No budget since Reagan's heyday is going to be hit with more flak than this one. Ted Kennedy is up in the mountains practicing his infuriated shrieks. Casting calls are already out for the poor victims of any cuts in favored Democratic spending programs.

Little old lady: "If I don't get (fill in social program here) I will surely die! Sometimes they even use the same little old lady for more than one program.

Naturally, the entitlements that eat most of our lunch will be considered beyond reproach. Any possible alternatives will be shouted down. Privatize two percent of Social Security? Bring on the little old lady! "If you privatize two percent of Social Security I will surely die!"

Every piece of "Republicans hate the poor" rhetoric will be hauled out. Every canard repeated endlessly. The economy is improving, the situation in the Middle East is improving, and the budget may be the Democrat's only shot. Can they convince the electorate that the Republicans hate them all?

I found the first big story on this here, from the New York Times. Note that the sniping has already begun. I would be very interested in locating the original release that this seems to be referring to and comparing it to this story. So far, nothing on the OMB website.

It will also be extremely interesting to see if the deficit this year (2004) matches the $450 billion predicted last summer. The $374 billion actual deficit for 2003 was at that time predicted to be $400 - 455 billion.

Be sure that I will be posting original documentation in coming months to combat the stuff filtered through the kidneys of the media.