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February 10, 2012
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David G. Savage: Why activists may not be in a hurry to have High Court rule on alternative marriage
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Kimberly Palmer: How to actually enjoy -- relaxing, financially -- your vacation
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The Kosher Gourmet byDana Velden: Going to the bother of making soup? You know it better be good. This CREAM OF TOMATO SOUP certainly is! And it's a cinch to make, too (Includes techinques and serving secrets)
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Jonathan Tobin: Iran Threatens Israel With Destruction, But the New York Times Doesn't Hear It
Jeffrey Fleishman: In newly democratic Egypt, tens of democracy activists jailed, to stand trial; their groups are 'threatening the stability of the homeland'
Julie Deardorff : Researchers say antioxidants may not be that effective and could do more harm than good
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February 3, 2012
Edmund Sanders : Israeli official says Iran is creating missile that could reach East Coast of US
Victoria Kim: Immigrant-smuggling ring used black drivers to avoid racial profiling
February 2, 2012
Jim Carney: Wrong number call may have saved her life
Reza Kahlili : Ex-CIA spy in Iran's Revolutionary Guard: What Obama doesn't grasp about striking deals with Tehran
Tina Susman: For woodchuck rescuer, every day is Groundhog Day
February 1, 2012
Brian Bennett: US officials see increasing threat of domestic attack from Iran
Emily Brandon: How to Take Advantage of New 401(k) Fee Disclosures
January 31, 2012
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Paul Richter and Ramin Mostaghim: Misreading Teheran's limits -- deadly and economically devastating as they may be -- is a risk administration, Europe seem willing to take
Suzanne Bohan: Warning: Nap-deprived tots missing more than sleep, study finds
Meg Handley: Banks Revamping Rewards Programs to Woo Customers
January 27, 2012
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Yochonon Donn: In liberal New York City, fervently-Orthodox Jews may soon be getting a district to call their own
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Katy Hopkins: New budget rules may affect how much money you get for college
January 26, 2012
Ed Koch: To the New York Times, calling for the murder of Jews by those capable of having their incitement taken seriously isn't news
Jeannine Stein: Mental illness struck one in five U.S. adults in 2010: Report
January 25, 2012
Richard Simon: House passes two bills endorsing the use of religious symbols at military memorials
Fred Weir: Putin: Multiethnic Russia cannot survive as a US-style 'melting pot'; must find its own way
Susan Johnston: 5 Sneaky Coupon Strategies Consumers Should Watch Out For
January 24, 2012
Carol Clark: The price of your soul: How your brain decides whether to 'sell out'
Caroline B. Glick: America lost most in 'Arab Spring'. Sadly, many voters still don't grasp the extent
Warren Richey: Drug criminal scores win in GPS ruling from conservative-leaning high court
Erika Bolstad: Black conservatives gather to talk about gaining strength
January 23, 2012
Melissa Dribben: Jewish voters to play a key role in Florida's Republican primary
Jordan Rau: In quest to grow, Catholic hospital system will announce this morning its break from church
Ali Safi: U.S. envoy gives Taliban terms for peace talks
January 19, 2012
January 18, 2012
January 17, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney Jr.: No-kidding red lines: U.S. response to an Iranian nuke may be bluster, but Israel's won't be
David G. Savage: They sued their principals after slandering them online --- now the cases are headed to the Supreme Court
David Francis: Where to Invest in 2012: With stocks expected to rebound, opportunity abounds for investors
January 13, 2012
Ben Lynfield: Israeli lawmakers move to annex Jewish Judea, one museum at a time
Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz: Thriving through touch: Gentle massage helps older people with low mobility improve in mind and body
January 12, 2012
Warren Richey: Landmark Supreme Court ruling a 'resounding win' for religious groups
Warren Richey: Supreme Court says no to new rule on eyewitness testimony
John Fauber : Statins found to raise diabetes risk in postmenopausal women
Katy Hopkins : Consider This Before You Pay for an Online Degree
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January 11, 2012
Shari Roan: Millions of atrial fibrillation sufferers at risk for devastating, but preventable, stroke
Tom Hussain: Pakistan -- recipient of more than $21 billion in civilian and military aid -- speeds pursuit of Iranian pipeline, defying US
David G. Savage: High court signals it won't be loosening TV's 'indecency' rules
Stephen Ceasar: Oklahoma's Islamic law amendment can't go into effect, court rules
January 10, 2012
Reza Kahlili: From an ex-CIA spy: US must exploit new split in Iran's Revolutionary Guard
Karen Kaplan: Study: Nicotine replacement products ineffective when used in real-life situations
January 9, 2012
Michael Doyle: Put through legal hell over dream home, couple fought back hard --- all the way to Supreme Court
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Jewish World Review
Feb. 9, 2006
/ 11 Shevat, 5766
Desperately seeking fiscal prudence in the wilderness that is Washington
By
James Lileks
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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
Hoorah! The new budget has arrived, and it proves Bill Clinton right:
The era of big government is over. The era of REALLY BIG government is just getting started, to be followed eventually by the era of government so big that it blocks out the sun and has its own gravitational field.
Why such prodigality from a self-professed conservative? Well, President Bush, goes the argument, has decided not to argue. Rather than attempt to shave a few billion pounds off Uncle Sugar's Brobdingnagian posterior, he has chosen to use the vast power of the federal government to achieve conservative ends.
Hmm. Well, it's hard to see how the prescription drug benefit advances conservative ideals, unless its baffling and labyrinthine procedures Dr. Minotaur will see you now! are a Rovian plot to poison people's attitudes toward nationalized health insurance. A government that grows to serve the needs of the right is a tool the left can use when it's their turn to muck things up, if such a day ever comes.
This approach fills conservatives with black despair. They want to see vast swaths of the federal budget put down like an old hobbling dog.
The Department of Education, for example, educates no one directly, and parents of both political stripes prefer local control over their schools. But they also want buckets of money skimmed from the general population and poured into their particular school, which is why everyone would squeal if Bush even proposed studying the department's elimination. He wants only stupid kids fit for burger-flipping or cannon fodder!
Who said they were mutually exclusive? Anyway, let no one say the Education Department has emerged unscathed in this budget. Check its Web site, ed.gov.
On the one hand, "discretionary appropriations" for education in the fiscal year 2007 budget represent a 5.5 percent cut from '06. On the other other hand, the '06 budget supposedly reflected "one-time costs for Hurricane Katrina relief" apparently they saw the storm coming before anyone else and planned accordingly.
But even with the '07 cut, these appropriations are up $12 billion, or 29 percent, in the Bush years. On the other hand, the '07 budget eliminates 42 programs "deemed ineffective." Well, it recommends elimination. Congress will no doubt find a way to spent a few million to fund junior-high after-school buggy-whip oiling classes.
You can expect the news stories to fasten on that 5.5 percent cut, since the media seem to operate with three unspoken and largely unexamined assumptions: We don't spend enough on education; conservatives don't want to spend anything on education anyway since it leads to godless rational beliefs like "the Earth is round"; and a reduction in the overall rate of increase is tantamount to a reduction in funds.
Really? If you find two $5 bills and lose one, are you $5 ahead or $5 behind? The latter, if you work in Washington.
A reduction in the projected rate of growth is always a cut. Note the headlines about the
'07 proposals: "Bush's $2.77 Trillion Budget Plan Calls for Medicare Cuts," said The New York Times. The Washington Post had the same idea, and graciously upped the budget total: "Bush's $2.8T Budget Proposal Cuts Domestic Programs."
To which Democrats say: But of course. To which Republicans say: If only.
Conservatives will still, for the most part, vote Republican, even if they weep and rend their garments before checking off "R." Why? Because they see Democrats as the ones more likely to tax everything that isn't nailed down, levy "gravity user fees" for things that are, take away private health care, strangle school choice and want SpecOps to get a warrant before sabotaging Iranian nuke factories.
Sure, they may gain only 10 percent more voters instead of 15 percent. But ask any Democrat if that's a cut they could live with.
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
JWR contributor James Lileks is a columnist for the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Comment by clicking here.
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© 2006, James Lileks
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