Bending the Third Rail
Because We Should, We Can, We Do
Monday, April 03, 2006
Tight Fisted GOP
No longer.

USA does a piece today that highlights the upcoming budget:
USA Today leads with word that, as it relates to economic growth, federal spending is increasing more quickly than it has in the last 50 years.
In another piece, they discuss the top reasons for the huge growth in government spending. Unfortunately, and as usual, they do nothing to compare/contrast or contextualize these areas of growth. The areas identified are:
Pumping up the Pentagon = 8% growth

Education = 7% growth

Homeland Security = From $20 Billion to $50 Billion.

"Helping the Recessions Victims = no numbers given.

Fighting Two Wars = $400 Billion+

Medicare Drug Benefit = $80 Billion per year.

Katrina = $100 Billion
I find it interesting that the numbers are usually broken out this way. Defense spending, the wars and homeland security are all separated. The budgetary increases in these areas alone overwhelms the increases in the other areas. Yet, much of the GOP spin is focused on increases in "discretionary spending", spending on "entitlement programs" and further tax cuts.

I know this is old news. But truly the government is being bankrupt through tax give-aways to the rich while spending obscene amounts of money on "defense". And you and I both know that whenever you throw that much money, that quickly, at a perceived problem (fear based defense) there is corruption and mismanagement.

It's the old "guns and butter" tactics used by Lyndon Johnson that led to severe economic times in the 1970's. I fear we're in for a rerun of the 70's. Best to get rid of credit card debt and have cash on hand.
Written at 9:21 AM by Greyhair.
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