Why Oh Why Are We Ruled by These Fools? (Republican Congress Edition)

Kevin Drum notes the Republican Congress in action:

The Washington Monthly: A SHINY NEW BUDGET....Here's your new Republican budget:

The House and Senate broke a lengthy impasse over federal spending Thursday night, narrowly adopting a $2.56 trillion federal budget for 2006 that aims to trim the growth of Medicaid by $10 billion over five years, add $106 billion in tax cuts and clear the way for oil drilling in an Alaskan wildlife refuge.

Attaboy! Reduce the deficit $10 billion by cutting back on healthcare for the poor, and then turn around and increase the deficit $106 billion by approving additional tax cuts for the rich. Moral values, baby, moral values.

Comments

[P O'Neill]

Yes, and on the same day we read in the papers that Dennis Kozlowski says he didn't notice that his 1999 W-2 form was missing a $25 million payment -- essentially because there was already so much compensation for that year. And that's the income bracket that the Republicans think really needs a tax cut.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/29/business/29tyco.html

[Anderson]

"Reduce the deficit $10 billion by cutting back on healthcare for the poor, and then turn around and increase the deficit $106 billion by approving additional tax cuts for the rich."

What is *wrong* with these people?

[Movie Guy]

Stone cold hearts.

[Brian]

Whatever happened to the proposal to eliminate the deduction for medical insurance? At first, I was horrified that he would consider such an option and thought it would be a step in the direction of eliminating the insurance system we now have. But then, I found out it was regressive, and that eliminating it might be okay if the money gained from it were put to good use.

[bakho]

Hey, they have to do what their base wants.

[anne]

The tax deduction for medical insurance will not be eliminated, for the matter would be too politically sensitive and the Congressional leadership has repeatedly made the point that taxes will not be raised.

[Depressed]

I thought the administration would finally have trouble getting more tax cuts through. Idiot that I am.
Their plan to wreck the Federal Government is right on track. The real puzzle is why the Red-State working class keeps going for it.

[kharris]

The point to passing the bill this week, if I have my budget rules right, is that this is the deadline for dealing with the matter as a whole, with no opportunity to filibuster thinks like the extension of tax cuts and drilling in Alaska's wilderness. It was a last minute deal because the GOP is split over budget priorities, but they had to pass this bill by the deadline, so they went ahead. Otherwise the 49% of the voting public that didn't vote for Bush would be represented in the legislative process, even if only in a negative sense.

[anne]

KHarris

Nice :)

[Movie Guy]

Let's stop screwing around.

Take the entire tax base to ZERO.

Move the rest of goods production to foreign countries.

Open up 1 million new malls and storefronts.

Let's see if this realy works...

[Bob H]

And at a time when the budget deficit is already very large, the $ is tanking, and our creditors are probably getting a bit antsy.

[Ari]

Bob H - The deficit is very large, but the dollar has been steady since December. Against the European currencies, or Canadian and Australian dollars, our dollar is about where it was in 1995. Our creditors do not yet seem antsy since interest rates are low and stable. The stability surprises me, but it is there.

[brodix]

The underlaying flaw to their ideology is they mistake extremes for absolutes. They really don't think the pendulum will swing back.

[Dubblblind]

Let's not forget that they believe the poor to be a bunch of lazy worthless sinners who are not deserving of that $10 billion that is being removed from the Medicaid budget, while on the other hand the rich are deserving of infinitely more (but they'll start with another $106 billion) because their richness is a testimony to their moral righteousness.

[Huggy]

Reducing taxes by 106 billion is more likely to decrease the deficit as increase it. Reducing the amount paid out to mega-hospital-doctor-pharmacy boondoggle is more likely to keep poor healthy.

See how many people the AMA estimates are killed each year by doctors. Stay away from doctors. You will live longer and be happier.

Don't believe me? Check it out for yourself. Realize that trillions of dollars in economic activity require a mass belief that "medical science" is saving lives.

Did you know that FDR couldn't walk. When he was president millions in the US didn't know that. Did you know that JFK had a genetic illness and had a dangerous experimental operation while president? Only came out after he was long dead.

[vtconomist]

Did I miss something that makes the above post make sense?