about $150,000 a year.

we look forward every year to him reaching the FICA max which i just checked is 7.65% on $94,200.00 for 2006. that extra money goes into our retirement savings. you would feel quite different if you were making that kind of money. what we pay in federal tax is plenty. cut us a little slack. we're not rich.

and in case you don't know it when you do collect social security if your income is above a certain amount (something like $42,000 for a couple) you pay tax on 85% of your social security. i'm on social security disability and i have to pay tax on it because of his income which in my case is about $400.00 a month.

ON EDIT: my husband is exempt from overtime and i can tell you that many times he works a 70 hour week. if he has to travel -- he travels on a sunday (his own time) to get to the customer on monday. so it may seem like a lot of money but if you broke it down hourly -- well i guess it would still be good.

[kerrygoddess]

17. Kerry Responds to Bush’s 2007 Budget: “Priorities are Sorely Out of Whack”

John Kerry responded to Bush’s 2007 Budget proposal submitted to Congress today with the following statement:

“If budgets are a statement of your values backed up by dollars, then this President’s priorities are sorely out of whack.

“The President is cutting money for veterans, child support enforcement, Medicare, student loans and food stamps so he can cling to deficit-exploding wasteful tax policy without giving one dime in tax relief to the 19 million middles class families who will pay higher taxes next year."

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