Good to see the moderates in the Senate cut all that wasteful spending out of the stimulus:
The biggest cut, roughly $40 billion in aid to states, was likely to spur a fierce fight in negotiations with the House over the final bill. Many states, hit hard by the recession, face wrenching cuts in services and layoffs of public employees as they struggle to comply with laws requiring them to balance their budgets. ...
In addition to the large cut in state aid, the Senate agreement would cut nearly $20 billion proposed for school construction; $8 billion to refurbish federal buildings and make them more energy efficient; $1 billion for the early childhood program Head Start; and $2 billion from a plan to expand broadband data networks in rural and underserved areas.
What a relief that those fat-cats in bankrupt states and crumbling schools won't be shaking the rest of us down--not this time.
I wonder why they didn't just cut the tens of billions of dollars slated to be spent on contraceptives...
--Noam Scheiber