[AM2000]

I'm glad you brought up that we're at war and that deficits are "necessary". Let me ask you this - given the shady nature of the adversary, when exactly does this war end? How does it end? Or is this now going to be a permanent fixture of the national political dialogue - that we're at war, so don't question our spending? Spending discipline is always a good thing, and I don't see enough of that from this supposedly Republican president. Assuming all the WOT expenses are justified (and I'm inclined to think it is) what about all the rest? Medicare, for example?

[PSYCHO-FREEP]

Haven't you heard? The President has announced he is cutting the budget for next session. The Medicare issue is open for privatization/insurance and HMO regulation that will save money for all seniors. There is a great deal of knee-jerk ignorance behind all of this rhetoric.

None of it has even taken place yet but the hyperventillators are piping mad about something they know very little about.

[Trust but Verify]

I'm not at all happy with a lot of the domestic spending that's going on. As much as possible, increased spending on discretionary programs should be limited. The worst offense, of course, is the one you mentioned, Medicare. I'm not prepared, however, to put a Democrat in the WH over this particular issue. It would be foolhardy. If anyone here thinks our safety would be the same or better, or the spennding by the Federal governemnt would be the same or better, they are in denial. Spending woud go up, and so would taxes. A lot. And we'd get more judges who would cut taxpayers out of the loop on important issues. No thanks.