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 nvestor's
Business Daily reports today that Citizens
Against Government Waste has found $18.5 billion in
government
pork spending in fiscal 2001, $460 million of which is being used
to build an amphibious assault ship in Senate Republican Leader
Trent Lott's state of Mississippi. None of the armed services even
asked for the ship.
In Washington, $18.5 billion may pass for chicken feed, but it's
over three times the $5.6 billion House Republicans approved in
retroactive tax cuts for this year. Meanwhile, Senate Budget Chairman
Pete Domenici, a Republican, is warning that George Bush's proposed
4 percent cap on federal discretionary spending — which
is already at $635 billion — won't be supported by the Senate.
In other words, apart from entitlement programs like Social Security
and Medicare, which are on automatic pilot in terms of spending
increases, the Republicans in Congress don't have the self-control
to limit increases in discretionary spending.
We expect the Democrats to oppose tax cuts even when there's a projected
$5.6-trillion surplus over the next ten
| “Republican
control of Congress is a terrible thing to waste.” |
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years. And we expect them to reject all limits on spending. This
is the party of George McGovern, and it exists to tax and spend.
While the Democrats are true to their misplaced ideals, too many
Republicans are quick to abandon their party's principles. Whatever
happened to such core beliefs as limited government, federalism,
free markets, and individual liberty? Why are congressional Republicans
even entertaining a miserly tax cut — spread over ten years
— and massive increases in federal spending?
Republican control of Congress is a terrible thing to waste.
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