posted on February 7, 2006 04:32:25 AM new
IF WE LET THEM THIS CONSERVATIVE FORM OF GOVERNMENT WILL FINISH OFF THE MIDDLE CLASS. BUSH AND HIS CONSERVATIVE LAWMAKERS TAKE,TAKE AND TAKE FROM THE MIDDLE CLASS,OLD AND POOR TO MAKE THE RICH RICHER.
Copies of President Bush's proposed FY2007 budget arrive on Capitol Hill Monday, Feb. 6, 2006
Bush Spending Plan Sparks Protest
Tuesday, February 7, 2006 4:15 AM EST
The Associated Press
By MARTIN CRUTSINGER
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Bush, constrained by wars, hurricanes and exploding budget deficits, has sent Congress a 2007 spending plan that is garnering howls of pain from farmers, teachers, doctors and a wide array of other groups with special interests.
Democrats, as expected, pronounced the Republican president's budget plan dead on arrival. But many Republicans were equally sharp in their reservations about the $2.77 trillion spending blueprint the administration unveiled on Monday.
Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., called Bush's proposed cuts in education and health "scandalous" while Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, said she was "disappointed and even surprised" at the extent of the administration's proposed cuts in Medicaid and Medicare.
Given the level of congressional frustration, administration witnesses, led by Treasury Secretary John Snow, were expected to face a tough sales job before various congressional committees on Tuesday.
Bush's spending blueprint for the 2007 budget year that begins Oct. 1 would provide large increases for the military and homeland security but would trim spending in the one-sixth of the budget that covers the rest of discretionary spending. Nine Cabinet agencies would see outright reductions with the biggest percentage cuts occurring in the departments of Transportation, Justice and Agriculture.
And in mandatory programs — so-called because the government must provide benefits to all who qualify — the president is seeking over the next five years savings of $36 billion in Medicare, $5 billion in farm subsidy programs, $4.9 billion in Medicaid support for poor children's health care and $16.7 billion in additional payments from companies to shore up the government's besieged pension benefit agency.
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Charles Grassley noted that Congress has just completed a yearlong battle to achieve far smaller five-year savings in Medicaid, the joint federal-state health program for the poor, and Medicare as part of a $39 billion five-year trim in benefit programs.
"It wasn't an easy legislative accomplishment," said Grassley, R-Iowa. "Any more reductions of a significant scope could be difficult this year."
Bush's budget would meet his twin goals of making permanent his first-term tax cuts, which are set to expire by 2010, and cutting the deficit in half by 2009, the year he leaves office.
The administration's new budget projects that this year's deficit will soar to an all-time high of $423 billion, surpassing the old mark in dollar terms of $412 billion set in 2004, as the costs of rebuilding from last year's devastating hurricanes and the continuing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan push spending higher.
Democrats, hoping to wrest control of Congress from the Republicans in this year's election, charged that Bush was forced into an austere spending plan because of the estimated $1.4 trillion over the next decade that it will cost to extend his first-term tax cuts, which Democrats claim primarily benefit the very wealthy.
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., said Bush's budget was sending a clear message "that the most important thing to this administration are tax cuts being made permanent for the wealthiest of Americans."
In addition to strict limits on most discretionary, non-security spending in the budget, Bush sought drastic cuts or total elimination on 141 programs that would produce savings of nearly $15 billion in 2007.
The targeted programs included 42 in the area of education ranging from drug-free schools to federal support for the arts, technology and parent-resource centers.
Those proposed cuts were coming at a time when the administration is seeking more spending to train 70,000 high school math and science teachers as part of Bush's new American Competitiveness Initiative designed to relieve anxiety about the country's ability to compete with emerging economic powers such as China and India.
Even previously favored agencies such as the National Institutes of Health were not immune from the budget knife with overall funding essentially frozen and many individual programs seeing budget cuts. That brought objections from groups ranging from the American Heart Association to the American Diabetes Association.
Robert A. Rizza, president for medicine and science of the American Diabetes Association, said Bush's proposed cuts in diabetes research and prevention "would weaken the federal resources needed to fight this national epidemic."
Bush's budget submission is just the opening round in what opponents are promising will be a spirited fight in Congress over spending priorities.
"The president's budget slashes resources for exactly the priorities we should be supporting — groundbreaking medical research, health care for our seniors, and education for our kids," said Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa.
THE MORE THESE BASTARDS TAKE TO FEED THE RICH THE MORE THESE BASTARDS WANT!!!!!
posted on February 7, 2006 11:03:42 AM new
The Government seems to be doing an excellent job feeding the poor in this state. I waited in
a long line at the grocery store to pay for a few items yesterday,and I guess I was the only one in the store with money. All I saw in all three lines was people paying with a food stamp cards. I have never seen so many people on Welfare in my life. I stood there thinking if they ever do away with welfare I guess every grocery store would go under. The only time the stores put out much meat is on food stamp days.Then they stock it to the ceiling. Go any other time and you do well to buy a chicken leg.
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Two men sit behind bars,one sees mud the other sees stars.
posted on February 7, 2006 02:19:34 PM new
MAH645,
First this conservative form of government outsourced middle class jobs by the millions. Then this conservative government went to work to cut middle and working class pay and benefits.
Under this conservative form of government millions more Americans are now in poverty. Now this government wants to starve the poor and their children its helped to create.
Like me it seems to bother you seeing people who are forced to use food stamps in order to feed their families. I invite you to join me in the fight for equal Justice and Equality in America.
posted on February 7, 2006 08:01:37 PM new
Maybe I should explain my anger towards welfare. When I had a car accident and was not able to hold down a job for many years, I was forced to support four children while Mommy and Daddy layed up on Welfare. They had no problem getting it and still don't today. I thank God that I can work today and I have no kids to support. They never contact me today because I won't give them money. The times I tryed to get help in the past I was turned down. I will never figure out how all these young people with kids are getting help. The system is screwed up and has been for years. They are all collecting child support and living like Kings. We are paying child support on 35 year old kids that they decided we owned when my husband retired. Never ask for it before then. I say Welfare needs to go! When the government goes broke we really don't have anything to lose. I look forward to it as things have to get better.
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Two men sit behind bars,one sees mud the other sees stars.
posted on February 7, 2006 08:44:39 PM new
We are talking about my husbands children and the kids I supported were grandkids of one of his daughters. We never had kids of our own. It seems the problem came up when their Grandmother claimed one of the kids was living with her,and she was collecting welfare on him and even when I explained to the State he was a grown man collecting a Disability check it did no good. They still want child support. All 5 five kids are married with a family of their own.
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Two men sit behind bars,one sees mud the other sees stars.
posted on February 8, 2006 09:38:07 AM new
Things are great these days,none of his kids or grand kids have anything to do with us. Makes life a whole lot easier.
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Two men sit behind bars,one sees mud the other sees stars.
posted on February 8, 2006 06:51:43 PM new
MAH645,
I never said I think young healthy people should get free handouts and not work.
I do believe anyone working full time at a low paying job should be able to have a roof over their heads,food on the table and health care when sick.
My main focus on welfare comes from working with and being around older people. People that have worked all their lives paid their own way and taxes. These are the people that I often see being told sorry their is nothing in the way of help for you.
Welfare is a big talking point for conservatives and nothing more. Unless you have young kids and no way to feed them or you are disabled there is not much welfare left in the U.S.
Your story sounds like you had a very bad time with government agencies. You dealt with people that wouldn't listen to you and didn't care if you were telling the truth. The easiest way for these people to get rid of your case was to make you pay. For them its one in and one out. How people like that live with themselfs I have no idea.
I believe people from the middle and working class are getting screwed by this government. Me and millions more just like me are doing our best to stop this government from putting people like you through what you went through.
Try not to be bitter because if you are and become withdrawn they have beaten you and won. Join the people that want to tell their officals.
HEY MAN OR WOMAN YOU WORK FOR ME REMEMBER!!!
You and I and millions like us need to get together and tell our government,
HEY YOU GOVERNMENT OFFICAL. YOU WORK FOR US AND IF YOU DON'T WORK FOR US YOU ARE OUT OF HERE.
I AM HOPING YOU WANT A BETTER AMERICA FOR THE MAJORITY OF AMERICANS. I AM GUESSING YOU DO SO HELP TAKE AMERICA BACK.
posted on February 8, 2006 09:01:45 PM new
The biggest joke I see is the Medicare changes this year. Thats why some many people over 65 are going back to work, Hell they take half of their SS check for Medicare and then they pay more than anyone else when they go to the Doctor.
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Two men sit behind bars,one sees mud the other sees stars.
posted on February 9, 2006 05:06:06 AM new
I talked to a couple in there 80s yesterday. They are paying $335.00 for health coverage and still have a co-pay for Doctors and drugs.
What is going to happen when the Baby Boomer's RETIRE and start having problems with health plus start feeling the pinch from all the cut backs.
They will DEMAND the government uses their tax money for something other than tax breaks for the rich,welfare for industry along with bad wars.
I believe 98% of the trouble around the World is the poor saying they will no longer be misused by the rich and their governments that cater to the rich.
