I’ve recovered somewhat from the funk the Bush budget threw me into, moving up to a steady state of nausea. A finer hash of spend now and airily project future growth to get us out of trouble later you couldn’t ask for. Total discretionary spending up nearly 4%. Gag me with a truckload of our tax dollars. And if growing government and spending hand over fist wasn’t bad enough, it masks the culmination of some of the good stuff Bush has done, alas in the small-time, low-key zone. His budget does cut a pitiful $1billion in programs, cuts aimed at programs that have failed to show they do us much good. Election year pandering combined with too many big government sentiments have swamped Bush’s pioneering efforts to actually measure the performance of federal programs and cut the ones that don’t work. What a waste. Of opportunity. Of my money. Of your money.