Budget Woes

Bloomberg cites the Bush Budget which wants a increase of 4.2% for the next fiscal Year; well, actually only for the Defense Dept. and Homeland Security, every other Agency to get only a 1% increase in Spending–Pentagon and Homeland absorbing their further share. The total Budget is supposed to total some $2.9 trillion. It has the gall to suggest a Budget surplus in 2012 of $61 billion if it is adopted. This is an outright Lie, as it also sponsors renewal of the Bush Tax Cuts. The Estimate for the Budget surplus could only have reached $61 bn if the Bush Tax Cuts were not renewed. Indeed, the proposed Budget advocates $237.3 bn in further Tax Cuts, and stands rigid on leaving the Cost of the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars Off-Budget.

Here is the real rub–can you hear the gear burn? The 12% Defense Budget increase in not for Equipment to fight the Wars we are presently engaged in, or in finding sufficient Manpower to fight the Wars; it is solely for the development of Super Weapons of value only to the Mega-Corporations of the military/industrial complex We cannot put War On-Budget, as such drastic measures would endanger the Profit Margins of the greatest Bush corporate allies. The only good thing about the Bush Budget is that no Democrat or Republican will touch it with a Presidential Election looming; the Bad news states that Congress will only make the Budget worse for American Taxpayers to garner Votes.

The realistic thing is for Congress to pass a law stating that Federal Expenditures cannot exceed the Federal Expenditures of the current Year, and that the President is tasked with proposing what Agencies, Departments, and Budgets are to be shut down, and in what order, to meet that legal necessity. Congress then will be tasked with coming up with their own Shutdown Schedule. Does this sound unbelievable? Regrettably it does–more the Pity! lgl