Bush budget squeezes cities, states

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

WASHINGTON — The federal budget, for all its bewildering detail, sketches a remarkably clear picture of the priorities of any administration. Congress always puts its own stamp on the fiscal design, but when you have a situation where the same party controls both elected branches, as Republicans do now, the modifications tend to be at the margins.

What the budget released last week shows about the Bush-Republican regime is essentially a very simple story. Financing military operations has taken an increasing share of the federal dollar, with health care and Social Security eating up much of what remains.

The squeeze has been felt by a variety of other domestic programs, but especially — and significantly — by those where Washington is supposed to be a partner of state and local governments.

There's been a lot of attention given — and properly so — to the way Uncle Sam has commandeered National Guard troops from the states for service in Iraq and Afghanistan. But an examination of budget trends shows that Washington has been just as effective in siphoning money from the states and cities to help finance our military obligations.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/opinion/2002797584_broder12.html