> "This time it's the turn of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and
the National Science Foundation (NSF) to feel the committee's scalpel with a
proposed 5% cut for each, relative to 2010 spending levels."


Thanks for that point of reference, Peter. I don't have the numbers, but I
would guess these are still higher than 2009 levels.

In most cases when they talk budget "cuts" in Washington, they are talking
about cuts compared with proposed spending levels. If you plan on a 10
percent increase for your agency/department/project, and you only receive
five percent, you shout from the rooftops that you were just slammed with a
budget cut! And most media outlets report it without question.

I looked online for a list of proposed cuts and found this (as of Feb. 9) on
the House Appropriations website:
http://appropriations.house.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=PressReleases.Detail&Pr
essRelease_id=259

Note at bottom the statement: "(All reductions are compared to the
President's fiscal year 2011 request)". And keep in mind that the internal
struggle now between old-line Republicans and the Tea Party faction is about
whether to shoot for 2008 spending levels or go ALL THE WAY BACK to 2006!
You know, when the federal budget deficit was a quaint $250 Billion, as
opposed to about $1.5 Trillion this year.

Eugene Makovec
Missouri

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