New Nawlins without new taxes - the sleight of hand begins...

Bush rules out raising taxes to pay for rebuilding along Gulf Coast

It's good to know that Bush will rebuild New Orleans and end poverty without raising taxes. I'd just like to know how he plans to do it. Unfortunately, that information is classified.

At the White House, the chairman of Bush's National Economic Council, Al Hubbard, made clear that Hurricane Katrina recovery costs are "coming from the American taxpayer."

Another top aide, domestic policy adviser Claude Allen, said the administration had not identified any budget cuts to offset the disaster expense, and Bush did not name any either.

All agree that its going to cost billions to reconstruct the Gulf Coast, and Bush is quick to promise that things will be "better than before". Where is he going to get the money? From the same place he's always gotten the money, either from taking from existing programs, or from increasing the national debt.

"You bet it's going to cost money. But I'm confident we can handle it and I'm confident we can handle our other priorities," [Bush] said during a news conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin. "It's going to cost whatever it costs."

So it's either "borrow and spend", or "cut services and spend", as he's done with other social services to pay for his war in Iraq while maintaining his tax cuts for the wealthy.

He can't do this indefinitely. Eventually the heart of America will realize that the only people getting the tax cuts are those who can most afford it, and there will be a rebellion. But in the meantime, the average Joe will continue to foot the bill for Bush's initiatives, and will gladly pay it so they aren't branded "UnAmerican" by the majority spin machine.

Eventually, the majority of Americans will see that we are being taken for a ride, and that the current administration is dedicated to providing the maximum return on investment for those willing to invest in this administration.

It's as simple as that. For those with money, it's a damn good investment to put money into an administration that is willing to give money back to those who keep it in power. That's why Halliburton gets a lucratiive no-bid contract to rebuild both Iraq and New Orleans.

It's also why Bush was able to negate the minimum wage law in the region so that the no-bid contractors can pay less than a living wage to rebuild. It will appear that he rode in on a white horse and saved the region from racism and pestilence.

Or at least that's what he's hoping.

So Bush is going to rebuild the region without raising taxes. How do you think he's going to do that?

If you think he's going to do it without eliminating tax breaks for the wealthy, guess again.

If you think he's going to do it by taking away benefits from the poor he's so vocal about helping, you're probably a little more closer to the mark.