Mood:
suaveTopic: "Clinton Cuts" (7)
Continuing with an (ahem) indepth analysis of the last Presidential Administration to produce a budgetary surplus, Frodo now presents a little Republicant masturbatory magic as he details the cuts to spending proposed by the Clinton Administration as they took control. Following are the program cuts and revisions proposed over five years, or so.
Federal Crop Insurance ($551M)
Economic Research Service ($61M)
Trade Adjustment Assistance Program ($30M)
State Justice Institute ($51M)
Nuclear Reactor Research (None)
Advisory Commissions ($41M)
Rural Electrification ($374M)
Farmers Home Administration ($31M)
Bureau of Export Administration ($27M)
Health Profession Assistance Grants ($87M)
Wastewater Treatment Projects ($4.1B)
Appalachian Regional Commission ($20M)
Community Investment Program ($1.2B)
Tennessee Valley Authority ($188M)
Honey Subsidies ($32M)
Farm Subsidies ($1B)
Wool & Mohair Subsidies ($212M)
Savings from Program Cuts and Revisions, and from elimination of certain selected subsidies (cumulative): $8.005B. There were, of course, many other monetary issues involved, but these were cuts specified ahead of time.
During the Administration of George H.W. Bush (only 4 years, thank God), the deficit was increased by approximately $3Trillion. The proposed spending reductions of the Clinton Administration identified above, represent about 3% of the increase in the deficit produced by the first, and, unfortunately, not the last, of the Bushes. The fact that 8 years later the deficit was actually shrinking is a testament to substantive budgetary responsibility. The elimination of Wool and Mohair subsidies in and of itself, was not enough to turn the ship of state.
President Clinton would remark, after the mid-term elections, that he got the message, and "that the era of Big Government was over."
The Department of Homeland Security however wafted in the wings, and Wool and Mohair became fashionable once again. About $9Trillion was being printed for something called the "Neo-Cons" (for those who have forgotten already, Frodo reminds you that they were the "Tea Party" with only the capacity to diagram sentences to distinguish them therefrom).
