http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/02/03/national/main3783425.shtml

President Bush on Monday will release a $3 trillion budget for 2009. Here is a look at some of its elements:

DEFICITS: The plan will claim deficits in the $400 billion range for this year and next. For the 2009 budget year covered by the Bush plan, deficits are likely to rise higher than Mr. Bush predicts after additional war costs are added in.

DEFENSE: The Pentagon would get a $35 billion increase to $515 billion for core programs, about 7 percent, with war costs additional. Another $21 billion would go to the Energy Department for nuclear weapons programs. A $70 billion “bridge fund” for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan would give the next president time to consider options, with tens of billions of dollars more needed regardless of any strategy shift.

DOMESTIC APPROPRIATIONS: These would be essentially frozen at current levels, with most services being cut after inflation and population growth are factored in.

HOMELAND SECURITY: Overall, the budget for homeland security programs will increase by almost 11 percent, with a 19 percent increase for border security and immigration enforcement efforts, including new money to secure the border with Mexico.

MEDICARE AND MEDICAID: The programs will see almost $200 billion in cuts over the next five years, about three times the savings proposed last year but rejected by Congress. Much of the savings would come from freezing reimbursement rates for most health care providers for three years and from cutting payments to hospitals serving large numbers of the uninsured poor.

HEALTH: Health and Human Services Department funding would be cut by $2 billion, amounting to a 3 percent reduction. Funding for the National Institutes of Health would be frozen. The Food and Drug Administration would receive a 6 percent boost to $2.4 billion to ramp up food and drug safety efforts.

EDUCATION: Education programs would be frozen at $60 billion, with no increase to keep pace with inflation. Bush is pushing to restore $600 million lawmakers cut from Reading First, which serves low-income children. Title I grants, the main source of federal funding for poor students, would rise about 3 percent. Special education would receive $11.3 billion, a $330 million increase.

Only by the bounty of our natural world and with no such thing as money, can we all become rich.

Look out! Run! Oh, no, sorry. Wait, stop. Oh, no, I was wrong, its coming straight for us, sorry… Run again! Hurry! Oops, hold on, something in my eye… oh, damn it all — Run! Run! Look out! The Terrorists are coming! The Terrorists are coming! Oh, wait, never you mind… stop a second… take a breather… the coast looks clear, guess my gut was wrong.

The above is fiction, for sure. Yet, at the risk of oversimplifying the process of reading a report, and explaining it to the American people, I wonder, do those statements sound like the kind of security advice you’d be willing to pay for? Probably not. But, that is probably because when it comes to security, the last thing anyone really wants is panic — the statements above smack of panic. And panic usually follows ignorance.

Well, the question of whether or not you would pay, friend, is moot to be sure. Because, you do pay so already. You pay for this wonderful service in taxes. Who’s giving us the advice? The Department of Homeland Security. That is right, the part of the government responsible for keeping our country secure, especially from people who want to terrorize us. Its an interesting irony then, how quickly members of our own government, but especially in this department, tend to use Terrorism as a political tool to meet points in their respective agendas — talk about terror — abusing the people who give you power might be the worst kind.

This little tidbit from AP shows Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff commenting about his gut feeling of the safety of our country. This sets a terrible precedent. This is the man tasked with making Americans feel confident about the country because the country is secure — thats what doing his job is all about. His key concern should be that Americans feel safe not panic.

Besides that, no one calls their boss — in this case the American people — to say what Chertoff is saying. Imagine, I might call up my boss and say, “Hey, so, $3,000,000 in the hardware you paid for, might go belly up this summer — I checked with my gut.” And there is a reason for this. I — you — we — would be fired. Not because we’re raising awareness to a problem, but for being aware of such a huge problem and not already involving the right people from jump — for letting the problems pile up.

See, its not my job to raise awareness of problems its my job to solve them — much like Secretary Chertoff. And, when a problem is too big for me, thats when I visit my bosses office. So, is that what Secretary Chertoff is telling us? He can’t secure our country? He can’t do the job? Thats information I’d be willing to “buy.” Because it takes me forward, I know who I do not want handling the problem, at least.

I mean, its only 2007; there have only been a few technological advances (*cough* Google *cough*) in information gathering in the past while. So seriously, the fact that our Secretary of Homeland Security is basing the safety of the free world on his gut feeling shouldn’t be an issue, should it?

Oddly enough, this all comes at the same time as political analysts determine the best bump in the poll numbers for the Republicans would come from announcing potential terrorist attacks in our near future — our President’s approval rating would rise especially — its suggested it would invigorate his base. And, various members of the Republican party have also come forward with this same “gut feeling.” For instance, the comments Rick Santorum recently gave.

I can’t help but believe this is all one big, heaping pile of Mistakes of The Day.

One question is, is it a mistake to listen to Secretary Chertoff’s gut?

I guess when it comes to security intelligence, you can’t have enough sources. So, of course, I’ll take heed. But, if you ruin my summer Mr. Chertoff, I’ll be alright. Its the whole summer session of the market I’m worried about. How exactly does your gut plan to repair the economic impact it just had on America through use of your mouth? I guess we’ll need to call in Vice President Cheney’s shooting hand in for help. All jokes aside, if its not too much trouble, mister Secretary, perhaps next time you might rely on your brain — that goes doubly for the American people.

Are we allowing the terrorists to act transparently through our government? It is certainly a possibility. Consider that the only true tactic of terrorists is creating terror.

A good question about the comments of Secretary Chertoff, and the terror they created, might be: is this intentional or accidental? And another is, is it a mistake to put the country in a position where concern for terrorist threats can be made a plaything for politicians or worse their gut feelings? Worst of all, who will we be able to trust to give us secure information to save our very lives?

These kinds of messages from government officials tend to destroy confidence, refute their own efforts, and can never solve any aspect of the problem, because (especially in this case) they offer up no facts. These kinds of messages are idle apparitions created by people who are looking for security of another kind: job security. And, if they’re not just idle apparitions and we are in danger, then, Secretary Chertoff , and Rick Santorum know something they’re not supposed to.