Jugular Cuts

According to David Corn at The Nation:

Senator Jim Jeffords, the Republican-turned-independent from Vermont, put out a short list of the worst of Bush's proposed cuts. Here it is:

* Environment. Cuts the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) budget by 5.6 percent from $8.02 billion to $7.57 billion, culminating in an almost 10 percent cut over two years. Most cuts come in efforts to maintain and improve the nation's clean water infrastructure.

* Veterans. More than doubles the co-payment charged to many veterans for prescription drugs and would require some to pay a new fee of $250 a year for the privilege of using the Veterans health care system.

* Health Care. Cuts Medicaid funding by $45 billion over 10 years and eliminates 28 health programs, totaling $1.36 billion. These programs range from rural hospital grants (cuts $39.5 million) to emergency medical services for children (cuts $20 million).

* Job Training. Cuts federal spending on job training by a half-billion dollars. Federal job training programs, including dislocated-worker training, will be cut by $200 million. Federal aid to states for job training, including funding to train veterans, will be cut by $300 million.

* Amtrak. Eliminates all funding for Amtrak, calling bankruptcy proceedings as the solution for our nation's rail system.

* Low Income Home Energy Assistance (LIHEAP). Cuts LIHEAP by over 8 percent, from $2.2 billion to $2 billion.

* Parks. Cuts the National Park Service by 3 percent from $2.31 billion to $2.24 billion.

Nothing like cuts or cancellations of almost every single domestic line item so the funds can be transferred to our wealthiest citizens. I can see why Bush is portrayed in the corporate media as a man of the people. They just don't say which people.

Of course, according the the New York Times, The Pentagon's budget of $419.3 billion for the 2006 fiscal year increases spending by $19.2 billion, or 4.8 percent, over current levels, but Bush's budget doesn't include funds beyond this year for Iraq or Afghanistan. Or for his Medicare prescription drug transfer of big bucks to pharmaceutical companies. Of for his plans to privatize Social Security. Or for the lost funds from making his tax cuts permanent and adding new ones.

I wonder what the Pentagon needs 19.2 BILLION more dollars for, not counting our current wars. Must be some expensive wrenches and toilet seats out there in defenseland, eh? Meanwhile most domestic programs, including education, Medicaid, and the COPS program, would have their budgets slashed or frozen.  Priorities. Priorities.