Leave It to Cleaver

It to Cleaver Bush and Congress take the easy way out in budget cutting

Sequestration is the last resort of national politicians unwilling to cut government spending in much the same way that patriotism is called the last refuge of scoundrels. The obscure word, which looks like a refugee from a crossword puzzle, means seizure, and that is what happened last week. President Bush directed all federal agencies to meet the budget-deficit- reduction targets specified by the Gramm-Rudman-Hollings law by imposing $16.1 billion in across-the-board spending cuts. Worthy domestic-spending programs such as subsidized housing were cut the same 5.3% as pork-barrel projects like the Agricultural Extension Service. Under sequestration, the Defense Department faces a 4.3%...

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