Unfortunately, these efforts are undermined by the opposite approach to budgeting taken by the Bush administration over the past four years, and continued in their 2006 proposal. The Congressional Budget Resolution being debated contains drastic cuts to key community investments while failing to bring the budget deficit under control. The president proposes eliminating or drastically reducing numerous successful programs, including the Community Services Block Grant, the foundation and infrastructure for addressing poverty throughout the country. Overall, this year's proposal cuts domestic discretionary programs (excluding defense and homeland security) by $18 billion in 2006, rising to $66 billion (16 percent) in 2010, but does not identify how those cuts should be achieved beyond year one.

In addition to the specific budget cuts, the Budget Resolution makes several changes to the budget process that raise questions about the administration's commitment to deficit reduction. Changing bipartisan "pay-as-you-go" rules is like deciding your family's payment for education or food must be offset by an equal cut in your mortgage or health insurance, while decisions to purchase a new speedboat or take a trip to Las Vegas can be charged on the family credit card. Requiring that budget estimates assume that previous and temporary tax cuts have been made permanent, when no permanent legislation has been passed, is like deciding to keep your credit cards permanently maxed out while paying the minimum payment with your children's lunch money.

According to the Congressional Budget Office, the Bush plan actually increases deficits over the long term, accumulating $2.6 trillion of new debt over the next 10 years even if all the cuts he proposes take effect. And the Bush budget does not count the costs of military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan or Social Security privatization.

The Utah Legislature and Huntsman have budgeted our state's resources much as wise parent would budget for their household — saving for a rainy day, making targeted investments in human and capital infrastructure, thinking cautiously about the future and resisting political temptations such as symbolic tax cuts. The contrast with the Bush administration's approach to budgeting is striking. And it should prompt us to take action.

Fortunately, Utahns can do something before it's too late. Utah's senators and representatives need to hear from all of us who care about the loss of critical community resources.

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Bill Crim is the director of Public Policy for United Way of Salt Lake and the director of the United Ways of Utah