They're making massive reductions, massive reductions...

IN late December, Cheney cast the tie breaking vote, allowing Bushie's Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 to pass 51-50. In it, The GOP has slashed $40 billion in social programs to the poor to help pay for $90 billion in new tax cuts - almost half of which will go directly to wealthy AMericans with incomes in excess of $1 million. The net result of the Deficit Reduction Act will be a $50 billion INCREASE in the deficit!

I know, the people that SHOULD be reading this have already moved onto another post. Which is sad, because these are the people who put Bushie back in office! And the really, really sad part, the part I cannot comprehend is, these same people will not benefit at ALL from the tax cuts, or in very minimal ways. But they very well could be people hurt by this package.

Let's see who gets hurt: College students: Nearly a third of the cuts; $12.7 billion - affect student loan programs. Single moms: it cuts nearly $5 billion in funding for tracking down deadbeat dads and colelcting child support payments. The Sick: it increases co-payments that poor peopel have to make for medical services, like instead of the $3 dollars now for an office visit, they'll have to pay $100. And eighty percent of the savings will come from poor people that get sick simply refusing to seek treatment because it's too expensive. Foster Parents: cuts $343 million from foster care programs, and it specifically cuts off funds to low income grandparents who take in thier own grandchildren rather than give them up to strangers. This is Family Values? The Working Poor: slashes $11 billion in federal support for child care, and forces harsher standards on families to get welfare, like forcing both parents to have full time jobs, instead of perhaps mom staying home to raise the kids and provide child care. I guess Family Values only apply to those that can afford them. It also cuts funding to community colleges and may kick as many as 25,000 kids out of Head Start.

Three fourths of all Americans will not see a dime from the cuts on dividends and capitol gains, while the nation's richest 1 percent gets more than $25 billion. By 2010, thanks to Bushie, America's millionaires will see an annual tax cut of $130,000.

It seems in Bushie's world, it's best to turn Robin Hood on his head and take from the poor to give to the rich. And why is it, those that are NOT rich, refuse to see this? Are the blind? stupid? Uncaring? Or all of the above?

(note, a number of facts from this post came from the latest issue of Rolling Stone)

POLT = listening to "Dreaming" by Blondie

What's your fetish? What's your pleasure? Designer violence made to measure - like a velvet glove, like a ball and chain, like the kiss of the whip, when you're hungry for pain. - The Electric Hellfire Club