Money, whats it to ya?

To the White House it must be growing on trees 'cause they sure are spending it faster then they can print it (well, maybe not that fast, it is just a figure of speech). According to an AP wire:

The White House will project that this year's federal deficit will hit $427 billion

$427 Billion. BILLION. Or let me rephase: $427,000,000,000.00 But according to this fellow at the Cato Institute the deficit isn't anything to worry about. Well, how 'bout the National Debt? According to the U.S. National Debt Clock FAQ:

On January 15th 2004, the Outstanding Public Debt jumped $13 billion to $7,001,852,607,623.35. This was the first time in history the U.S. National Debt surpassed the $7 trillion mark and came less than two years after the Debt first passed $6 trillion.

::sigh::

Sure thing Cato fellow. The deficit isn't anything to worry 'bout you say, but what 'bout this $7 Trillion debt? That can't be a good thing. And common sense says that if you have a budget deficit, then the debt is going to go up. If you run a budget surplus, then you can use some of that to pay off the debt. Tax breaks are nice, tax refunds are even nicer, but what about paying off this debt?

Or better yet, spend less money on crap we really don't need. Just ask the Citizen's Against Government Waste people:

The Grace Commission made 2,478 recommendations which, if implemented, would save $424.4 billion over three years, an average of $141.5 billion a year all without eliminating essential services.

I'm all for a pruned down, slim government. None of this bloated, wasteful, pork belly (nothing against pigs, good ole Wilbur) back scratching good ole boy (and sometimes girl) antics. Bush may label himself a conservative, but his spending is pure Democrat. gah!