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Show Wed/Thurs/Fri, February 9-11, 2005 The Park Record Fed. budget may cut subsidies (AP) President George W. Bush sent Congress a $2.57 trillion (euro2 trillion) budget plan Monday that would boost spending on the military and homeland security but seeks spending cuts in other government programs. Bush's budget would reduce subsidies paid to U.S. farmers, cut health payments for poor people and veterans and trim spending on the environment and education. "It is a budget that sets priorities." Bush said after a meeting with his Cabinet. "It's a budget that reduces and eliminates redundancy. It's a budget that's a lean budget." Bush acknowledged that it would be difficult to eliminate popular programs but he said programs must prove their worth. "I look forward to explaining lo the American people why we made some of the requests that we made in our budget," the president told reporters. Bill Democrats immediately branded the budget a "hoax" because it left out the huge future costs for the war in Iraq and Afghanistan and did not include the billions of dollars thai will be needed for Bush's No. I domestic priority, overhauling Social Security. The budget -- the most austere of Bush's presidency -- would eliminate or vastly scale back 150 government programs. It will spark months of contentious debate in Congress, where lawmakers will fight to protect their favored programs. House Democratic Leader Rep. Nancy Pclosi called Bush's budget "a hoax on the American people. r Hie two issues that dominated the president's Stale of the Union address - Iraq and stale pensions -are nowhere lo be found in this budget." Bush's budget does not reflect the costs for his No. 1 domestic priority, overhauling state pensions by allowing younger workers to set up private investment accounts. Aides said since the plan is still being developed, accurate cost estimates could not be made. 'Hie budget also does not include any new spending for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. The administration has said it will seek in coming weeks an additional $80 billion for the cost of operations in Iraq and Afghanistan for this year. The spending document projects that the deficit will hit a record $427 billion (euro330 billion) this year, the third straight year that the red ink in dollar terms has set a record. Bush projects that the deficit will fall to $390 billion (euro301 billion) in 2006 and gradually decline lo $233 billion (eurol80 billion) billion in 2009 and $207 billion *69900 NASA Space Age Visco's Memory Foam. (eurol60 billion) in 2010. Bush's 2006 spending plan, for the budget year that begins next Oct. 1, counts on a healthy economy to boost revenues by 6.1 percent1 to $2.18 trillion. Spending, meanwhile, would grow by 3.5 percent to $2.57 trillion. However, outside defense, homeland security and the government's huge mandatory programs such as pension plans. Bush proposes cutting spending by 0.5 percent, the first such proposed cut since the Reagan administration battled with its own soaring deficits. Of 23 major government agencies, 12 would see their budget authority reduced nexl year, including cuts of 9.6 percent at Agriculture, 5.6 percent at the Environmental Protection Agency, 6.7 percent at Transportation and 11.5 percent at Housing and Urban Development. Any size mattress. Why pay $2000 for Tempurpedic?? ^ M ^ - - Hottest selling mattress. NAK Mattress 466-4602 83 West 3300 S, SLC. UT I'1 alcohol restrictions for military (AP) To make Utah more military-friendly, some state legislators want to repeal laws that prevent soldiers from carrying alcohol they buy on federal military installations from leaving the base. t Pete Knudson. R-Brigham City, is sponsoring a bill lo repeal the restriction on alcohol crossing the federal-state line. The upcomingBase Realignment and Closure procedure set to begin next month has given officials some urgency lo be more accommodating at Hill Air Force Base and other Utah military installations. "You can buy alcohol at the state liquor store and we don't make you drink it before you leave the premises. We don't make them keep their groceries on base," Rep. Stuart Adams, RLayton said. "It's an old law. It ought to be cleaned up." Federal installations are not subject to Utah's laws or taxes. Only active duty, reserve and retired military are allowed to shop at the base commissary, which sells a variety of items. Hill's 15,000 civilian employees do not have the privilege of shopping tax-free. If Knudson's bill passes, people could leave base with two liters of "spirituous liquor or wine" and a case of "heavy" beer, which has a higher alcohol content than that sold in Utah grocery stores. The alcohol for sale on base is available in state liquor stores. In addition to being untaxed. the price of alcohol is traditionally cheaper on base than in the state's liquor stores, said Larry Lunt. chairman of the slate's Alcohol Beverage Control Commission. However, the price differences are not significant- typically a dollar or two on wine, beer and liquor. Capl. Rob Goza. Hill Air Force Base spokesman, said the change would be helpful mostly to those who don't realize they are breaking the law by leaving the base with alcohol. Hatch presses for transportation Rinds Sen. Orrin Hatch. R-Utah. joined 14 senators in writing President George W. Bush to support increasing federal transportation funding to address critical needs throughout the country, especially in Utah. Last Congress, the House and Senate failed to negotiate a compromise on a sixyear transportation reaulhorization bill largely because of disagreements over funding levels. "We are concerned that inadequate levels of investment in our nation's infrastructure will again prevent a multi-year bill from being enacted." Hatch wrote. "We are hopeful that your budget sub- mission in February will reflect a number which will enable our communities to proceed with reaulhorization." Transportation funding is the top priority for the Utah State Legislature this session, with the House of Representatives and Gov. Jon Huntsman calling for a dramatic boost in stale funding to improve roads and mass transit. Transportation officials and business leaders in Utah stress transportation needs are so great that they cannot afford to delay new construction. Currently. Utah receives more than $200 million each year in fed- eral highway funding. Under a bill Hatch negotiated and helped pass in the Senate last Congress, the state would receive nearly $300 million annually - a substantial increase made possible without raiding the general funds or cutting other government programs. "States need a long-term commitment from Congress to fund their projects," Hatch said, explaining his support for the letter to President Bush. "Capital markets turn a deaf ear to projectspecific financing when there is no long-term federal commitment. The temporary extensions Congress has passed have only frustrated Utah's ability to improve 1-15, construct commuter rail and light rail lines, and work on major highway projects throughout the state. "Utah should not have to raise the gas tax or other fees because Congress can't get its act together," Hatch continued. "The president and others in Congress must understand that investing in transportation will have positive, longlasting effects on each and every state. 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