A child's rein

The Orange County Register reminds me of Chucky from Child's Play: small, mean, and selfish. Here's their smug, condescending take on John Edwards at the California Democratic Convention:

Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards, the former U.S. senator from North Carolina, committed the common Democratic faux pas at the California Democratic Convention in San Diego over the weekend. He decided to be forthright and call not just for the repeal of the "Bush tax cuts," but for considering a general and large tax increase, on – who else? – the wealthy and corporations.

"It's just the truth," Mr. Edwards said. "It's the only way to fund the things that need to be done."

Given that Mr. Edwards is proposing a universal health care plan that could cost, by initial estimates, up to $120 billion a year (and government estimates of spending programs always are woefully low), he is right that something would need to give to find dollars to pay for more of this Nanny State socialism.

Right. According to Bloomberg:

Minutes after the vote, congressional leaders met with Bush at the White House to begin talks on a new funding measure. Bush and the Democrats in Congress are under pressure to provide money for the Iraq war -- which costs the U.S. about $8.6 billion a month -- before the Defense Department runs short of funds.

So, the Iraq War costs $8.6 billion per month, or $103 billion per year. A little math reveals that $120 billion is 14 months of Iraq war. I think the remaining $17 billion, once the war is stopped, could easily come from an upper level tax cut. You know, from Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, the millionaire's club.

Hey, I know, let's call them the "Club For Growth".

Oh wait, that's already taken.

Bastards.