By Liane Casten

Who does George W. Bush really represent? The wealthy, the powerful, the propertied.

The Guiness Book of World Records 2002 reports: "George W. Bush has assembled the wealthiest cabinet in American history by appointing more multimillionaires to the top rank of his government than any of his predecessors. Of the 16 full cabinet positions at the heart of the Bush administration, 13 are millionaires, 7 of whom own assets worth more than $10 million. His cabinet has acquired the nickname 'Tycoon's Club.' Rumsfield and Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill each have declared assets of at least $61 million while Colin Powell has at least $18.6 million."

The President's budget cuts the Low Income Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) by $300 million nationwide. Sen. Wellstone states that in Minnesota the number of families eligible went up by 110,000 families in these hard economic times while LIHEAP will be cut by $11 million. This is a lifeline program that protects the most vulnerable citizens – a lot of senior citizens and working poor families with children. At the same time, in that energy bill coming over from the House, there will be about $35 billion in tax cuts, mostly benefiting oil companies which made $40 billion in profits last year.

The Pentagon will get more than $343 billion in fiscal year 2002. Over the next 10 years, Bush plans to spend over $3.5 trillion on the military. To cover the increased in Pentagon spending, Bush intends to cut funds in other government departments: Agriculture, Commerce, Energy (non-military), Interior, Justice, Labor Transportation and Environmental Protection.

State governments now have a combined deficit of $25 billion and are anticipating a shortfall of $11.3 billion in education funds in 2002. America is crumbling from within. Spending on Pakistan alone totals $100 million per month. The government is predicted to run a $106 billion deficit this year-while Bush's tax cut for the wealthiest is still on the agenda.

Bush's $2.13 trillion budget for 2003 will draw upon savings from Medicaid and a health-insurance program for low-income children. It also will propose raising money by leasing mineral drilling rights in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, which Congress blocked in 2001.

While shedding little light on specifics, government documents confirm the crunch many programs face next year in Bush's plan to contain a deficit he projects at $80 billion. The figures show that spending for all programs except automatically paid benefits will grow from $688 billion this year to $746 billion next year, or 9%. But while spending for defense and domestic security will skyrocket, spending for everything else will grow by just 2% – less than the inflation rate.

Bush's budget for fiscal year 2003 also proposes the elimination of two programs that offer low-income, rural and other disadvantaged groups a share of information technology: the Technology Opportunities Program (TOP), administered by the Department of Commerce, and the Community Technology Center initiative, administered by the Department of Education. Under the Clinton administration 2001 budget, the program distributed $42 million in grants to 74 different non-profit organizations. In 2002, that number fell to just over $12 million. Now Bush wants to eliminate the program altogether.

The curtains to cover John Ashcroft's naked statues in the Justice Department cost more than what the government gives a person on Supplementary Security Income in one year. A person on SSI who is totally disabled and unable to work may receive a maximum of $545 each month, which is to pay for food, rent, utilities, transportation, clothing, dental, and even some medications not covered by Medicaid. This person may not get more than $6,540 a year, while Ashcroft dishes out $8,000 of taxpayers' money for curtains to protect his sensitivity.

President George W. Bush got $2 million in contributions from Enron and its officers over the years, and numerous administration officials have Enron connections. The mainstream media have focused their attention on these financial connections, but predictably have failed to make the connection between Bush's energy policies and the money that Enron heaped upon the man over the years.

A key decision by the Bush administration was to call off the Clinton-led effort to stop international money-laundering by going after off-shore banks. Money laundering is used by terrorists, drug-traffickers, kleptocratic dictators and tax evaders such as Enron-all friends of the President?

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