[alwaysconservative]

He mentioned one interesting statistic: under Clinton, non-defense discretionary spending was increasing at an annual rate of 15%. Pres. Bush brought it down to 6% in his first budget, 5% in his second budget, and now to 2%.

Worth repeating for those who claim that Bush is a big spender.

[meenie]

Does the Medicare prescription drug benefit fit the 2% or is it off budget? Also the 87 billion emergency Iraq spending should be considered a part of discretionary spending. It is hard to convince me that Bush is a small time spender.

[inquest]

What exactly is "discretionary" spending?