Boo-Hoo to Will Wynn; Talking to the Reps

News8Austin: President's budget could hurt Austin

Mayor Will Wynn said President Bush's budget cuts could have a devastating affect on Austin.

The mayor said the city could lose $4 million in Community Development Block Grant funds.

The money goes towards creating transitional neighborhoods and affordable housing.

Mayor Wynn wasn't quoted directly in this article, but the Austin Business Journal has more: Wynn denounces proposed community development cuts

"I've been in the position of making difficult budget cuts, and I understand the need to establish a balance, but this is the wrong place to cut," Wynn says. "As a community, we're only as successful as the least fortunate among us."

Mayor Will Wynn has just spit in the face of every single Austinite who has a legitimate job, has a home or apartment, and produces something of value. His distaste for individual accomplishment and desire to see everyone reduced to lowest-common-denominator status is disgraceful, especially since I have no doubt he'd rush to "clarify his statement" should it be challenged to his face in order to weasel his way out of standing hard for something that goes so totally against what America used to symbolize. Does he think I'm - shit - he's no more successful than the bums begging for change every weekend on 6th Street or the homeless sucking up government funds at the ARCH shelter?

Austin's CDBG program is distributing more than $9.5 million this year. Recipients of CDBG funds offer services such as child care, affordable housing and services for the elderly. City officials say that if Bush's proposal is approved by lawmakers, the amount of money given to local CDBG recipients could be cut in half.

© 2005 American City Business Journals Inc.

KXAN: Mayors Questioning New Budget

Under the president's plan, Austin stands to lose half of its community block development grant money - $4 million.

"If we lose a tremendous amount of money in this community, how in the world are we going to make up $4 million that's lost? That's so difficult," Meals on Wheels Executive Director Dan Pruett said.

Austin's elderly population is expected to take the biggest hit.

The Austin Area Urban League helps 600 households a year with emergency home repairs. Many of them are elderly, on social security and disabled.

"They need that money to help with just basic services. Sometimes we see individuals that are in crisis when you have plumbing backing up you don't want that in your home," Austin Area Urban League Interim President Grova Jones said.

The proposed cuts also impact those who don't have a home to call their own.

Austin's Lifeworks program that reaches out to homeless teens is also facing a loss of funding.

"We see hundreds of kids every year make that transition from street life to self sufficiency, but most of them can't do it by themselves. They need a place to live. The $4 million that's spent here in the community through CDBG funds is enormous prevention work for this community," Lifeworks Executive Director Susan McDowell said.

Why would anyone want their lifeline tied to the state? Don't they understand that the foul and shifting winds of politics can change and leave them stranded, dependent on services and funds they never had a right to? It seems like such a dangerous and risky enterprise...until you realize the opposition to cutting those programs can be so fierce as to cower the cutters towards another direction.

In the meantime, those concerned about proposed cuts should contact their U.S. Senator and Representative.

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*opens e-mail program*

Dear Senator John Cornyn, Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, and Representative Lloyd Doggett:

1. President Bush submitted his budget for the new year and I'm concerned. I'm concerned that despite all the hype the Bush Administration has nurtured, promoted, and distributed, the budget doesn't cut enough. The $2.5 trillion-plus in spending he proposes (not including military expenses in Iraq and Afghanistan, among other things) is too high all-around and the cuts too paltry and too few. In fact, to approach a level of even modest improvement, you'd have to grind a chainsaw into the two-thirds of the budget that truly deserve hasty and complete deaths: Social Security and Medicare.

   I am "concerned."

   Show me your wicked representative skills and dance to my tune as I command you to do my bidding! You represent me! Take my desires into account, you bastards! Wade deeply into the federal budget and kill the growth as it passes by your view! Prevent any more metastization! Once the cancer's advance has stopped, engage offensively! Righteously lay waste to That Which Is UnConstitutional! Begin by consulting the CATO Institute, the Heritage Foundation, the American Enterprise Institute, and force the Collective through the limited government strainer!

   And then kill that, too!

With sincerity beyond the bounds of parody,
-Charles Hueter

Posted by Drizzten at February 09, 2005 03:53 PM