Operation Offset

It seems that the Conservative Agenda has, in fact, discovered some fat that can be trimmed to aid in the Katrina relief effort, despite Delay's assertions that there's nothing more that can be cut:

At the top of a partial list of the potential cuts being circulated on Tuesday were previously suggested ideas like delaying the start of the new Medicare prescription drug coverage for one year to save $31 billion and eliminating $25 billion in projects from the newly enacted transportation measure.

The list also proposed eliminating the Moon-Mars initiative that NASA announced on Monday, for $44 billion in savings; ending support for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, $4 billion; cutting taxpayer payments for the national political conventions and the presidential election campaign fund, $600 million; and charging federal employees for parking, $1.54 billion.

"What House conservatives will demonstrate through Operation Offset is that there is more than enough room in the federal budget to provide for the needs of the families affected by Katrina without raising taxes," said a House Republican aide who is working with lawmakers on the proposals and who insisted on anonymity because the package would not be made public until Wednesday.

This is an incredible list. This has absolutely nothing with financing the drastic issue of Katrina relief, and it's incredible that some of these things are on the list. They want to end prescription benefits and CPB funding- stalwarts of the conservative agenda. When, in fact, the elective war that they've pushed this whole country in would finance Katrina relief itself- ending the war ends that drain of funds.

As Kos mentions, the sheer fact that the Conservatives are more willing to put important American programs on the line for Katrina relief, and not sacrifice anything [or even realize that a sacrifice is needed] for their Invasion, is disgusting.

Katrina- yet another reason that the Conservative Ideology can shit all over this country while pretending to care about it.

The problem with this is that America is simply getting walked all over in a time of Tragedy. AGAIN. We have GOT to assert our needs, our desires. We have got to say that given the choice between a 2-war, one disaster period where solving any of the three is doomed, and pursuing a 0-war, one disaster period where we can absolutely solve the needs of Americans, we demand the second. We demand accountability. We demand that liberalist values of compassion, understanding, and cooperation be extened to Americans for once. We absolutely demand it.