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Tuesday, February 7, 2006
Federal Budget: Juicing the region
The Pacific Northwest got a jolting reminder Monday of what passes for budgeting in the Bush administration.
If the president has his way, the region will have to pay more for electricity. The proposed increase in Bonneville Power Administration rates would hit some utilities harder than others. But we would all likely feel the effects from taking nearly $1 billion from Northwest families and businesses over 10 years to make a minor difference in the federal Treasury.
The giant groveling sound from Washington, D.C., is the White House and the Republican Congress making incantations about saving money and raising revenues, as part of their continuing worship of their most sacred cow: tax cuts. As the Bush-GOP's ever-increasing record budget deficits suggest, the Republicans are mainly talking without exercising an ounce of responsibility toward anyone except maybe their campaign contributors.
The administration's repeated attempts to impose various increases on the BPA signal the White House's willingness to do so, if Congress were to sign off. U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., said she will again fight the latest move, which she described as "nothing more than a billion dollar tax hike on the Northwest economy."
The administration's past failures on the issue indicate the Northwest has a good chance of dodging the latest bullet. But for this White House, just about any budget gimmick is worth trying if it contributes to the greater cause of tax cuts for the wealthy.
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