May 7, 2009

Slashing the Budget

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The Obama administration released its budget today, and among other things it includes $17 billion in program cuts, which, as the Washington Post reminds us, “would amount to only about one-half of 1 percent of the $3.4 trillion federal budget.”  Fair enough, even though I think these exercises are useful anyway.  There’s less room for discretionary spending cuts than people think, but just being willing to admit that some programs don’t work is a worthwhile signal to send regardless of whether or not the dollar amount ends up being huge. Take this, for example:

Educational attaché, Paris, France ($632,000).  The Department of Education can use e-mail, video conferencing, and modest travel to replace a full-time representative to UNESCO in Paris, France.

Seriously?  A single UNESCO rep costs us $632,000?  Does he live at Versailles?  Nice gig if you can get it, I guess.

UPDATE: Matt Yglesias has the official explanation here.

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DECEMBER IS MAKE OR BREAK

A full one-third of our annual fundraising comes in this month alone. That’s risky, because a strong December means our newsroom is on the beat and reporting at full strength—but a weak one means budget cuts and hard choices ahead.

With only days left until December 31, we've raised about half of our $400,000 goal—but we need a huge surge in reader support to close the remaining gap. Whether you've given before or this is your first time, your contribution right now matters.

Managing an independent, nonprofit newsroom is staggeringly hard. There’s no cushion in our budget—no backup revenue, no corporate safety net. We can’t afford to fall short, and we can’t rely on corporations or deep-pocketed interests to fund the fierce, investigative journalism Mother Jones exists to do. That’s why we need you right now. Please chip in to help close the gap.

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