A week in Washington ends..

On Friday the snow was beginning to melt.

I was covering an event by The National Women's Law Center on Capitol Hill. Now, maybe to the untrained eye this seems like it wouldn't offer anything too exciting or fascinating. But to a reporter for Free Speech it holds a host of controversies and reveals the hidden agendas and losers in this US administration. As there were few of us there (someone having sent most of the audience to the wrong building and the wrong room) - I got to be in the front row of CSPAN's footage of the affair. So, as usual I had to look totally absorbed, and strikingly intelligent - quite a difficult thing when due to technical difficulties I was having to record the entire thing using a borrowed clamp from the CSPAN sound guy and my Mini Disc kept whirring disconcertingly and loudly as it slowly wheezed its way out of batteries. But nevertheless I was looking as intelligent as I could - the interested part was easy as the whole event turned out to be right up my alley. There's nothing like intelligent women talking about how stupid and short-sighted Bush's policies are to make it right up my street.

Thus, and in dedication to these wonderful women and all the other millions out there who will get screwed over by this year's budget I have decided that this blog will be entirely dedicated to how President Bush's Budget is going to effect women in America ( I am however getting very very tierd - so it may very well be more abrievated than it could be - suffice to say that there are many other ways in which Bush is being bad to women but these are a few).

Some highlights...

1. HEALTHCARE
His first aim is to cut funding for Medicaid (this is medical coverage for those earning almost nothing)

The $60 billion cuts in Medicaid over the next 10years at a time when the state's budget's are already over stretched to breaking point and the number of people elegible for Mediaid is increasing will mean states will be forced to either cut those who are elegible for healthcare or cap services. As 70% of those who receive Medicaid are women this is going to leave millions of women sicker.

2. ADULT EDUCATION
As the number of displaced homeowrkers has increased ( by 39% over the last 10 years) so the number of women having to enter the work force later in life has increased. As 42% of all displaced women were earning below the poverty line in 2003 the need for adult education seems vital. 58% of displaced homemakers had no post secondary training, therefore those who are employed (over 48%) are generally employed in low paying service jobs requiring little or no formal education. Bush's budget will cut funding to adult vocational education prgrams (currently it stands at 1.3billion - this will be eliminated by this budget - the president's intention is to place more money in the high schools in order to extend No Child Left Behind).

3. NUTRITION + HEATING
This budget will also be cutting back on those entitled to Food Stamps - this will mean 300,000 people will lose food stamp assistance, this is at a time when huge numbers of people in the US are undernourished. Energy costs are on the rise, but this Budget will also cut spending by $182 million on Home Heating Assistance (LIHEAP)


The President however will be going ahead with his slew of new tax cuts. These cuts will primarily benefit the wealthiest Americans, this includes a $1 trillion proposol that will make his previous tax cuts permanent. One of these ( implemented by his father called Pep and Peas) is a cut 97% of which will go to those earning $200,000 or above per year. This will be costing the country $200 billion over the next ten years.

This Budget fails to address the incredible budget deficit he has created over the last 4 years, nor does it account for what will be spent on the Iraq war and does not include any of the $3 trillion that will be neccesary to implement the social security reform he hopes to pass soon. This Budget will be voted on over the next two weeks - and hopefully will have some democrats in a fury over the entire thing.

And so the week in Washington ended with melting snow and yet another set of reasons to remember that it is an illusion to think that we naturally progress (whatever that means). Things do not neccesarily get better - indeed - often they get a lot worse.