With an historically low approval rating of 13 percent, the 111th Congress shows its contempt for Americans, and last November's voters, by foisting a 1,924-page, $1.2 trillion omnibus spending bill while its members are trying to get out of Dodge.
From today's Wall Street Journal:
"Democrats have had 11 months to write a budget for fiscal 2011, which began on October 1. But Majority Leader Harry Reid and Appropriations Chairman Daniel Inouye have dumped this trillion-dollar baby on Senators at the very last minute, when everyone is busy and wants to go home for the holidays. No doubt that was the plan. The continuing resolution to fund the government expires on Saturday, so Mr. Reid wants to squeeze Senators against the deadline. And with the press corps preoccupied by the tax debate, the spending bill is greased to slide through with little or no public scrutiny.
"Defenders argue that the bill is restrained because it freezes overall spending for federal agencies at 2010 levels. But 2010 was an inflated budget with a $1.3 trillion deficit. Paul Ryan, soon to be House Budget Chairman, notes that nondefense discretionary spending rose 24% over those two years. Add stimulus funding and federal agency spending soared to $796 billion in 2010 from $434 billion, an 84% spending increase. Republicans have promised to return to 2008 spending levels, and the omnibus will make that much harder."Senator Bernie Sanders led an unsuccessful eight-hour filibuster last week to block a two-year extension of the current tax cuts. Greed?
How about spending?
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