Saturday, February 17, 2007

When They've Got You Over a Barrel

Bush signs $464 billion spending bill


President Bush on Thursday signed a $464 billion spending bill that closes out last year's unfinished budget business but made clear he wasn't entirely happy about it.

Bush said in a statement that he was pleased the bill sticks to his overall budget caps. But he said the Democratic-led Congress did so by shifting "funding needed for our armed forces to unrequested domestic programs."

"The Congress should work to address these priorities without adding to the deficit," he said.



Unrequested domestic programs?? I have called this man clueless, but this statement takes that to a whole new level. Unrequested. He really does think that all the Americans want and need is his little losing wars of aggression, doesn't he? And to what point and purpose?
He's concerned that congress will "add to the deficit"? What? Is he and his war-mongering, war-profiting pirates the only ones allowed to spend our hard earned tax dollars?

The mammoth bill pulls together nine unfinished spending bills funding foreign aid and every domestic agency budget except the Homeland Security Department. This budget work should have been completed months ago but was delayed because of election-year pressures.

It freezes most accounts at 2006 levels while awarding exceptions for other programs favored by Democrats and many Republicans -- paid for primarily by putting off the cost of implementing a 2005 round of military base closings.

Among the beneficiaries is the National Institutes of Health, the FBI, and an increase in the maximum Pell Grant for lower-income college students. The rapidly growing veterans health care budget got a 13 percent boost. U.S. contributions to fight AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis overseas would rise 40 percent.

The bill provides increases for underperforming schools and community health centers, and grants to state and local law enforcement agencies. Amtrak's budget would be frozen at $1.3 billion instead of absorbing a $400 million cut proposed by Bush.


Despite the shrubs stamping and childlike tantrums, this congress flipped him off and put, for the first time in six freaking years, the American people first. Let us all hope that this will be the first of many kicks the decider receives.

2 comments:

fallenmonk said...

I can imagine he was not happy about losing all that money to domestic programs that don't kill anyone. You can kill some serious brown people with that kind of money.

Anonymous said...

It really looks to outside, that your president and most of the elected officials are not doing the leading. Everybody seem to sit on their hands and will only slowly lift one of the "cheeks" up if the people, with no uncertain terms, demand action and do it loud and clear.

If one takes time and checks out the various U.N. human developement statistics, the unescapeable conclusion is that the socio-economic problems have increased substantially the past decade in the U.S.. To spend more in the military will hardly correct the problems.