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When it came to actually shaving the budget it wasn't the shared sacrifice we've come to hear from our leaders. Repeal of the dropped estate taxes - or the "death tax" as Republicans like to spin it--weren't mentioned as sacrifices for the wealthiest families. Reinstating the old levels of the capital gains tax wasn't a consideration for the wealthy. Rolling back recent tax cuts wasn't on the table. In fact, nothing comes to mind when it comes to the wealthiest of our citizens as far as sharing of the sacrifice.
The bloated defense budget was left intact. Not one B-1 bomber, representing billions of dollars, was cut. Not one cruise missile, not one Hummer.
Instead, the paring down of the budget came at the expense of the poor. Medicaid was cut. Educational grants were cut. Educational loans were cut. Head Start funds were cut. Food stamps were cut. Welfare outlays were cut. Agricultural subsidies were cut. Scientific research was cut.
The sacrifice the president calls for has fallen disproportionately on the backs of the poor. It is the lower and shrinking middle class which primarily makes up our military. It is those same servicemen that come back in body bags at Dover AFB where cameras are not allowed to record the carnage. When is the last time you saw an interview with a company CEO talking about their son just recently killed in Iraq?
Apparently the congressional appetite for pork was too strong to resist and the burden for budget restraint too easily targeted at the non-contributors of campaigns. If we as a nation are to swallow the spin of the party in power and stay engaged in a no win war in foreign countries and accept we are in a global war on terror, then we as a nation should share the burden equally and not fight and finance a war on the backs of a few.
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