House Approves Spending Reductions (on programs for poor)

[EBSB52]

http://ad.doubleclick.net/imp;v3;j;1317 ... 05_wp.html


Isn't this a surprise. Leave the tax breaks for the rich alone and go after the poor. Same old shit.


The House narrowly approved a broad five-year budget plan early this morning that squeezes programs for the poor, for college students and for farmers, handing Republican leaders a hard-fought victory after weeks of resistance in GOP ranks.

The plan, which would save the government just under $50 billion, passed 217 to 215, with 14 Republicans joining all House Democrats in opposition. Just last week, Republican leaders were forced to pull the bill from consideration after it became clear they lacked the votes for passage.

Republicans salvaged the win this time only by jettisoning one of President Bush's top domestic priorities, opening Alaska's National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling, then trimming planned cuts to food stamps, Medicaid and student lunch programs. Those changes pared back the measure's savings by more than $4 billion, and moderate Republicans say they expect the final version will be cut back further in negotiations with the Senate.

On the Senate side of the Capitol, moderate Republicans scored another victory last night, winning passage of a five-year $50 billion tax package that left out one of the centerpieces of Bush's second-term economic agenda. The measure, which passed 64 to 33, did not include an extension of the deep cuts to the tax rates on capital gains and dividends that passed in 2003 and are set to expire after 2008. Instead, the Senate approved a tax measure largely devoted to hurricane relief and the extension of tax measures with bipartisan appeal.

Even the Republican Congress has much more of heart than Bush, and that doesn’t say much

By last night, a victory for the House budget measure had grown vital to GOP leaders, who appeared on the verge of losing control of a Republican conference balkanizing between blocs of conservatives and moderates. Yesterday afternoon, they suffered an embarrassing and rare defeat when nearly two dozen renegade Republicans teamed with Democrats to shoot down a giant health and education spending bill for the coming year.

By a vote of 224 to 209, the House rejected the $142.5 billion measure, which contained spending cuts in many health care and education programs that are strongly supported by moderate Republicans and by Democrats. Many rank-and-file lawmakers were unhappy with the bill as well because it did not contain special programs and projects they had sought for their congressional districts.

All Northern Virginia and Maryland Republican House members -- Thomas M. Davis III (Va.), Wayne T. Gilchrest (Md.), Frank R. Wolf (Va.) and Roscoe G. Bartlett (Md.) -- voted for the measure. All local Democrats -- Benjamin L. Cardin (Md.), James P. Moran Jr. (Va.), C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger (Md.), Chris Van Hollen (Md.) and Albert R. Wynn (Md.) -- opposed it.

Republicans regrouped hours later to bring the budget bill to a vote after a round of last-ditch meetings won over just enough balking GOP moderates. Republicans framed the debate over the bill as a moment of truth in the battle against stubborn budget deficits, a time for lawmakers to stop lamenting the government's red ink and begin making the tough decisions to slim down spending. Democrats castigated the plan as a blow to the poor and a sham deficit-reduction effort, since, as early as today, House Republicans hope to pass a five-year $57 billion tax cut that would more than undo the savings in the deficit-reduction measure.

Right, these aren’t tax cuts designed to lower the deficit, they are tax deferments to the rich.

The budget debate was marked by acrimony and personal attacks. Rep. Jack Kingston (R-Ga.) mocked the deficit-minded "Blue Dog" Democrats, calling them "lap dogs." Rep. Marion Berry (D-Ark.) called the youthful, redheaded Rep. Adam Putnam (R-Fla.) a "Howdy Doody-looking nimrod."

Now House and Senate negotiators must reach an agreement on two very different deficit-reduction plans. The Senate's version saves $35 billion over five years, particularly targeting managed-care companies in the Medicare program and largely avoiding direct cuts to the beneficiaries of antipoverty programs. It also includes a provision to allow oil firms into Alaska's Arctic refuge, a measure that powerful Senate Republicans have vowed to defend.

Senate Repubs = fuck the poor, fuck Alaska

The House measure would cut about 220,000 people off food stamps, allow states to impose new costs on Medicaid beneficiaries, squeeze student lenders, cut aid to state child-support enforcement programs and trim farm supports.

Moderate Republicans did extract some changes ahead of the budget vote. GOP leaders agreed to drop a provision raising co-payments from $3 to $5 for Medicaid beneficiaries under the poverty level, although the co-payments can rise with the rate of medical inflation. They also ditched a provision that would have denied free school lunches to about 40,000 children whose parents would lose their food stamps.

I'm fucking wrong, the conservatives are compassionate; they allowed poor kids to keep their school lunches. School lunches for impoverished kids are such a luxury.

A provision denying Medicaid nursing home benefits to people with home equity of $500,000 would be modified by raising the limit to $750,000.

So a break for the rich, color me surprised

Last night, moderate lawmakers secured another change that scaled back cuts to the food stamp program. Initially, the bill would have denied food stamps to the working poor who are not eligible for cash benefits under the welfare program, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families. Under the compromise, pushed by Rep. James T. Walsh (R-N.Y.), poor families could still receive food stamps if they receive certain kinds of work-support services, such as child care and transportation assistance, funded by welfare. The change reduced the food stamp cut from $796 million over five years to $675 million, preserving food stamp benefits for about 80,000 people but still cutting around 220,000 from the program, according to the Congressional Budget Office and liberal Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

Indeed, the budget center estimated last night that all the changes shaved just 2 percent off the cuts initially targeted at anti-poverty programs. But Walsh said he would push to eliminate all the food stamp cuts when House and Senate negotiators meet to reach a final agreement. Moderates also received a commitment that the final version include more money for low-income heating assistance and a dairy-farm support program in the Senate version.

"A couple of weeks ago, I said [the bill's] unacceptable. The natural response was, how can it be made acceptable? Quite frankly, they've come a long way," boasted Rep. Sherwood L. Boehlert (R-N.Y.).

Moderates did not receive such deference on the labor, health and education spending bill they helped defeat yesterday. The proposed spending package for fiscal 2006 is smaller than this year's version, meaning high priorities such as disease research, rural health care, Pell grants and low-income heating assistance were allotted less money. The package also was stripped of $1 billion worth of projects for lawmakers' districts, known as "earmarks," that in years past helped to push this contentious bill across the finish line.

After the vote was called on the spending bill -- twice as long as the vote was scheduled to last -- acting Majority Leader Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) drew a finger across his throat, and the defeat was official.

Signifying a slashed throat to the poor - again I’m wrong, Republicans = pure compassion.

The drama exposed a basic struggle among congressional Republicans as they try to wrap up their 2005 legislative business and look a year down the road to the midterm elections. To reverse declining poll numbers, conservative lawmakers want the GOP to renounce pork-barrel politics and shrink the size of government. But following through means painful choices that will affect important constituencies. Those earmarks -- whether for locals roads, or hospitals, or job training centers -- are especially irresistible.

"We made a serious effort to reduce the patterns of spending in this gigantic bill. Then we made the gigantic and controversial step of saying no to projects," said Rep. Jerry Lewis (R-Calif.), chairman of the House Appropriations Committee. "The combination of that was too much for them to swallow."

Under the bill, health care programs would be cut by $976 million, including a $249 million reduction to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the smallest percentage increase for the National Institutes of Health in 35 years bill includes language naming two CDC buildings after Sens Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) and Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), another senior Appropriations Committee member.

Yea, that’s where we want the country to go; less spending on disease control.

Education funding would decline for the first time in a decade, with Pell grants frozen for the fourth year in a row. Infuriating many lawmakers from Northern states, funding for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, which subsidizes heating bills, would remain stagnant.

Come on Nazis, defend your party.

[richfiero]

Poor people have the same oppurtunity asevery one else to become rich.
most poor people are to lazy to look for a good job. if people from india that are poor as hell come here for a few years and make big bucks. that means that people that are U.S. citizens for there whole life should be able to make money for a comfortable living to pay for food medical and heatig for there home. hell my bro that is a college student can pay for heating and food and a place over his head. so the poor people are just to damn lazy.

[donk_316]

Anyone else notice that the american government just passed a 3 BILLION DOLLAR "subsidy" for 'poor' people to get a HDTV decoder box cause they couldnt possibly afford the new TVs... so this will ease their transition...


HOLY FUCK AMERICANS ARE DUMB. YOU VOTED THEM IN.

[stimpy]

Come on Nazis, defend your party.

It took a while, but I knew he'd go there. :thumbleft: Faggot reference coming in 3...2...

[SappySE107]

.

[DiggityBiggity]

Poor people have the same oppurtunity asevery one else to become rich.
most poor people are to lazy to look for a good job. if people from india that are poor as hell come here for a few years and make big bucks. that means that people that are U.S. citizens for there whole life should be able to make money for a comfortable living to pay for food medical and heatig for there home. hell my bro that is a college student can pay for heating and food and a place over his head. so the poor people are just to damn lazy.

Your concerned leader

Diggity"That's pretty fucking ignorant"Biggity

[Lex]

Anyone else notice that the american government just passed a 3 BILLION DOLLAR "subsidy" for 'poor' people to get a .

I'd imagine by now hdtv is what most of the "poor" want anyway. Back when I was a kid it was designer clothes and gas for the lexus.

[Weponhead]

Ya know , all this "they arnt taxing the rich enough" bullshit is starting to get under my skin. you know how much fucking tax my mother pays being in one of the highest tax brackets? close to fucking half her income goes to taxes. she busts her ass, and sends half of it to mr. g man, and when it gets squandered on bullshit like some poor fuck mooching off welfare that pisses me off. Now im not saying everyone on welfare and government assistance doesnt deserve it. I have personally met quite a few people from either side of the fence. One of my fathers friends is a veteran who is disabled from war and gets his government benefits, he deserves them.. But i knew a guy who was on disability because he was "sick" this guy wasnt fucking sick, he exercised and went out and had fun every weekend he was a fucking leech on the system. So god damnit it pisses me off to see my mothers hard earned money going to support some loser who is too lazy to go work so they get disability from their doctor buddy. there are alot of fuckin losers out there that people who work hard for their money should NOT have to pay for.

[stimpy]

But i knew a guy who was on disability because he was "sick" this guy wasnt fucking sick, he exercised and went out and had fun every weekend he was a fucking leech on the system. So god damnit it pisses me off to see my mothers hard earned money going to support some loser who is too lazy to go work so they get disability from their doctor buddy. there are alot of fuckin losers out there that people who work hard for their money should NOT have to pay for.

You rang? Should I be somehow more materially damaged for your viewing pleasure in order to be worthy of receiving my State Disability that I have paid into for 20 years. Do I need to sit in a wheelchair with a colostomy bag sticking out? God forbid someone with a disability have fun! Kind of a bitch, when my disability stems from chronic clinical depression. I guess I should go ahead and stick a bullet in my medulla so your mom's hard earned money will go to buying a couple of computers for some cruise missles to get blown up, rather then provide me with some type of stipend that allows me to devote my efforts and energy to recovery. Or would it be better if I just let my impulses run free and you can wind up supporting me in the correctional system?

God forbid I get a lousy $400 a week.

[donk_316]

Stimpy,
I seriously mean nothing derogatory by this but...

How does Depression stop someone from working?

[Lex]

Stimpy,

How does Depression stop someone from working?

People usually aren't very productive when they have thoughts of suicide, problems concentrating, etc.

[stimpy]

Stimpy,
I seriously mean nothing derogatory by this but...

How does Depression stop someone from working?

I don't take it derogetory.

And as far as the depression goes, people don't realize the degrees that can sink to. I absolutely love my life now, but at the beginning of this year I weighed over 300 lbs, had undiagnosed diabetes going nuts, caughed my lungs out every time I lit up another smoke. I was a heart attack waiting to happen. I had parted ways with my job that I got when I came to California due to my total inability to go out and face people in the sales calls that were my territory. For 6 months, I got paid $20k to sit at home or in my car all day. I took a job that paid piss working with special ed kids, so I could do something positive and not be a deadbeat.

Long story short, that didn't work out, and in a spectacularly ugly ending something came loose. Ever feel like smacking your boss? I seriously doubt my ability to resist doing so if one were to start getting pissy at me the next time around. My anti depression meds keep me from lying around getting fatter, but they also tend to agitate me pretty quickly, and keep me up to to 20 hours a day for 4 or 5 days, then I crash like I've been on a meth binge.

My anti psychotic medication is an incredible appetite suppresant, in that if I haven't had some herb to smoke, I feel like vomiting after 3 bites. I have lost 60 pounds, but a lot of that was shit out of me during a 6 month bout with chronic explosive diarrhea. I can't even co-exist on an internet forum with some people, do you think anyone wants to let me work for them?

My diabetes is somewhat under control now that I've lost weight and ruled out as much sugar as possible. The first three inches of my left foot from the big toe back is completely numb, but the nurse says it doesn't appear circlutory which means no gangrene, but it's troubling to feel your body dying off on you nonetheless.

I feel conflicted about taking disability payments while not being a legless deaf mute with cerebral palsy, as I feel fine enough to do some work. I've tried volunteering, but the place that I volunteered at got skittish when I said why I wasn't working. It's not easy to tapdance around that subject, else you look like you've been a guest of the County correctional system for the previous six months (and looking back, I was way too fucked up to go back before that) and once you say disability they think Workers Comp risk for physical injury. Tell them mental and forget about it. Of course, they'll find all of my prescribed chemicals during any pre employment drug screen, and any HR admin can look up pills on the internet to find out what that's all about. So rule out any job that is going to pay me more then the state is paying me to stay at home and get better.

Fortunately, things are such that if the state cuts me off, it won't be the financial hardship it would have been some months. My wife's work is finally paying overtime, so another $40,000 should be coming in and I can stay home and make sure she's happy. Iron her pants, so to speak. But as long as the State of California is paying me insurance benefits from a system that I paid into for 20 years to stay home and get better, I'm going to keep getting better and better.


Wow, I wrote a novel. Only right that I do it hi-jacking one of Eds threads. Now let's see how enlightened he is to the plight of the mentally ill Nazi Faggots.

[richfiero]

Poor people have the same oppurtunity asevery one else to become rich.
most poor people are to lazy to look for a good job. if people from india that are poor as hell come here for a few years and make big bucks. that means that people that are U.S. citizens for there whole life should be able to make money for a comfortable living to pay for food medical and heatig for there home. hell my bro that is a college student can pay for heating and food and a place over his head. so the poor people are just to damn lazy.

Your concerned leader

Diggity"That's pretty fucking ignorant"Biggity

how is that being ignorant. I used Indains as an example because most of them come from a poor society and prosper in the U.S. They are the perfect example o the american dream. so why cant people that have lived in the United States thier whole life not be able to prosper as people from out of our country cant get rich? these people have a hard time speaking english and they make it.

[DiggityBiggity]

Coming from a country where they have little to no chance of advancing, and then coming here... It gives them hope, since even though they work EXCESSIVE hours... it's still better than India... However... we used to have something in this country called a LIVING WAGE... Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of happiness should not be working 80+ hours.. it should be being able to work 40 hours and survive...

Your concerned leader

Diggity"We're being raped"Biggity

[stimpy]

PS, I would say that the majority, if not all immigrants from India are from an upper middle class background for their country. The really poor aren't getting the visas and the plane tickets. In addition, from my contact with Indian culture they place a very high value culturally on education.

We place a very high value on Star Magazine.

Neither here nor there, I suppose, to the original topic, but I'd hate for you to delude yourself into thinking every one of the billions of people in India are capable of coming here and making mad loot, no more then every American is going to rise over the poverty line. It's just that the poor Hindus and Punjabs are all in India, the poor American is standing in front of you in the grocery store paying in food stamps and eating commodity cheese.

If you don't know what commodity cheese is, thank your maker that you weren't born poor.

[Indy]

I get the luxury of seeing both sides of the rich/poor line at the same time. I have relation that collect food stamps, but also my dad is nearing 60 years old and pulling in some pretty good cash at the FAA, which means alot of taxes going back out.

You know where I see the money that would've been spent on food go to? A new Xbox. And PS2. And games. And a stereo reciever, 2 DVD players, and a VCR. And a new TV. Now tell me there isn't something wrong with this picture.

40 hours is a nice number, but that's ALL it is. A number.

[Kohburn]

people who are born poor and are raise right have the opportunity to get out and succeed just as much as the "rich" kid that went to private school but wasted his mind on drugs/games/alchohal/laziness..

it may be stereotypical but the "majority" of poor people i've met have been poor for a reason, whether that reason be complacency, horrible spending habbits, the innability to manage money, laziness, drug use, etc

there are always exceptions - and it doesn't make them any less of a person for not being rich, but there is a certain extent to which handouts can become a crutch keeping people from actually helping themselves.

and incase nobody noticed, income tax scale goes up in percentage the more you make

[The Dark Side of Will]

but also my dad is nearing 60 years old and pulling in some pretty good cash at the FAA, which means alot of taxes going back out.

That's the fuckin' weird part... people on the government payroll get taxed.

[EBSB52]

Poor people have the same oppurtunity asevery one else to become rich.
most poor people are to lazy to look for a good job. if people from india that are poor as hell come here for a few years and make big bucks. that means that people that are U.S. citizens for there whole life should be able to make money for a comfortable living to pay for food medical and heatig for there home. hell my bro that is a college student can pay for heating and food and a place over his head. so the poor people are just to damn lazy.

Poor people have the same oppurtunity asevery one else to become rich.

So people born into lower-class households have the same chance as Bill Gates, Bush and many other people? Brilliant. I’m not talking about being rich, I’m talking basic healthcare and a descent wage. In educated circles you would be laughed out to say that all people are born into the same status.

Many times well-off or rich people are so due to corrupt activity. Some earn it and some are born into it.

most poor people are to lazy to look for a good job.

Based on…. “cuz you said….â€

[EBSB52]

Anyone else notice that the american government just passed a 3 BILLION DOLLAR "subsidy" for 'poor' people to get a HDTV decoder box cause they couldnt possibly afford the new TVs... so this will ease their transition...


HOLY FUCK AMERICANS ARE DUMB. YOU VOTED THEM IN.

No I didn't; post the reference.