The Bush Budget
The President's budget was released today. Not surprisingly those hurt the most are the middle class and the poor. That of course is the majority of the people in this country. Who benefits? No surprise here, the rich and the corporations, military contractors in particular. When I see this I am reminded of Eisenhower's Farewell Address to the Nation. This speech is remembered for its reference to the military-industrial complex(MIC). It is a warning of a fascist/corporatist take over of our country. In the next paragraph he sounds like Jefferson when he says, "Only an alert and knowledgeable citizenry can compel the proper meshing of the huge industrial and military machinery of defense with our peaceful methods and goals, so that security and liberty may prosper together." That is exactly what is not happening. We (an un-alert and un-knowledgeable citizenry) are allowing this administration and their corporate backers (the huge industrial and military machinery of defense) to steal our country through fear. This shift in spending from those who need it most to those who need it the least makes it no surprise that, as the corporate owned media sits quiet and our schools crumble, the citizenry is no longer alert and knowledgeable.

The budget and what is does is a great opportunity for the Democrats to start taking away the values issue. Standing up for the most needy among us is one of the highest of all moral values. Also there are many costs left out:

Mr. Bush's budget plan seeks deep cuts in a wide array of government programs, from farm subsidies to education programs. Yet it does not list projected costs of military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, which will easily top $80 billion this year. Nor does it reflect the price of introducing private investment accounts within Social Security, the administration's top domestic legislative priority.

Were you alert to these items? I mean why would they want to leave that out. The President is also running a scam on his deficit reduction:

Critics contend that the Bush plan is carefully crafted to hit the five-year promise, however, and that the deficit would resume increasing sharply in 2010.

The president's two biggest domestic fiscal proposals - making his tax cuts permanent, and introducing private accounts within Social Security, would both kick in after 2009, noted Mr. Gale. Thus promising to halve the deficit prior to then "is like saying you're going to go on a diet until dinner," he said.

How moral is that? So you see, just close you eyes and remember, Fox is "fair and balanced".
- posted by Mom/Dad @ 1:33 PM