Uncompassionate conservatism

[Black Dog]

Bush sharpens axe.

The Bush administration is preparing a budget request that would freeze most spending on agriculture, veterans and science, slash or eliminate dozens of federal programs, and force more costs, from Medicaid to housing, onto state and local governments, according to congressional aides and lawmakers.

The cuts will come on top of a tough fiscal 2005 budget that held government programs outside of homeland security and defense to an average 1 percent increase. Congress froze funding for grants to college students and reduced outlays for programs that help localities hire police officers and maintain sewer systems. The National Science Foundation incurred the largest budget cut in its history - $105 million below the fiscal 2004 level. Research grants and science education funding were slashed by $30 million. The Housing and Urban Development Department saw cuts in programs for maintaining public housing and providing down-payment assistance to low-income workers and aid to the homeless and people with AIDS.

While the budget proposes significant cuts in domestic non-entitlement programs, the resulting savings would be small as a share of the budget because these programs make up only one-sixth of the overall federal budget.

[August1991]

IOW: Washington Post says Bush wants to cut spending for domestic programs to pay for Iraq war

Opening salvo.

Have the Dems taken this defeat worse than the Republicans took Dole's defeat? (The Republicans got Starr and then impeached Clinton.)

Will Bush Jnr be impeached? Let's wait and see.

*Sigh* I wish all people around the world could live in countries with US-style politics. (The Duma impeached Yeltsin. Chirac is above the law. We create boring commissions of enquiry.)