Post by Alexander Shackleton on Dec 7, 2005 17:16:06 GMT -5
Shackleton Decries "Immoral" Cuts to Medicare
Senator Alexander Shackleton responded to the President's new budget today, decrying "immoral" cuts to Medicare, agriculture, and "crippling" cuts to international affairs, while praising the President for investing in education and reducing corporate tax breaks. In a press conference with reporters from Washington, Shackleton made his stand.
"This President has shown his contempt for the most vulnerable, contempt for common Americans who work hard, Americans who play by the rules. By cutting nearly 350 billion dollars from the Medicare budget, President Warder has endangered the health of millions of seniors all across this country who look to Medicare for affordable medicine and dignity in retirement - not to mention the generations of Americans who will not have access to the program. Sensible cuts in a reasonable fashion are acceptable, especially in a time of war, but this President has gone too far in all but abolishing a fundamental social program in our American system, and dooming it to bankruptcy.
No wonder he doesn't want guest workers accessing America's social programs - he doesn't even want them to exist!
Not only is President Warder neglectful of our nation's seniors, but he has shown utter contempt for the farmers of this country by proposing a 70% cut in agricultural funding. Like a vast majority of Americans, I oppose agricultural subsidies going to big farming companies and corporate welfare, but I will never acquiesce to this extremist plan to pull our family farmers' "safety net" from underneath them, with little warning and all at once. A 70% cut is beyond the pale, and our country's family farmer's deserve better.
While I was pleased to see the President make a commitment to education, I was also shocked to see the President cut funding for international affairs 50%! I don't see the benefits here. Saving only fifteen billion dollars, the President has crippled our ability to conduct foreign affairs, be involved in the international community, and help promote prosperity and democracy throughout the world - a policy contradictory to our long-term interests in the War on Terror. While the President has committed billions more dollars to the War in Iraq, President Warder has ignored the other pressing matters which our nation must face around the world, and we cannot allow this outrageous budget slashing to undercut our efforts abroad.
President Warder has shown himself unfit to lead. His fantasy budget redirects vital assistance to our seniors, farmers, and efforts around the world into pet projects and tax benefits, with no leadership or direction. If we're to have any guise of fiscal and social responsibility as a Congress, we'll reject it, and we'll send a message to the President that the most vulnerable Americans are not for sale."
Senator Alexander Shackleton responded to the President's new budget today, decrying "immoral" cuts to Medicare, agriculture, and "crippling" cuts to international affairs, while praising the President for investing in education and reducing corporate tax breaks. In a press conference with reporters from Washington, Shackleton made his stand.
"This President has shown his contempt for the most vulnerable, contempt for common Americans who work hard, Americans who play by the rules. By cutting nearly 350 billion dollars from the Medicare budget, President Warder has endangered the health of millions of seniors all across this country who look to Medicare for affordable medicine and dignity in retirement - not to mention the generations of Americans who will not have access to the program. Sensible cuts in a reasonable fashion are acceptable, especially in a time of war, but this President has gone too far in all but abolishing a fundamental social program in our American system, and dooming it to bankruptcy.
No wonder he doesn't want guest workers accessing America's social programs - he doesn't even want them to exist!
Not only is President Warder neglectful of our nation's seniors, but he has shown utter contempt for the farmers of this country by proposing a 70% cut in agricultural funding. Like a vast majority of Americans, I oppose agricultural subsidies going to big farming companies and corporate welfare, but I will never acquiesce to this extremist plan to pull our family farmers' "safety net" from underneath them, with little warning and all at once. A 70% cut is beyond the pale, and our country's family farmer's deserve better.
While I was pleased to see the President make a commitment to education, I was also shocked to see the President cut funding for international affairs 50%! I don't see the benefits here. Saving only fifteen billion dollars, the President has crippled our ability to conduct foreign affairs, be involved in the international community, and help promote prosperity and democracy throughout the world - a policy contradictory to our long-term interests in the War on Terror. While the President has committed billions more dollars to the War in Iraq, President Warder has ignored the other pressing matters which our nation must face around the world, and we cannot allow this outrageous budget slashing to undercut our efforts abroad.
President Warder has shown himself unfit to lead. His fantasy budget redirects vital assistance to our seniors, farmers, and efforts around the world into pet projects and tax benefits, with no leadership or direction. If we're to have any guise of fiscal and social responsibility as a Congress, we'll reject it, and we'll send a message to the President that the most vulnerable Americans are not for sale."