September 21, 2005
Conservative Congressmen Propose Operation OffsetConservative House Republicans plan to recommend today more than $500 billion in savings over 10 years to compensate for the costs of Hurricane Katrina as lawmakers continue to struggle to develop a consensus on the fiscal approach to the disaster.Unfortunately, the leadership is sending mixed signals.At the top of a partial list of the potential cuts being circulated Tuesday were previously suggested ideas like delaying the start of the new Medicare prescription drug coverage for one year to save $31 billion and eliminating $25 billion in home-state projects from the newly enacted transportation measure.
The list also proposed eliminating the Moon-Mars initiative that NASA announced Monday, for $44 billion in savings; ending support for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, $4 billion; cutting taxpayer payments for the national political conventions and the presidential election campaign fund, $600 million; and charging federal employees for parking, $1.54 billion.
Before the list was made public, Rep. Tom DeLay of Texas, the House majority leader, declared that delaying the Medicare plan was a nonstarter. DeLay also expressed skepticism that most lawmakers would want to revisit the transportation bill, saying he would be reluctant to sacrifice the projects that he won for his district in the Houston area.If Republicans band together to cut the pork, they can legitmately regain the mantle of fiscal conservatism and pound the Democrats for irresponsible spending.
Posted by Jonathan R. on September 21, 2005 09:21 AM
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Nice laundry list you have there, Jonathan. I like how you cite Tom DeLay as being opposed to some of the cuts but all those in favor remain anonymous. Is that just an oversight? Or are you starting to act like a Democrat?
You neatly misdirect attention by implying that the whole list of suggested cuts are "pork" when that is truly not the case. The Prescription Drug coverage is a law passed by Congress and delaying it will only hurt the elderly. Since they are some of the staunchest Republicans and reliable voters, that is pure stupidity. But in any case that program is not 'pork.'
The only 'pork' of which you speak that can clearly be called such is some of the add-ons in the transportation bill. But if they were all cut, they'd only save $25 billion - nowhere near enough to pay for Katrina.
The fact is your post is deceptive - and it seems that your posts are becoming increasingly so. You attempt to spin things in sly and devious ways, e.g., naming Tom DeLay but no one else. All that tells me is that you have some vendetta against DeLay.
Bottom line - most of this article was deceptive, laden with spin, and inaccurate. And I hear the sound of axes grinding in the background. You really are becoming tiresome.
Posted by: Reverend Scaramonga ![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.gopbloggers.org/nav-commenters.gif)
at September 21, 2005 09:40 AM
One of the first cuts I would make would be the purchase of
23 new presidential helicopters.We could save a lot of energy
if we put those 5000 gallon-per-hour presidential jets in
mothballs. A true conservative president would ,at least, try
to set an example for the nation.
Posted by: richard elsbree at September 23, 2005 02:44 PM
One of the first cuts I would make would be the purchase of 23 new presidential helicopters.
Just like that, eh? You think its just a frivolous expenditure of funds, right? No citations, no rationale. Just a "feeling." Well, I'd bet money that there's a Pentagon study that shows that the current crop of helicopters are worn out and no longer cost-effective to maintain. Also, they might very well be outside the safety margins due to their age. But what the heck, its just the President, right?
We could save a lot of energy if we put those 5000 gallon-per-hour presidential jets in
mothballs.
Sure, he could just fly coach on Jet Blue, right? Tell me, do you find it difficult, in your circles, to be taken seriously on topics such as this? I'll bet you do.
A true conservative president would ,at least, try to set an example for the nation.
Yea, like cutting free handouts to non-producers. That would be a good start.
Posted by: Reverend Scaramonga at September 23, 2005 07:36 PM
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