Bush Administration Presses Congress For Foreign Aid Increase
"a 50-percent increase in core U.S. development assistance over 2001 levels, and "represents an unprecedented effort to reduce poverty"
Posted on 06/10/2003 3:39:53 PM PDT by TLBSHOW
"And the reason that it has to fail, and this is what dooms all these kinds of weird Big Government redistribution programs, is that all of the spending is on things that nobody in his right mind is ever going to spend his own money on. The proof is simplicity itself; if the people were willing to spend their money on these things, then the government would not have to spend its money on them. For this reason, you will never see a federal program to supply sex, drugs or rock and roll to voters. And this is why the government, and not private citizens, hires forest rangers in Smokey the Bear hats."
"Therefore, it is now politically impossible for the government to stop spending money on them, because if they did then nobody would buy the things that the economy is, now, producing. And therefore Congress and the Fed decided to make sure that government spending cannot, ever, be allowed to go down. And if spending cannot ever go down, and the number of things that have money spent on them keeps going up, then arithmetically, it will one day consume all of the money. But not today, and not tomorrow. But that's one day, a long, long way day away somewhere in the future, so that makes it okay to act like this now."
Here's the entire article --
Patently Preposterous Promises -- Mogambo Guru Commentary
Richard W.
Mere human observation -- but we first have to define "conservatism," don't we?
I believe 65% of America believe in: law and order, and the enforcement thereof; TOTAL fairness in tax assessments; government regulation ONLY when necessary; the right to protect oneself and family with arms in necessary; protecting the life of the unborn instead of state sanctioned murder; The NEED to genuinely enforce our border; preserving the heritage, tradition, and legacy of our Founding Fathers and EVERYTHING they stood, sacrificed, and died for (strict Constitutionalism); A sovereign U.S. not subject to the laws outside entities (read UN), etc. Feel free to add your own...
Thus far, the ONLY politician I seen to ever articulate conservatism best has been Newt Gingrich, who himself was chewed up and spit out because no Pubbies had the courage to back him to the hilt...Therein lies the big problem -- the GOP embarrassingly is a terrified bunch...
Of course, Rush Limbaugh one who now who says it amongst the best...
THE JOB PROBLEM
The U.S. continues to lose jobs. Since President Bush has been in office, 2.5 million manufacturing jobs and nearly 600,000 service jobs have been lost for a total decline in private sector employment of 3.1 million. The unemployment rate has risen to 6.1 percent. If this is recovery, what is going on?
The Party of Spending and Deficits Is ... the GOP
"The current crop of Republicans is surprising in their lack of principles,"
White House shelved deficit report - Study commissioned by O’Neill sees $44 trillion in red ink
HOW BIG IS THE GOVERNMENT'S DEBT? - $33.1 trillion
Vote Republican - promoting and passing socialism at full speed
Bush may tap retirement funds to avoid hitting debt ceiling
Quietly, Bush Signs Bill Raising Debt Ceiling
The Boston Globe
By Associated Press
May 28, 2003
ASHINGTON -- Without comment or ceremony, President Bush yesterday signed a bill allowing a record $984 billion increase in the amount the federal government can borrow, to a record $7.4 trillion.
The increased federal borrowing will enable the government to pay for the $350 billion economic stimulus package that the GOP-led Congress passed last week at Bush's behest.
Bush will hold a signing ceremony at the White House today to celebrate passage of that legislation, White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said. The package includes $330 billion in tax cuts and $20 billion in aid for states.
Passage of the bill raising the nation's debt ceiling came Friday, hours after the tax-cut bill was approved. Congressional Democrats had sought to spotlight the burgeoning debt.
But Republican leaders maneuvered to pass the debt-ceiling measure quickly and with little fanfare.
The House had avoided a direct vote on the debt limit by reviving a rule that made its approval of a borrowing increase automatic when Congress finished its annual budget last month.
After running annual surpluses during the last four years of the Clinton administration, the US government has returned to deficit spending. This year's deficit is expected to exceed $300 billion, a record, and huge future shortfalls are expected.
Bush's signing of the bill -- announced in a statement with a single sentence -- will enable the government to borrow money until sometime next year.
The current $6.4 trillion limit was breached earlier this year.
Failure to extend the borrowing limit could have led to a first-ever federal default -- something neither party wants to explain.
This story ran on page A6 of the Boston Globe on 5/28/2003.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.