Apparently the government is broke. With the budge deficit and spending are looming, the Congress is trying to slash some expenses. Since Bush has become the President, the Republican is heavily criticized by their own constituents of being a big spender and lack of fiscal discipline.

Ironically, every time I watch the debate between these two parties, if the issue of the size of the federal government or the fiscal policy is raised, I can count on the argument of the Republican that the Democrat is the big and irresponsible spender. This argument is like the mandatory argument that every good Republican has to learn how to say it out loud without shame and thinking.

However, the federal government under Bush has spent money like no tomorrow. He has never vetoed any single bills that his allies from the Republican congress put on his desk.

The Republican- the friend of the big business but are elected by the poor in the backward country- proposes to cut the expenses like student loans, benefit to the veteran and disabled citizen, Medicaid, Medicare. Those cut will cut directly to the poor. Very Few congressmen are willing to give up their porks. The Sen. Ted Stevens, the Republican from Alaska threatened the Senate to resign if his propose: The Bridge to Nowhere: A National Embarrassment was defeated. While the Republican defeated the bill to help the low-income people on emergency heating expenses, Ted Stevens receives $1.5 billion in total cost.

Sad, sad and sad.

Every time when emergency happens, the poor get hit first. Every time when the government wants to cut so-called unnecessary expenses, the welfare for the poor people is almost always got rid of first.

The Bush rewards the rich by tax cuts, the oil industry by tax breaks and the poor by benefit cutting. It seems to me these poor and conservative people who elected the Republican President and the congress are too busy of jamming their heads with issues like abortion and gay rights.

Who cares if most of the people in the country will have less food on the table, no money for their children to the college, no health care for the seniors and children?

When this kind of situation occurs, we always see the true nature of these politicians. They always say they are serving and representing us but when the time of emergency comes, they always leave us bleeding to death.

Tae Athikomvittaya