Or maybe a village of ’em.

Anyway, Bush’s latest political manifesto is out — it’s referred to in some circles as a “budget.” Of course, it’s not that. According to Webster’s Third New International Dictionary, Unabridged, a budget is (among other things):

A statement of the financial position of a sovereign body (as of a nation) for a definite period of time based on detailed estimates of planned or expected expenditures during the period and proposals for financing them.

Bush knows good and well that what he delivered to Congress doesn’t fit this definition. But rather than take the political heat for creating an unworkable spending plan, he wants to dump it on other politicians. He hopes that Democrats will suffer the most, because he believes he’s hacked the crap out of enough social programs to send them all into a revisionary frenzy.

This “budget” includes major cuts in discretionary spending. Social programs such as Medicaid are ailing. Servicemen are wounded: While we’re sending our troops abroad to die for — what was the real reason again? — Bush proposes slashing their already paltry benefits at home. Bush proposes a lower crop yield even for the one welfare program Republicans love more than Democrats: farm subsidies.

It’s enough of a mess to attract Budget Busters from both parties. After all, in addition to Democrats, some key Republican representatives are likely to be slimed as well. And with mid-term elections looming, they’re none too happy.

What I find interesting about the “budget” is how it provides one more piece of evidence for thinking that America has somehow been drugged. In spite of what we’ve been told these last five years, it’s not the Left that poses the greatest danger to us, but the LEF — the Lying Evil Fuck — in the Whitehouse.

This plan might as well stand up and shout,

Remember when Bush lied about Weapons of Mass Destruction? Remember in 1978 when he said that Social Security would be bankrupt by 1988? Remember all the other times he contradicted himself, mislead you, or used outright trickery and theft to get what he wanted?

The “budget” itself is further evidence of such trickery. Among Bush’s numerous impossible promises, he has said he will cut the deficit in half. At first blush, some people might think he’s on track. According to the Ledger-Enquirer, republishing a story from the Dallas Morning News,

The projected deficit is $390 billion, down from an estimated $427 billion in the current fiscal year, though analysts pointed out that the administration omitted a number of expenses — military activities in Iraq and Afghanistan, for example. — David Jackson, “Lawmakers balk at Bush’s budget over deficits, program cuts” (February 7, 2005) The Dallas Morning News, via Ledger-Enquirer.com.

Hmmmm…leaving out key expenses. Creative bookkeeping. Worked for Enron!

Ironically, while the proposed deficit has been lowered by this magnificent fable (I really can’t call it a budget anymore), federal discretionary spending under the Bush Administration has grown 27 percent per year. That’s much faster than it did under so-called “Tax and Spend” Democrats lead by the Clinton Administration. Talk about your Weapons of Mass Deception!

What really stuck out for me was what I noted above: Bush’s proposal is tantamount to a confession that he is a consummate liar. Back when he twisted arms over Medicare drug benefits, he told everyone it was going to cost $400 billion. Even at that time, there was evidence that this was a deliberate falsehood. Remember the stories that said the Whitehouse had warned Medicare’s chief actuary not to tell Congress that the real cost would be significantly higher? He was warned “the consequences for insubordination are extremely severe.”

Brawling with other nations, lying to the American public and allies, cheating at the polls, stealing elections and cover-ups over excessive spending on drugs.

I’m tellin’ ya: It takes an addict. But we don’t have to promote a village of them. You can make a difference. All it takes is shaking off the effects of your own election hang-over. Get out your pen, your pencil, your old typewriter, or your computer and WRITE YOUR CONGRESSIONAL REPRESENTATIVES TODAY!