posted on February 26, 2003 02:20:06 PM new
In two years, President Bush and Congress have managed to take the federal budget from a $200+ billion surplus to a $304 billion deficit. Soon, Congress will be asked to once again raise the "ceiling" on the national debt above the current $6.2 trillion limit.
In fiscal year 2004, interest on the national debt will eat $176 billion out of the federal budget.
Do you know what that money could buy?
*$44 billion would buy a comprehensive prescription-drug benefit for Medicare.
*$20 billion would restore cuts in federal anti-poverty programs including child care, training assistance for people coming out of welfare and Head Start.
*$20 billion more could reduce the state match to a level where all states could afford to draw down their share of federal dollars in this program.
*$3 billion would be enough to double the budgets of each of the most important consumer-protection agencies - the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the Food and Drug Administration, the Food Safety and Inspection Service and the Consumer Product Safety Commission - allowing for more inspections and quicker notifications of consumer hazards....
...and the list goes on and on.
Obviously, a balanced (or surplus) budget wouldn't eliminate the debt in one year. But when the Bush administration took office, this country was on track to wipe out the deficit by 2013. What happened ...and why isn't anyone upset about this?
[ edited by msincognito on Feb 26, 2003 02:20 PM ]
posted on February 26, 2003 04:04:58 PM new
msincognito,The masses dont understand our Country is bankrupt,The funny money is cranked out, without anything to back it.Some still believe Fort Knox is full of gold.
The greed of our powers to be, will be our un-doing.
Nothing is, or has been done to help the American people,we are basically alone and on our own.
The war and all the spoils are for the people in power.They have their bunkers,and we have duct tape and plastic.
posted on February 26, 2003 04:10:27 PM new
>The war and all the spoils are for the people in power.They have their bunkers,and we have duct tape and plastic.
This, then, is the inevitable fate of Humankind - that we should all end up our days with duct tape and plastic sheets while Bush is set for life.
posted on February 26, 2003 04:19:14 PM new
The ironic thing is that I was opposed to balanced-budget legislation four years ago. Man, do I feel like a sucker.
