No fat left in the budget!

[E. Blackadder]

I'll admit if this is true, it's the best-kept secret around. Bigger, and better kept than Mark Felt.

Originally Posted by Because some of you don't like the WashTimes

House Majority Leader Tom DeLay said yesterday that Republicans have done so well in cutting spending that he declared an "ongoing victory," and said there is simply no fat left to cut in the federal budget.
Mr. DeLay was defending Republicans' choice to borrow money and add to this year's expected $331 billion deficit to pay for Hurricane Katrina relief. Some Republicans have said Congress should make cuts in other areas, but Mr. DeLay said that doesn't seem possible.
"My answer to those that want to offset the spending is sure, bring me the offsets, I'll be glad to do it. But nobody has been able to come up with any yet," the Texas Republican told reporters at his weekly briefing.
Asked if that meant the government was running at peak efficiency, Mr. DeLay said, "Yes, after 11 years of Republican majority we've pared it down pretty good."
Congress has passed two hurricane relief bills totaling $62.3 billion... [cheap shot omitted]

[EweTupper]

and the GOP majority has just jumped the shark.

Are you making fun of Sen. Delusional, I mean, Delay?

Cuz I didn't even have to get to the second page of the article to find the litany of Republicans and Conservatives who heartily disagree.

[2pac Shakur]

$450billion on military and not a bit of fat. Amazing.
(and that doesn't include Iraq/Afghanistan/Iran/Syria/Venezuela/N. Korea/etc)

How much is being spent on the war on drugs? Not that I'm saying that's fat.

[yankeetripper]

Originally Posted by E. Blackadder

I'll admit if this is true, it's the best-kept secret around. Bigger, and better kept than Mark Felt.

Oh wait now all we need is another round of tax cuts and the federal gov will be so a wash in cash they'll be able to put the fat back in and still reduce the national debt!

[SamTheEagle]

I'm going to use this line on my wife the next time I gain a pound: "There's nothing left to trim!"

[E. Blackadder]

Originally Posted by Titania

Are you making fun of Sen. Delusional, I mean, Delay?

Cuz I didn't even have to get to the second page of the article to find the litany of Republicans and Conservatives who heartily disagree.

DeLay isn't a senator.

Originally Posted by E. Blackadder

DeLay isn't a senator.

My bad.

Did you want to answer to question, though? Cuz I honestly can't tell if you were serious in this one.

[E. Blackadder]

Originally Posted by Titania

My bad.

Did you want to answer to question, though? Cuz I honestly can't tell if you were serious in this one.

In fact, it seems to me unlikely DeLay's statement is accurate, but I'm willing to at least hear him out on specifics. Which... appear to be missing.

It might just be a routine stupid statement by a politician. Such statements are not altogether rare, as the Roberts hearings have demonstrated in abundance.

Still, I'd like to see fewer of them.

Originally Posted by E. Blackadder

In fact, it seems to me unlikely DeLay's statement is accurate, but I'm willing to at least hear him out on specifics. Which... appear to be missing.

It might just be a routine stupid statement by a politician. Such statements are not altogether rare, as the Roberts hearings have demonstrated in abundance.

Still, I'd like to see fewer of them.

Did you read the whole article?

DeLay's opinion appears singular, and it's not even lefties cited in disagreement.

"This is hardly a well-oiled machine," said Rep. Jeff Flake, Arizona Republican. "There's a lot of fat to trim. ... I wonder if we've been serving in the same Congress."
American Conservative Union Chairman David A. Keene said federal spending already was "spiraling out of control" before Katrina, and conservatives are "increasingly losing faith in the president and the Republican leadership in Congress."
"Excluding military and homeland security, American taxpayers have witnessed the largest spending increase under any preceding president and Congress since the Great Depression," he said.
Mr. Keene said annual nonmilitary and non-homeland security spending increased $303 billion between fiscal year 2001 and 2005; the acknowledged federal debt increased more than $2 trillion since fiscal year 2000; and the 2003 Medicare prescription drug bill is estimated to increase the government's unfunded obligations by $16 trillion.
Tom Schatz, president of Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW), said if Mr. DeLay wants to know where to cut, "there are plenty of places to reduce."
His group soon will release a list of $2 trillion in suggested spending cuts over the next five years, and he said Congress also could cut the estimated $20 billion to $25 billion in pet projects that make their way into must-pass spending bills each year.

Maybe I'll get to the second page later...