Sunday, February 6, 2005

THE CON IN NEO-CON NY Times: "President Bush's budget for 2006 cuts spending for a wide range of public health programs, including several to protect the nation against bioterrorist attacks and to respond to medical emergencies, budget documents show. Faced with constraints on spending caused by record budget deficits and the demands of the war in Iraq, administration officials said on Friday that they had increased the budget for some health programs but cut many others, including some that address urgent health care needs. The documents show, for example, that Mr. Bush would cut spending for several programs that deal with epidemics, chronic diseases and obesity. His plan would also cut the budget of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention by 9 percent, to $6.9 billion, the documents show." NY Times: "President Bush will seek deep cuts in farm and commodity programs in his new budget and in a major policy shift will propose overall limits on subsidy payments to farmers, administration officials said Saturday. Such limits would help reduce the federal budget deficit and would inject market forces into the farm economy, the officials said. The proposal puts Mr. Bush at odds with some of his most ardent supporters in the rural South, including cotton and rice growers in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana and Mississippi." Guardian: "Newly discovered tapes have revealed how the energy corporation Enron shut down at least one power plant on false pretences, deliberately aggravating California's crippling 2001 blackouts with the aim of raising prices. The most damning revelations concern Enron's secret role in creating artificial power shortages in California, helping to trigger an energy crisis in 2000 and 2001 which cost residents billions of dollars in surcharges. The crisis ultimately led to the ousting of the state's Democratic governor, Gray Davis, and paved the way for rise of Arnold Schwarzenegger in his place. Meanwhile, the shortages helped Enron to make $1.6bn (£850m)." NewsDissector: "The United States Senate confirmed Bush nominee and long time friend and adviser, Alberto Gonzales as the next Attorney General. The vote: 60-26 with 6 Democrats voting Yea. He was then sworn in. Al Jazeera notes he won nomination 'but with the second highest ever number of votes against a successful nominee for the post'. (The Democrats who voted for Gonzales: Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut, Ken Salazar of Colorado, Mary Landrieu of Louisiana, Bill Nelson of Florida, Ben Nelson of Nebraska and Mark Pryor of Arkansas. Did any of you see Bush giving Lieberman a kiss just before the State of the Union Address? Yuk.)" You can watch the kiss in an artistic remix (see also picture). 1:42:33 PM

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