Huh!? No Place Left to Cut...

The Washington Times reports, “House Majority Leader Tom DeLay said yesterday that Republicans have done so well in cutting spending that he declared an "ongoing victory," and said there is simply no fat left to cut in the federal budget”. Who is he kidding? Congress has spent money like a drunken sailor and now DeLay says there is no place left to cut? How about starting with that outrageous pork filled transportation bill?

Mr. DeLay was defending Republicans' choice to borrow money and add to this year's expected $331 billion deficit to pay for Hurricane Katrina relief. Some Republicans have said Congress should make cuts in other areas, but Mr. DeLay said that doesn't seem possible.

Asked if that meant the government was running at peak efficiency, Mr. DeLay said, "Yes, after 11 years of Republican majority we've pared it down pretty good." I would hate to see what it would be like if the Democrats had been running the show during this time. 11 years ago the Republicans made a “Contract with America”, which was like every thing politicains promise. Empty. We elected Republicans to stop the hemorrhaging of money from Washington.

American Conservative Union Chairman David A. Keene said federal spending already was "spiraling out of control" before Katrina, and conservatives are "increasingly losing faith in the president and the Republican leadership in Congress." "Excluding military and homeland security, American taxpayers have witnessed the largest spending increase under any preceding president and Congress since the Great Depression," he said.

Tom Schatz, president of Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW), said if Mr. DeLay wants to know where to cut, "there are plenty of places to reduce." His group soon will release a list of $2 trillion in suggested spending cuts over the next five years, and he said Congress also could cut the estimated $20 billion to $25 billion in pet projects that make their way into must-pass spending bills each year.

I doubt they will listen to either of these groups because Congress is drunk with power. The last 5 years have been very hard on the American budget in so many ways. 9/11, Wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, 4 terrible hurricanes in Florida in 1 month and now New Orleans and the Gulf Coast. We need Congress to control the spending and act in a responsible manner and not make outrageous claims…