Tax, Tax, Spend, Spend, Elect, Elect

FDR aide Harry Hopkins' mantra was Tax, Tax, Spend, Spend, Elect, Elect. 21st century Republicans have modified that to just Spend, Spend, Spend, Spend, Elect, Elect.

Bush's rampant spending continues unabatted. The proposed budget calls for an increase of 6.7% over last years bloated spending levels. Clinton's last year in office had a 1.87 trillion budget, which means it has since increased 44%. While Bush touts his 14.5 billion in program reductions, 6.7% increase is still too much consider the overall raises. Bush's $423 billion (15.6%) deficit is unacceptable. Blame cannot be laid upon the Iraq War. Alexis de Tocqueville once said in the mid-19th century "The American Republic will endure, until politicians realize they can bribe the people with their own money." The Democrats first mastered that. Now the Republicans offer little alternative.
I also love Republican Senators who like to tell us how fiscially tight the budget. Delay did that a few weeks ago. Tell a lie often enough and people will believe you? Admittedly, I had visions of grandeur that when a Republican President and Republican Congress was elected, the promised reforms laid out in the "Contract_With_America" would be fufilled. Instead Republicans resemble the Democrats of the 50s. Unfortunately, the country's other party, the National Socialist Democrat Abortion Party, has fallen so far left that they are useless. The Republican party always thinks that electoral victory lies in the center. However, those moves lose them elections and they never ever learn.

WASHINGTON — President Bush today will propose a 2007 federal budget of more
than $2.7 trillion, even while calling for savings in Medicare and other domestic programs, according to congressional and administration officials with knowledge of the spending plan.
The budget is an increase over the $2.57 trillion spending plan Bush proposed last year. Much of the increase will go to defense, homeland security and benefit programs that grow faster than the economy. The officials who gave details of the budget asked not to be named because the plan wasn't scheduled to be released until today.
Bush's plan assumes a budget deficit of about $423 billion this year. Much of that is
because of the costs of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and hurricane recovery efforts on the Gulf Coast. The proposed budget calls for:
•Saving $65 billion in government benefit programs over five years, including $36 billion from Medicare. Much of the Medicare savings would come from cutting
reimbursement rates to hospitals, nursing homes and home health
agencies.
•Reducing the amount of money spent on domestic programs subject to annual congressional review, not including defense and homeland security. The defense budget would grow by nearly 5%.

•Eliminating or making major cuts in 141 small programs, for $14.5 billion in savings.
“This is a very tight budget,” said Sen. Judd Gregg, R-N.H. “It emphasizes fiscal discipline.”
Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.D., disagreed. “Republicans have adopted a position under this president that deficits don't matter,” he said.