Budget Fun

[Motorboat Cruiser]

Ok, I'm trying to see the logic here, I really am.

From the NY Times:

WASHINGTON, Feb. 4 - President Bush's budget for 2006 cuts spending for a wide range of public health programs, including several to protect the nation against bioterrorist attacks and to respond to medical emergencies, budget documents show.

We have no qualms about cutting funding for programs that might protect us...BUT... let's make sure that we spend a quarter billion dollars to promote marriage? We are cutting budgets for the Center for Disease Control, increasing copays for veterans meds, and cutting assistance to low income families to pay their heating bills...BUT...we are increasing funding by 50% for programs that promote sexual abstinance. Of course, the budget leaves out the 80 billion that Bush is expected to ask for in the next few weeks to help pay for this war, but that is ok because, hey, the wealthy got tax cuts.

We have just paid $300 billion dollars for a war where the likely outcome is that we just created another Iran.

BAGHDAD — A high-ranking Shiite cleric who helped a coalition of religious parties to apparent victory in Iraq's elections eight days ago said Sunday that the new constitution must embody Islamic law.

"We will accept no compromise," said a statement by Grand Ayatollah Mohammed Ishaq al-Fayad, one of the three top Shiite clerics who serve beneath the most senior religious leader, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani. Al-Fayad said separation of religion and state must be "completely rejected."

We are pumping our tax dollars into a war that we started, even though there was no immediate threat, and are cutting funds that help our own people so that we can pay for it. Meanwhile, the president blames the deficit on congressional spending out of control.

I seriously cannot believe the poor leadership of this country. It boggles the mind.