Indecent Proposal

America's budget is more than a blizzard of incomprehensible numbers. Our values are reflected in its priorities: It is a statement of what kind of nation we are and what we hope to be. By that standard, George W. Bush's budget is a shamefully indecent proposal. It violates common morality and common sense. It mortgages our future while burdening the vulnerable and protecting the privileged. It should be discarded with the contempt it deserves.

Bush presents the budget and its sacrifices as vital "fiscal discipline" to begin closing the yawning deficits. But where did those deficits come from, and who will pay the cost?

America now spends almost as much as the rest of the world combined on its military; the Pentagon's budget is larger than the entire economy of Russia. It is also the largest source of waste, fraud and mismanagement in the federal government. But Bush demands that military spending continue to go up.

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