Finally the first rumblings of criticism from the Republican party in regards to the Bush administrations fiscal suicide. Maybe this could be a sign that the Republican Party has been slapped in the face by a storm that uncovered the one of the biggest expansions of government and government spending in our nation’s history. Maybe there is some life after all in those who see the importance of a conservative fiscal policy.
When we exclude even military spending and that which is being set aside for the rebuilding in the wake of hurricane Katrina, government yearly spending has increased 300 billion dollars in the past four years making the national debt grow by more than two trillion dollars. The recent release of the transportation bill that is loaded with over 6,200 pork-barrel projects and it seems like our government is spending as though it were waiting to cash its winning lotto ticket.
Bush has recently asked Americans to drive only when needed and to conserve our nation’s fuel supplies, which reminded me of when former President Jimmy Carter asked Americans to put on a sweater to save energy. Someone suggested that the Bush administration seek to suspend the government’s tax on fuel for a few weeks, since it sees tax cuts as the holy grail of economic stimulus, a notion that was of course deemed “ludicrous”. So instead we will curtail the education of America’s children which is already ranked only 9th worldwide in order to keep the pistons of economy pumping.
In case you were watching the news about hurricane Rita’s addition to the national deficit you may have missed Greenspan’s recent warnings about the spiraling deficits and how they will affect the long term. Now when Greenspan raises and eyebrow this is near the equivalent of somebody else jumping up and down, and Greenspan all but slammed his fist on the desk. What was most startling about his most recent comments was his attack upon fiscal discipline that has since been in decline after the budget surpluses of the latter 1990’s. National debt in addition to the falling dollar left Greenspan to finally trumpet what only two years ago he barely ever mentioned.
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Article comments
1 - Nancy
For starters, Jr. could curtail his 2ce-weekly visits to the hurricane-damaged areas. That would save a whopping amount of jet fuel right there, since when he goes, he not only has AF-1, but about half a dozen fighters (to keep Cindy Sheehan away?) at approx. 8 lbs of jet fuel a second as well. He's made his point: this time he wasn't on vacation or fundraising, altho how he thinks that will change the past & his non-reaction to the first hurricane beats me. Whatever. I suspect even if the entire publican side rises up in congress, Smirk still won't curb his wild spending of Other People's Money, because he can't: he must, to repay all the election promises he made to those who bought - and re-bought - the 2000 & 2004 elections for him. Besides, why should he care? He's not running again. And he's ultra rich, as are all his friends, so he has NO interest in restraining himself fiscally, since recessions, depressions, shortages, job outsourcing, etc. don't touch any of them.
2 - Warren
"For starters, Jr. could curtail his 2ce-weekly visits to the hurricane-damaged areas."
LOL. ANd then the headlines would read "Bush Doesn't Care" or something like that, and everyone at BC would be griping about Bush not even bothering to travel to the disaster areas. The man can't win, no matter what he does!!
FWIW, I agree with you on this, but it would never work politically.