| Bush proposed the most anti-family budget of our time Yesterday, President Bush submitted to the US Congress a draft budget for the 2005 fiscal year, which begins on October 1. Its expenditure portion is equal to $2.4 trillion. In these dry figures, George Bush, who expects to re-occupy the White House in the fall, strives to appear as a leader determined to fight America’s enemies, regardless of any material costs. Bush called the proposed budget necessary to "advance our three highest priority areas" - the war on terror, strengthening the nation's defense capabilities and US economic recovery.
“We are at war,” President Bush wrote in his budget address. -- Our country has begun a long war against terror. And we will bring this war to its inevitable end - the destruction of terrorists." Naturally, during wartime, spending on “non-core” ministries will be reduced (the ministries of agriculture and ecology will be “unlucky” the most). Once again, defense and national security spending is increasing.
Allocations for military purposes will increase by 7% and reach 401.7 billion dollars. This does not count the 40-50 billion needed for the occupation of Afghanistan and Iraq - the Pentagon will request this money additionally. 75 billion is intended for the purchase of new weapons. The US defense is facing total modernization. And it will affect both the equipment of a simple infantryman, necessary for clearing occupied territories ($3.2 billion), and global missile defense (BMD). For the first time, the US budget includes funds for the deployment of missile defense forces. By the fall of this year, the first missiles will be put on combat duty, intended, as explained, to intercept missiles from North Korea. By December 2005, the United States will have 20 interceptor missiles at Fort Greel in Alaska and Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The new budget allocated $10.2 billion (an increase of $1.2 billion) for the development of missile defense. $30 billion is allocated for the fight against terrorism. The Department of Homeland Security spends part of this money on “color-coded” alerts to America about the level of terrorist threat.
To “recover the economy” in the election year, Bush promises to reduce the current record budget deficit by a third, from $521 to $364 billion. According to the president, the growth of the country’s economy will help do this. According to the budgeted forecast, in 2004 it will be 4.4% (in 2003 the US economy grew by 3.1%). “This is the most anti-family, anti-worker, anti-health care, anti-education budget of our time,” Democratic Senator Edward Kennedy called Bush's proposal. Andrey ZLOBIN |
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