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Politics : PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: steve harris who wrote (426245)	7/13/2003 10:22:54 AM
From: jttmab	Respond to of 769670

I promise I will tell you where the $3 Billion is tomorrow. I'm just too busy to research it at the moment. This might save you a bit of time in your research... Yet Joseph O'Neill, the director of the White House Office of National AIDS Policy, said the administration would be satisfied with AIDS funding at the level of $1.9 billion the White House has requested rather than the $3 billion authorized as part of the five-year, $15 billion program. "In the first year, it's going to take less money to get the job done," the official said. washingtonpost.com But AIDS activists, while applauding Bush's pledge, are skeptical that it will be met. Already, Congress is planning to provide only $2 billion for the project in 2004, instead of the $3 billion originally authorized. Funding would not reach $3 billion until 2006. The Global AIDS Alliance, an advocacy group, said the $15 billion figure will be closer to $12.7 billion after money for non-AIDS diseases such as malaria and tuberculosis is taken out. washingtonpost.com Rep. Jim Kolbe (R-Ariz.), who chairs the foreign operations subcommittee, said he believed the five-year, $15 billion goal can be met. But he said his hands have been tied this year because of an overall $17.1 billion spending ceiling. House GOP leaders set the ceiling, and the White House has not objected to it, a congressional official said. Kolbe told reporters that Bush's upbeat rhetoric had led to misconceptions about the pace of AIDS assistance. "I have to tell you quite candidly that the president compounds the problem by continuing to talk about $3 billion while he's in Africa," Kolbe said. washingtonpost.com Hope that helps. Look forward to hearing from you tomorrow. jttmab

To: steve harris who wrote (426245)	7/13/2003 10:35:26 AM
From: jttmab	Respond to of 769670

...just as an aside as to the importance of AIDS funding....600 people die every day in South Africa...every day...in 5 days you match the loss of life for 9/11. Every 5 days just in South Africa. That's a someone misleading sound bite. The population in South Africa is 43.6 million; while the population in the US 280 million. [CIA World Fact Book] On a percentage of the population basis it would be closer to a "US" equivalent of 4,000 people per day, day in day out. One year ago the sound bite from conservatives was that the AIDS pandemic was a "liberal issue". jttmab

To: steve harris who wrote (426245)	7/13/2003 10:52:08 AM
From: jttmab	Respond to of 769670

One other unrelated piece of information that is interesting in comparison... Bush promised $3b, he only requested $2B and the White House Budget Office would be happy with $2B [recap] But the US cotton industry received $4 Billion last year in farm subsidies, which depressed the prices of cotton undercut world wide. Setting the price of cotton below the cost of production in Africa. You might recall that Bush opposes farm subsidies...though the Administration did increase them by 65%. But that's another story. jttmab