July 11, 2006
Bush Spends Billions Creating More Terrorists in Iraq, But Tries to Cut Funding to Domestic Law Enforcement Programs That Actually Save Lives
A BUZZFLASH NEWS ALERT
The Senate Democratic Policy Committee held a hearing yesterday on Bush's proposed budget cuts for law enforcement, which would eliminate both COPS and Byrne grants. These programs have been attributed to the significant drop in crime during the Clinton years, and witnesses at the hearing said previous funding cuts have coincided with recent crime surges since Bush took office.
"Without grants, this police department will not have the resources to combat the ever increasing daily violence on the streets or the ability to assist the citizenry in times of local and national emergencies," said Minneapolis Police Chief Timothy Dolan. Milwaukee Police Deputy Chief agreed, saying, "the reduction of federal grant funds will not only have an adverse impact on local communities, but our nation as a whole."
James Fox, a Criminal Justice professor at Northeastern University, told the committee that it is unfortunate Bush has failed to match his attention on conflicts abroad with more pressing domestic problems, which he called "hometown security." "Many more Americans--mostly poor or working class folks--are murdered each year by local gunfire than were killed on 9/11 by al-Qaeda operatives."
"Compounding the political hypocrisy is the fact that the federal government is asking local police agencies to do more, not less, in the face of a terrorist threat. If anything, the President Bush administration should be increasing local aid to law enforcement, not diminishing it," Fox said.
Click here to read transcripts from the hearing.
A BUZZFLASH NEWS ALERT