Fuzzy Math: $50 Billion for war good, $22 Billion for education, veterans' health care and border security too expensive
posted by
Wally
7:40 AM
Bush might be trying to act fiscally responsible, but he still can't do simple arithmatic. When the Democrats increased the size of his proposed budget for programs he didn't like, he held his ground (or at least his breath) and threatened to veto the bills because they were too expensive.The president has vowed to veto eight of the 12 spending measures needed to keep the government operating. Bush opposes Democrats' efforts to add $22 billion to the $933 billion the administration is seeking for the portion of the budget that is subject to annual appropriations.
Congressional Democrats want the extra funds for education, veterans' health care and border security contained within the budgets of various federal departments and agencies. That's mighty fiscally responsible of him, don't you think? Of course, no one should be surprised by the programs he's refusing to fund. He made it all the way to the Presidency without ever allowing himself to become educated. He needs those borders open so he has cheap labor to do the real (as opposed to photo-op) "brush-clearing" on his (ahem) ranch. And by the time the veterans need health care, they're of no use to him in his wars, so f*ck 'em. He's done with them and no longer has to care about them. There, that's $22 billion saved right there!
And what does he want to do with that savings? What else? WAR! Once again, Bush is asking for demanding another $50 Billion for his occupation of Iraq. This after the recent fight with cave-in by the Democrats on his last "supplemental blow the shiite out of Iraq" bill.The request -- which would come on top of about $460 billion in the fiscal 2008 defense budget and $147 billion in a pending supplemental bill to fund the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq -- is expected to be announced after congressional hearings scheduled for mid-September featuring the two top U.S. officials in Iraq. Army Gen. David H. Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan C. Crocker will assess the state of the war and the effect of the new strategy the U.S. military has pursued this year.
The request is being prepared now in the belief that Congress will be unlikely to balk so soon after hearing the two officials argue that there are promising developments in Iraq but that they need more time to solidify the progress they have made, a congressional aide said. In other words, Bush assumes that, like always, the Democrats will be pussies and give him everything he wants with no strings attached, no qualifications, and no direction. Here you go Mr. President. Here's your money. Do whatever you want with it, but please don't say any more mean things about us or give us angry looks." Even more pathetic, he's right. They will first talk tough and puff up their chests and say how they're going to demand this and insist on that, and then they'll give him whatever he asks for, and maybe a little more, just for good measure.
After all, they wouldn't want to balk after hearing about the "promising developments in Iraq". Oh yeah, those "promising developments" that they're going to hear about? The report that is being prepared by General Patreaus? It's actually being written by the White House.Supporters of the war in Iraq ask that Congress and the public wait until next month before judging whether the surge in U.S. troops is raising the level of security. By Sept. 15, Gen. David Petraeus, the U.S. commander on the ground, and U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker are to report on military and political progress in Iraq.
The problem with that request, as White House spokesmen repeatedly explained to the press last week, is that there isn't going to be a report by Petraeus and Crocker to Congress and the U.S. public. The Sept. 15 report will be written by the White House staff and sent to Congress above President Bush's signature. The president's report ostensibly will take into account suggestions made by Petraeus and Crocker, but the public will not know how closely the military assessment from the war zone tracks the political imperatives of the White House. They'll write whatever glowing, sun-shining-out-of-King-George's-asshole bullshit they can imagine, and then put Patreaus's initials on it to make it look official, and the Dems will buy it. For the full asking price of $50 Billion.
But hey, at least we're saving that $22 billion.
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