Much of the increase stems from the fight against terrorism and wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Also expanding relentlessly have been huge programs such as Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, which grow automatically with inflation, higher medical costs and more beneficiaries.
What has vexed conservatives most is the 31.5 percent growth since Bush took office in discretionary spending. That is the one-third of the budget lawmakers approve annually for defense, domestic security, school aid and everything else except Social Security and other benefits.
Such spending grew by an annual average of 3.4 percent during Clinton's eight years.
Further infuriating conservatives, Bush and the Republican-run Congress have enacted a $400 billion, 10-year enlargement of Medicare; $87 billion in expanded benefits for farmers; and $40 billion for increased veterans' payments and the Air Force's leasing and buying of refueling tankers."
Full article: Conservatives simmer as spending mushrooms under Bush
Note: Conservatives simmer as...
Stumble It!
How can you have it both ways ?? Only Bush knows for sure. Restraint ? He doesn\'t know the meaning of the word !
Balanced budget ? Not in my lifetime !!
I still like Dennis Kucinich\'s idea: Get out of Iraq, cancel All contracts given to the big U.S. corporations like Halliburton, give the options to the rest of the world, bring in UN troops and rotate the US troops home.
He says that could be done in just a few months.
Nice dream, won\'t happen, he won\'t get elected. He wants to cut the Pentagon budget by 15%, and that\'s enough to put him in someone\'s gunsights. That\'s $60 billion. A lot could be done with that.
Anybody but Bush next time, they can\'t possibly do any worse.
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"Arrogance in Politics is unacceptable"
Jim Callaghan
Minden, Ontario
705-286-1860
www.misterc.ca
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JvH