From the diaries by susanhbu.
Immoral. This budget is yet another example of the poor reaping the consequences of the rich’s decision-making. The Democrats were united against the budget because it cut Medicaid benefits.
Details (with updated vote line-up) below …
Senate Budget Committee Chairman Judd Gregg, R-N.H., said it was a first step toward confronting the “massive problem” of meeting the nation’s defense and domestic spending needs while coping with relentlessly rising baby boomer health and retirement costs. “The president sent us a budget which for the first time in seven years stepped on the sacred ground of trying to address the entitlement costs of the federal budget,” he said.
It was the effort to control spending on the Medicaid health program for the poor — one of the three big entitlement programs, along with Medicare and Social Security — that created the biggest obstacle to agreement on the budget. Medicaid was last cut in 1997.
Democrats and some Republicans, led by Sen. Gordon Smith of Oregon, objected that cuts in projected spending for Medicaid would impose a hardship on states that rely heavily on federal grants to care for the poor.
The vote was 214-211 in the House and 52-47 in the Senate
Update [2005-4-29 9:2:15 by Man Eegee]:
The Senate vote tally can be found here No Democrats voted in favor of the budget.
The House of Representatives vote tally can be found here. No Democrats voted in favor of the budget.
We are the defenders of Social Security, Medicare and other social problems that are important to the people of this country.
As someone who constantly talks with fellow churchgoers, I assure you that this is a big conscience issue. We, as Democrats, need to highlight the fact that we are fighting for the poor. This message will ignite the passion of the Religious Left. It certainly lights my fire enough for me to spread the message to my friends.
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do you know if vote was across party lines?
Would want to know if any, which Democrats gave support for measure.
Oui – Liberté – Egalité – Fraternité
I updated with links to the Roll Call votes for both houses of Congress. Apparently there are a few sane Republicans that sided with the Democrats to protect the poor.
.
Lieberman (D-CT) not voting!
Joined the Dems and nays —
Chafee (R-RI)
DeWine (R-OH)
Jeffords (I-VT)
Voinovich (R-OH)
Oui – Liberté – Egalité – Fraternité
.
It just hit me – both senators from Ohio —
DeWine (R-OH)
Voinovich (R-OH)
especially Voinovich in Bolton hearings, took an independent position and led to postponement for three weeks.
The two senators from Ohio are understanding they need to represent the majority that voted in the state, although their votes weren’t counted!
« GREAT MEN »
Oui – Liberté – Egalité – Fraternité
I noticed that too. Maybe George “Pied Piper” Bush lost his magic touch and the rats are starting to scatter.
The time in which we live, has turned from scary, to just plain sad.
I thought we got rid of Newt several years ago, instead the SOB went and mutiplied, and now we’re suffering under the rule of “his” baby boomers. (meant in terms of his types, and they’re lowering the boom on America)
It really makes me want to take the gloves off, and fight…nuff said.
I’ve been stepping up the rants to my friends, some of which voted for this joker. I hope the Republicans pay dearly for it in 2006 with the Congressional elections.
absolutely, and pay through their ass’ so to speak, hit them in the wallet, where it really counts. ; )
A good friend of mine, in her 70s can be quite blunt. She feels this America no longer needs her, she has become a burden to America; bush-league style. Do realize this is much bigger than bush. To expand, this America does not need the aged, the poor, the handicapped, the uppity(dissenters). Who will they come for next ?? The thinkers?, the middle class?, the upper middle class? You? Me? When is enough, ENOUGH. Time to drop the gloves, and discuss the status of America, with the Elite. EtJ
Medicaid is already impacting state budgets as governors and legislatures struggle to meet their obligations. The new budget transfers more tax money away from the states to cover a worthless war, tax cuts for the rich, subsidies for airlines, banks, and other corporate powers.
Local people will find even more cuts in the vital services that directly affect them: transportation, health care, pollution control, school funding, infrastructure maintenance, and on and on. Is this really what people voted for in Ohio and Missouri and West Virginia? We need to point out that Bush and the GOP have built a federal monstrosity by ruining state and local government.
My pal Ken in Connecticut posted this on a list today:
Reading a news article by the Washington Post’s
Jonathan Weisman, and delving into the details of this
budget, it continues reducing taxes further for the
fatcats (aka fatasses) while permitting the gross tax
cuts catering to the richest Americans to be renewed.
At the same time further cuts, now cutting even closer
to the bone, makes the future even bleaker for the
havenots, the havelittles, and all the way up into the
middle class. And we also read that the corporate
ripoff of Alaska’s North Slope will also occur,
playing havoc with Arctic wildlife and indigenous
folks who’ve inhabited that area and depended on the
caribou from early times. It isn’t enough that
indifference to causing drastic climate change has
already played havoc with their land and will
increasingly do so. This includes their very health
thanks to environmental pollutants that settle
heaviest in the far north.
Now, I am more than merely interested in how the
nominally ‘loyal opposition’ Senators and Congressman,
yup, those Democrats in Congress, voted and spoke out
on this budget. Can any grouptalkers supply sources to
check as to the individual votes of our reps were
cast? Above all I’m intent on how DINO (Dem In Name
Only) Bush-Lite Lieberman voted. And Dodd for that
matter. Any Democrat who waffled on this grotesquely
askew budget accord should get extra special attention
in contesting his/her return to office. Clearly such
reps are doing the corporate/fat cats business, and
thumbing their noses at the voters and majority of the
American public. They will have oked the topdown
plutocratic corporate classwarfare against the working
class and even the middle class.
Ken
This just arrived in my e-mail. The SUBJECT alone says it all:
From: progress@americanprogressaction.org
Subject: Talking Points: The Largest Benefit Cuts in U.S. History
Talking Points
I’m glad you called it what it is… immoral. In addition to taking our country/world back, we need to take our language back… morality covers more than just sex, unlike what some would have people believe.
I definitely think highlighting the immorality of this budget and other programs will work to our advantage, because most Americans, whatever else to they believe, like to believe themselves as “fair”, and giving the little guy a break (especially if they are the little guy). This congress believes nothing of the sort though.