FROM THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF BERKELEY – AT 8:09 A.M. ET:  The Washington Examiner reports that "progressive" Democrats in the House are about to release their own "budget," one that exists somewhere between Disney World and the land of Oz.  Naturally, it's called "the people's budget."  Everything on the left is always "the people's," until it's not.  

The progressives’ alternative, dubbed “The People’s Budget,” promises to reduce the debt and return the nation to surpluses with a combination of massive tax increases and defense cuts. I believe that the proposals outlined below would do tremendous harm to national security and the economy. Its goal for revenue as a percentage of the economy – 22.3 percent – would represent the highest rate of taxation in American history (see PDF). While that sort of revenue model may work on paper, in reality, given the economic disincentives it creates as well as the likelihood of increased tax avoidance, it would ultimately be fiscally unworkable.

Now, here is an extract from the "progressive" budget memo, dealing with defense cuts:

Defense savings

1. End overseas contingency operations emergency supplementals starting in 2013, providing $170 billion in FY2012 funding for withdrawal

2. Reduce baseline Defense spending by reducing strategic capabilities, conventional forces, procurement, and R&D programs

COMMENT:  You know, for years I've been saying that the "progressive" Democrats don't even believe in national defense, and I think that extract proves it.  They want to end "overseas contingency operations" budgets, meaning, essentially, no major anti-terror operations overseas.  Oh, I should explain:  On the progressive left, anti-terror actions are called "overseas contingency operations."

And get point 2:  The "progressives" actually use the term "reducing strategic capabilities."  In other words, they want to reduce our ability to defend ourselves, and aren't ashamed to say so.  They really believe most of the problems in the world are our fault, and that we must cleanse ourselves by withdrawing.  These are the same activists – and the same kind of activists – who whined about "the people of Vietnam" during the Vietnam War, then turned their backs during the Cambodian genocide. 

I don't think a "progressive" budget has much of a chance to get through, unless the GOP totally collapses in 2012.  But it's interesting to see what that crowd, much of it led by the California Democratic delegation, really believes.

April 8, 2011