Pig Spenders' Next Attack

Thought that some spending restraint was occuring on Capitol Hill? You're right.

But the Pig Party's already working on next year, led by the utterly shameless Sen. Stevens (Pig-Alaska) and his cohort, "Scotty" Specter (Pig-Pa.)

Sen. Ted Stevens (R.-Alaska), chairman of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, broadcast his intention to strip up to $9 billion out of the 2007 Pentagon budget and redirect it to dozens of social programs. If this appears outlandish during wartime, bear in mind that this is not the first time Stevens and his sidekick, Sen. Arlen Specter (R.-Penn.), have resorted to this shameful strategy to evade spending limits. First, they ignore veto threats and shift billions in Pentagon funding to already sated social programs. Then, desperate Pentagon officials submit "emergency" budget requests, asking Congress to make good on the manufactured shortfall. Bloated social welfare programs benefit at the expense of the troops, who suffer from the uncertainty and disruption that result.

Neat trick, eh? Screw the Pentagon, piss away the money, and then force "emergency" appropriations downtrack. Since most voters don't pay attention, it usually works very well. And as an added bonus, when the "emergency" spending request comes up--it's the Pentagon's fault!!

Of course, anyone pulling this crap at a publicly-held corporate entity would eventually go to jail, instead of retiring on a fat Government pension, with benefits.