If the GOP leadership were firemen, they would use kerosine instead of water to put fires out:
Squeezed between a conservative clamor for spending cuts and the rising cost of hurricane relief, Republican congressional leaders will respond this week with a public relations offensive to win over angry conservatives — but no substantive changes in budget policy.
Republican lawmakers and leadership aides conceded that the wholesale budget cuts envisioned by House conservatives are not being contemplated; the Senate is moving toward approving a temporary expansion of Medicaid for hurricane survivors, estimated to cost $9 billion. Nor are GOP leaders considering tax increases.
And Hurricane Rita’s blow to a politically sensitive region of Texas could add more pressure to spend.
“Many communities, faith-based entities and the state of Texas have drained assets to save lives and help with the enormous multi-state national emergency, and they will need reimbursement to avoid massive financial failures,” warned Rep. Louie Gohmert, a freshman Republican whose hard-hit East Texas district was drawn with the help of House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Tex.) to take it from Democratic control.
Since Hurricane Katrina struck Aug. 29, Congress has approved spending bills and tax cuts worth nearly $71 billion. An additional $5 billion in housing, education and small-business assistance cleared the Senate, even before the Medicaid bill was considered. A united Louisiana congressional delegation is seeking $250 billion more.
This is why I am not really that tickled with Porkbusters. A change in mindset is what is needed, not some quick-fix gimmick that applies a band-aid.
*** Update ***
Michelle Malkin posts a picture of a protest with Grover Norquist’s ‘drown government in a bathtub’ comment from years past when some of us were fooled into believing Republicans really believed in smaller government, and makes fun of all the shocked reactions from the left, noting, once again, they have it all ass-backwards:
This Working Assets-sponsored billboard truck, emblazoned with a quote attributed to GOP strategist Grover Norquist, was parked off of Constitution Ave. As raving moonbats passed by, they gasped and booed at the horrific budget-slashing sentiments of the anti-government “Field Marshal” of the “Bush Plan.”
You know what my reaction to the billboard was?
Snort. Snorty-snort-snort.
Can you believe how out of touch the Left is? While they tremble at Norquist’s empty rhetoric of yore, the GOP has become hog heaven for the likes of Alaska Republican Don Young and other leading pork defenders. Norquist’s own pals, government moochers Jack Abramoff and David Safavian, are embroiled in big-government corruption schemes. The party is in turmoil over President Bush’s Lyndon Johnson impersonations. And as Robert Novak reports, the fiscal conservative wing of the party (such as it is) is valiantly struggling with the Bush brigade to get its anti-pork Operation Offset off the ground.
Pretty much. The idea that Norquist’s ‘drown it in a bathtub’ beliefs permeate the current group of spenders in Washington is laughable.
docG
From today’s Washington Post:
Let’s see. Donate to a tax-exempt church, deduct donation from your taxes, your church is then reimbursed with (other people’s) federal tax dollars for spending your donation.
Now that’s Intelligent (tax) Design!
Gratefulcub
Why would we increase taxes or cut spending when we can just borrow as much as we want from China?
John S.
This must be that spirit of forbearance that WaPo editorialized about…
jg
Best idea I heard was suspending the EIC. By doing so the fed gov’t can save billions and give it to Katrina relief. Remove a tax break for poor people so that they can help poor people. Sweet idea.
Anything but tax increase I guess. Do wingnuts seriously believe these assholes care at all about anyone that isn’t rich? Are you going to sit there and let your hatred of liberals be a tool for them to stay in power?
Defense Guy
jg
Isn’t the EIC technically welfare? Not a tax break but an actual handout?
Just asking.
janine
The thought by many on the left (including me) is that this rampant spending is part of a “drown the gov’t in a bathtub” scenario where you leave the federal gov’t in so much debt we’re eventually forced to slash programs and reduce the size of gov’t while passing hand-outs to buddies.
jg
Probably. Does that change anything? Where do these people go when they need to find money for the gov’t? Borrowing overseas or taking from the poor. Classic.
Kimmitt
Yeah, but they’re gonna go with what’s worked so far.
Besides, this sort of thing is fully consistent with “starve the beast,” which is Norquist’s preferred strategy.
DougJ
Drown it in a bathtub? More like flood it with a toxic mix of wasteful spending and cronyism.
jobiuspublius
The budget has grown, but, has he increased the number of employees, departments, or social programs? Katrina will be one more contract mill, one more excuse to privatize and borrow detrimentally. The military is stretched and the feds are employing mercenaries. No shrinkage there?
The way I see it is that privatization is shrinkage and borrowing + tax cuts + spending is the drowning.
BillS
Just part of the underlying plan, John.
Part 1: Loot the country. Give tax-breaks to your investors and borrow the nation into bankruptcy.
Part 2: Upon bankruptcy, declare that we must privatize 90% of the government because (a) it’s more efficient and (b) it’s what our forefathers wanted. Sell off assets to “highest bidders.” Not surprisingly the winners are the same investors who got tax breaks previously.
Voila, the government is pretty effectively “drowned in the bathtub” so that it can’t counter-balance the power of the corporations and the monied class.
Just everyday corruption, class warfare, dishonesty and double-dealing by Rove, Norquist & Co.