BUSH'S BUDGET BAD FOR WEST VIRGINIA
With George
Bush's newest budget blunder out in public view, there are a few things
you should know. Whether it's the cost of healthcare for West Virginia's
children or growing deficits, Bush now has ownership of yet another
flawed budget that is full of debt and deception.
Make sure and
let your friends, family, grocery store comrades, and gas pump groupies
know the real costs of Bush's bad budget. Below are a few points.
n EDUCATION---Elementary, secondary, vocational, and special education
funding would be slashed by $9.9 billion over the next five years,
thereby cutting money from No Child Left Behind and Title I efforts;
n FISCAL
RESPONSIBILITY---Using his "fuzzy math" equations, Bush claims that
the nation's budget deficit will be cut in half by 2009. In fact,
if you include ALL of the costs of the war in Iraq, then the budget
deficit is predicted to exceed $2.9 trillion over the next 10 years;
n MEDICARE---Bush's budget would attack West Virginia seniors by hiking
premiums for Medicare Part D (the new Rx drug plan) recipients;
n MEDICAID/SCHIP---Under
Bush's budget, federal funding for the State Children's Health Insurance
Program (SCHIP) would freeze in 2008, leaving states to pick up the
tab and cutting enough money to insure nearly one million children;
n TAX CUTS---Bush would give Americans making more than $1 million a
year an $162,000 tax cut; meanwhile, he would place more restrictions
on the SCHIP program by tightening requirements; and
n VETERANS---If
passed, George Bush's budget would raise out-of-pocket expenses for
both Priority 7 and Priority 8 veterans by: increasing prescription
drug co-payments from $8 to $15 and charging an enrollment fee of
$250 for veterans to access healthcare.
n WAR IN IRAQ---It
is estimated that because of Bush's bad budget and mismanaged war,
the cost to West Virginia taxpayers for the war in Iraq will increase
to $1.2 billion.
Information based on material from the Center
on Budget and Policy Priorities, Congressional Budget Office, U.S.
Senate Committee on Budget (Democratic Staff), and the National Priorities
Project.
