OPINION/COMMENTARY

2006 Federal Budget and Unmentioned Growth in Federal Grants

The President’s Proposed 2006 Budget has just been released. The President has predicted a “tight” budget to decrease the large deficit in the midst of the Iraq reconstruction and the tax cuts of recent years. The following news release of 2006 Budget highlights is meant to disarm those to whom any decrease in the rate of growth of their pet programs is a “cut in the program” and therefore something to be fought tooth and nail. In this news release, the President is attempting to stress that he is not “against the environment” because he is increasing certain “environmental” items. While futilely trying to assuage environmentalists, the release gives us a peek at a little-noticed and disturbing trend. The thing I wish to bring to your attention is that this list of favored increases for the entire Department of the Interior emphasizes conservation grants. Such grants are open-ended efforts that can be used or misused depending on the appointees or bureaucrats of the moment. Whether or not you have faith in this President and his appointees is not the point. The point is that these Grant programs are growing even in these “tight” times, and this years’ amounts are the “base” for next years and so on down the line. These grants are the lifeblood of the growing Federal control over our natural environment and those of us that use it directly....