Congressional whine list

Boston Herald ^ | 2/05/03

[kattracks]

The gimme guys of the Massachusetts congressional delegation are at it again.<!ENDSUMM!>

President Bush sent a $2.23 trillion budget to Congress Monday, along with billions of dollars in tax cuts (including a front-loading of the existing income tax cut and a another $1.46 trillion in cuts over 10 years) that will put real money back in the pockets of every taxpayer.

In addition, a $15 billion increase in the defense budget could directly boost the fortunes of such local employers as Raytheon, General Dynamics, General Electric and a host of smaller companies that help supply these giants. (If that's trickle down economics, bring it on!) The Defense Department contracts mean jobs - high-paying jobs.

The budget for the new Department of Homeland Security not surprisingly is another big ticket ($36.2 billion) item, including a 10 percent hike in the budget for the U.S. Coast Guard (pegged at $6.8 billion). That might explain why Rep. William Delahunt - for whom a boost in Coast Guard spending has been a big priority - was not among the chorus of Democratic congressional whiners.

But for Sen. Edward M. Kennedy and Reps. John Olver and Ed Markey it's never about what's in the federal budget, but what this Republican White House has left out.

``This budget is a ripoff for the rich that starves our schools, health care and even homeland security,'' Kennedy said. Apparently a 7.4 percent increase in the latter just isn't enough for the senior senator.

Olver took Kennedy's whine list and added transportation. Markey zeroed in on ``privatizing Medicare'' and efforts to ``blackmail'' the elderly into joining HMOs.

For this gang, even when the glass is more than half full, they're looking around for the pitcher.

[pt17]

For this gang, even when the glass is more than half full, they're looking around for the pitcher.

Or the bottle.