Bush Bite #2 - 15 Sep 2004
Homeland Insecurity
Plenty has been written about homeland security prior to 9/11. But what has Bush done for homeland security since then?
Sadly, the shiny new Homeland Security Department has had to play second-fiddle to Bush's main priorities: Iraq, tax-cuts for the rich and smashing labor unions.
Once the Department of Homeland Security became a retrospective necessity, Bush held up the formation of the department until the 200,000 involved workers were stripped of their union rights.
Bush announced a $20 billion budget for the DHS but it was Republicans, in fact, who came up with estimated annual funding needs of $300 million for critical homeland security improvements. All requests were denied.
Bush vetoed a $5.1 billion homeland spending bill in 2002, which included $340 million for fire departments. Bush promised $3.5 billion to help states train first responders, but took most of the funds from existing programs with the same purposes.
After the Republicans took Congress in 2002, Bush received another $10 billion in homeland spending cuts.
The air marshal program of the Transportation Security Administration was forced to cut $104 million in its budget in 2003, to help pay for the $2.5 trillion in tax cuts for the rich.
Bush's 2004 budget included $41 billion on homeland security and $100 billion in further tax cuts.
Of the money that actually has been apportioned on homeland security, no state has received more per capita than prime terrorist target Wyoming... Dick Cheney's home.
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