Editorial: The reality of tax cuts

Monday, Aug. 29, 2005 | 9:05 a.m.

The rising national debt, almost $8 trillion now, is not the only consequence of President Bush's tax cuts. The New York Times reported last week that one of the nation's most beloved treasures, the Smithsonian Institution, is "falling apart." The paper reported on an audit by the Government Accountability Office, which said that a "broad decline in the Smithsonian's aging facilities and systems pose a serious long-term threat" to the Institution, which includes 18 museums, several galleries and science centers and a zoo. Already several artifacts have sustained water damage. The cost to repair all of the problems, Smithsonian officials told the paper, is estimated to be $2.3 billion over the next nine years.

That money is not likely to come from Congress, which this month increased the Institution's fiscal 2006 budget to just $621.3 million, up from $615 million this year. For the first time since it was founded in 1846, the Institution's governing body is thinking about charging entrance fees.

We hope President Bush is feeling good about handing millionaires even more millions while critical federal funding responsibilities are not being met.