The Numbers Game
Or, Who's Counting Besides the OMB?
by Tom Carlson

Sept. 17, 2003 -- NEW YORK (apj.us) -- Republican plans to kill overtime for hundreds of thousands (if not a few million) workers joins other GOP proposals that have given us new insight into what is happening to those of us who aren't wealthy.

"WhistleAss" Bush wants to pay off big business for its support by junking overtime for Joe Sixpack, but the Bush tax cuts have gone out to a lot of millionaires (including himself, of course).

The End of Overtime is a fitting companion to Ketchup as a Vegetable for School Kids, a red-faced monument to the Reagan Administration. That brilliant idea was laughed out of DC and hasn't been heard from since.

Then there's the Contract For (On?) America, the brainchild of Newt Gingrich, Mr. Compassion himself (who so generously gave his wife word of his intention to divorce as she lay dying of cancer). Former New York Mayor Guiliani one-upped him by calling a news conference to announce his own intention to separate.

Which brings us full circle to Mr. Compassionate Conservative himself, George W. Bush, who wants to take away overtime.

Need we point out that he proposes the end of overtime while the government is trying to shut down pharmacies that sell drugs at a discount to the elderly?

Speaking of which, does anyone really think that this administration is going to anything that will upset the drug companies' outrageous prices that Americans have to pay? If there are people holding their breath waiting for equity in that situation, at least they're not getting a lungful of sooted air. Yes, the air is getting worse, too, but that's another story for another (cough, cough!) day.

Then there are children who are being left behind and weren't supposed to be, but their number is growing and we remember that once we could take comfort in numbers.

Bush is asking for 86 billion dollars to start rebuilding Iraq. The Iraq war alone is costing a billion dollars a day. There was once a federal surplus measured in the trillions of dollars; that was just two years ago, and today we face a record deficit.

Which proves there's no comfort in numbers.