Actual Headline

Bush budget would increase military spending. I mean, is there seriously anyone left in the country who would consider that news?

The $2.77 trillion budget plan was sent to Congress today and includes a provision that would make permanent the tax cuts passed during Bush’s first term. The cost of the tax cuts will be $1.4 trillion over 10 years. Meanwhile, the budget also provides for cutting in half by 2009 our record-high deficit of $423 billion, so something’s gotta give, and of course it ain’t gonna be those tax cuts. Lucky us—it’s 141 government programs which be will sharply reduced or eliminated entirely.

Almost one-third of the targeted programs are in education including ones that provide money to support the arts, vocational education, parent resource centers and drug-free schools…

Bush is also seeking savings by trimming the growth of spending in Medicare, the government's giant health care program for the elderly and disabled, by $35.9 billion over five years. The reductions, which are certain to face stiff opposition in Congress, would among other things reduce inflation adjustments for hospitals, nursing homes, home health care providers and hospices…

Even programs not targeted for elimination are subject to tight budgets including previously favored agencies such as the National Institutes of Health which would see its spending essentially frozen at this year's level.

But what we lose in education and healthcare, we gain in missile defense systems and whatever other outdated weaponry and bullshit not useful in intelligence and guerilla warfare the military deems necessary to protect us in these desperate times, to the tune of a 6.9% increase in military spending, bringing our defense budget to $439.3 billion, which doesn’t even include the cost of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars. And get this:

[T[he deficit of $354 billion that the administration is projecting for 2007 probably will be higher because the budget at present only contains $50 billion in spending for Iraq, White House Budget Director Joshua Bolten told reporters.

Awesome. The president says his “administration has focused the nation's resources on our highest priority — protecting our citizens and our homeland," but once again, his budget reflects his notion that protecting people with a social safety net isn’t on his radar.

Unless, you know, they’re already rich.