Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, February 20, 1995 TAG: 9502210015
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A-6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
This fact of political life sums up, to an awful extent, the politics of budget-cutting in Washington. An affluent senior's benefit? That's an entitlement. A poor kid's lunch program? Now there's an opportunity to save money.
While bipartisanship remains a scarce resource when it comes to cooperating on solutions to other national problems, the parties have forged a cynical alliance of mutually assured obsequiousness to the seniors' lobby.
Democrat or Republican, the lawmaker who dares cross this lobby risks soon becoming a former lawmaker. Acutely aware of this risk, each party tries to paint the other into a budget corner where politicians must squarely face the costs of senior-citizen programs. Each party slithers neatly out of the snare every time.
On this, Newt Gingrich's new paradigm of government devolution fits comfortably into the old. Newsweek reports this week that Gingrich himself, swordsman of the advancing GOP budget-cutting hordes, agreed to take the $500 million allocated annually for senior-citizen food programs off the budget-cutting board.
Still there, however, are federal nutrition programs that pay for needs-based school-lunch programs, school breakfasts and food stamps - all aimed at ensuring that children will be properly nourished in their crucial developmental years.
To be sure, worthy programs such as Meals-on-Wheels and senior-center meals help a vulnerable group of low-income elderly people on fixed incomes, some homebound by their physical fragility. The question is: Are the needs of youngsters - who will fail to grow properly, both physically and mentally, without good nutrition - any less compelling?
Nor, by any means, is this the only evidence of a generation's disproportionate clout.
Nearly $500 billion, a quarter of the federal budget, goes to Social Security and Medicare. This is $500 billion no budget-cutter of either party is apparently willing to touch.
While Gingrich and his band are making mincemeat of school-lunch subsidies for disadvantaged children, Republicans and Democrats are having food fights over which is more committed to protecting the entitlements enjoyed by the elderly, no matter what their health, physical or financial.
President Clinton delivers a budget to Congress that carves nothing off programs for seniors - even pours a little extra gravy on a couple of them - while almost every other federal spending item has been sliced. Let the Republicans choke on it.
The GOP - responding to the administration's 1993 show of bravery in deciding to tax a greater share of Social-Security income for wealthier recipients - makes repeal of that tax-adjustment part of its Contract With America. Here's a big mess of mashed potatoes and peas right back at you, Bill.
Gag.
by CNB