EDITORIAL – Decidedly bad budget decisions

President George W. Bush released his $2.9 trillion budget plan yesterday, demonstrating… President George W. Bush released his $2.9 trillion budget plan yesterday, demonstrating that his State of the Union address was, indeed, full of empty promises.

It appears that when he said he wanted to work with the Democratic Congress “to extend this nation’s prosperity; to spend the people’s money wisely; to solve problems, not leave them to future generations,” what he really meant was something more like “I’m still The Decider, and I’ve decided to keep offering terrible decisions, but I want you to approve them.”

The plan offers increased military spending, $96 billion in cuts to Medicare and Medicaid and solidification of the tax cuts from 2001 and 2003. The president’s proposal is a clear indication that he does not care about the average American.

Bush claims that his efforts will balance the budget by 2012, insisting that all the government needs is “fiscal discipline.”

A more accurate description of Bush’s plan, however, is what House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., called “more of the same fiscal irresponsibility and misplaced priorities.”

The proposal would cut funding for eight federal agencies, including the departments of education and environment, The Washington Post and Associated Press reported yesterday.

So, the president’s State of the Union focus on “spreading opportunity and hope in America [through] public schools that give children the knowledge and character they need in life” and his insistence that “we must increase funds for students who struggle” was, not surprisingly, empty rhetoric.

“Extending hope and opportunity depends on a stable supply of energy that keeps America’s economy running and America’s environment clean,” Bush also said that night.

Bush’s proposed cuts – which also include drastic reduction or elimination of 141 government programs – could indicate a stance against simply throwing money at problems.

But then there’s the Iraq war.

The budget plan includes $624.6 billion for the Pentagon for 2008, the AP reported. This includes $141.7 billion for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, not to mention expenses for maintenance and replacement of lost and damaged military equipment.

The plan includes $50 billion for fighting in 2009 and no funding after that, but the Bush administration insists this is no indication of a timetable for withdrawal.

“We don’t want to send mixed signals to an enemy or to a struggling democracy or to our troops,” the president said, defending his lack of a timeline.

But by refusing to put forth a comprehensive plan for the rest of this war, he’s doing precisely that. If the president is to justify such exorbitant military spending while slashing domestic initiatives, he needs to provide a clear plan, offering accountability to Congress, the troops, the American people and the world.

Bush had the opportunity with this budget to offer America the hope he has so often promised, but once again, he’s let us down. We’re not surprised, of course, but we would like to see a budget come out of this that sets America on a new, more responsible course.