Budgets Washington Style

Well, here is where we are in Washington. Congress is trying to pass a budget and if you read the papers you would think there is this giant clash between Republicans and Democrats over some heartless cuts the Republicans are trying to impose on the poorest and most helpless of our citizens--those whose very lives are threatened by cuts in entitlements. These are Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, student loans, food stamps, farm subsidies and other things which go up every year unless slowed legislatively. There are two important aspects to this. First, the Democrats want nothing to do with changes in the growth of such programs. Next the nasty Republicans are proposing nothing meaningful. Over the next 5 years the total Federal budget is expected to $13.855 trillion. The Republican plan would hack it all the way down to $13.800 trillion or 0.25% in 5 years. The new prescription drug plan adds some $300 billion to the budget over this time period. This is 6-times what this so-called deficit reduction plan would save. It is tryly laughable for the Republicans crow about their fiscal efforts and even more laughable for the Democrats to protest so loudly.