Reuters is Not Happy
about this:
“Senate passes health, education spending cuts”
The U.S. Senate on Wednesday passed a $602 billion bill that cuts funds for health, education and labor programs on the same day the Senate approved two separate rounds of cuts to health care programs for the poor.
{gulp}
Actually, their use of the term “cuts” is misleading. On the education, labor and health research bill, the GOP Congress froze spending. Which, of course, is a lot better than more spending.
* * *
The real deal on the spending front today was the bill that restrains Medi-care and Medi-caid outlays by billions of dollars over the next five years. Those aren’t cuts either. Not in the real sense of the word. But they provide a valuable first step towards getting some real changes made to those relics of the 1960′s. In that regard, and for those who might have missed it, the vote on the Medi-care and Medi-caid spending restraint bill was:
0 = Democrats in favor of less spending (0%).
50 = Republicans in favor of less spending (91%).
Dick Cheney had to break the tie.
BTW, how much easier would that process have been, and how many more dollars could have been restrained, if conservatives had not given away so many Senate elections over the past 20 years???
Boggles the mind.
* * *
In any event, that basically concludes the first session of the current Congress.
One full year to go. Three full years remaining in this presidency.
* * *
See you all after the New Year.
* * *
Fight on, ‘SC.
Subscribe to blog feed.