The president says he will not raise taxes to keep his promise to cut the deficit. So what will take a hit? Medicare and Medicaid look likely.
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By Joel Havemann, Times Staff Writer
WASHINGTON «É†For years, government has been about singling out winners for favored treatment in spending and tax policy. That era is about to end «É†and the change could be painful.
The 20 candidates didn't win Senate approval the first time. Democrats inclined to block them with filibusters are now facing a stronger GOP.
By Richard B. Schmitt and Nick Anderson, Times Staff Writers
WASHINGTON «É†President Bush intends to renominate to federal judgeships 20 candidates who failed to win Senate approval during his first term, the White House said Thursday.
The announcement, coming before the new Congress convenes next month, drew jeers from Democrats and cheers from Republicans eager to flex their muscles following gains in November.
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Just my luck: I finally get to be a senior citizen only to discover that the president considers my longevity a grave threat to the nation. Apparently, my collecting Social Security checks for as long as I have left on this Earth is going to help bankrupt the economy and/or be an unbearable burden on young Americans.
That's why, after seven decades of unmitigated success in protecting seniors from the vagaries of market forces, the White House now wants to turn Social Security itself over to the vagaries of market forces. The conservative mantra, whether it comes to energy policy, war in Iraq or education, is to siphon public money into the private sector whenever and wherever possible, through such gimmicks as agribusiness subsidies, school vouchers and the hiring of private mercenaries.
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FAWNSKIN, Calif. «É†Biologist Robin Eliason has been a model employee of the U.S. Forest Service since 1989, winning a certificate of merit every year and establishing a reputation as the government's expert on bald eagles in the San Bernardino National Forest.
But now Eliason, her husband, Scott, a Forest Service botanist, and their boss, San Bernardino National Forest Supervisor Gene Zimmerman, have had to hire their own attorney to defend them in a lawsuit accusing them of racketeering.