Progressives Can Do Better: An Alternative to “Operation Offset”
Progressives Can Do Better: An Alternative to “Operation Offset”
With great fanfare, and recalling the “Gingrich Revolution” of the 1990s, House conservatives yesterday proposed a broad set of spending cuts they said would help offset the costs of the Katrina reconstruction effort. Their plan, “Operation Offset,” reduces the budget by $500 billion over 10 years, and does so in large part by dismantling programs that invest in middle- and working-class Americans.
Progressives can do better. As we show below, it’s possible to cut far more unnecessary federal spending ($688 billion), accomplish it in half the time (just five years), and do it while upholding the principles of fiscal responsibility and concern for the common good.
Taxes
$327 billion: Roll back the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts for the wealthiest 1 percent of Americans [without sunsets, 2005-09; CBPP]
$65 billion: Clarify the definition of offshore tax shelters [Joint Committee on Taxation]
Transportation
$12 billion: Eliminate roughly half of the 6,371 special earmarked projects of the 2005 transportation bill [MSNBC]
Medicare
$43 billion: Permit mail order prescription drug purchases, which offer lower overheard costs, bulk purchasing and fewer dispensing errors [Lewin Group]
Energy
$8.5 billion: Roll back the tax breaks, loan guarantees, and other subsidies for the electricity, coal, nuclear, natural gas and oil industries in the 2005 energy bill [San Francisco Chronicle]
Defense
$200 billion: Eliminate several Defense Department weapons programs that are either unnecessary (such as the F/A 22 Raptor and the DD(X)) or counter to our national security interests (like space weapons and “bunker buster” nuclear bombs) [L. Korb, “A Realistic Defense for America”]
Agricultural Subsidies
$30 billion: Eliminate export subsidies [Oxfam]
$2.5 billion: Reduce cotton subsidies [Environmental Working Group]
$845 million: Reduce maximum payment limits on what producers can receive from $360,000 to $250,000, and related subsidy reductions [CRS, “Agriculture: Prospective Issues for Congress”]
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The whole point of the GOP plan as to use this
September 22nd, 2005 at 11:33 amas an excuse to gut programs to help middle-class
and working-class, i.e., class warfare.
That’s the point of all GOP plans.
How else do you expect them to return to the
robber-baron era that was so great for the
wealthy?
Thanks for this. It’s good to know we have people on our side thinking abotu thsi stuff and working hard.
September 22nd, 2005 at 11:58 amO/T:
Russ Feingold (D-WI) is voting “YES” on Roberts.
Asswipe.
Send him some love:
http://feingold.senate.gov/contact.html
September 22nd, 2005 at 12:04 pmSenator Russ Feingold is my Senator. I am disapoint he is voting for Roberts. I did let Senator Feingold know how I felt about Roberts. Roberts would of passed anyway.
The next one we should be concern. I am concern about Woman’s right and rights to privacy. The government and the religious nuts should keep their noise out of peoples business.
September 22nd, 2005 at 12:20 pmFor one clear choice to made on funding the Katrina recovery, see:
“The Choice: Estate Tax or Dynasty Dividend?”
September 22nd, 2005 at 12:23 pmI too am glad you posted this. Kevin Drum had something similar up yesterday, but this is far more detailed. Good work — ideas and attitude.
September 22nd, 2005 at 12:25 pmIn this battle for funding the costs of Katrina, you know who will win, and you know who will lose.
The high costs of recovery will be paid for by the poor and the middle class taxpayers for years to come while the ignorant pukes still think that the way to hold on to their seat in the congress or senate is to play to their base.
They had better wake up before 2006 because their base is at only 40% in the polls.
Now we have a killer hurricane headed for Texas. Who among you doubts that money will be poured into Texas so fast your head will swim. Repuke state dont you see, and that the poor and middle classes will be paying for this for years while the shrub enjoys his huge tax cut that he made sure he got passed for his families benefit.
September 22nd, 2005 at 12:40 pmI fully support Feingold’s position on Roberts. What have we learned from the hearings to disqualify him? He could be the next David Souter for all we know. If anything, we should be angry at the Judiciary Committee for having done a lousy job prying answers out of him.
September 22nd, 2005 at 12:49 pmYou’d save even more money if you ended the occupation of Iraq.
September 22nd, 2005 at 1:06 pmI fully support Feingold’s position on Roberts. What have we learned from the hearings to disqualify him?
That he’s a dishonest prick who thinks nothing about lying about his connection with the Federalist Society? That he thinks the law gives Bush carte blanche to abduct anyone who he claims is a “terrist”? That he thinks equal pay for women is a Marxist concept (and doesn’t mean this as a compliment)?
He could be the next David Souter for all we know.
Maybe, but I wouldn’t want to bet my civil liberties and the future of the country on it.
September 22nd, 2005 at 1:16 pmThank You Gary for your post. Glad to see others think the way I do. It is plane to me Roberts is nothing more than a better educated Bush, with all the wrong ideals for our country…Blessings.
September 22nd, 2005 at 1:21 pmgop may suck - but they suck in unision.
September 22nd, 2005 at 2:17 pmwhen will the democrats in the house and senate learn
that they will win only when they are unified?
Unify behind election reform, and definately unify when
picking scotus. Ried and Polosi need to get this
message NOW.
They goosestep like any fascist group.
September 22nd, 2005 at 2:24 pmGreat job , Think Progress. Of course that plan will never been implemented, it makes sense and it is fair. The GOP believes in neither.
As for Feingold: He is not the real thing! He never has been. Now maybe the Kos Kids will stop hyping him up. Hillary is the real thing. Except that she can’t act like the real thing until she is elected. Similar to G-Dub, Hillary is a true partisan that will be great for all things progressive. How good will we feel when she slams the GOP on a nightly basis? She just has to play the game to get elected. How about letting her do that, she will come back around come 2009.
September 22nd, 2005 at 2:29 pmpoint taken dartanyon. problem is we need to get the majority first. when you are the minority it is to easy for the fascist to take advantage of us not being in lock step even with ourselves- especially on the issues that matter.
September 22nd, 2005 at 2:38 pmThe problem is we ARE the majority, but Diebold and republican election officials rig every election they can to prevent the will of the people from ruling the land… It’s no accident that 60 percent of american feels bush is mishandling the presidency on virtually every aspect.
September 22nd, 2005 at 2:56 pmWow I had to break out the calculator for that one. 1.588 Trillion dollars. Nice, except as everyone knows and afterthought mentioned, the purpose of running massive debts is to put inflationary pressure on congress to cut social programs. No one in who wants to keep their job would whisper the cuts that you have mentioned.
September 22nd, 2005 at 2:59 pmHey Ryan,
The CEO of Diebold just resigned unexpectedly the other day. You don’t think it is starting to get a little warm over there at Diebold do you? They can’t sense and impending investigation do they? Well, they have finally been called out by the MSM. We can keep hoping, calling and e-mailing.
September 22nd, 2005 at 3:02 pmyes Ryan Neat - but not in the House and not in the Senate. And I agree with the stealin - that is why Dems must unite. Fix the elections make them fair, there are far more people that are not millionaires than there are millionaires especially selfish ones.
September 22nd, 2005 at 3:16 pmSometimes party discipline matters - if the Dems were united a gross injustice like the bankrupcy bill would have failed.
But until you root the DLC out of the democratic party, a significant portion of it will be republican lite and always undermine good government. The Biden and Lieberman contingency are such ‘free range capitalists’, that they’re happy to compromise american values, american economics and american democracy for their buddies on a fake pat on the head by their buddies on the right. They really sicken me - especially lieberman!
September 22nd, 2005 at 3:30 pmStilling whining about(not winning!!) elections, I see! Let me give you a few tips from the OOOLLD Democratic playbook:
September 22nd, 2005 at 3:36 pm1.) register dead people - looooottts of them!!!!
2.) register lots of illegal aliens - and be sure to scream loudly with the ACLU when identification is asked for!!
3.) offer to give homeless and poor folks free cigarettes and donuts - we don’t have enough coughing, size 3X’s participating.
4.) remind blacks and other minorities that they can’t get anywhere without Progressive pols.
I agree Ryan Neat, but I still argue we need to get the majority first. We stay split we may never regain power. I dislike Lieberman for probably the same reason(s) you do - I am no fan of Biden either - nor even Hillary. But I would take any of them before another evil idiot like Bush and the fascist he represents. Money is too entrenched, and most of our real base simply cannot match the billions poured in by corperations. There is so much I loathe about McCain - but election reform is SO important. Start with removing the “personhood” designation from corperations, and limit the contribitions to a politician from real people and set a reasonable dollar limit from each.
September 22nd, 2005 at 3:39 pmjust saying.
With idiots like “might aphrodite” backing the fascist we got our hands full. There are just enough of these morons to tip the scales. Hatefull spitefull heartless a-holes they are.
September 22nd, 2005 at 3:41 pmOperation ScrewOver(Offset) would be reducing Fed retiree benefits in order to pay for Bush’s tax cuts and invasion of Iraq. If our budget surplus had not been squandered by the policies of the GOP, we would be prepared to handle a crisis like Katrina.
September 22nd, 2005 at 3:44 pmAll Rita. All The Time.
Yes, there are blogs about Rita. But there’s much more to look at, too. Here’s this afternoon’s update.
September 22nd, 2005 at 3:45 pmSpeaking of borrowing from playbooks…
Is it just me, or has the GOP been borrowing from Osama’s playbook:
Use the religion to manipulate your powerbase.
September 22nd, 2005 at 3:54 pmWhy is the United States growing rice and sugar? The US is subsidising these growers just as the Soviet Union was subsidising Cuba for it’s sugar. The world price of these foodstuffs are very low. This is a poor use of money, people and land.
September 22nd, 2005 at 4:00 pmGreat job. Most impressive is that your math is actually correct. About 40% of their recorded savings are the result of a transcription error. See this post on Talking Points-
http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/ archives/ week_2005_09_18.php#006610
September 22nd, 2005 at 4:03 pm[…] Center for American Progress has a proposal that reduces $688 billion in federal spending in order to help Katrina (and now Rita) relief efforts while still preserving what it means to be America. It should be supported. […]
September 22nd, 2005 at 4:10 pmRyan: Not even that! The problem with we Libs is that half of us NEVER vote. It is easy to blame Diebold, given what was on Raw Story recently, but we need to look at ourselves as well. The Religoius Right turn out the same amount of voters in local School Board elections as they do in Presidential elections. That must stop!
Our base disappears in off year elections, why???? Dean is right. We need a 50 state strategy, we need think tanks, we need a vast Left-Wing-Conspiracy! We need UNPAID volunteers. We need “soldiers”, NOT HIRED-GUNS!
Last year the Dems turned out a lot of new voters. America Coming Together worked. Diebold worked better, but we can’t just end A.C.T and the like. We need those groups..and more!
WE ARE SMARTER THEN THE GOP, WE JUST NEED TO BE AS RUTHLESS! Look at the 20th century: Medicaid, Medicare, Social Security, Affirmitive Action, the Voters Right’s Act, Women’s Suffruge, the Peace Corops, etc.. We have the brains, we need to attitude!
I swear to God, if we screw up this time around, we need to find another game. The GOP has proven time and again, this year, that THEY CAN’T GOVERN! They are only a political campaign group. Nothing else! The Dems have DONE NOTHING and we are in a great position to take back the Congress.
How are we going to do that? Beats the hell out me. My “Leaders” haven’t told me how we will do that….And I pay VERY CLOSE ATTENTION. Is it going to be another wailing campaign that sees our “core message” change each week? Are we going to look in the paper for our message each day? Where is our Karl Rove? Where is our Lee Atwater? Why do I never see results for my money that I send to this people?
More Paul Hackett’s, Howard Dean’s, Bernie Sanders’ and fewer Joe Lieberman’s, Max Baucas’, and Ben Nelson’s.
If we lose, we lose on our terms, not some half-Republican platform BS!
September 22nd, 2005 at 4:35 pm“The problem with we Libs is that half of us NEVER vote.”
The exit polls showed that kerry won by MILLIONS of votes. If they rig the machines it won’t matter how many dems vote - that’s not really the problem…
September 22nd, 2005 at 4:43 pm#26 - “Speaking of borrowing from playbooks…
Is it just me, or has the GOP been borrowing from Osama’s playbook:
Use the religion to manipulate your powerbase.”
Comment by Rich —
September 22nd, 2005 at 4:51 pmNo, Rich, we borrowed that tactic from the Dems - remember that moral giant, the REV. Jesse Jackson.
Ryan: Call me a skeptic then! Kerry didn’t deserve to win, he showed me nothing. If somebody questions my service I say: “I served in combat, he didn’t. The Naval Records say I was a hero. If you are questioning the Naval Records, then I say you are a traitor.” What did Kerry say? SILENCE! It is more about heart, the GOP has it, we don’t!
If they are rigging elections, that is bad. How did we win in the 1990’s? Did we steal? No. Clear messages. I shouldn’t see a Dem on TV not talking about THREE CORE ISSUES: (1)CORRUPTION(CRONYISM, ABRAMOFF, DELAY), (2)ABUSE OF POWER(PLAME/ROVE, LYING ABOUT MEDICAID BILL, CAFTA VOTE BUYING) AND (3) THE DEFICIT. Every single night, no wandering off the farm, EVER! I don’t care how repitious it becomes, maybe a new voter is watching! Get their attention!
IT IS THAT SIMPLE, WE NEED THE PRE-ELECTION DAY “EXIT POLLS” TO SHOW THE DEMS UP BY 15%, SO THAT THE GOP DOESN’T DARE TRY THIS SUPPOSED DIEBOLD STUFF AGAIN!
You and I know that Kerry should have wiped the floor with Bush! Simply saying, “they stole it from us” is hallow and unprovable. If you can prove this really happened, why haven’t you? If you can’t, stop wasting your time rehashing it. We have an election coming up. I don’t even know what we will be for or against!
September 22nd, 2005 at 5:01 pm“Kerry didn’t deserve to win, he showed me nothing. ”
I agree - but he still did win, so the issue isn’t what you say it is.
“PRE-ELECTION DAY “EXIT POLLSâ€
There’s no such thing - Exit polls are election day polls and they correlate to those who actually voted. In the 40 states that have the new diebold and triad systems the election was clearly rigged. In the states with the older machines, the exit polls matched the finally tally exactly a they should have.
The election was stolen, and even if kerry had done what you hoped he would, they would have still stolen the election. You only live in the illusion of a democracy because of those blasted machines - if you don’t work to fix those first, nothing else will matter.
September 22nd, 2005 at 5:10 pmNowhere are their priorities and loyalties more clearly demonstrated than in the Republican’s proposed cuts. “Care about the poor” is utter bogwash.
September 22nd, 2005 at 5:22 pmRyan: Hence, the quotation marks. It should be obvious that I KNOW WHAT EXIT POLLS ARE. Funny thing is: We are on the same team, you seem to want to argue. I don’t. My point was that the election should not have been that close. If the LAST POLLS BEFORE THE ELECTION (PRE-ELECTION EXIT POLLS, if you will) had shown Kerry winning by the 10-15% he should have won by, the GOP could NEVER have “stolen” that election. It wouldn’t have passed the smell test, it would have been obvious that it was “stolen.”
Maybe I have stepped into your world and you don’t like it, fine, I understand, but you have to admit that perhaps our strategy didn’t work! Can you admit that or are you such a zealot that you believe our side has never made a mistake. You do know what the definition of insanity is, right?
September 22nd, 2005 at 5:36 pmDeegahl,
And I’m disagreeing with your conclusion because the evidence disproves it. In several states the spread was 10% or more - that level of democratic turnout would have been thwarted because they plan to win at any cost. They’ve made that clear…
It’s obvious it was stolen now - Kerry won by between 1.5 and 3 million votes! Yet where’s the outrage? Where’s the mainstream press? Where’s the belief even on the democratic side that the vote was rigged - despite the fact that the pentagon uses the SAME exit poll techniques to determine vote fraud. It did so in the Ukraine recently even, and there was less fraud there than here!
September 22nd, 2005 at 5:47 pmRyan: Indeed I have heard that of all the exit polls used in the ‘08 election only a few were wrong and one was the Kerry-Bush race. Historically, they are almost always accurate. I get you point, and it is true.
I believe you and I are arguing two different point here. You are stuck on voter fraud and I am stuck on our parties lack of (a) a spin and (b) a coherent message.
Frankly, you may be right about the Diebold scam. It would make sense when you look at how they refused to print a paper ballot. Or perhaps it was Ken Blackwell? That is my point: Who knows what happened? How can we prove it was stolen, short of a Diebold employee TESTIFYING to that. I can’t believe all that I read on blogs, sorry! We are a country of 296 million people, there is going to be fraud. Yes, even on our side!
We need to get our stuff together, there are more of us (workers, women, minorities, youngsters, etc) then there are of them. It starts with a message. I say our message should ALWAYS BE IN THE ATTACK MODE. WE have 60 years worth of records showing that we are the party of compassion and hope. However, we need to concentrate on raping the other side. The folks now think of POLITICS AS A SPORT, we have to win the “insult” game and the “common sense” game. If we spend our time talking about voter fraud (rightly so sometimes) it allows the other side to say, “Those crazy ole Dems. Always talking about conspracies.” They pigeon-hole us with that. WE CAN AGREE THAT WE JUST NEED TO WIN, HOWEVER WE DO THAT, JUST WIN!
Ryan, this would never happen between two Republicans. One of the two of them would have caved about 2 post ago. I like your style and am happy you are with me. Have a great night, sir.
September 22nd, 2005 at 6:13 pmAnd this is a great example to the reichwinger of exactly HOW free speech works. Note deegahl and I are both liberals, and yet we still think for ourselves and argue about politics publically. The republicans are like little stupid lemmings.
As much as it’s frustrating dealing with members of my party and how different we see many issues - I frankly wouldn’t have it any other way! It’s how I know we’re still growing as a party and as a people. When the dissent stops, is when chaos is truly at the doorstep!
September 22nd, 2005 at 6:15 pm“Historically, they are almost always accurate. ”
Actually they are ALWAYS accurate to within 3 percentage points (actually anything above 1% is considered a questionable result). It’s a statistical norm to the point of being a pentagon and UN Voting rights norm…
“Who knows what happened? How can we prove it was stolen, short of a Diebold employee TESTIFYING to that. I can’t believe all that I read on blogs, sorry! We are a country of 296 million people, there is going to be fraud. Yes, even on our side!”
Actually we know pretty much exactly what happened. The 130 conyers report outlined the specifics… Not to mention the diebold deep throat that came out this week and the 2 ohio election officials that have already been indicted for their involvement!
http://www.bradblog.com/
This wasn’t just ‘fraud’, it was a rigged election that was coordinated on a massive scale.
“If we spend our time talking about voter fraud (rightly so sometimes) it allows the other side to say, “Those crazy ole Dems.”
And if we don’t, then they keep rigging the system and make you look like a dope. This isn’t speculation - it’s fact! Vanity fair did a whole expose recently, and discussed how the press had intentionally shut down the news on the matter even though they new of the rigging!
September 22nd, 2005 at 6:20 pmWhy would Jimmy Carter have been involved with this recommendation sham with James Baker? I don’t get it! He’s smart enough to figure out that just MAYBE Mr. Baker might want to make it even easier for Republicans to stay in power. It’s like having terrorist-representing Chertoff running homeland security or Katherine Harris making electoral decisions in Florida. Anybody know what’s Carter’s deal?
September 22nd, 2005 at 7:19 pmI’m with you M - I don’t understand it either. Bradblog has a whole thing on it - and apparently some of the key liberals left the process in protest, and its release was a MISERABLE FAILURE that they had to end prematurely…
September 22nd, 2005 at 7:26 pm[…] Think Progress offers an alternate plan, which takes off $688 billion over 5 years, mainly by trimming tax cuts and defense. Good. It really isn’t difficult to find useless expeditures in the federal budget, although different people’s definitions of “useless” are not ever going to line up exactly. Pushing them through, of course, is not easy, because it is always going to rub someone the wrong way. So I don’t really think elected Democrats stand to gain anything by putting forth a plan of their own - which will be rejected out of hand by Republicans - and they have a great deal to lose. No, this obscene budget is 100% the fault of Republicans, and they should suffer 100% of the fallout. And whatever they’re for, you’re against. […]
September 22nd, 2005 at 7:42 pm[…] At this point, there’s been both broadly “conservative” and “progressive” plans put forward to deal with the budgetary effects of federal post-Katrina expenditures. […]
September 22nd, 2005 at 11:43 pmThe link for the House Republican plan does not work.
September 23rd, 2005 at 3:08 pm… Oh Kathy , didn’t you know ? Nothing ACTUALLY works in the Repubs neocon world - they INHERIT it all from Mummy & Daddy !!! … ;)
September 23rd, 2005 at 5:16 pmI cannot wait until the republicans are voted out in 2008.
September 26th, 2005 at 4:07 pmYou mention a plan to cut $638 Billion in unnessecary Federal spending, but the vast majority of your plan is to raise taxes, not cut spending. There is a difference between these two actions. Democrats get tagged with the handle “Tax and spend” for good reason, just as Bush Republicans should be tagged “Tax cut and spend”.
September 26th, 2005 at 4:35 pmHow about Salary and benefit cuts for all politians as their contribution to the current deficit and hurricane disastors…I;m not holding my breath!!!
September 26th, 2005 at 5:07 pmA lot of good points and a lot of crap.
The Dems lost the election, get over it.
Programs need to be cut, taxes need to be raised…it’s reality, it’s common sense and everyone will always be looking out for their special interests, which is why it is all so much crap.
It’s time that the entitlement attitude of many americans has to end. Help people help themselves don’t enable them.
And, what happened to the so-called openmindedness of Centrists and Liberals. They see no value in anything the Republicans do and the same for hardcore righties. No “progress” can be made if things are not recognized and people can say, “I was wrong about that, that looks like it will work”.
I am sick of partisan attitudes because they produce nothing, are hipocratical and are not going to accomplish anything.
Liberals, stop crying…Conservatives get off your asses
September 26th, 2005 at 5:44 pmAfter the debockle in the Katrina response, Mr. bush please for once do the right thing with our money that being give it back to the people who actually pay a larger share of their income in taxes than your Billionaires’ club you and Cheaney call your base. And one last comment on the the subject of Mr. Cheaney and his “no-bid” affillation with the big “h” company. This kind of morals sickens me as an American who’s role models are George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, and Thedore Roosevelt. Fighting for Accountability, David Young
September 26th, 2005 at 6:34 pm[…] 2 Center for American Progress http://thinkprogress.org/ 2005/ 09/ 22/ progressive-spending/ […]
September 26th, 2005 at 7:05 pm[…] 2 Center for American Progress http://thinkprogress.org/ 2005/ 09/ 22/ progressive-spending/ […]
September 26th, 2005 at 7:32 pmI think your blog is excellent and informative and thought you might be interested in a column I wrote about the bunker buster at http://www.ruminationsonamerica.blogspot.com. I am an award winning reporter on the nuclear industry…
September 26th, 2005 at 7:49 pmAMERICA NEEDS TO DO A TRILLION TIMES BETTER THAN THIS BY AN EXTREME LONG SHOT
September 26th, 2005 at 8:50 pmMANDATORILY. THIS IS AN EXTREME MUST.
PLEASE DON’T FAIL US AGAIN
Russ Feingold is my senator as well. He is a sharp and principled leader and I trust his judgement. He agreed to vote for Roberts in exchange for a promise that the next appointee is not an extremist. Throughout our history, presidents have attempted to steer the court in their choice of judicial nominees, only to discover that once appointed, judges cut their own unique path. I am not concerned about Roberts. He is bright and has demonstrated respect for the tradition of precedent, thereby acknowledging that the constitution is a living, dynamic entity. There have been far more radical appointees.
September 26th, 2005 at 10:34 pmPitiful. GOPsuksdic - you need to get a different moniker. Perhaps one with more class.
September 27th, 2005 at 9:30 am[…] A right-wing plan to cut the federal budget by $500 billion over ten years would destroy nearly all existing programs that promote energy efficiency and conservation. The scheme, dubbed "Operation Offset," would eliminate the EnergyStar program, the Hydrogen Fuel initiative, the Freedom Car program, funds for research on renewable energy, and programs that support high-speed rail. A progressive approach would save more money in half the time and would preserve all of those programs. […]
September 27th, 2005 at 12:07 pmPlease do not make all of the cuts. There are other ways to take care of the problems. We are in debt because of all of the pork that has been approved.
September 27th, 2005 at 1:00 pmHere’s a good Idea! Let the red states seceed from the USA and lets see how emerges as the only world superpower. My guess is the red states would form a new third world county.
September 28th, 2005 at 9:29 amHaving cared for Katrina and Rita evacuees in San Antonio shelters since they began gathering here, I am gravely disturbed at the conditions they are coping with to the best of their ability. Cuts in Medicaid, Medicare and other social programs will devastate them even further…along with the millions of other poor in this country. Providing largesse to the rich thrugh tax cuts of any kind is anything but
September 28th, 2005 at 9:46 am“Christian” or compassionate governance.
I agree that we must not let the disaster in the Gulf be an excuse for gutting government programs. Much better to rescind the tax cut for the wealthy.
John Jungerman
September 28th, 2005 at 11:12 pmWhy can’t less govenment equal less war? How about ending the war in Iraq and Afghanistan instead, of cutting needed domestic programs?
September 28th, 2005 at 11:28 pmI was trying to find your petition to stop these cuts on our domestic programs…. please forward it to me or take this as my signature!
September 29th, 2005 at 1:36 amI agree that we must not let the disaster in the Gulf be an excuse for gutting government programs. Much better to rescind the tax cut for the wealthy.
September 29th, 2005 at 10:11 amD Duck
I’m with you all the way.
September 30th, 2005 at 10:28 am#22 Mighty- You forgot the continuing shakedown of corporations in the off years so they flinch whenever you mention “equal rights”….Nothing like “Class Welfare Pimps” to spice things up and set us back a century or more…..
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January 1st, 2006 at 11:32 pm[…] Think Progress » Progressives Can Do Better: An Alternative to “Operation Offset†[…]
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