$pend $pend $pend

Very aggravated.

The U.S. Senate approved a 2007 budget plan that rejects President George W. Bush's calls to trim Medicare spending, while it boosts federal spending by at least $11 billion more than the administration's request.

The chamber voted 51-49 last night to approve a budget blueprint of about $2.8 trillion that also allows oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The plan omitted procedural protections needed to enact any controversial tax-cut legislation.

"This is a responsible budget,'' said Senator Judd Gregg, a New Hampshire Republican who heads the Budget Committee. "It's not everything I wanted, obviously. But it's a step in the right direction.''

Nearly all Democrats opposed the plan, many saying it would do little to tame the nation's persistent deficits.

"Borrow and spend, that's what this budget represents,'' said Senator Kent Conrad, the top-ranked Democrat on the Budget Committee. "A vote for this budget is a vote for more debt, higher interest rates, a weaker economy.''

So much for fiscal responsibility. Judd G. has got to be smoking something. How can an 11 Billion Dollar increase be a step in the right direction? No cuts reported anywhere. What's next, raising taxes?

The majority of Republicans voted for this, proving that politicians in general love to piss away money.
The majority of Democrats voted against, proving that partisan politics thrives. You can't honestly tell me that if they were in control of the senate that this would have been any more fiscally responsible.

I guess I don't really need that cup of coffee right now.