Bush Budget Will Make Him the Biggest Spender in Decades

Cato ^ | February 3, 2003 | Cato Institute

[Commander8]

The "conservative Republican." president will be the biggest spender since LBJ.

Howard Phillips in '04 is looking better and better to me everyday.

[Phantom Lord]

Bush is no conservative when it comes to reducing the size, scope, power, and influence of the Imperial Federal Government.

Has Bush proposed the elimination of a single government department or program? Has he proposed reducing the budget, in acutal dollars, of any department or program?

[Karsus]

No it is not. We are talking about 2,230,000,000 Dollars for ONE YEAR. That doesn't fit my definiton of reasonable, and if a DEM had even suggested such a budget the roar from the GOP would have been loud enough to make people deaf.

[JURB]

No amount of increased spending will ever be enough for the left (especially when proposed by a Republican president), I would just like to see some fiscal restraint for once. The fact is, as stated in the article, real non-defense discretionary spending is increasing at a higher rate than even under Clinton and Bush Sr. Reagan, God bless him, froze spending.

[libertyman]

....& I thought the G.O.P. was an opponent of big government. Yeah, right, that's just another lie & a half----to paraphrase a previous President, it "all depends on what the definition if BIG is".

[Blood of Tyrants]

No, no, no. Bush is a compassionate conservative. That means that he isn't afraid to spend whatever it takes to make the Rats happy.

[Sgt_Schultze]

No it is not. We are talking about 2,230,000,000 Dollars for ONE YEAR.

Actually, the number you were trying to write is $2,230,000,000,000 (two TRILLION dollars)

If the government had spent $1 million per second, every minute, every day of every year since the year 0, it wouldn't have even spent $1 Trillion dollars - cumulatively - yet.

[Libertarianize the GOP]

bump

[Crossbow Eel]

Reagan average a 4% discretionary spending rate over his 8 years and Bush II's discretionary spending in FY2004 will rise 3.5 percent !

I guess Reagan was a sell out too?

[Krafty123]

not quite...3600sec/hour*24hours/day*365* 2003 yrs* $1000000 = $63,166,608,000,000,000; or more than $63 QUADRILLION. You are WAY off...

[JURB]

It is ~$35 dollars a second since the birth of Christ (give or take). Let's see, it has taken me about 50 seconds to type this message -- that's equivalent to $1750 dollars.

[Sgt_Schultze]

Pardon my Oops! Leave it to me to correct a math error and make a huge (minor) infraction myself.

[Clemenza]

At least on fiscal issues, you were right that GWB would become like our Governor, George "Big Spenda" Pataki.

[Jesse]

Bush is not a conservative. He is the poster boy for RINO. Yes, he is increasing defense spending, but who would not?

Hypocritical Bush bot butt boys who support this travesty forget about rule of law...just like the Clintonites did. They have a hero-worship fetish even as Bush and the NEW!GOP is spending money faster than it can be printed.

[MatthewViti]

Moderates have never accomplished anything. How bout payin down the debt Bush instead of giving 15 Billion to Africa?

[Princeliberty]

But just wait till the Republicans control
the White House and both Chambers of Congress!

And now we know they will go on a huge expansion
of Government focused on helping big business
supporters.

Also, Bush not pushing through cloning ban
even while with the support of New Jersey Republicans
New Jersey about to legalize cloning.
Bush just playing a game on that.

Bush not protecting the borders even after 9-11.
Bush totally pro-Red China.
Bush one the worst Presidents in history.
The worse Republican President ever.

[Capitalism2003]

The 2.3 trillion dollar budget includes 700 BILLION IN TAX CUTS PEOPLE!!! He had to include the tax reductions as an "expense" in the budget...by law, that's just how they do things. Subtract 680 billion..or whatever the exact amount of tax cuts is and THEN you have the actual amount being spent.