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HOW MANY LIVES IS THE APPEARANCE OF FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY WORTH? Congress is readying to pass what's called a Continuing Resolution, which will fund certain programs at their 2006 levels. Among the items governed by the CR are our contributions to organizations ameliorating the genocidal toll HIV/AIDS is wreaking on Africa -- organizations that cannot continue to expand and enroll new cases without the promised funding increases. Democrats, however, want to fulfill their promise to balance the budget, and so are holding back. It's unconscionable. And this isn't an esoteric policy debate -- people will die, and soon:
In fiscal year 2007, 50,000 people in need of treatment will be turned away by the program, and medical evidence predicts that about half of them will die within 18 months if the lack of treatment continues, Dybul said. If the shortfall is not addressed, it could lead to the deaths of 110,000 to 175,000 HIV-infected individuals.If counseling and treatment programs for pregnant women grind to a halt, it could also lead to 23,000 new child HIV infections. More than one in three of those children will soon die without treatment, he said.This is where deficit reduction collides with real world priorities. President Bush has requested the full increase -- it's the Democrats who're considering condemning hundreds of thousands to an agonizing death in order to save a comparatively paltry amount of cash. This is what John Edwards meant when he argued that deficit reduction was not more important than moral leadership. If one of the first acts of the Democratic leadership is to default on America's funding promises and humanitarian commitments, precisely what message does that send about their priorities and outlook? Not a comforting one, I'd guess. Meanwhile, the ONE Campaign has a few suggestions on how to send you own message... --Ezra Klein
